November wheeling

[YotaFun]

Many thanks again to Aaron and Gary for leading us on some great trails!

I don't have much to add, Saturday was an absolutely phenomenal day! Great weather, great company, great size group, and great trails.

This is my second time to Anthracite. My first time being about 5-6 years ago around the time of the pipeline construction. Needless to say that day left a bad taste in my mouth of the park and I was a little apprehensive at first about going but this trip has certainly changed my views of the park and look forward to doing more trail runs their.

I think Andy, Aaron and myself have a trail in mind we want to try with Andy's 4Runner, The Trekker, and maybe me called S.O.B

It was great to meet some members I haven't and see some faces I haven't seen in a while. Thank you again Aaron and Kris for the pictures! Hopefully soon we can see some more videos from the GoPro, I am curious to see this airborne action I got coming out of Muddle Shackle, that was a Blast!

 

[shmukster]

Avi, AOAA is absolutely loaded with trails suitable for any trucks from stock to buggy. I've been over probably all the blues and blacks at least on the eastern side and a lot of the blues and blacks in the western section. If you go there with someone who knows their way around you should never be disappointed. I'm trying to find one of my old AOAA maps that name the trails as opposed to just numbering them, some of them that's the only way I know them. Stay tuned!
As a sidenote I am also coming across a lot of old Paragon stuff like maps and files, and some real old Rausch Creek literature. Also have a lot on Famous Reading Anthracite. I'm fortunate to be right in the middle of it all!!!!!

 

[shmukster]

Found my old maps, here goes. OK if you want to do some of the tougher trails that I am familiar with I'd start with upper and lower anthracite and bee line. They're all in the same corner of the property and adjacent to whiskey ridge. We've done the two anthracites both uphill and downward and going up them is a challenge. We did them going downhill one year in the snow and Crusha slid completely down the entrance to lower anthracite- I didn't think we were gonna be able to stop without incident but it worked out fine. The Virginia boys have also done these trails in both directions. Bee line had an off camber section that was sketchy but it may be easier (or more difficult) now. Not sure if I have ever been on Whisky Ridge.
Trail 36, a black, is the trail we did in the rain one year and it was treacherous. Off camber, tight turns, and slippery. While we were in there winching everyone in several spots there was thunder and lightning I didn't think I'd make it home alive that day!
Excelsior Swamp is a good trail for us to have NOT done Saturday. It is always wet, and with all the rain Friday it would have been really nasty. I will try to attach a picture or two of Pacer getting his white 80 stuck- really stuck- on that trail. That was a trip of unpreparedness for all of us and a lesson was well learned that day.

 

[shmukster]

Pictures from our Excelsior Swamp fiasco. The truck was jammed against something under the water surface- we never discovered what. It was stuck bad, Crusha had a winch but no controller. Crusha had to pull him out with a strap (only two vehicles that day) and when we finally got the truck out the right front was not only flat but both beads were off. And- the tire was filled with Mud. Turned into a real s*** show.

 

[Catskills]

Pictures from our Excelsior Swamp fiasco. The truck was jammed against something under the water surface- we never discovered what. It was stuck bad, Crusha had a winch but no controller. Crusha had to pull him out with a strap (only two vehicles that day) and when we finally got the truck out the right front was not only flat but both beads were off. And- the tire was filled with Mud. Turned into a real s*** show.

View attachment 3167868View attachment 3167876View attachment 3167877View attachment 3167878

Not nice to treat an 80 thataway @Pacer

 

[Crusha]

Not nice to treat an 80 thataway @Pacer

He was backing up and slid into the hole, and that is a deep hole. I think there is either a stump in there or a very large rock.

Oh, and he had a passenger!

 

[Catskills]

He was backing up and slid into the hole, and that is a deep hole. I think there is either a stump in there or a very large rock.

Oh, and he had a passenger!

Behold! Pacer has an attorney!

Are there any other pertinent details you can recall regarding the situation that afternoon, Crusha, Esq.?

 

[Pacer]

He was backing up and slid into the hole, and that is a deep hole. I think there is either a stump in there or a very large rock.

Oh, and he had a passenger!

@Riverhead ^^^ 😂

 

[Stoshu]

Thanks to all for the pictures and write up's. Mrs. Stoshu had a great time for her first time out. Also enjoyed the company of @Catskills and @Pacer camping on Saturday night. Pacer is a hell of a smoke signal sender!

 

[Pacer]

Pictures from our Excelsior Swamp fiasco. The truck was jammed against something under the water surface- we never discovered what. It was stuck bad, Crusha had a winch but no controller. Crusha had to pull him out with a strap (only two vehicles that day) and when we finally got the truck out the right front was not only flat but both beads were off. And- the tire was filled with Mud. Turned into a real s*** show.

View attachment 3167868View attachment 3167876View attachment 3167877View attachment 3167878

I would never have remembered that being Excelsior Swamp, but I sure do know to steer clear of it and am glad it's labeled on the current maps.

Front right tire came off the rim and also took out the front right brake line.

I beat that poor truck up pretty bad that day.
Rockers took a hit, and a tail light IIRC
Sorry @(jon murkey)


Gary, if you can get me images of some of your old maps, maybe I can label up some new ones.

 

[surfishjoe]

Awesome trip reports and pics keep it coming

 

[Catskills]

I only realized that Muddy Shackle was the same trail that swallowed my Hundy (years ago) after the fact. The trail had changed a lot. I watched @Crusha go in, felt sure I would be fine, and promptly needed him to drag me out. It was a good lesson in humility.

Gary, you were there! That was the day it was in the teens...I had Kass and Katie with me and I can't remember the club member's name but both he and I punctured tires that day.

Hadn't been over to that side of Anthracite since 2019.

 

[Crusha]

Are there any other pertinent details you can recall regarding the situation that afternoon, Crusha, Esq.?

Well, if you insist.

Some people say it was raining, or maybe it was midnight, or was it 6 a.m. ?

They may also insinuate my client may, or may not, have been smoking banana peels, or snorting nutmeg,

All I have to say to these allegations is...

 

[Cass007]

Looking at Catskills pics reminds me now why it was so much harder before. You used to come out to the exit all off camber and then have to turn away (passenger) from the lean making it feel so much worse.
Now you can square up at the exit before hitting the mud wall to get out.

 

[Pacer]

May it please the court, I submit evidence of questionable character; Catskills cheesin' while our senior club membership extracts her from Excelsior Swamp.

 

[Pacer]

Looking at Catskills pics reminds me now why it was so much harder before. You used to come out to the exit all off camber and then have to turn away (passenger) from the lean making it feel so much worse.
Now you can square up at the exit before hitting the mud wall to get out.

YotaFun exit Muddy Shackle AOAA

Shared using GoPro

gopro.com

 

[shmukster]

Awesome video that was quite the exit to that troublesome area of Muddy Shackle!!!!!

 

[shmukster]

Speaking of muddy shackle, I came across this photo of Stump in his 40 from a few years back. Yes the ledge has changed substantially.

 

[Cass007]

How not to do Muddy Shackle.

 

[jamarquardt22]

How not to do Muddy Shackle.

View attachment 3169796

You were sooo green.