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Group meeting before the first run |
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We had close to 30 vehicles
attend the first East Coast Xterra Challenge. We borrowed some
members of the PaWheelers to help out as trail guides. Because
of the size of the group, we split up into 3 smaller groups, a
hardcore group, an intermediate group and a beginners group.
Two groups would be on the trails in Shamokin while the third group
would be at Blackwoods. The Blackwoods
and Shamokin area was a great place to |
| hold our first event because
camping was centrally located and both places offered varied types of
terrain. Although Shamokin is mostly rock crawling, it does have
a few muddy and swampy areas. Blackwoods is a smorgasbord of
terrain including some rocky hill climbs, stream crossings, steep hill
climbs and lots of mud. On Sturday the
hardcore group and the intermediate group went to Shamokin, taking two
different trailheads and only crossing paths once. The beginners
group headed to Blackwoods. All 3 groups were back at camp
around 5pm. |
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The intermediate group lining up
to hit the trails on Saturday |
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It wasn't just about trail riding. |
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Saturday night we reserved the campground's
pavilion to enjoy dinner, hold some giveaways and hangout. Our
sponsor, Extreme Off-Road
Equipment, had some products and gift certificates to give away.
Unfortunately, one of the partners' wife had gotten sick and they left
before even hitting a trail. As a result I was "volunteered" to
MC the evening. Nissan Mike from 4x4parts.com
drove up from Florida and also offered some products and gift
certificates to give away. |
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Drinking for rock lights |
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There's nothing like free stuff to get some
crazy 4wheelers to get even crazier. The things some people will
do for freebies ;-) Gift Certificates, T-shirts, recovery
straps, rock lights and manual hubs were just a few of the things some
people won. And Nissan North America supplied the Xterra hats! |
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Drinking for manual hubs |
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Nissan Mike making a boomerang out of a tie rod |
Some people just couldn't get enough of the trails |
Enjoying good food, good friends and good times |
Sunday
Unfortunately I had to leave unexpectedly Sunday morning. My wife
was 9 months pregnant at the time and she called to tell me she wasn't
feeling well. I had a 3 hour+ ride home, so I left before hitting
the trails on Sunday.
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Getting ready to hit the trails. |
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Again, we split up into 3 groups. This
time the hardcore group went to Blackwoods for some steep hills, big
rocks and lots of mud. It had rained the days before which made
the trails that much more difficult. Some trails had to be
completely avoided because they were just too dangerous.
Nissan Mike, who after this trip has been renamed
Tie Rod Mike, managed to bend a second tie rod. Fortunately he
had 2 spares with him and he's become very quick at replacing tie
rods. Mike bent the first tie rod (pictured |
| above) on Saturday when driving with the
intermediate group. There's a nice
little hop at the very top of the hill climb which just put too much
stress on the tie rod and it gave out. This is one of the first
obstacles on this trail and is pretty tough for a stock vehicle when
it is wet. He bent his second tie rod
while hanging with the big dogs on the hardcore run in Blackwoods on
Sunday.
To get to over this hill there is another little hop at the top.
Again, it was just too much for Mike's tie rod and it gave out. |
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Tie Rod Mike makes easy work of another tie rod |
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Sunday evening a group of folks drove out to
Centralia, PA to see what a burning city looks like. Centralia
is a city that has been burning underground for quite some time.
I don't know the entire history, but like a lot of towns in central
PA, Centralia is a coal mining town. Apparently the coal
underground caught fire and has been burning ever since. The
photos of the area are very eerie. |
Monday
Monday brought a close to an awesome weekend of wheeling. Those that
stuck around for Monday's short trail ride returned to Shamokin to tackle
a few more trails that had not been previously taken over the weekend, I
told you this place is big. Kirk (aka Synchro) sought revenge on a
"Jeep Only" trail (named the Water Fall Trail) that had given his Xterra a
few unwanted dents the last time he visited the trail back in September of
2000. This time he made it through without a scratch. The
trail is tight, wet and has plenty of sharp turns, big trees and large
rocks. The trail ride ended shortly after.
Our first East Coast Xterra Challenge
was a huge success and was a huge stepping stone for future ECXC events.
People drove from as far away as Florida and New Hampshire to tackle some
of Central PA's finest trails.
Be sure to visit the
photo
gallery for more photos of the 1st annual East Coast Xterra Challenge. |
