JGW Haunted Trail at the Badlands 10/14/2009

[awillard69]

Here is the preliminary trail report for the Jeeps Gone Wild Haunted Trail run held at the Badlands Offroad Park in Attica Indiana on October 24, 2009.

My day started off early with a 3:30 wakeup. Actually the alarm was set for 4, but I woke up and decided I was not going to get back to sleep.

I loaded up the Jeep in a light drizzle and set off for the oasis about 5am.

I met up with Justin and Kris at the oasis. A short time later, we were joined by some folks from the Speedway, Jason, Seth and others (sorry I don't know everybody's names). We set out with 8 Jeeps. We even had one join in on our trip down highway 41.

We encountered intermittent rain on the 2 hour run down. We did see some sun shine, but it was mostly overcast with heavy mist/drizzle.

I was staying the night, so I hit the campground, and got my tent set up, with Justin's help. Camp set up, we prepped our Jeeps (disconnects, air down, etc ). We signed in to the park and hooked up with those of the group who were already in the park, setting up the Haunted Trail. We also did a quick scout on the lower end of the creek trail, near the tubes. With the rains, we wanted to make sure it wasn't too deep for my liking... it was fine.

Weather note: the weather forcast identified the day as morning clouds, with afternoon sun. They were mostly wrong (as usual) as it drizzled off and on most of the day, and the only sun came late in the day, around park closing time, and stayed clear for the remainder of the day. When the sun was out, it was nice. Another nice part was with the moisture, it was dry - not dust!

The Haunted Trail was pretty nice, with the first run of the day it was a nice start.







We made our way to the muddy plateau, and yes, it was muddy. Zach was disappointed they apparantly filled in his hole, the spot where he got stuck on the last night run.

In the quarry, we saw someone climbing the wall and bust not one, not two, but three (3!) Bilstien shocks. I think there are more details and better pictures on other threads.



We ran around the park for a while, then headed back to the main office for the costume contest.

Cindi (Tooth fairy) and here daughter Kaley (Santa Claus) were declared the winners. The two costumed people on the right were the Badlands Staff - thanks for participating.



Our judges: with the offer of all the candy they could stuff into their pockets, they judged... and stuffed their pockets with candy (sorry, not picture of that!).



We lined up for the night run



There was a question of which trail. "Who doesn't want to run Orange?". Kevin, Dan and myself piped in that we didn't want to run the Orange Trail. So, we set off for the Quarry to await the others who ran the Orange.

I have some video from my dash cam of what we ran. After tootling around quary, we set off for the Green Trail - in the dark. This trail is interesting in the daylight, and gets even more so in the dark! Video segments to follow in a later update.

Based on the radio chatter, the Orange group was having their share of difficulties. It sounded like some stucks, and some strung out people who lost touch with the group and got a bit lost. Everyone seemed to make it out.

After the Green, we stopped to admire the darkness, the clear sky and the view I don't get from my surburban back yard.

From there, we went backwards up the creek, but hopped out at the rocky climb, circled around the bottom of the quarry, then hooked up with the others.

It was a long night, and time really flies, especially in the dark. We called it a night. It was an enjoyable event.

It was a cold night, down in the 30's from what I surmise. My pile of wool blankets kept me toasty. I awoke in my usual early fashion. I broke camp and headed for home at sun up. Three hours later, I unloaded my Jeep, power washed and cleaned it, put away my excess gear.

I had a double birthday party to attend, so my afternoon was consumed.

You can view my small pictures list HERE.

I'll get my video clips uploaded as quickly as I can so you can see the Green Trail and the creek in the dark (a la greenish tint!).

Please add your stories, pictures, and video to this report.

[awillard69]

In review, the list of people saying they wanted to come seemed way longer than the number of those who actually showed. It would seem the weather scared many away, not the thought of a really, really haunted trail!

[TheEddie]

Looks good Anthony! Thanks! Too bad more didn't show, they missed a good time!

[geaganj]

I'll get my few pics posted tonight after work as well as the vid of zach's & chris' puddle push. I was nice to get out relatively unscathed (except for some plastic). I know a few others weren't as lucky. Since I haven't been out in a while, I decided the XJ needed to hold it's exterior mud for a few days to admire. I know it's not the best idea, but it needs a paint job anyway, so I'm not too concerned!

Anyway, had a great time as usual with you guys! I'm hoping to be there for Toys for Tots.

[sobster88]

It was a great time. Nice that the dust was down since last time. My plans for sunday got cancelled so I couldve camped out and wheeled another day .

[Acidcold]

Bilsteins are not supposed to do that! lol wow.. they are on backwards thought.
Looks like a fun time, wish my Jeep was fixed by then, it didn't leave the shop till sunday!

