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Mt. Cushman Part Deux

6/21/08

So, I learned my lesson from last time, I had reserved the tow dolly from Welch’s instead of having to go to Leb. Welch’s closes at 5pm on Saturdays but doesn’t open on Sunday until 10am. So I planned on picking it up the night before so I wouldn’t have to run all over. Saturday I got to monkeying around making some new rows in the garden and sorting thru the junk in the back of the 4runner that afternoon and didn’t realize the time. I looked at my phone and it was 4:50pm *SH!T* I ran in the house got the kids in the van and called Welch’s. Thankfully the assistant manager Bob said he would stick around until quarter of since I rent from them so much. I got there just in time and picked the dolly up. Their computer system was turned off for the day so Bob said he would take my card number and just charge me in the morning. I love rural stores you can’t find trusting people that are willing to go out of their way to help anywhere else.

6/22/08

I got up promptly at 3am, which was a miracle. I got the barn set up went out and got the cows. Milking was good, no surprises and pretty normal. I did have to go back out and get Kristie so she could get bred but other than that it was an easy and quick milking. I finished up at about 7ish. I Told Taliesin (My oldest daughter) to eat some breakfast and fill some jugs of water. I then headed to my friend and neighbor’s farm so I could borrow his F-250 (worked so much better then our farm’s dodge, damn 6 cylinders). I got back and while Taliesin made us some lunch for later I loaded the 4runner and strapped everything in it down. It had rained just a little for about 5 – 10 minutes that morning but the radio said something about scattered rain showers so I hummed and hawed about taking the top off. I finally said screw it and took it off. 9:00 came and we got on the road after almost forgetting my wallet and the camera.

We arrived at Rinker’s in Randolph Center with 13minutes to spare, Halleluiah. After we confirmed that everyone that was going to show was there and getting bitched at by the gas attendant about fines and parking on gas tank covers we headed for the trail head. What’s that on the windshield? RAIN! Well maybe it will pass. We got to the trail head, parked the tow vehicles and unloaded everything in the rain. Adam came over and handed me something, it was one of the straps that was supposed to hold the 4runner to the dolly. It had fallen off on the way up, (Thank You guys that would have cost me), They also noticed that one of the tires on the dolly was almost flat. So while I blew up the front tires on the 4runner we had a “drivers meeting”. Trevor looked at me and said “this is your show where do we go” ha ha, Maybe I should have told him I didn’t really know the trails any better than he did, Oh I know the area I’ve lived in the Randolph area for more than ten years, but I never spent much time on Cushman.

I was in the lead so I took everyone up Charlie Wilson Rd. I knew there were a lot of spots that would make some great video for Trevor’s DVD and fun stuff to post on the web. Also Adam and Michelle had to leave last time before we had gotten very far up that trail. We hit all of the fun spots we did last time, minus Greg’s mud hole. The last “fun spot?” Trevor and Monty played in last time was tried again. I didn’t see it but Adam and Trevor made it threw OK, then it was Monty’s turn. Bare in mind this is the same spot Monty had popped both of his rear springs last time. Well he didn’t pop any springs but he did get stuck, right in the deepest mud. It was still raining and nobody wanted to go in to attach the pull chain. Being the kind soul I am and the only one with tall boots I hopped in and hooked up the chain. The mud was so deep and soupy it just went over my boots (they go almost to my knees). I needed a hand pulling myself out.

We had passed the spot we turned around last time so I didn’t have a clue what was ahead. On the right I spotted a cool looking, kind of muddy hill that looked pretty easy at the top. I tried about half a dozen times to get up before I figured I want to see someone get up and I would just follow their lead. So I let Trevor past and he made it up on the first try but not easily. Then Adam and Monty went up. I must have spent 20 minutes trying to get up that damn slope. I ended up hanging out at the bottom with Bruce (he couldn’t get up the last slope and it was just wet leaves) and everyone else that was left.

Trevor came back down and told us about all sorts of different trails he had found. His jeep looked a little shorter and more banged up than before, nobody even realized why until he pointed out that most of his roof rack along with spare tire that was on it had been torn completely off by a low hanging tree. It even cracked his windshield. After walking up an alternate way up (around the mud) after him I figured I can do that. So I ran back down hopped in, told Taliesin to buckle up and away we went. It was actually really easy especially after Trevor found all of the stumps and uncovered them with his differential. We played along some of those easy trails and I went down the muddy slope I couldn’t get up. Then Dustin finally showed up. He tried the slope and I got to pull him out, a little vindication for me.

