Trail
 

Well, i wanted to drive this trail to examine some new hunting country, but it wasn't on the travel plan for trucks. One can only drive this trail with a 4 wheeler. Yes, i was plenty irritated i couldn't drive it, until i walked it. After walking it for a short way i had to quit; it was too rough, for me to walk, and i was so thankful i didn't drive it. Won't be hunting there. Was very glad i don't own a 4 wheeler that day.

















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I guess it comes down to what you call BAD or rough, been off roading for a LONG time and that trail doesn't look bad to me at all LOL
but I am sure your truck is happy not having to ride on it, but an atv and a truck are two totally different animals, and can go places the other cannot and not even break a sweat at times doing so!
rocky sections are all about slow goings and momentum to walk over things/crawl over them, and knowing when you get on the throttle and OFF!

Trails/roads like that to me are good things, helps keep wild places more wild, as will deter most guys LOL
NOT bashing on you, just saying
if good roads whet every where , so would pressure! and trash and ??

That's not a trail, it's a trial.

hmmmm the pic doesn't show up on my computer!!
Anyway - when I was up in Newfoundland on my moose hunt 2 years ago I was amazed as to where a 4wd ATV could go. I've been babying mine all they while. Those things climbed rocks as big as the ATVs themselves and went over deep gullies, at times, on only one wheel providing the traction. Amazing vehicles.
But just so you know the outfitter stayed on the trails with them for the most part. Only going through the above places to recover a downed moose.

My old Jeep, yep any time. My truck, nope, nadda chance. My old Jeep would make that trail look like a 4 lane highway (actually the roads here n Illinois aint much better). I miss that old bugger. Around 120k of trails like that finally got the best of the beast. She gave up the ghost in 2008 (may she rest in peace in Jeep heaven) :wave:

Now I see the pic. Heck that's how all the places I take my ATV are. Most are much worse. I agree with SH54. An ATV or a Jeep CJ would have no trouble with that ROAD.

Yes indeed Van, you get it. Here is a photo of the trail i walked today; it was lovely!

Ron now I know you're getting old! Remember that trail in a year or two so you can use your walker on it....:wave:

I'm going to have to take some of the pics of the trails I take my ATV and hike on as soon as my foot heals.

The way point named trail photo kinda center right is where i took the picture of the rocky trail. It is all government land there, and the coordinates are: N44 10.587 W103 33.611. Anyone wanting to drive the trail; fly at it.

The red track to the right i hiked the other day, and the way point shows where i left the truck.

The blue track is the one that took me to the rocky trail, i will never go back. One can see how i back tracked up the trail, and went away from them rocks. The way point named truck day 2, shows where i left the truck.

The red track to the left is the trail i hiked this morning, and is the one i photographed today. It is the photo posted here previously of the lovely trail. What i did was park the truck, and walk where i could have driven, part of the way. It paid off, because i ended up seeing an elk. He can be seen standing right there on the map. Yes, i like leaving those machines behind when ever possible. Somehow, i managed to walk all those miles, up hill, down hill, around dead fall, over dead fall, and never fell down once. Without a walker?










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Well maybe not now but in a year or two! I hope you realize I'm just joshing you Ron.
I know that there will soon come a day when I may need a cane or walker for hunting rather than staying home thinking about it. I'm already thinking how to camouflage it and install a scabboard!

The coordinates of the rocky trail photo are:

N44 10.587 W103 33.611

Here is a map showing roads, and trails.






















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Ron - If I were looking on that topo for a place to hunt my first choice would be just about the half way mark from your truck day 1 and truck day 2 points are. Right at the top of that draw. Then from there move due south to that flat where two draws are fairly close together.

There was a doe, and two fawn that spooked when i parked there on day 2. That whole area was select cut a few years ago, and it is kinda too open for whitetail to hang out in. There was sign they are there; me i figured mostly at night. The blue track shows i did walk through there on my way back to the truck. The walk wasn't too bad, and i didn't need my walker. It seems to be a nice spot. Tomorrow i will look to the South.

Before i leave the house in the morning, i cook breakfast for wife, so i never get out there very early. Usually i am home before dusk, because, at my advanced age, i don't see well at after dark, plus she is waiting for me. She worries if i come home a little late.

My life forces me to hunt where deer are, in the middle of the day. So far, the best place for deer shown on this map, i found the first day; the red track furthest to the right. The deer were there at noon, and it seemed like a couple of does kept sneezing, and snorting because of me. A little later a small buck kept sneezing/snorting. Was able to count coup on the buck, but my tag is only good for antlerless.