[NoahzArk]

Originally Posted by Acidcold

Bilsteins are not supposed to do that! lol wow.. they are on backwards thought.
Looks like a fun time, wish my Jeep was fixed by then, it didn't leave the shop till sunday!

It looks like the type of failure was likely caused by the shock being too long for the compressed position or too short for the fully extended position. Also, I had a these before and bilstein says they can be mounted in any position as it is a monotube design. Either way, it is a total drag to have something happen on the trail like that.

[Jeffro95]

Originally Posted by TheEddie

Too bad more didn't show, they missed a good time!

Rub it in why don't ya! I'll save a couple of vacation days for next years night run...if there is one!

Good pics Anthony, still waiting for some haunted video....

[TheEddie]

Originally Posted by Jeffro95

Rub it in why don't ya! I'll save a couple of vacation days for next years night run...if there is one!

Good pics Anthony, still waiting for some haunted video....

HEY! I wasn't there either Jeff!

I hope to see all of you at the Toys for Tots parade!

[Jeffro95]

Originally Posted by TheEddie

HEY! I wasn't there either Jeff!

You were still rubbing it in...........

[chris87xj]

I have to agree this Halloween Run was another memorable event and will likely take its place in history again as my favorite club run of the year. I got the chance to make some new friends and to catch up with a few old ones I’d not seen in a while as well.
As mentioned already, the weather was quite typical for fall, a little cloudy, a little sunny, a little drizzle, and I could have sworn I saw a snowflake or two floating around in the wee hours of Sunday morning. There was definitely a little nip in the air but not uncomfortably so, just enough to make the campfire feel pretty good.

Saturday afternoon we split up into smaller groups. I was in the one that ran Green trail on channel 12. We also took a couple little side jaunts for some extra challenge. The group did well and I think everyone fully enjoyed. The hills were still a little slick which added to the fun. I don’t think we had any major damages or breakdowns, though some of the more memorable events would include a couple quick strap assists, one blown tire bead encountered while using it to move a log out of the way for the group, and one tired rusty brake line that decided it was its time to go. All of these turned into fun as group effort social events and were quickly resolved.

At the end of the day run we gathered up in the back parking lot for the costume showing, an open raffle, and a club prize giveaway where all members walked away with something. I don’t recall all the prizes but I did see a nice rechargeable spotlight that I was sure would come in handy on the night run. The raffle was won by a guest on his first run with JGW, and I believe he walked away with a smile on his face.

I’d never been on a night run with such a large group before and have to admit a little apprehension going into it. As it turned out, it was the highlight of the weekend for me. We ran Orange Trail and it was great. One of the guys decided to run it in 2-wheel drive and put in an impressive showing. We finally got to a hill that was a little too steep and slick and put an end to that theory. I have to say though, it was a great show. Then Zach led the group through the swamp area. I believe he’s spent quite a bit of time down there and knew it better than the rest of us did. He picked his way through without incident. I was in the back of the group and the exact line he took was a bit unclear by that point. The jeep in front of me got just a little off course and was up to its frame in quickmud in no time. I backed up to assist and quickly got mired as well while the correct path was merely twenty feet away. We both got to sling winch line on ourselves for the first time in a while and one after the other used the same tree to pull ourselves back to a little more solid ground. I hope someone has pictures of the two of us buried beside each other. The whole night thing was an incredible adrenaline rush. Everything looked entirely different by what little moonlight there was. It was really cool to see all the jeep lights strung out through the woods. The group did a great job of communicating on the radio, keeping track of each other, and staying as a group rather than getting separated. I can’t wait to do it again.

After running Orange Trail we headed to the quarry. By then the moon was setting over the horizon. The skies were very clear and we were treated to a star show such as I’ve not seen the likes of in some time; absolutely fabulous. I wish we’d thought to bring some campfire wood with us as the temps were really dropping. We ended up with a late regrouping in the campground to enjoy a warm fire while sharing stories and catching up with those we don’t see that often.

I have some pictures, just don’t know what yet. It’ll likely be another day before I have a chance to review and upload, but I’ll get them out here to share as soon as possible.
Thanks to everyone who attended for helping to make it a great and memorable time. Can’t wait to do it again.

[awillard69]

Originally Posted by Jeffro95

Good pics Anthony, still waiting for some haunted video....

A quick review of the video I did get (about an hour's worth) seemed to show that I had too little or too much light for the nighttime capability of my camera.

I finally got it down converted to MPEG and need to edit it down to a reasonable length.

[chris87xj]

[chris87xj]

videos

[Jeffro95]

Nothing good has ever come from following Zach into the swamp......

I'm still bummed about missing this run.....not to mention the first night run.