I left for the PNW on the afternoon of the 23rd and met up with five friends I’ve been wheeling with for several years. Our plan was to run Lost Trail in Idaho, Skyline near Camas, Firebreak 5 and Cedar Tree in Tillamook State Forest, and finish with Naches Trail near Mount Rainier.
We started with Lost Trail, which was fairly moderate with plenty of bypasses. One of the Jeeps got a little cattywampus on an obstacle and leaned into a rock, shattering the rear window. We cleaned up the glass and winched him forward to get the Jeep away from the rock without causing more damage.
At Skyline, I realized my front driveshaft was damaged and making a pretty bad clunk. I ran part of the trail in two-wheel drive and used four-wheel drive only when needed. Afterward, Jeep West outside Portland had a 392 takeoff shaft they were able to install and get me back on the road. Great guys, and they really helped me out in a pinch. I’ve since ordered an Adams driveshaft as a permanent replacement.
We then camped at Cape Lookout and used it as a base for some beach driving and the Tillamook trails. Firebreak 5 was probably my favorite trail of the trip, with large boulder sections and some very tight areas between rocks and trees. Cedar Tree was tight as well, especially for one Jeep with an Alu-Cab topper.
We finished the group portion of the trip with Naches Trail near Mount Rainier. The scenery was great and the trail wasn’t overly difficult, but the trees were extremely tight in several places.
Afterward, I split from the group and headed to McCall to meet my wife. Overall, it was an awesome trip through a beautiful part of the country. I took the RTT off and went with a canvas tent which served great as a base camp tent.
