Ozark Mtns, Nov 2010: "100 Meters at a Time"

[RSB]

some more action shots...

last time I used my winch somethin' didn't sound right. So, we had to find a different way to get my rig to the other side w/out using it. I recalled the view outside Mike's window when he was stuck...

looking at it now, is would probably be a 3.5 by EW's trail rating guide. There'd be little margin for error and require lots of backfilling, but we decided it was still the best option. So, off I went!

and we're clear! :smiley_drive:

 

[RSB]

we pressed-on (another 100m? :sombrero until some more trail repair was needed. Eventually, we made it back to the route shown on our GPS.

the map below shows our progress. Blue indicates our track and red indicates October's run, after the group split towards the end of the day. Purple indicates both.

we still have this entire area to scout (in navy blue) behind where we came to a dead end in October...

or one of the alternate routes (aqua) in October's run route west of the dead end...

we continued to camp after taking a look at the landslide we would assess the next morning. It was a looong day... :camping:

 

[codertimt]

Looks like an awesome trip guys. Possibly minus alot of hard work. :sombrero:

Enjoying all the pics and vids...

One thing I wanted to mention. It doesn't look like the cut through road with the rockslide isn't actually a legit road anymore according to the latest MVUM...just something to keep in mind. Don't want anyone getting in trouble...

 

[Whitey]

You gents must have been inspired by the Congo story to take the biggest PITA trail you could find.

 

[Touring4x4]

Great back country trip. We often follow power line tracks here in Oz too.

 

[fishEH]

So how do you think a Land Rover discovery would fare? Are lockers needed?
Don't want to horn in but are you open to someone joining you? This looks like a great trip. I'd be interested in going(dates/time dependent) and maybe leading a group through there in the future. Thoughts?

 

[Mr. Leary]

You gents must have been inspired by the Congo story to take the biggest PITA trail you could find.

I have to admit it was looking forward to a challenge. I was actually hoping for rain and otherwise miserable weather. Every now and then it feels good to complete a trail deemed "impassable."

So how do you think a Land Rover discovery would fare? Are lockers needed?
Don't want to horn in but are you open to someone joining you? This looks like a great trip. I'd be interested in going(dates/time dependent) and maybe leading a group through there in the future. Thoughts?

Disco is too big for the trail we took, our trucks squeezed through with millimeters to spare on several occasions. Lockers are needed, at least rear and center, if not front. A well equipped rig of any model would make it down the trail were it not boxed in by trees and have saplings growing tall in the middle of the trail in many places. We will be leading a group down nearby trails in the region in April. Keep an eye out for other posted trips, we may throw some together before then. Most trips are open. This one we knew was going to be a lot of work and tough terrain, so it was closed.

Upon reflection, I think the trail is suited well to the strengths of small Jeeps or Samurais without very much lift. There was so much off camber stuff and tight turns that these small rigs would have done better then any others, IMO. Then again, the locals who told us that the trail was impassable frove Sammies and Jeeps.

I would say that for this trail, required equipment was center and rear locker, winch, lots of recovery equipment, 32" or bigger tires, a very experienced driver, and a casual attitude towards mechanical or cosmetic damage.

The chainsaw made this trail possible. So many downed trees that would have taken hours without it.

 

[RSB]

the next morning and here's what we see...

hikers & bikers have been getting around by taking the path to the left...

trying to come-up w/a game plan...

this photo probably gives the best representation of the changes in the ground height. The area near the boulder in the middle of the photo would need to be leveled-out to prevent our trucks from sliding into the trees...

before...

AFTER...

Wes came through first. The difficulty of this stretch could not be understated, even w/our efforts. Having faith in our spotters was paramount, once again.

Mike's turn...

and my turn...

another 100 meters, and we had to do it all over again! :victory: Another landslide ahead would have required a bulldozer or a crew of 10-20 to get through.

 

[RSB]

since we couldn't get through this one, we made a detour eastbound for the highway. One day, we'll come back. :ylsmoke:

enroute...

up high! :luxhello:

Richland Valley...

some of my favorites taken the whole trip ...

 

[RSB]

and then we run into this massive rock wall on the left side of the trail...

we had to check it out...

it was like a wind tunnel up here!

the view back down...

and then we came to where I think we'd all agree was probably our favorite spot this trip. The Buffalo River (Woolum) crossing! :wings: Here's how it looked on our approach...

the crossing was short and appeared to be fairly deep. Just my kind of crossing. :snorkel: Off I go!

Wes went next...

 

[fishEH]

Disco is too big for the trail we took, our trucks squeezed through with millimeters to spare on several occasions. Lockers are needed, at least rear and center, if not front. A well equipped rig of any model would make it down the trail were it not boxed in by trees and have saplings growing tall in the middle of the trail in many places. We will be leading a group down nearby trails in the region in April. Keep an eye out for other posted trips, we may throw some together before then. Most trips are open. This one we knew was going to be a lot of work and tough terrain, so it was closed.

Upon reflection, I think the trail is suited well to the strengths of small Jeeps or Samurais without very much lift. There was so much off camber stuff and tight turns that these small rigs would have done better then any others, IMO. Then again, the locals who told us that the trail was impassable frove Sammies and Jeeps.

I would say that for this trail, required equipment was center and rear locker, winch, lots of recovery equipment, 32" or bigger tires, a very experienced driver, and a casual attitude towards mechanical or cosmetic damage.

The chainsaw made this trail possible. So many downed trees that would have taken hours without it.

Thanks for the info. What part of a Disco do you think would be too big? Width, height? I know my D1 is shorter that a Taco and does alright in some trees. Most Disco's have a CDL stock, mine does. A rear locker is on my to-do list, though. I'd still be interested if there's a route / trip that you think would be passable.
Brett

 

[Blain]

I REALLY hope I can make a trip down their sometime. This place looks amazing!

 

[RSB]

what a beauty... :drool:

I wasn't able to get pics of Mike coming through, but I'm sure Neal or Wes got some.

we made a stop in St. Joe, as we were runnin' a little low on some essentials :ylsmoke:...

...then we headed for the homesteads!

 

[Mr. Leary]

Thanks for the info. What part of a Disco do you think would be too big? Width, height? I know my D1 is shorter that a Taco and does alright in some trees. Most Disco's have a CDL stock, mine does. A rear locker is on my to-do list, though. I'd still be interested if there's a route / trip that you think would be passable.
Brett

About 2-3 inches too wide. Height can be worked around, but could be a problem during off camber spots as the top gets pushed further into trees. I looked at a lot of the obstacles thinking about whether my 80 series LC would fit, and I know the D1s are narrower, somewhere between that and my 4Runner.

 

[Wes Craiglow]

I REALLY hope I can make a trip down their sometime. This place looks amazing!

Stay tuned for how and when! Info coming for future trips. :wings: