Wow! Once again, I really don't have the words. HIH5 is now in the books and this event has really taken on a life of its own. Just like the 4th Annual, The 5th Annual HIH will go down as one of those "Were you there?" type of events. We do not take for granted that for some of you, this is your summer vacation. A time to kick back, relax with family, enjoy friends new and old, take in some scenery, hit some trails and enjoy your time away from work. Each year it gets better and better and I remember us talking last year after HIH4 and wondering if we could top it. It's hard to believe, but we blew the roof off of it. That's not "we" as in the directors, but "we" as in every single person who attended. This event is for all of us. I heard more than once during the event that we could charge more, or we could turn this into a huge event. That may be true, but it isn't in our plans. Chris and I even made the decision to lower the price for HIH5 to help offset the costs of folks traveling so far to be with us. We will continue to improve and gather feedback each year.
Here's the kicker for us . . . . We're maxed out in terms of space. @jonharis and @bluecruiser wanted to just create a small gathering 5 years ago when HIH was born. It's grown beyond what any of us had envisioned. We've reached the point where we either scale it back to 30 or less, or we open the doors and make this the huge event that it could be. That's something that Chris, Jonathan and I will chat about in the coming weeks. The camp at Ironton was FULL with 100s taking up every inch of real estate. I can't begin to tell you how satisfying it is to see that. We had almost 50 vehicles in attendance! There were a few non-100's (Chris' 80, Adventure Driven's GX470, a sweet 200 and Alex's super expo diesel 70 series)
It started raining on Friday and never stopped until Monday morning. Well, it stopped for a few hours Saturday morning while we held the raffle.... more on the raffle later. For now, I'll just mention the rain and how well everyone coped with the constant drizzle and occasional downpours. Kids were still running around, riding bikes, playing football and generally just being kids. Dogs were chasing each other, new friends were being made, old friends were being reacquainted and spirits remained high through it all.
After our trails on Friday, it was raining so hard that our Friday Night Potluck got washed out. Did that stop the party? C'mon, you know better than that! Tarps were strung, awnings were opened and food was grilled, sizzled, warmed, fried and baked. Instead of having all the tables together, everyone mulled about from camp to camp sampling the offerings. I've said this before, if you go to sleep on Friday night at HIH hungry, you've done something wrong. 100 Series owners are serious about their food! Steaks, wings, gumbo, boudin, fresh fish, smoked pork, bbq chicken sliders, sausages, pot roast, apps, snacks, beer, wine...... that's just a VERY small list of what was available. I ate until my belly hurt. The food at HIH will rival any event in the country. Serious dishes are put together and shared amongst friends.
Because of the rain, we moved the HIH Raffle to Saturday Morning and it was epic as usual. Man, did we give away some sweet stuff!
Bump it OffRoad once again gave away a sweet 100 Series bumper!
IRONMAN4X4 and Metal Tech gave away tons of recovery gear and camping equipment (including a complete recovery kit, snatch straps, camp shower, swag) They also donated the Swag Bags.
Gamiviti Racks Once again, Gamiviti stepped up HUGE with a FULL expo rack, mounts, custom fairing and 40" LED light bar! Gamiviti also gave away tons of swag, small gear and camp items! Tim is not just a sponsor, he's also one of our trail leaders and dedicated 100 Series guys!
4x4 Labs 4x4 Labs joined us this year and gave away a 100 Series rear bumper!
Dissent Offroad BenC not ony joined the event, but also gave away one of his custom front bumpers!
ENO Hammocks Eagles Nest Outfitters was back again! This time they gave away Double Nest Hammocks and Atlas straps!
Camelback Toyota Wow.... Camelback Toyota gave away $500 in gift certificates!
NITRO Gear and Axle Nitro has been a huge supporter of HIH. Two $150 gift cards to Nitro/Just Differentials, foam work pads, sweatshirts, cups, swag, etc.
OutdoorX4 Magazine The official magazine of HIH gave away a complete Restop shelter kit, magazines and decals and a Tread Lightly Trasharoo
LabRack Labrak was back again with some cool new items! They gave away a 100 Series attic/cargo shelf and tons of swag and camp items.
CVT Cascadia Vehicle Tents CVT stepped up BIG and gave away a 79" awning and a complete awning enclosure!
Mountain Khakis was back again with stickers, hats, shirts, swag and gift cards.
Sackwear provided the artwork and design for this year's HIH shirt (the best one yet) plus some of their own shirts and swag.
Outer Limit Supply donated a full expo medical kit (The same one I carry and used on Black Bear). We raffled the kit on Facebook with 100% of the proceeds going to the Wheeling for Warriors program. The winning bid was $350. That's lower than we would have liked, but are thrilled with OLS's donation. Let's hit the $500 mark for next year!
