I gotta say this year I was pretty bummed to have to pack up, and put an end to this year Northwest Fest. It was a very memorable trip in many different aspects.
Monday night I spent a good two hours loading everything into the Jeep. I not only had all my usual wheeling gear, but also six days of camping gear, food, raffle prizes, event supplies, an extra cooler, and some firewood to fit in as well. The stress was definitely present, but I managed to get everything in with a bit of room to spare.
Tuesday morning came quicker than expected, but I was set to roll out and meet the others in Cascade Locks. Surprisingly the Jeep didn't feel all that loaded, and felt fairly normal. I stopped at the Bridge of the Gods to get my annual morning poser shot.
I then met Rod, Karl, and Ken in Cascade Locks, and we set out for Naches. The drive up seemed to go by fairly quick.
Karl, Ken, Jed (Ken's son), and I decided to head out for a quick shake down after getting camp set up. We decided to check out Kaner Flats since it's close to camp.
About 20ft into the trail we discovered the conditions weren't the same as last year, and all the rain we've been having definitely took it's toll on the trail. The small tires and tired four squirrels of Jed's Sami just weren't enough for Kaner Flats.
We got Jed turned around and the rest of us pressed on. Ken strattling the ruts at the first major mud hole.
Aardvark Hill was a complete mess. Thick peanut butter mud, and slipperly tree roots proved to be a tough challenge. Karl and I both made it up with some heavy throttle, but Ken chose to pull cable and play it safe on the first day.
Wheel spin seemed to be a key component in making it up some of the climbs. I was starting to wonder what the conditions on the other trails were like.
It was good to be back.
The plan for Wednesday was to check out the conditions of the upper trails on Manastash Ridge. We started by taking Lilly Pond over to Kaner Flats where we left off the day before.
Rod wondering what his height limit is with the new additions.
Karl leading.
The ground was still drying out, and proved to be a good challenge on some of the hill climbs.
After Lilly Pond we continued up the ridge.
This short section of trail on Kaner has got to be my favorite part of Naches.
more to come...
Monday night I spent a good two hours loading everything into the Jeep. I not only had all my usual wheeling gear, but also six days of camping gear, food, raffle prizes, event supplies, an extra cooler, and some firewood to fit in as well. The stress was definitely present, but I managed to get everything in with a bit of room to spare.
Tuesday morning came quicker than expected, but I was set to roll out and meet the others in Cascade Locks. Surprisingly the Jeep didn't feel all that loaded, and felt fairly normal. I stopped at the Bridge of the Gods to get my annual morning poser shot.
I then met Rod, Karl, and Ken in Cascade Locks, and we set out for Naches. The drive up seemed to go by fairly quick.
Karl, Ken, Jed (Ken's son), and I decided to head out for a quick shake down after getting camp set up. We decided to check out Kaner Flats since it's close to camp.
About 20ft into the trail we discovered the conditions weren't the same as last year, and all the rain we've been having definitely took it's toll on the trail. The small tires and tired four squirrels of Jed's Sami just weren't enough for Kaner Flats.
We got Jed turned around and the rest of us pressed on. Ken strattling the ruts at the first major mud hole.
Aardvark Hill was a complete mess. Thick peanut butter mud, and slipperly tree roots proved to be a tough challenge. Karl and I both made it up with some heavy throttle, but Ken chose to pull cable and play it safe on the first day.
Wheel spin seemed to be a key component in making it up some of the climbs. I was starting to wonder what the conditions on the other trails were like.
It was good to be back.
The plan for Wednesday was to check out the conditions of the upper trails on Manastash Ridge. We started by taking Lilly Pond over to Kaner Flats where we left off the day before.
Rod wondering what his height limit is with the new additions.
Karl leading.
The ground was still drying out, and proved to be a good challenge on some of the hill climbs.
After Lilly Pond we continued up the ridge.
This short section of trail on Kaner has got to be my favorite part of Naches.
more to come...
