Alaska Cruiser Trek 2006

[dd113]

I am in. Hope to leave the last week in June.


Butch, I have a Bitch seat open.

 

[devo]

How do you know your " in"?
Is there an application process?

devo

 

[Mark W]

The announcement/discussion here was started a little bit early. I wanted to make sure that the word got out early enough for people to start thnking about it. I hope to have a website up shortly with a lot more info and application forms.

I don't expect that we wil actually get more people than we can handle. We haven't in the past anyway...

There will be a registration fee. Refundable with cetain advance notice. The fee serves to cover the cost of prepositioning fuel before the Trek and similar expenses. We expect to have Tshirts and stickers which will be covered by the fee. But the fee also serves to help make sure people are serious. Trying to avoid having half of the folks simply not show up when the time comes.

If we do have more folks who want to attend than we have room for, then it will probably be a first come first serve, based on when the registration fees are received.

Expect to see the website with full info by the end of December AT THE LATEST.


Mark...

 

[ODDBALL]

The announcement/discussion here was started a little bit early. I wanted to make sure that the word got out early enough for people to start thnking about it. I hope to have a website up shortly with a lot more info and application forms.

I don't expect that we wil actually get more people than we can handle. We haven't in the past anyway...

There will be a registration fee. Refundable with cetain advance notice. The fee serves to cover the cost of prepositioning fuel before the Trek and similar expenses. We expect to have Tshirts and stickers which will be covered by the fee. But the fee also serves to help make sure people are serious. Trying to avoid having half of the folks simply not show up when the time comes.

If we do have more folks who want to attend than we have room for, then it will probably be a first come first serve, based on when the registration fees are received.

Expect to see the website with full info by the end of December AT THE LATEST.


Mark...

This is going to be a blast!

 

[Overlord]

I would love to go, but I don't think my rig or myself (driving skill) are ready. Not enough time or money... Besides, the family and I are moving to the valley next sumer. So it'll be a little hectic.

Is there plans for a ACT 2007? I should be good to go by then.

 

[ODDBALL]

I would love to go, but I don't think my rig or myself (driving skill) are ready. Not enough time or money... Besides, the family and I are moving to the valley next sumer. So it'll be a little hectic.

Is there plans for a ACT 2007? I should be good to go by then.

You can make this trip. Can you get a week off to play?

 

[Overlord]

You can make this trip. Can you get a week off to play?

I won't make the fuel requirements. Plus, like I said, I'm moving this summer. Yes, I have enough leave to take a week off.

 

[DirkDoesDirt]

Cruiser Specific?

Ok, don't shoot me because I don't have a Cruiser but I have to ask.. Being a good northern BC boy and wheeling since '76 can a qualified 4runner be allowed to sign up for the Trek?
I've got the gear and the know how and since it does start with the words"Toyota" I'd love to join up on this trek.
Let me know how open or closed this trip is.
thanks guys

Mike
Prince George,B.C.

 

[Mark W]

We don't even care if ya bring a jeep!

I very often run a mini truck when I hit the trail. I'll be in a Cruiser for this run, but if any of my three daughters comes along, they'll be driving minis.

Your rig will have to meet the minimum requirements. These are set with Cuisers (and minis) in mind, so if someone wants to bring another type of rig, we'll have to take a look and make sure that we don't need to set some other requirements.

But minis are as welcome (and as expected) as Cruisers.


Mark...

 

[riverguide]

what other requirements are there other than Gas money??

 

[Mark W]

Is there plans for a ACT 2007? I should be good to go by then.

There won't be a ACT2007. We will hopefully settle into an every other year schedule from here on out. 2008 will be the next one after this. The Trek and the preruns, scouting, fuel pre-positioning and whatnot takes too much time away from our other trail outings to do it every year.


Mark...

 

[Mark W]

what other requirements are there other than Gas money??

Fuller details will be coming out real soon when I get the webpage up, but this is a cut and paste from the draft of Vehicle requirements.