How can we thank these sponsors? By spending money with those that make this raffle happen. They are giving this stuff away at our small event because they believe in what we're doing. Clearly there are larger events, but they still understand that connecting with us is the best advertising and promotion they can do. Every vendor listed offers something for your 100 or your camping setup. Please send them a note thanking them for their involvement with our great event and the next time you need something, spend your hard earned money with those that support us. That's how the cycle continues and that's why we're able to give away so many great items.
You may occasionally have the opportunity to purchase something for $5 cheaper online, but these vendors are supporting all of us and supporting them in return continues the cycle of good vendors and good people who have an attachment to responsible offroading, environmentally friendly camping and keeping our trails open. Please visit these sponsors whenever you're in the market for new products or service and let them know you appreciate their involvement in this event and the 100 Series community. Without them, this event wouldn't be the same.
IH8MUD <--- yes, I just linked you back to the site you're already on! IH8MUD provided all of this to all of us. @woody and Heather could not attend this year, but they tried very hard to make it. We expect them back next year. If not for IH8MUD, none of this would have ever happened.
As crazy as it sounds, our 2016 planning starts in just a few weeks! Stay tuned right here on MUD, our Facebook page and our website for all the new things to come. We're looking into a new location for next year. (Still in Ouray, but maybe right in town) We never want to lose the close-knit feeling of camping together, but it's reached the point that we would really like a covered area for certain parts of the event. We have some ideas and have already been offered some alternative locations. Expect 2016 to be even better!
Expect new trails (at least 3 new routes/runs) We'll also be looking for new trail leaders at next year's event as well as your input and feedback on ways for us to improve. This event belongs to all of us and it only gets better from here. A special thank you is in order to all the returning attendees from the 3rd and 4th Annual Events. It's affirmation that we're doing something right and that's all that matters!
Let's hear your favorite trail and camp stories, pictures, memories and good times!
We had very little carnage this year, some pucker factor on Black Bear and tons of laughs. This year's group was second to none and it will be hard to top in 2016, but you can bet we'll give it our best shot. I'm sure you've all heard about the incident on Black Bear. You can read about it here ~>BLACK BEAR ROLLOVER A 100 Series Land Cruiser made quick work of descending Black Bear in the rain, and for the first time ever, a 100 Series ran Black Bear Pass from the bottom, up the switchbacks and up the steps, in the rain, to get medical attention to the rollover victims. What a story and what a vehicle! Our event and the 100 Series platform are here to stay. We've proven time and time again that we are stewards of the trail, responsible offroaders, family friendly and extremely capable. Thanks for joining us!
See you in Ouray for HIH6!
Here's the kicker for us . . . . We're maxed out in terms of space. @jonharis and @bluecruiser wanted to just create a small gathering 5 years ago when HIH was born. It's grown beyond what any of us had envisioned. We've reached the point where we either scale it back to 30 or less, or we open the doors and make this the huge event that it could be. That's something that Chris, Jonathan and I will chat about in the coming weeks. The camp at Ironton was FULL with 100s taking up every inch of real estate. I can't begin to tell you how satisfying it is to see that. We had almost 50 vehicles in attendance! There were a few non-100's (Chris' 80, Adventure Driven's GX470, a sweet 200 and Alex's super expo diesel 70 series)
It started raining on Friday and never stopped until Monday morning. Well, it stopped for a few hours Saturday morning while we held the raffle.... more on the raffle later. For now, I'll just mention the rain and how well everyone coped with the constant drizzle and occasional downpours. Kids were still running around, riding bikes, playing football and generally just being kids. Dogs were chasing each other, new friends were being made, old friends were being reacquainted and spirits remained high through it all.
After our trails on Friday, it was raining so hard that our Friday Night Potluck got washed out. Did that stop the party? C'mon, you know better than that! Tarps were strung, awnings were opened and food was grilled, sizzled, warmed, fried and baked. Instead of having all the tables together, everyone mulled about from camp to camp sampling the offerings. I've said this before, if you go to sleep on Friday night at HIH hungry, you've done something wrong. 100 Series owners are serious about their food! Steaks, wings, gumbo, boudin, fresh fish, smoked pork, bbq chicken sliders, sausages, pot roast, apps, snacks, beer, wine...... that's just a VERY small list of what was available. I ate until my belly hurt. The food at HIH will rival any event in the country. Serious dishes are put together and shared amongst friends.
Because of the rain, we moved the HIH Raffle to Saturday Morning and it was epic as usual. Man, did we give away some sweet stuff!
