The excitement of a big off road trip like our annual XJ List Fall Crawl begins well before the event. The planning and preparation are a big part of the adventure.
This year my Jeep was pretty much ready to go. I just had a seal to fix in the transfer case. I would have dug into tan exhaust leak and put longer studs in the rear axle flange but I spent my time on other things.
Jenny’s Jeep got a lot of attention this year. Her Maxxis Buckshots were looking more like racing slicks than mudders so she went shopping for new tires. The time constraint of the event limited her choices as did her budget. She ended up choosing Dick Cepek tires from Tire Rack.
She decided to takes this time to upgrade in size as well. Moving up to 33” tires meant some modification as well.
Trimming the fenders was the first order of business. In the rear she first removed the stock flares and then used a hammer to fold over the flange. The front flares had already been removed and the fenders trimmed but more material need to be removed to clear the 33” tires.
Next, the bump stops need to be extended. A search for hockey pucks at a local store proved futile as hockey is not a common sport in Tennessee. So as a temporary measure, she made spacers out of wood. She cut a piece of 2×4 pine and shaped it to fit inside the spring. Then with the spring fully extended, slipped the block between the coil windings and worked it to the bottom. This will keep the suspension 1.5 inches further away on full compression.
One maintenance item was replacing a worn axle shaft U joint. See the article on swapping axle shafts for how this was done. Another minor maintenance item was tightening up a loose nut in the steering section and installing a new cotter key.
A quick test drive on the trails on my farm showed the advantages of the larger tires right away and the deep lugs got excellent traction in the muddy creek crossings.
We celebrated Labor Day and Princess’s birthday by going off roading at Golden Mountain Off Road Park. I spent the early part of the weekend installing Princess’s SYE equipped 231 Transfer case and getting the pinion angle right in the rear. But by Monday, we were ready to hit the trails.
Our previous visits to Golden Mountain had been last fall when the trails were wet and slippery. This trip they were dry and dusty.
At the park entrance we were greeted by the very friendly park owners. They made us feel very welcome.
After unloading my truck from the trailer and removing the doors from both Cherokees, we headed up trail one. Trail one has always been our nemesis in the wet. It is marked easy on the map but even in dry conditions it is challenging. On our previous attempts is has proven impassable.
This time we made it all the way to the top. Coming back down the other side of trail one proved to be even more of a challenge however. This part of the trail has eroded into a deep V notch right down the center of the trail. The only real way down is to straddle the V. I made it fine but Jenny got hung up in one of the transitions. I had to help her get untangled.
Once down from there, we headed up trail 11. This is a fun rocky climb. There was a spot where Jenny got hung last time, but this time equipped with lockers, a SYE and no doors, she made it easily.
At the top of 11 we made our way to 12 and made the loop. Trail 12 has several rocky sections and then ends in a long hill climb. Jenny got hung in a muddy spot last trip, but there was no mud to hang in this time. Just lots of dust. The dust made some of the climbs slippery, but not like the mud.
We took trail 29 down to intersect with trail two and took a break. This was our first time on 29 with was pretty easy in the dry but would be very slippery if wet.
After a rest break we headed up trail two to Jenny’s favorite ledges. Again they were much easier in the dry.
At the top, we toured the pavilion and the camping areas. Here I noticed my Jeep was running very hot. I soon discovered that the electric fan was not working.
We made the short trip down the paved road to the trailer and I scavenged wire from Jenny’s Jeep to make a jumper for the fan. I simply wired it directly to the battery so that meant every time I stopped for any length of time, I had to open the hood and disconnect the wire.
We headed back up the trail and made the 12, 29, 2 loop again. This time we decided to try an unmapped spur off trail 11. This brought us out at one of the pavilions across from the lake. My Jeep was still running hot so I let it cool and added some water.
Scott called and we arranged to meet him at the gate. After picking him up, we ran back up trial one again. This time we took trail 10 on our way to see the top of bounty hill. Trail 10 we found has a very scary section where you have to make two very steep drops in about the length of the Jeep. Scott spotted me down and then did the same for Jenny. I was really glad we did not have to go back up that section.
