Clover Springs Trail Run – 07.14.2007

This year was the third year attending the annual PNW4WDA annual jamboree. As in years past, I volunteered to help ARB serve their annual Friday dinner for the event. This is always fun and a great group of people to work with. They do a great job of putting on the dinner.

Since the event was a sellout, all the trail runs on Saturday were quickly filled. This was also the first time I was going to wheel my FJ-80 Land Cruiser, so I decided to sit in and attend (and assist where needed) the Four Wheel Drive 101 class presented by Chris Wood. This is a great class and you will pick up tips whether you are brand new to wheeling or a seasoned veteran. A great emphasis is placed on personal safety and preparedness. There were also some excellent discussions and demonstrations on vehicle recovery techniques, including a demonstration on how to winch your vehicle backward with a front-mounted winch.

After the presentation, the rest of the day was spent on the Clover Springs Trail, with a few stops to practice off-road driving techniques. An especially important practice session was backing down a hill using only your mirrors.

By the time we got back to the jamboree base camp, we had been on the trail for nearly eleven hours—a long and fun day. I look forward to next year.

You can view my photos of the trail run at Clover Springs Trail Run.