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Vehicle minimum requirements

As has been mentioned already, the ACT is not an event that calls for all out hardcore rigs. In fact a hardcore rock crawler or an all out mud monster would be completely unsuitable for an enjoyable run over these trails. But it is also not a trip where a bone stock, street oriented rig is appropriate either. While the largest part of the distances we cover will be pretty darn easy and doable by even a stock rig there will be plenty of spots along the way which will call for a bit more. And unlike most other events that an enthusiast will have chance to attend in the lower 48, all the participants will be running all the trails during the ACT and there will seldom be any bypass around a difficult section. When you combine this aspect of the ACT with the distances we will be traveling, the distances we will be from the trailhead (much less any sort of services or assistence anywhere near the trailhead) and the lack of other people to be encountered on the trail... It is easy to see why we have our own considerations that we feel are important.

First and foremost the most important aspect of your rig is it's dependability. Unfortunately most modified rigs that get used hard on the trails are going to have some shortcomings or active compromises in this areas. But it is important that you take steps to minimize these. Some breakage is unavoidable and some is unpredictable. All we can do is try to be prepared to deal with it. But it is important that this is all that we have to deal with. Non-waterproofed distributors which require disassembly and drying after every water crossing can be a major problem for the group when you have 30 water crossings in a day. Starters that finally give up the ghost a day or two from the road while climbing out of a boulder strewn canyon are a real pain to say the
least. Carbs that won't idle, brakes that take 5 pumps to stop, radiators that have 17 leaks in the core, tires that cut themselves on the fenders when you turn tight... Rigs that have not been fully field tested since major modifications have been finished and have all sorts of bugs to be worked out still... I have to plead guilty to a couple of these myself. But all of these sort of things can be avoided and dealt with before hitting the trail. The most impressive rig out there during the ACT will be the rig that does what it is asked to do and just keeps doing it quietly with no fuss. Chances are it will not be the most heavily modified rig on the run.. These are the ones we all tend to overlook and underestimate as we build our rigs bigger and better and more expensive...

Anyway, back on point here. These are the minimum requirements for all of the rigs that will be allowed to participate in the ACT2006 (note these are all based on the capabilities of Toyota Land Cruisers and Toyota 4x4 pickup trucks... While we will not exclude other types of vehicles we will have to evaluate the capabilities of any other type of rig and determine what sort of requirements may need to be set to ensure that it will be appropriate for the journey):

* Minimum tires size will be 33x12.5 (nominal) in a "mud terrain" style tread pattern. There is a small degree of flexibility here depending on exactly what tire you want to run and what the rest of the vehicle description is (for example a set of 33x10.5 MTs on a first generation mini-truck would probably be acceptable. A set of 31x10.5 ATs on an FJ60 would NOT).



* All vehicles will need to have at least one traction enhancing differential. Lockers are prefered and reccomended, and in most cases required, but a limited slip may be acceptable, in some lighter rigs with larger and more aggressive tires. You will have to check with us so we can ascertain your rig's paticular setup.


* All vehicles will need to be waterproofed sufficiently and setup to comfortably cross water of three feet in depth. We may see deeper, but if your rig can routinely handle three feet, with the right technique it will be able to cross deeper.


* All vehicles will have recovery points at both ends. A trailer ball IS NOT a recovery point. Ideally these will not be tow hooks on the underside of the frame (OEM mini-truck). These can be problematic to get to when the rig is floorpan deep in a bog or when said frame is a couple of feet under the surface of a swift moving stream. Tow hooks on top of the frame (OEM FJ40 front hooks for example), D rings on bumper faces, pintle hooks and the like are much easier to get to when a rig is mired deep.


* All vehicles will have functional brake lights.


* All vehicles will have properly adjusted service brakes and functional parking brakes (line locks are acceptable).


* All vehicles will have a CB radio w/ properly tuned antenna.


* All vehicles will have an onboard fuel capacity of at least 36.5 gallons. This can be achieved through the use of long range tanks, aux tanks or gas cans carried on or in the vehicle. (A later model FJ40 has a 16.5 gallon tank and 4 jerry cans adds 20 gallons...)


