LIOR Trailride
MaBell, Massachusetts
June 24, 2000
Story by Jim Guld
Photos by Rich Klein

I’m not sure of the reasons why but we didn’t have a hugh turnout for the trailride. The weather was perfect and we decided to take Bob Blair’s advice and do Monster Rock at the end of the day. Well for those of you who have done this trail before you know the toll that Monster Rock takes on our club. Well it didn’t get anyone this year but we still managed two rollovers at other obstacles. The first rollover was at the first double rockclimb ledge, the spot that Garlan Moy rolled a few years ago. Ron in his new to him CJ 2a, which has all the necessary goodies that a good trail rig needs, except one, experience. He was trying to make the climb and either got excited or his foot got stuck on the go pedal and that’s just what the jeep did. It shot sideways across the rock face and went over on the drivers side. There was only minor damage, a broken windshield panel and a small dent in the front fender. This is how you learn by doing.


LIOR Land-Use Chairman Andy Murphy climbing Garlan's Hump

After getting the jeep uprighted with a winch we checked the fluids and the jeep started right up. We just kept the line moving. As compared to last year we where moving at light speed. We did only have 9 rigs show up but it was nice to have a small group. We actually had 2 early broncos and a total of three with Joe’s later big bronco. It was a good mix of rigs. We had some jeeps new and old, some toyotas, both a pickup and an FJ, and us bronco guys. All we were missing was the Scout contingent but that certain person was off having fun at a wedding. For some strange reason our resident rock artist Mark Silverman wasn’t present to show us how to handle the Monster Rock.


Paul Davila balances Rocky's YJ

But before I get to much further off the trail so to speak, let me get back to the rock story. So after bypassing the Monster Rock we headed up the trail through the water hole to the first rock garden which is a turn uphill that has 2 big rocks that you can climb over or a smaller section of rocks to the left that you can play on. Either line isn’t super tough but you do have to watch what your doing. Right after that is another turn to the left as you go uphill and it is some more rocks and loose soil mixed in. This area lumped up a few trucks and we had to do a bit of spotting here. After that we came up upon the double rock wall where our fore mentioned first roll occurred. This area is tougher than last year to be honest. It seems like it has become more eroded away. We had a number of rigs take the bypass here after not making it up the rock face. I know it took me 4 tries to make it up the second part of the climb and 2 tries to make it up the first face. The traction was there it seemed but it was just a tough climb.

After getting everyone through or around as the case may be,we headed on through the next rock garden which I seemed to walk through easier this year then last for some reason but it might also have been the place where I dented up my rear drive shaft which I found out on the highway to the campsite later. Right after that you come to the twisty section of the trail that has the downhill slightly off camber turn to make. You have two choices here. Either go around a set of trees or pull the mirrors in and squeeze through. It’s about early bronco width wise through the two trees. This takes you on down through another rock garden that has some nice pumpkin catchers in it and after that it’s a short uphill followed by downhill and then onto the last major downhill and obstacle. As you go over the top you can’t really see what is beneath you but you soon find out that the rock to the left is pretty big and the gully to the right is pretty torn up. We made it down without too much fanfare and headed out to the lunch opening and it was about 1:30 so we were making good time since we started the trail at around 10:30 after airing down.


Eric shows off his custom half doors - before he crunched 'em

After lunch we headed on back up for the assault on the rock. I made it up the rock to the right but it took a lot of right foot and Mr. Ed was kind of going where he wanted to go. To the left and to the right. Then Paul in the other early bronco made it up and Eric followed him in the toyota pickup with his snazzy custom 1/2 doors. He got hung up on the rock and as he was backing down he got too far to the right and his passenger’s side tires went up on some rocks and roots and the toy went over onto its side. Again not a lot of damage just some bent sheet metal. After getting Paul’s bronco turned around and mine as an anchor to his we used a snatch block and got the toy upright and running. He backed it down and let some other brave souls make their attempts and we had a few more climbers do it. Yaron in his CJ, Rocky in his YJ, Eric later in the toy and I believe Scott in the FJ after getting turned sideways a bit.

The rest of the way out seemed to move pretty well only a few minor hang-ups on some of the rock piles. After getting back to the street we asked who was interested in trying Monster Rock. Especially the left hand side. We only had two takers, Eric in the Toy and Rocky in his YJ. Neither made it up and the toy got the usual bounce to the left that makes the truck lift up. It was all over after that. Time for Mr.Warn to do his job. Rocky tried some funky line to the left at first and that didn’t work. Then he tried the usual line but he was trying to creep it up and that just doesn’t work on this rock. He made it partially up and he also had to winch. Then yours truly attempted the safer right side which is tough to make but harder to roll on. After a couple of attempts and a little spotting duty by Paul in the other bronco, I made it up with judicious use of the right foot. After that we aired up and headed our separate ways. We were done the trail by 4:30 which is the earliest I’ve ever been out of there. It was also the smallest group that I’ve been in there with. Well until our next adventures at the Beacon Trail, this is Wilbur saying happy trails to you.