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FM2CD VA Trail hunting: Big Levels 07/31/04

Another one of our "trail runs that's not really a trial run". Once again the main purpose was to explore the trail system prior to taking a large group in there (Dale says it was to test out his new tires...he just got a set of brandie new BFG AT's). We applied the lessons learned at Rapidan by not just eyeballing the trail head...this time we took the trails and looked for obstacles, bypasses, dead ends, turnarounds, etc.

Big Levels Track Log Big Levels is actually a number of trails: Kennedy Ridge, Stoney Run, Cold Spring, Mills Creek and Torry Ridge, most of which collapse into Bald Mountain Jeep Trail. This is all George Washington National Forest, BTW. Of course we both had our GPSes running and got some awesome track logs...everything between BGLVL6 and BGLVL40 is trail.

We came in from the North side (BGLVL6). There was a gate but it was open. By contrast, on the South side (where we exited) there was no gate. Although at this scale you can't see it, on the obstacles/bypasses we encountered there are "loops" in the track as we went around 2 and 3 times...first over the obstacle then back around through the bypass, or vice versa. So we now have our own extremely detailed maps of each challenge in the trail system.

Most of the trail system is made up of forest road, which gets very rough in some places. There are a few places to play along with lots of mud holes...I mean lots (prolly due to all the rain we've had here in VA). Using Dales XJ as an example:


Before:
Before After: After
 


Oh...and did I mention the veiw?

 The view
 


As is now obvious, Dale had his XJ and Jen and I were in the TJ. Since, the mountng system for my GPS is in the XJ, I had to improvise...nuttin a lil duct tape can't fix...git er dun!
Git R Dun!

A little hill climbing that ends up in some small mud puddles...there was a bypass here, but pics of the bypass would be boring!
A little climbing

A little mud....
A little mud

Now what would an FM2CD writeup be without some shots of... {drumroll}

A little stocker flex MONSTER FLEX ON THE STOCKER! A little more stocker flex
 
 

...and of course the TJ.
A little TJ flex

Now I think this was the highlight of the trip. As we were almost out of the system, we came across this:
The bus

So, naturally, all three of us reverted to being 5 year olds. I mean, what would you have done? So allow us to share our play time with y'all...

WELCOME TO BALD MOUNTAIN BUSTED DOWN BUS LINES.
BALD MOUNTAIN BUSTED DOWN BUS LINES.

WON'T YOU STEP ABOARD?
STEP ABOARD

OUR ACCOMMODATIONS ARE COZY...
COZY

AND OUR DRIVERS ARE OH SO FRIENDLY...
FRIENDLY


too funnytoo funny

So, if ya couldn't tell we had an awesome time. But it was very productive too. Dale and I were hauling ass though the system and we covered a lot of ground. When we bring a larger group through, things will slow down a lot, so, we've set up at least two future trips for the chapter...without having our members see the same trail twice. We are targeting early November for the first club run up there.

So let's see, are the Jeeps happy?
Happy Jeep

Is our Trail Master happy?
Dale a little too happy

Shocked ...um...a bit too happy there Dale....take it down a notch buddy... rofl rofl rofl

Anyway, since everyone is happy, the FM2CD VA Trail Boss and Trail Master have left the trail!
FM2CD VA has left the trail!


Rock On!

Steve

 

 

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