The following are recommendations. None of the below is required but it's all good stuff to have.

* A winch is a very very good addition to a rig. Not as important in a well equipped group as when you are running by yourself, but a very good thing to have regardless.

* Larger and more aggressive tires are almost always a good thing. Just be sure that you have the gearing/power to push them and the clearance to let the suspension work.

* Increased fuel capacity is a good thing. Easier said than done in most cases, but it's a good thing. We will have a rig hauling fuel for the group and/or caching fuel in advance. But increased capacity for your rig is good.

* A snorkle and additional waterproofing beyond the minimum required can offer a lot bigger comfort zone during water crossings.

* It is an extremely good idea to make sure that your supension is matched to your vehicle/load. A soft and flexy coil spring sytem that crawls rocks like a spider can easily be over tasked by a week's worth of gear and supplies loaded in the back. A buckboard stiff set of leafs that will handle more weight than the axles can will often beat you black and blue after a day running gravel riverbeds or attempting to keep up over a rough section of abandoned mining roads. Either way, a suspension that is too soft or too hard can cause problems. Keep this in mind as you do any mods to the rig before you head our way and as you plan your load and how to handle it. I've made both of these misteps in buildingand loading my own rigs for our trails. It's pretty disheartening when you realize your mistake the first few hours into a multiday outing and have to put up with the reduced performance and comfort for the rest of the trip.



* Overall the more capable your rig is the better. As mentioned a couple of times on this site, most of the distance that we cover will be pretty easy stuff. But there will be some spots that may task all of the rigs to a much greater degree. In fact our final aggenda and routing will be determined by just what we think our group can handle. The more capable the group is, the tougher and more adventurous trails we will tackle. Rigs with smaller tires, lower clearance, higher gears, and generally closer in configuration to stock will be much more likely to need the winch, shovels, snatch strap and some rock stackers than those rigs which are more radically ,modified. The Trek will not be 200 miles of hardcore rockcrawling and swamp bogging. But we will have our moments. So if you do bring a rig that is closer to stock, or is oriented more towards expedition use than trail performance, just come prepared to possibly work a little harder in a few spots.



---------------------------------

Personally I am hoping to see rigs and drivers more oriented toward trail performance than backroad expeditions. It'll open up a lot more for us to tackle if this is the case. The minimums really are just minimums. But realizing that folks have to get their rigs here in the first place, we are not planning on or looking for a bunch of "big dog" monster rigs.


There will also be requirements for vehicle related gear, onboard personal gear, rations and things like that.


Mark...

 

[riverguide]

excellent info. Thank you.

 

[ODDBALL]

Well put Mark!`The weather we have now may help in the soft spots if we don't get some snow.

 

[Overlord]

There won't be a ACT2007. We will hopefully settle into an every other year schedule from here on out. 2008 will be the next one after this. The Trek and the preruns, scouting, fuel pre-positioning and whatnot takes too much time away from our other trail outings to do it every year.


Mark...

2008 it is!

 

[AKcruzr]

Mark,
You think Tim might accept me again as a passenger. (unless his better half is going). Or anyone else in the group willing to let Me ride I am house broken, "sorta".

 

[Mark W]

I think that you should jiust go AWOL for a month or so and drive the '60 up.

I don't know that Tim has even given it much thought yet. I'd be surprised if Sonya is out there with us in July.

We'll talk the next time we talk.


Mark...

 

[Mark W]

Hey David (Dearborn). Empty your inbox, I've got PM for you.


Mark...

 

[devo]

Mark,
As I envision myself going on the ACT and making travel plans (time + distance) I was wondering about the starting point.
Will it be Anchorage or somewhere else?

devo

 

[CruisinGA]

I am in. Hope to leave the last week in June.


Butch, I have a Bitch seat open.

David, I am seriously considering this trip. As long as you will let me off work long enough.

I'll be stopping by the shop later this week.