The climb back out of the hole was still pretty challenging as it is a steep rutted climb. The climb ends with a choice of two big boulders that you have to climb the face of. I did not want to loose momentum, so I made a quick decision of the one on the left. That turned out to be a good choice and I made it up easily. I got out and was able to spot Jenny to the smaller boulder as well.
My Jeep was running much better with the fan on and the radiator full of water. I was really glad that I was able to make a simple fix.
We took time to climb on the boulders overlooking bounty hill. I have watched videos of buggies going up it but I would really like to see one in person.
Next we went down trail 27 to one and made our way to 21. This required running the same part of one that gave us trouble earlier in the day. Jenny got hung up in the same spot again. With Scott spotting me I drove her Jeep up onto the bank and out over the V notch. At one point Scott said the front tire was about two feet in the air but it did not feel tippy until it had already started back down.
We drove up 21 and took a look at Hellivator and some of the other climbs in the same area. We all agreed that we look forward to watching someone do these climbs.
We turned around and headed back down trail 21. We took 11 for the third time just because it is fun and took the exit by the small pavilion. We stopped again to tour the big pavilion and take advantage of the facilities there. Caleb enjoyed the playground for a while too.
We headed back into the trail 12 loop and then took 29 back down and then exited on the lower part of trail 2. By the time we made it back to the trailer, we were all very tired and dusty, but we really enjoyed our day at Golden Mountain.
Saturday morning brought more rain as I added power steering fluid to Jenny’s Jeep and bled the air out of the system. Through the breaks in the drizzle, we had scrambled eggs made on Frosty’s grill.
Getting a slow start from camp we decided to make a leisurely run along the east ridge of the park to see the vista the group had found the night before. We headed up the other end of trail 15 out of Middle Fork. This trail starts of with a steep twisty climb before it follows the ridge out to the helicopter pad.
Just at the top of the hill, a place we spent way too much time at on our first trip to Harlan, there is now a very deep mud puddle.
Just as we were lining up to go through he puddle, Evan called on the radio that his Jeep was leaking transmission fluid and was not moving well. I pulled out a hospital cloth for him to lay on and he found that his control arm had hit the transmission lines and crimped both and punctured one of them.
It took a while, but we eventually gathered enough hose, clamps and tools for him to cut and splice the two damaged lines. We headed out again after he was repaired.
From there we made our way on to the Helicopter pad. We continued on the trail past the pad and drove up to the vista the guys had found the evening before. The view form there is spectacular! We enjoyed lunch there and posed the Jeeps for a group photo.
Next we made out way to Mason Jar. We decided to follow the new signs instead of the map thinking that they may have made a short cut to the entrance of Mason Jar that was not mapped. However, we were disappointed to find that the signs led us to the exit of Mason Jar. And Mason Jar is a one way trail!
Janice and several others decided to walk the short trail while some of us drove around to the entrance. At the entrance we saw a buggy on huge tires having a terrible time getting up the first obstacles. He would just sit there and use his big engine to dig out dirt at the bottom of the rocks. As we met the walkers, they told us of two wranglers that were broken down further up the trail.
Neal, Frosty and Josh elected to go ahead and run the trail while the rest of us decided to explore elsewhere. We loaded up every one into the back seats and cargo areas of our Jeeps and made the trip back to the exit of Mason Jar to pick up their Jeeps.
Form there, we went to Lions Den so that those who missed Thursday adventure could at least get a feel for what it was like. We watched a Wrangler on one ton axles crawl through but not without great difficulty.
From there we headed back to Middle fork to play on the hills there. We had just started up Running Board when the others caught up with us. Scott P made a run but ended up backing down.
We decided to head back to lower rock garden to play around more. After some time there we headed back to camp to enjoy the now famous steaks and potato boats around the camp fire.
Day two in Harlan dawned wet and foggy. We slowly crawled out of our tents. I found Scott Paulman working with a leaking bead on his XJ. He used his Highlift jack to break the bead and clean the debris that had collected there. We tossed it in the back of my Jeep for a run down to the air supply at the bottom of the hill. There we reseated the bead and filled it with air.