Bump it OffRoad once again gave away a sweet 100 Series bumper!
IRONMAN4X4 and Metal Tech gave away tons of recovery gear and camping equipment (including a complete recovery kit, snatch straps, camp shower, swag) They also donated the Swag Bags.
Gamiviti Racks Once again, Gamiviti stepped up HUGE with a FULL expo rack, mounts, custom fairing and 40" LED light bar! Gamiviti also gave away tons of swag, small gear and camp items! Tim is not just a sponsor, he's also one of our trail leaders and dedicated 100 Series guys!
4x4 Labs 4x4 Labs joined us this year and gave away a 100 Series rear bumper!
Dissent Offroad BenC not ony joined the event, but also gave away one of his custom front bumpers!
ENO Hammocks Eagles Nest Outfitters was back again! This time they gave away Double Nest Hammocks and Atlas straps!
Camelback Toyota Wow.... Camelback Toyota gave away $500 in gift certificates!
NITRO Gear and Axle Nitro has been a huge supporter of HIH. Two $150 gift cards to Nitro/Just Differentials, foam work pads, sweatshirts, cups, swag, etc.
OutdoorX4 Magazine The official magazine of HIH gave away a complete Restop shelter kit, magazines and decals and a Tread Lightly Trasharoo
LabRack Labrak was back again with some cool new items! They gave away a 100 Series attic/cargo shelf and tons of swag and camp items.
CVT Cascadia Vehicle Tents CVT stepped up BIG and gave away a 79" awning and a complete awning enclosure!
Mountain Khakis was back again with stickers, hats, shirts, swag and gift cards.
Sackwear provided the artwork and design for this year's HIH shirt (the best one yet) plus some of their own shirts and swag.
Outer Limit Supply donated a full expo medical kit (The same one I carry and used on Black Bear). We raffled the kit on Facebook with 100% of the proceeds going to the Wheeling for Warriors program. The winning bid was $350. That's lower than we would have liked, but are thrilled with OLS's donation. Let's hit the $500 mark for next year!
How can we thank these sponsors? By spending money with those that make this raffle happen. They are giving this stuff away at our small event because they believe in what we're doing. Clearly there are larger events, but they still understand that connecting with us is the best advertising and promotion they can do. Every vendor listed offers something for your 100 or your camping setup. Please send them a note thanking them for their involvement with our great event and the next time you need something, spend your hard earned money with those that support us. That's how the cycle continues and that's why we're able to give away so many great items.
You may occasionally have the opportunity to purchase something for $5 cheaper online, but these vendors are supporting all of us and supporting them in return continues the cycle of good vendors and good people who have an attachment to responsible offroading, environmentally friendly camping and keeping our trails open. Please visit these sponsors whenever you're in the market for new products or service and let them know you appreciate their involvement in this event and the 100 Series community. Without them, this event wouldn't be the same.
IH8MUD <--- yes, I just linked you back to the site you're already on! IH8MUD provided all of this to all of us. @woody and Heather could not attend this year, but they tried very hard to make it. We expect them back next year. If not for IH8MUD, none of this would have ever happened.
As crazy as it sounds, our 2016 planning starts in just a few weeks! Stay tuned right here on MUD, our Facebook page and our website for all the new things to come. We're looking into a new location for next year. (Still in Ouray, but maybe right in town) We never want to lose the close-knit feeling of camping together, but it's reached the point that we would really like a covered area for certain parts of the event. We have some ideas and have already been offered some alternative locations. Expect 2016 to be even better!
Expect new trails (at least 3 new routes/runs) We'll also be looking for new trail leaders at next year's event as well as your input and feedback on ways for us to improve. This event belongs to all of us and it only gets better from here. A special thank you is in order to all the returning attendees from the 3rd and 4th Annual Events. It's affirmation that we're doing something right and that's all that matters!
Let's hear your favorite trail and camp stories, pictures, memories and good times!
We had very little carnage this year, some pucker factor on Black Bear and tons of laughs. This year's group was second to none and it will be hard to top in 2016, but you can bet we'll give it our best shot. I'm sure you've all heard about the incident on Black Bear. You can read about it here ~>BLACK BEAR ROLLOVER A 100 Series Land Cruiser made quick work of descending Black Bear in the rain, and for the first time ever, a 100 Series ran Black Bear Pass from the bottom, up the switchbacks and up the steps, in the rain, to get medical attention to the rollover victims. What a story and what a vehicle! Our event and the 100 Series platform are here to stay. We've proven time and time again that we are stewards of the trail, responsible offroaders, family friendly and extremely capable. Thanks for joining us!
See you in Ouray for HIH6!
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