Everyone made it around or up to “the clearing” where there is a nice short trail that has a little mud and a good sized ledge outcropping. The 4runner made it up without much of a problem. Then we headed for the nasty trail Trevor lost his roof rack on. I was second to last in line with Dustin in his Montero in front of me and a friend of Adam’s, Bo from Nova Scotia behind. Dustin couldn’t make it very far, he went around a corner because of a very large rock on the left (remember the big rock). The slope and grade was too much for Dustin’s little All Terrain tires and he kept sliding off the trail. Thanks to some quick thinking and a little bit of dumb luck he avoided scraping his whole right side on a tree. He wasn’t going to get up so he tried turning around. I really need to work on my communication skills because when I told him to turn around in a particular spot he turned around about 10 feet up from it. So he got mostly turned and was getting turned the rest of the way I thought he was going to do a little more back and forth little turns because of the big rock that was in the way. What shouldn’t you do when the left side of your truck is higher than your right on a hill? ROCK! Dustin gunned it a bit much and put his front right on top of the big rock. I wish I had my camera out at the time. He almost rolled it right there. Dustin, next time keep your hands in the vehicle, your arm won’t keep it from falling.

Dustin got the Montero out of the way hopped into my wet and muddy back seat and I crawled it up, ye ha. Bo tried and tried but he couldn’t get up either. AT seems to stand for all terrain except wet terrain. I parked it up the trail about 50 ft, we all walked up to see what the commotion was before I tried driving further.

I don’t know how to describe the scene for you, Adam and Michelle’s Toyota was nowhere to be seen presumably way up at the top of some real nastiness. Everyone had cleared the tree that took Trevor’s spare and made their way up, but not far. Trevor couldn’t get up one spot so he pulled over and Monty tried, and tried, and tried, from what I could see he was doing great until he started coming right at me and Dustin throwing mud everywhere. I took a step back and found myself in a three foot hole on my back. (Dustin has a video of this) Someone had to do it might as well be me. Not long after that Monty popped a spring, he broke the weld on his bump stop that had done such a good job of keeping them in all day.

Monty got his spring back in and everyone headed back down the trail. We got to the bottom and found the land owner waiting for us. Oops, guess we shouldn’t have been on that trail. At this point Trevor and Adam took off on a not-a-trail trail and the rest of us headed back to the trail head. Monty decided to go home for the day and weld his bump stop back on. So That left me, Dustin, Bruce and Bo heading up to the flagpole. I liked this trail, it was easy but you had to pay attention, the trees were so close I only had about three inches on each side at any given moment. This was such an easy trail that Taliesin fell asleep in the passenger seat. I did find one spot that everyone else made it threw but I just couldn’t do it. No the trail wasn’t hard I just didn’t fit. My tires kept hitting. Wide tires and that trail apparently don’t mix. Thankfully there was a go around right there. Once at the top we looked at a trail that went down the back side but with the grade and the rain we all were in agreement that if needed we wouldn’t be able to get back up.

Back at the trail head we met up with Trevor, Adam and Michelle. Since it was getting late we figured a quick jaunt down Gilead would be fine. Everyone went down with no problem and we all got some nice pictures and video. Coming back up Trevor found a side trail that went straight up. So he and Adam made it up most of the way. With the wet leaves and loose dirt even Adam couldn’t get all the way to the top. I made it as far as a ledge, bank, big dirt wall thing, but I couldn’t get enough traction for a running start. Bruce couldn’t get enough traction to even get that far and Dustin chose to not even try.

We got up to the bank Trevor and Adam played on last time where the Toy showed the jeep up. Trevor didn’t make it all the way on his own power again, Adam stalled on it this time because he was in 2^nd gear, and I decided to be dumb. I tried it several times until I hit it and the front right side of my bumper was completely squashed in. “OK one more time”, if you ever find your self thinking or saying this don’t do it. I hit and everyone tells me there was a clunk noise, I hate clunk because that is one of those expensive sounds. What ever I did it lost me 4 wheel drive and I had to get rocked and bumped to get back up the trail in 2wd to the trailers.

All in all I had a blast and so did Taliesin. We got wet, muddy, bounced around and some great memories. I am tired and sore beyond belief. I love this stuff.

I am sorry to report to everyone that this is the last time I take the 4runner out this year. I just can’t afford it right now. Between trailer rentals and parts (and I shop at junk yards), but especially gas. I will try to make future rides but will only be a passenger.

David Elias

a.k.a. The Floppy Bandit