Frosty treated me to some of his farm fresh eggs cooked on a propane grill. We said good bye to Adam as he headed out to attend to other obligations for the weekend. Then we started planning the day. One of my favorite trails from our last trip to Harlan was Rail Bed and I was ready to run it again. So we decided to go there first and work our way back through the park.
Wayne Klotz junior and senior arrived and unloaded and next Jennifer and Janice arrived. We lined up the Jeeps and headed up the Putney Trail. The overnight rains had made the trail a bit slick in places and this provided a great warm up for things to come.
About half way up the mountain we met a pair of off roaders coming back down. There day had ended early with a broken rear drive shaft on their Wrangler. Getting past each other took a while on the narrow trail especially with one of the Jeeps being injured.
At Middle Fork we all took a run up one of the play hills and headed on out to The South side of the park. We really appreciated all the new signs that Harlan County parks has added. Good use of the grant money in my opinion.
We found Rail Bed and somehow, I ended up in the lead as we poked around for the way in that does not require going up the water fall. I switched on my front locker and headed up the rocky trail.
My favorite thing about Rail Bed is that it is all rock. No mud mixed in. And the rocks are big enough to be challenging but not so big that they overwhelm my 33” Maxxis Buckshots.
At the end of the trail, I noticed that the ground around the last big rock had really eroded away compared to the last time I was here. I elected to take the easy way out and skip the last boulder. Well, the easy way out is not so easy any more either. There is a name sake piece of rail road track that has been uncovered by the erosion right at the apex of the climb threatening to slice the tires of any one who stays in the ruts. I gave it one try but I slid into the ruts right at the rail and I decided to drop back down.
The second option for and easy out is to squeeze by a tree on a very narrow ledge. This is made even more challenging by a strategically placed rock that the bottom that prevents lining up the way you would prefer and by a root at the base of the tree that requires a bump right where you don’t want to bump. Also, should you miss, there is about an eight to ten foot drop on to the rock you are trying to bypass below.
I picked my way up carefully and made it past the scary part just fine. I parked and went back to watch the others coming up behind me. I missed most of the action but I got back just as Wayne was taking the bypass exit. I spotted him around the rock and he chose the narrow ledge as well.
Next up was Jenny enjoying the traction of her new rear Lock Right locker. I spotted her around the rock and she took off up the hill. She may have bounced on the tree root or the ground may have given way, but for what ever reason, she suddenly found her left front tire dangling over the edge. See the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_grDOT3o3LA
She held firm on the brake pedal while I ran up to get my winch cable. Wayne Sr. took my cable and hooked on to her front tow hook as I held by brake and spooled in the cable. The tire slid back to the bank but was firmly hung on the root s and would not pull back over the lip. The Klotzs grabbed her tow strap and quickly secured her B pillar to the tree for extra stability.
We tried to have be back up to pull the front tire back onto the surface but that caused her rear tire to slip over the edge making for an even more serious situation. Neal Hoover realized we needed another winch ASAP so he made the run up the cut with the piece of rail track partially blocking it. He made and incredible drive up the hill and turned just at the right moment to miss the tire slasher and pop up over the crest. He got his winch cable connected to the back of her Jeep and she was again stable.
Janice held the brake in Neal’s Jeep while I held the brake in mine. I could not see well from the seat of my Jeep so I handed my winch controller to Neal. He held his wireless remote in one hand and worked my winch with the other. Matt remarked that he looked like he was playing X box winches as he maneuvered Jenny’s Jeep.
After some tense moments she was finally back on stable ground. She drove up the rest of the way parked and ran to find a place to pee.
Next in line was Matt. As he approached the tree on the ledge he started to slip on the tree root as well. When his spotted motioned for a turn to the left, he just shook his head no. His spotter called for a bump and again he shook his head no. Eventually he carefully powered his Jeep over the root and up to safety.
Next, the guys with larger tires decided the safe way out was to go over and around the last boulder. They all made it out just fine.
After we all calmed down some we headed to the nearby lower rock garden to play around.