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That's normally when you see the biggest buck - when you only have an anterless tag!
Many years ago I shot a small 6 point buck (eastern count) during PA's archery season. I still had an anterless tag so I went out the following day in the same general area. I was hunting on the ground and wouldn't you know it, a doe comes flying past me on a dead run with a dandy 8 point right on her heels. I did the "BAAAA" thing to try and stop the doe. She kept going but the buck slammed on the brakes and was literally hand shaking distance away. I said out loud "Your one lucky SOB buddy". Needless to say he forgot all about the doe and just about turned himself inside out trying to get out of there, throwing leaves and dirt on me in the process.

Thats to rough to walk!

i drive my jeep and the truck on worse than that.

Piece of cake for both my FJ and ATV!!!

I had an International Scout in the early 70s. My neighbor had a jeep. He also owned some property that a powerline ran through and it had a steep incline. He had to take a run and then struggled to climb to the top, I just dropped my Scout in low range and first gear and went right up without having to race the engine. Those old scouts could climb and travel some real rough terrain. It also had a heater that could drive you out of the thing.

I drove a Scout for a while with a Nissan inline 6 diesel. Even the floods of 93 couldn't stop it.

one thing i dislike about my 73 cj5 is the first gear ratio, just not enough low end grunt to purr along slowly on really rough trails. I'd do a 5 speed conversion to fix that, but the price just doesnt add up! Had a 92 isuzu rodeo, now that thing was amazing in 4 low.

The first vehicle i drove off road was a 1952 Ford Sedan. Then there was a 1949 Chev 2wd truck with a 4 speed. The 4 speed was cool, the truck had no traction, but it did have the 7 window cab. The 1954 Buick had a 3 speed manual, and it went fast. This is the only car i ever rode airborne, the day we ran down a coyote, and the gunner killed it with his shotgun shooting out the passenger window. We clocked antelope running out on the prairie, with that old Buick. Antelope can run 60 to 65 mile per hour. Don't tell me they can't, because i know. The first 4wd was a 1968 GMC purchased new for $4700.

The 1979 F250 is the one i would take on the trail shown in the OP. It has ARB lockers front and rear. It is prepped for a winch front, and rear. The 4 speed with granny gear, coupled with a two speed transfer case provides an unbelievable crawl speed. It carried an over cab camper, and pulled a boat too. What a wonderful truck that one is.

Set up so well, it makes for a careless driver, and one day i drove it into a frozen swamp, but it wasn't frozen. The rear mounted winch saved me that morning. Then later that day i drove it onto a trail covered by a sheet of ice from a spring. The front of the truck slid slowly into a tree, and i couldn't figure out how to get away without damaging the truck. Then it dawned on me with the lockers, i maybe could use one chain on the other front tire, and slowly move away. Wow it worked perfectly, just one tire chain. After being stuck twice, i had a little day light left, and proceeded. Then i cut a fresh elk track; left the truck following the elk, and found him bedded. Taking him up to the truck the next morning on a pack frame, all alone 4 trips, was a hard thing for me to do.

Twice i chained up all four of the '79, to get closer to dead elk. One elk, we packed out on pack frames, maybe 2 mile, the other i drove close, and using the truck, drug it to a tree. Then after tying a snatch block in the tree as high as i could reach from the top of the cab, i loaded the whole elk with the winch mounted in the rear. When i got a new truck, i couldn't bring myself to trade the old '79 in, so we gave it to our son.











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Ahh yes recalling all our old vehicles. I had 2 such beasts. The first was a 4WD Chevy Blazer of '72 vintage with lock out hubs and 4 speed manual. You locked those hubs, put it in low range and 1st gear and you had to look out the side window to see if you were moving. But I swear, if I wanted it to, it could climb a tree!
My most favorite vehicle was a Ford Bronco II ('86). I could go anywhere with that little 4WD. One time my two cousins and myself were exploring a new hunting area. Looking on the topo map showed a "road" going through a promising area. Following it for about a mile or so the road just stopped and we weren't where we wanted to be. After some footwork we found where it picked back up so we went back to the Bronco and meandered through the woods about a half mile or so and got back on it. That road led us to what would become our own little honey hole for a long time. But alas, the PGC purchased the property and put a gate across the road and we are all too old to walk up and down the mountain where we hunted.

my 4x4 ranger would get wrecked doing that

thats bcuz its a ford. They were made to sit inside a garage at the ford dealership, with the hood open. :D