Field & Forest Season Opener 2023
As always, F&F never disappoints.
The ride out got a little spicy. I witnessed the immediate aftermath of a fender-bender right after leaving home base. Construction delays ate up an hour or more of time. I had a very close call when someone turned left right in my path. Shortly after that, a trailer tire decided it had enough. I was counting on a milkshake from Cornell's farm stand but they were closed. Not the best trip out but I counted my blessings.
I pulled in, checked in, SIGNED THE (*******) WAIVER
, and parked. I was the first from our group and it wasn't as crowded as I'd imagined it would be. Caleb/Amanda showed shortly after, then Harry/Hannah/Willow, and finally Reid/Mollie. Also met up with Tom, another flat-fender build. Dinner and catching up and then bedtime.
Tom/Paul, Pete(?), and I headed out to Lake trail and promptly fell in behind another group. Things kept moving along so it was all good. Got to the climb before Pete's Pass and Pete(?)'s front drive decided to 'leave the chat'. Some diagnosis found the ubolts at the transfer case front input yoke failed. The shaft was pulled and he self-recovered just in time to let another small group get past. I had to meet someone back at camp to get rid of some parts so I motored out while Tom/Paul and Pete(?) worked their way back to camp.
After getting Pete(?) squared away, Tom/Paul and I returned to Lake trail and picked our way through with no issues. Pete's Pass was a little challenging but good spotting and good driving made it crawl-able.
We continued onto Russ' Ridge and eventually came across Hannah/Willow, Mollie, and Amanda at the entrance of Easy St. We parked and walked in to spectate and heckle the group as they wheeled. We found out that there had just been a couple of rollovers but all were back on tires. At one of the hard turns, Harry broke a winch mount, Lyman broke a winch line, and another broke a rear axle shaft, all in the same spot. Not to be deterred, some repairs were made to the winches and they continued on to finish. Tom/Paul and I decided to head back to camp, get a fire started, and eat some dinner. Not long after, the rest of the group emerged too.
After the bodies got some nourishment, we decided to head to the Playground. Harry walked right up Tippy Top and Reid did the Wedgie. I picked my way through the middle line. Caleb started up Tippy Top but broke a rear output when things got 'spirited'. Ricky also got to the turn at Tippy Top and flopped. Recoveries were quick and we were up and on our way out to camp again to fireside chatting.
After a clear and chilly night, Sunday glowed with sunshine. A slow start to the day and we were off to the Sunday usual: Boulderdash, Pinball, and Buzzkill. We picked up a straggler Cherokee on 40s doing a shakedown run. No issues for anyone except a couple of winch tugs for the Cherokee in some tight spots. The buggies played on Tip Over Challenge for a few minutes too.
Back to camp by noon for packing, strapping, and departure. No issues of any kind on the way home.
Best part? Getting some Trail Grandpa baby time with Willow!
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