Jeepin' for Healin' Trail Ride 2006

This is a Jeep Trail Ride sponsored by "Capitol Chrysler Dodge Jeep" of Willimantic,CT to benefit the new extension of Windham Hospital's emergency wing. There was a $50 entry fee (donation) and a choice of 3 trails to choose from. This years trails were: Nipmuck State Forest in Union,CT, Pachaug State Forest in Plainfield,CT, and a parcel of private property in Lisbon,CT. The Lisbon,CT site featured a demonstration of Extreme Rock Crawling put on by members of the Eastern 4 Wheelers Club.

*******************************************************************************************************

Click on this banner to purchase Trail Ride souveniers or decals for your Jeep!

This is the main parking lot to Capitol Jeep. This is where you meet to sign up, buy raffle tickets, choose your trail (if you haven't already), and meet new friends. Here you'll meet other hardcore Jeepers and talk with them about their experiences off road, and how they got their vehicle "dialed in" to just the way they want. Today was real special. There was a crew filming for a local cable access channel that currently reaches about 200,000 people! An excellent way to promote our sport.

This is the departure from Capitol Jeep. It took us about 15 minutes just to get out of the parking lot.

*******************************************************************************************************

This is the entrance into Pachaug State Forest. There were about 10 Jeeps in our group. Here we waited for the others to catch up before we got started. We didn't want to lose anybody. From here on out, the trail was pretty rocky, and it only got more challenging from there.

*******************************************************************************************************

Obstacle #1: The recent heavy rains made for some slippery conditions. Here before this grey Jeep lies a small "drop-off", a rock-like step in which the excess rainwater was flowing downhill. The combination of no lift and small tires took this driver by surprise. He ended up getting hung up on his skidplate, leaving his right front tire searching for traction. A quick yank from another Jeeper's tow strap got him on his way again.

While we were waiting, we got out to see if we could help, and also to assess the situation. If we didn't hit that ledge just right, we also could become the next victims stuck in that same spot.

*******************************************************************************************************

Once we got past that small ledge, it was low-range all the way, way too many rocks to be runnin' in 4-Hi .

Here's a tight squeeze..........

*******************************************************************************************************

Obstacle #2: Our trail guides assured us that any blockages along the trail would be cleared. Unfortunately, we had a recent storm on Friday that brought hail and high winds, so I guess DEP missed this big oak tree that snapped off at about 8 feet up the trunk. The Jeeper that got stuck the first time on that ledge, got stuck once again, this time he got hung up on his lower control arms. We placed some rocks in the form of a ramp up the front of the log, then placed some smaller logs behind it. This made the process of getting over this obstruction a little easier.

*******************************************************************************************************

From here on out, it was smooth driving, which was a nice end to a perfect day of fun.

*******************************************************************************************************

These are two Extreme Off Road Racers were on display from Falcon Extreme Off Road Warrior Promotions.

Thanks for the memories guys! See you next year for Jeepin' for Healin' IV !