Once again another day of rain in the great Northwest.
I think we can pretty much count on the trails being pretty sloppy for this years event. That means we all need to be aware of the tread lightly priciples, and not impact the trails more than we need too. Last year (pre-NWF) the trails were heavily abused during the spring season, which lead to this years trail closure.
First off stay on the trail. Don't create your own bypasses around obstacles. It doesn't take much time to hook up a tow strap, or rig a winch line. Also, avoid using illegal bypasses. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a section is part of a trail or not, but always try to stay on the path more traveled and avoid widening the trails.
Keep the wheel speed under control. Conditions are going to be slick, which means it's going to be easy to dig. If you find yourself not making progress, don't just hammer down. Back up, and assess the situation, and try to use your momentum to carry you up rather than wheel speed. Avoid digging ruts, and holes on the trails. A lot of the trails are loose dirt/clay and can easily get chewed up after a few rigs pass.
Limit the attempts on an obstacle. Aardvark hill is coming to mind on this one. Generally stick to the three tries rule. If you still aren't making progress after three tries on an obstacle look for some assistance whether it be a tow strap or winch line. Again, it doesn't take a lot of time to rig something up, and it will help avoid extra abuse to the trail.
Bust out the elbow grease. The Forest Service can use all the extra help they can get. There's reports of a lot of downed trees in the area. Lets try to clear them out of the way, rather than driving over/around them. If you see something that needs attention, let the group know and see if they would be up for stopping to fix it. Bring a pair of gloves, shovel, bow saw. I won't encourage people to bring their chain saws, but if they happen to find their way into the Jeep they may be useful.
I would hope most of this stuff should be common sense, but I think it's a good reminder before an event. If anyone has anything extra to add, feel free.
Please take the time to skim over the Tread Lightly guidelines HERE.
I think we can pretty much count on the trails being pretty sloppy for this years event. That means we all need to be aware of the tread lightly priciples, and not impact the trails more than we need too. Last year (pre-NWF) the trails were heavily abused during the spring season, which lead to this years trail closure.
First off stay on the trail. Don't create your own bypasses around obstacles. It doesn't take much time to hook up a tow strap, or rig a winch line. Also, avoid using illegal bypasses. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a section is part of a trail or not, but always try to stay on the path more traveled and avoid widening the trails.
Keep the wheel speed under control. Conditions are going to be slick, which means it's going to be easy to dig. If you find yourself not making progress, don't just hammer down. Back up, and assess the situation, and try to use your momentum to carry you up rather than wheel speed. Avoid digging ruts, and holes on the trails. A lot of the trails are loose dirt/clay and can easily get chewed up after a few rigs pass.
Limit the attempts on an obstacle. Aardvark hill is coming to mind on this one. Generally stick to the three tries rule. If you still aren't making progress after three tries on an obstacle look for some assistance whether it be a tow strap or winch line. Again, it doesn't take a lot of time to rig something up, and it will help avoid extra abuse to the trail.
Bust out the elbow grease. The Forest Service can use all the extra help they can get. There's reports of a lot of downed trees in the area. Lets try to clear them out of the way, rather than driving over/around them. If you see something that needs attention, let the group know and see if they would be up for stopping to fix it. Bring a pair of gloves, shovel, bow saw. I won't encourage people to bring their chain saws, but if they happen to find their way into the Jeep they may be useful.
I would hope most of this stuff should be common sense, but I think it's a good reminder before an event. If anyone has anything extra to add, feel free.
Please take the time to skim over the Tread Lightly guidelines HERE.
