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Quack Attack: 7/30

TORX

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Member
Location
NWC
Quack Attack is located in the Santiam Pass ORV area, just outside Sisters Oregon. This trail has been on my radar for quite some time, and has been called one of Oregon's most difficult trails. I finally had the opportunity to run it this weekend, and it certainly delivers.

I decided to make a long day out of it and day trip it down there, so I packed the Jeep late Friday night after work, and left Vancouver 0500 Saturday morning. Scott was interested in running the trail too, and volunteered to be my co-driver for the day. We hit the road and met up with the group at the Ray Benson snow park 0830 with four vehicles ready to hit the trail.
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The trail starts just outside the entrance to the snow park, and within 100 feet we had winch line pulled.
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Paul in his CJ took a bad line, and got a bit high centered. He winched through, and we continued on... 30 more feet until we saw what was next.
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Shave kit paying off.
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Coming through this section, Paul actually laid his rig over on the passenger side.
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With Paul through, Doug saddled up and eased into the drop.
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As you can see just as you drop into this shoot, there's a massive axle grabber of a rock dead center in front of the Jeep. Setup before dropping is key on this one, and get ready to start feeling tippy.
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Shawn in his clean Commando decided to bypass this section. I should have done the same, but my dumb ass decided to bring a station wagon through it. Like I said earlier, setup before dropping is key, and I had my rear end too far to the right which made things a challenge once I dropped the front. Thanks to some awesome spotters, two dudes hanging onto a tow strap keeping me from going over, and a lot of patience I got through it.

Two hours later, and two hundred feet into the trail, we continued on.
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Tree bumper.
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After some crawling we arrived to the two suburban sized rocks, and a sharp right turn to get through them.
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With very limited room for maneuvering, Doug snatched off a tree and pulled Paul's rear end uphill to square him up for the turn.
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Doug trying to square up. Sporting an Atlas 5:1 he had the ability to front dig his front end down, which was a huge advantage.
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It's a tight squeeze, but with some good armor, and a little bit of muscle pushing on the cage, Doug squeezed through.
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Shawn bringing up the tail in the Commando.
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I was next.
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I tried to stay as high as possible prior to the turn, and swing it as hard as I could. Once I started to reverse to square up, the rear end wanted to slide downhill, which is the problem with this turn. Looking at what needed to be done, getting a full bodied wagon through, I had Shawn snatch off the tree and winch my rear end uphill. It worked perfectly, and I inched through the rocks.

Shawn was last to come through.
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With the ability to unlock the rear drive line, Shawn dug his front end around, and squared up nicely. A little bit of muscle, and some strategically placed rocks, he got through under his own power.
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Wagons in the forest.
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There's never a dull moment on Quack Attack. Just around the corner there's another challenge for you.
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Awesome trail, and beautiful scenery.
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The chairlift for the ski season, and hikers / bikers out doing their thing.
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Optional cut off into the boulder field.
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Yellow markers indicate OHV boundary, but the shear volume of rock is intimidating. It's an amazing area.
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Came around the butte, and Big Lake appeared in the distance. Big Lake sits around 4700'.
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This trail delivers.
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Is that fire in the direction we're heading? Don't worry about it.
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Old iron getting it done.
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From this point it was an easy cruise through some mixed use trails back to camp. Scott and I tossed some air in the tires, and hit the road back North.
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About 30 miles south of Estacada, with no cell service we found ourselves in this situation...
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"I don't have bad luck, I just make poor decisions." With my gauge showing over a 1/4 tank, I thought I could make it the 70 miles to Estacada. Well, at 1/8 of a tank the Jeep was coasting to the nearest pull off. Apparently I no longer have a gas light or accurate sender.

Fortunately, I coasted into someones campsite. Scott and I discussed our limited options, and awkwardly got out to make some new friends. Scott got a ride to the Ripplebrook Ranger Station with the dudes, while I stayed with the Jeep and played board games with Hope... :)

Scott and the dudes rolled back into camp, and that's where we waited wondering if Scott's wife got the voicemail from the random number he called her on. An hour later just as the sun was setting, Scott's wife arrived with a full gas can. Thank you!

What a day! Quack Attack is legit, and a ton of fun. It has the beauty of the Rubicon, and the obstacles of Pritchett Canyon, all in the Northwest. Quack Attack isn't the only trail in the OHV park. There's a ton of mileage to explore, and the more mild mixed use trails are a blast to rally on. When are we heading down there, NWC?
 
It's funny, every time you think ok, that was the hard part....
Then you turn the corner and its 'aw crap, another one'

Tons of fun though!
 
Looks like it was a lot of fun. Wish I could have gone. Looks like 35's would be dragging a lot and pulling cable quit offen. I better plan on taking a good cable puller/rock chucked jockey
 
We took a rig on 35's (might have been 33's) and he did fine last year. He was at the back though so he got to pick the best lines after watching the guys up front
 
Incredible scenery, Thanks for having me along, Torx!

I can't wait to return... I'm itching to see more of the area
 
Nice write-up. QA is a legit trail. I wish there was more in that area for more mild built rigs.
 
An XJ on 35's would be fine for Quack Attack if armored up. Good spotters make a world of difference too, and we had some good ones in our group. I'd strongly recommend full skids, beefy steering, and an acceptance of body damage. I was getting into the drip rails a lot leaning into trees, added a good dent on the drivers door dropping in on the first obstacle, bent my tie-rod, and scraped just about every piece of metal under the Jeep. Up side is the rocks seemed to scrape off a lot of the rust that has been accumulating. :gee:

The OHV area has a lot of trail miles ranging in difficulty. The mixed use trails are very mild, but fun to pick up some speed on. Quack Attack is just a sliver of what Hoodoo has to offer, and just so happens to be it's extreme. I'd be up for heading back down and exploring the other trails one day, and of course running Quack Attack again.

I'm booked up the next few weekends, but might be up for heading down again late August or early September.

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I have done most trails out there except QA. That was about a year ago. I'd love to get back out that way.
 
Came around the butte, and Big Lake appeared in the distance. Big Lake sits around 4700'.
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Thanks for posting the pics...one of these summers I'll wander out of the dusty Southwest and spend some time up there.
 
I think a date should be set up sometime in September to get a group out there.
 
Gnarly! I'll pass on QA, but would love to ride along and would certainly bring my rig down for the other trails. Let's put it on the calendar! Mid-Late October would be best for me.
 
I would pass on QA also with my xj. I can do the other trails tho. The OHV area closes NOV1 for the season.
 
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