Well it sure was a night packed with action! And it's been suggested I need to reconsider my idea of what is "easy"...
After the meet and greet, we headed in to the forest via Davis Rd, up past the open gate at the end and down to the creek crossing where we aired down. The weather turned kind on us after a solid day of rain and the clouds even started to break up as we headed in. First challenge was Jenkins No.1 which myself and Braden climbed up without a problem, then Fikre made his attempt and with the slippery surface and decent ruts up the steep climb at the start it proved a little harder. With a bit of spotting and advice on line to take he made it up after a few goes. Top work. Phillip was next and with the track getting pretty slicked out by this point we made the choice to pull out the winch on the FJ and reel him up over the first crest. Once done, we kept cruising up and across the top of J1 and then down Jenkins Link, onto Dicks before traversing across Jenkins 2 and onto Stony Creek Track. All pretty straight forward through these sections - steepish in spots, a few fallen trees with clearance tracks and I will admit it would've been slippery on road tyres or ATs that are a bit worn, however this part of the trip allowed everyone to really take in their surroundings and the eery feeling of driving through the forest at night. It allowed heart rates to settle a bit after the excitement at the start.
We continued along onto Horans then dropped into Tehans 6, again slippery through the steep sections but fun driving. We headed back up Tehans 5, all good until the final steep climb near the top. My muddies made easy work of it but I had a feeling it may not be so easy for the others. Braden managed to power through it, foot buried in the firewall and a fair bit of wheel spin. Fikre was next and again made a damn good run at it but just couldn't quite carry enough momentum to make it over a washout mound. We tried a few different approaches but it was no dice. So I backed Yoda down slowly, brakes not being a good option as it was locking up and sliding all too easily. Crawl control on and we crept down to the top of the washout. Snatch attached, locker engaged, then berries. First pull went nowhere - a 76 series is no lightweight on that incline. Second pull with a bit more run at it saw us bungied from one side of the track to the other under the elastic force of the strap. I was spinning the tyres looking for something more solid under the mud, spinning steering from side to side to try to find a grab point. Still no joy. By this stage - as we were dancing wildly from side to side across the track - my wife Sondra was starting to get a little nervous. Not sure if my giggles and wide grin helped calm her or make her even more anxious. On about the 4th attempt we got some traction and managed to gain 10m or so, enough to get Fikre's front wheels over the crest, and then I backed it up a little and floored it once more throwing fist sized clumps of mud and clay in the air as we skull dragged the 76 to the top. Sondra had had enough so got out to watch me repeat the effort with Phillip. I was giggling like a little kid with the fun of it all. I think I was on my own with those feelings...
And on we went, took Tehans 4 back down, same same as 6, then I took a wrong turn and ended up at the closed road heading into the pine plantation. Turned around, got my headings sorted and made our way towards Tehans 2. Started off ok, no dramas until I took the turn into the unnamed link track that runs between T2 and Brandy Corner. Dropping down into it was rutted and steep down to a little creek then around a bend and we looked up at a very steep and very rocky climb.
On the map it does say "Steep and rocky".
It was.
I instantly jumped on the radio and told the convoy to stop and turn back before even coming through the rutted bit, there was no way they were making it up this. I didn't like my options - nowhere to turn around, the track was narrow with steep banks on one side and a nasty drop into the creek on the other if I was to reverse out. The drive around to the top of Brandy Corner from where the others had stopped was an easy one, so after some deliberation I made the call for them to follow that around and wait at the junction while I attempted the climb. Not a decision I wanted to make, separating from the group is a big no-no for me, but I was genuinely nervous about reversing back to Tehans 2. I started climbing up the rock steps, giving it everything I had and using every bit of ability I've learned to try to pick the right line. After 5 or 6 attempts we managed to climb maybe 10m of track, it wasn't looking good. Sondra was literally screaming at me in panic, and i didn't want to start winching to get any further up without a skilled spotter. To try to calm my poor wife I threw in the towel and gingerly reversed out, losing traction many times, coming seriously close to the banks and getting stir fried by the nasty ruts. Finally we made it up and rejoined the group as tensions started to ease a little inside the cabin.
I could see everyone was starting to get a bit drained by this point, it was challenging terrain but a skill builder. Still, only so much you can take.
So we made our way across to Cable track towards our finish, and once again the map was right.
"Bog".
Yep. It was.
Poor Phillip got caught up on his front rail in a big hole on a tight left between trees. After looking at the options the first plan was to winch from a position off to the side, as a typical snatch could've sidelined him into the tree which was only a foot from his door. Not convinced with this approach I instead opted for attaching the 8T bridle strap, taking up the slack very carefully then putting the combination of tyres and power to use in towing rather than jerking the Ranger out. It worked. The best bit? See the photos in the trip section... at such close proximity my muddies absolutely coated the front of the Ranger with stinky mud. We all had a good laugh and Phillip lamented the cleaning effort ahead of him the next day.
Onto the final stages of the trip we took Rocky Track up towards the top of Mt Hickey, again hitting a tough section where it was quite steep and the rocks were decent size and slippery. You had to pick your line just right to get through it under power. After a few attempts we all got through without the need for recovery. I was really impressed with the way the guys thought about their line, how we communicated about what would work and then put it into action successfully.
Up across the top of the mountain and then down Mountain Track, negotiating the rock steps at the top and coasting down the track to the bottom where we aired up and looked around at several sets of tired eyes.
I want to thank Phillip, Braden, Fikre (and petrified sister) for coming on the trip and commend you all on a great effort and stepping out of your comfort zones and tackling some good challenging terrain and conditions. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and I really think everyone's skill levels and confidence will have stepped up a notch after that route. Also thanks to my wife for putting up with me taking tracks that scare her senseless.
I had a fantastic night and am definitely keen to do it again sometime. And that rocky link track that beat me - I'll be returning on a dry day soon to own it. Any takers on joining me?