Tillamook State Forest | Off-road Vegan

February 1, 2014, 7:00AM

I always get excited the night before a big Jeep day. I meticulously pack all my recovery gear, load up the ARB with my vegan goodies, check under the Jeep, check the fluids, and try my best to get some sleep.

As I lay there in bed, I think about what the next day will hold – will I break anything? Will anyone do something awesome (i.e. will they break anything?) Will we all have an awesome time?

The answer to the latter is always a resounding yes. And this day was no different.

My morning began by speaking into this lovely box. On the other end? A Soy latte!

I departed Rhododendron early, in time for a mandatory coffee stop and to pick up some veganaise at Fred’s. Once on the road, I made my way to our typical meeting place in North Plains. I arrived about 30 minutes early.

Once the group was finally fueled up, we departed for Tillamook State Forest (TSF).

We pulled into Brown’s Camp to air down and plan our route. I was always interested in Little Rubicon (I mean, I did ‘Big Rubicon’ how hard can this one be?) so we headed off in that direction.

The early morning sun had not yet warmed the rocks of the Little Rubicon. Click to enlarge.

We all decided to walk the hardest part of the trail, choose our lines, and determine who would be the crazy one to go first. As Robert had the best rig for the job, we decided that he would be the guinea pig.

Jeff, claiming the best spotter’s spot. Click to enlarge.

After climbing the initial trail segment, Robert soon hit some of the famous TSF mud. Even his well-equipped JK with Tera Grapplers could not tame the mud, and we all decided it was in his (and his Jeeps’) best interest if we save this trail for another day.

Robert navigating the Little Rubicon. Click to enlarge.

After a regroup, we decided it was time to hit the famous Firebreak 5, similar in it’s intimidation to the Vonnegut namesake, yet lacking the intellectual depth. Nevertheless, we were off to sling some mud, do some good ol’ American cursing, and eat some Beyond Meat.

The lower sections of Firebreak Five. Click to enlarge.

The initial segments of FB5 were fun yet uneventful. At this point, the early morning clouds were burning off and the sun was filtering through TSF’s majestic pines. Of all the things I love about Jeeping in this forest, the smells are my favorite (and no, not just the burning rubber). Sadly, I was amazed at the timber harvest along this famous trail – it was unrecognizable.

We stopped for a quick lunch break, and I busted out the Beyond Meat, giving everyone a try. My trailing buddies also got free Beyond Meat coupons and recipes to make their own goodies at home.

After lunch we continued up the hill.

The one spot that we all struggled with (even Robert spun his tires once, I think) was a short muddy section with just enough of a mud/rock ratio that we needed to winch. Robert was the only one in our group to make it on his own.

Jesse hung up on the muddy rocks. Click to enlarge.

Even Jeff with his 37 M/Ts struggled in the slop. Click to enlarge.

We all (except Robert) got stuck and needed to be strapped and winched. And, before my friends blame me for not putting photos of my own recovery, well I was driving…

GoPro Still: Jeff getting tugged by Robert.

Once past this section there were a couple of small hang ups but for the most part we made our way along.

The final section saw us punching through the snowline for a nice change in scenery. The white forest was a stark contrast to the brown, mucky slop we had been fighting with.

Jeff navigating the tight trees on upper FB5. Click to enlarge.

The forest changed her challenge for us in this upper section, from mud to tight, narrow trees. These trees threatened to take off mirrors, fenders, and door handles, and could really make a mess of a nice JK hard top.

We all made it through this gauntlet without issue and soon popped out into a beautiful sunny opening that signaled the end of our day in TSF.

The required group photo at the top of Firebreak Five. Click to enlarge.

My day ended where most days should end – in front of a Buffalo Bomber wrap (with mac, of course) at Veggie Grill!

I struggled mostly in the mud on this trip, so most of my recommendations would focus on ways to get me the traction I needed in the slop.

WHAT CAME IN HANDY:

WHAT WOULD HAVE MADE IT BETTER:

November 16, 2013

The team met at the typical location – the Chevron station in North Plains around 9:00.

We were on the road by 9:30.

Arriving at the pull out to air down, we quickly let the air out and got on our way.

Getting to the start of Archer’s Fire Break is always long and boring, but the hill shortly after the trail begins is sure to get the grease moving in the gearbox. This first climb through dense green forest and loose, gravelly mud is just a preview of what is to come.

Shortly after the first climb, the group found ourselves conquering an old foe – the “V Notch.” This long, steady climb also has a very angled stance with the passenger often looking at the ground as it passes by. The driver tries not to lose momentum even with their eyes closed. The extreme angle seems like your Jeep is going to tip over at any moment.

The rest of the trail is actually a bit on the boring side. It is a series of small segments that continually intersect with the main forest road.

Many of these segments are just long enough where you can get out of 4WL (or simply be in 6th gear at 4,000 RPMs) only to quickly have to re-engage. Many of these trail segments also are pretty featureless, save for a few deep water fordings in the wet months, or some short rock gardens.

Jesse coming down one of the rock gardens along Archer’s Fire Break.

The real coup de gras waits at the end of the trail like a predator stalking its bored and tired prey. The final stretch of this trail is called “Rocky Uphill” for, creatively, both the large number of rocks that litter the path and the fact is in quite uphill.

There are two possible routes starting from the base of RH – the right and left – with the left side being rumored as the easier side. On this trip however, they both seemed equally scaled.

The two options soon merge near the top, where the pitch of the hill steepens, the rocks increase in size, and the driver is again presented with two options: right or left.

Right seemed to be the easier choice. The left side has seen vehicles roll over on previous days (granted it was a Toyota).

After Rocky Uphill, the trail continues with one last technical section, then meets up with the forest road for the drive back to air up and head home.