It was there we saw a very strange contraption. It had the body of a XJ, the grill of a CJ and the frame and engine of something Fordish. It seemed to be abandoned there.
Next, we headed up to a new trail called Killin’ Time. Neal got caught between a rock and a hard place and several of us decided to abandon the run and go watch from the nearby road. When Josh made his run he got hung at about he same place as Neal did. Neal climbed in the back of Josh’s Jeep and gave a demonstration of how active ballast works as a traction aid. Neal jumped out and Josh made it up the rest of the trail.
Next we found our way to Profanity. This somewhat difficult climb was made even nastier by the wet slippery mud. I was near the back of the pack and watched as several Jeeps made the climb. As the trail was getting more and more torn up I decided to take the parallel climb along with Jenny. About that time, Wayne popped the bead on his rear tire and had to back down. I went back down and assisted with getting his tire changed.
As we were getting ready to move on, Jenny noticed her power steering was not acting right. We popped the hood and saw fluid every where but in the reservoir. There was no apparent leak in the hoses so we collected fluid form the group and tried it again. Evan looked in to see if he could see the leak as Jenny turned the wheel. Fluid sprayed out everywhere as he jumped back. The source of the leak was found and it was the pump shaft seal.
We told her not to steer more than necessary and headed back up the trails. Back at Middle Fork, Jenny asked Evan to drive her Jeep back down trail 45 as he power assist was coming in and out and she did not want to battle the tricky trail 45 without it.
Back at camp, Evan loaned Janice and Jenny his BMW for a parts run while he and I started removing the damaged power steering pump.
Fast ride to town
New members Ron and Tracy had arrived at camp by this time so the rest of the group took them out to see some trails before dark. They found a beautiful vista on a trail we had never explored before.
Even and I had the pump off before the girls got back with the replacement. When they arrived we were ready to pop it back on when we saw the new pump did not have a pulley, just instructions on how to reuse the original one. Instructions like, “Do not use a hammer!” We tried several methods to remove the old pulley but eventually decided to we had to have the correct puller. Evan and I headed back to town to take advantage of Advance Auto’s loan a tool program.
Back at camp and armed with the proper implements, Evan removed the old pulley and pressed it on the new pump.
We got it all bolted back up just about dark and left the filling and bleeding for morning. We settled in by the campfire for and evening of food and fellowship.
The Yahoo Groups XJlist once again had their Spring Fling meeting in Harlan, KY. I found it interesting that there was never any real discussion this time about where to go, Harlan was the instant unanimous choice.
Black Mountain in Harlan offers great camping, miles of trails and generally a perfect setting for a gathering of friends. But this time, Harlan offered one other enticement – Lion’s Den!
After seeing Lion’s Den for the first time last year, Josh started modifying his XJ to be ready for the challenge. On May 20, 2010 he got his chance.
My trip began early that morning heading north on I 75. The trip was going uneventful until just before the Lafollette exit. I began to feel a vibration I suspected was from the trailer. At first it was only at high speed but as I drive through Lafollette, it got worse. I pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot to check it out. I quickly noticed that there was a large chunk of rubber missing from one of the tires. This was the tire I had chosen to as a spare from an earlier tire failure.
I quickly jacked up the trailer and swapped on the spare only to find it was a little low on air. I pulled out the battery compressor that my parents gave me for Christmas and aired it up. 30 minutes later I was back o the road to Harlan.
I stopped at the Campground office to pay for camping and get a permit and a new map. Then I headed up the steep rugged road to the campground. This road has always been a challenge, but the recent heavy rains had it rutted out more than before. I put the Suburban in 4 low and pressed on. I could here my ramps bouncing, but I knew that if I lost momentum, there would be a scary trip backwards to deal with, so I just kept pressing on and up. Just as I was entering the campground, I met Neal on his way down. I was glad he noticed me and made room so I did not have to back off.
As I got ready to unload, I noticed that one of my ramps had not made the trip and I hoped it was on the trial up the mountain. I don’t need ramps to unload anyway so I dropped Scuffy off and headed down to look for it. Also, I also noticed that the map I just bought was not in the handful of stuff I left the office with.
I drove slowly down the road looking for my ramp and I was beginning to get worried when I saw it poking out the back of Evan’s Jeep. Thankfully Kevin had noticed it and picked it up on his way down to get a permit. I got my map and we all headed back up to camp. Evan helped me set up my tent while we waited for Scott P to arrive.
With the gang there for the day we headed out to the trails. Knowing that rain was predicted for later in the weekend, I suggested that we head straight to Lion’s Den. There was no argument so we studied the map and found the quickest way there.
Trail 45 that leads from camp to the top of the mountain makes for a good warm up. It is steep, narrow, rocky, muddy and has huge drop offs along with very tight switchbacks. We then made a run along the ridge on trial 15. The infamous stair steps on trail 15 now have a by pass. Good thing too as they have really been eroded out.
At the intersection of 15 and 12 some of us continued on the part of the trail that was blocked last time. Adam and I noticed trial 12 above us and a muddy climb connecting the two so he gave it a go. Adam made it up so I decided to give it a run. I was very pleasantly surprised at the traction I got from my Maxxis Buckshots and I made it up the hill easily.
Once we were all up, we headed on to Lion’s Den. We did pause briefly to play on a hill climb that I think is called Grace Trail. Part of us headed over the mountain peak by the radio tower while others went around on the lower trail. We all met back up at Lion’s Den.
As we were walking the trail to see just what Josh was up against, we heard the whine of Frost’s turbo on his Toyota. He was headed into the mouth of the Lion’s Den. Just getting into the entrance was a challenge due to the mud and huge rocks. As Frosty let his rig cool, Josh made his way into the entrance. But now he had to dodge a suitcase size rock that Frosty moved on his way up.Josh enters the Lions Den in his Jeep Cherokee
The most prominent feature of Lion’s Den is a huge boulder that over hangs the trail where the vehicle has to make a four to six foot drop. The drop is less near the boulder but due to the overhang you scrape your roof. The drop is less away from the boulder but if you slip off the outside of the rock there is a long drop off the mountain into the trees.Jeep XJ drops in to the Lion's Den
Frosty and Josh made the scary drop both relatively uneventfully. Although I am sure it was much scarier from the driver seats. And knowing that this is the point of no return adds to drama. Josh moves along through the Lion's Den
The next obstacle in Lion’s Den is a narrow squeeze. There is a ten foot tall boulder beside a tree with only about four feet between them. Even the narrow Toyota and the XJ will not fit. To pass through you have to place a tire either on the tree or on the rock. Or maybe a bit of both.
Frosty makes it past the squeeze Frosty moves to the next obsatce in Lion's Den
Frosty made several tries using just his wheel power but eventually he decided to pull a winch cable. We strapped him to the peak of a rock in front of him with also gave an up pulling vector to the cable. With the assistance of the winch, Frosty made it through the squeeze but not without some damage to his custom doors. Josh's chop made clearing this rock a bit easier.
Josh learned form Frosty’s passage and lineup up a bit differently for the squeeze. Josh made good use of his new exo cage but still managed to hang his spare tire on an overhanging boulder. We had to remove it from the carrier for him to pass through. Between a rock and a hard tree
Just past the squeeze you have to make a hard left turn. Again there is an overhanging rock and depending on how you land after the squeeze, you may be tucked will under it. Both Frosty and Josh used their winches to assist in making the turn. Josh’s stinger proved to be a slight hindrance here but it held up well to the abuse from the rocks. Josh works his way through the squeeze Josh picks his way along the narrow ledge
Josh lines up for the exit rock
The exit of Lion’s Den is a huge rock that is too tall and narrow to be driven over. Frosty and Josh tried different lines but both resorted to a winch cable to get them over when they both ended up on their cross members with all four tires in the air.
Toyota exits Lions DenJosh exits Lions Den
There was much rejoicing as we celebrated the victory of the Lion Tamers. All the engineering and fabrication time were made worth while by the successful passage through the Lion’s Den.
