When my wife got the Jeep last year I thought it'd be important for her to experience it in the environment they're designed for and learn a thing or two. Jeeps make decent daily vehicles but it's off road where they really shine and when I saw that Northeast Off-Road Adventures (NORA 4x4) was hosting a Hunter Mountain off-roading tour specifically catered as a family event suitable for even beginners, I knew I had to sign her up.
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| Hunter Mountain Snow Tubing Lodge - 5-30-2022 |
The day started off with everyone meeting up at the base of the mountain by the snow tubing lodge. There were 32 vehicles participating in this tour, mostly Jeeps but several Toyota 4Runners as well. It was a hot but overall gorgeous day so it was perfect for opening up the new Bestop Sunrider to get as much open air as we could. Scott, who runs these events, was very good about making sure everyone was safe. We broke up into two groups with an experienced lead and trailing vehicle and everyone had FRS radios to get heads up on trail conditions and tricky sections at all times.
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| Heading up the mountain |
Once the convoy started going and we got everyone on gravel, they had all driver shift to 4WD Low. The vast majority of our drive was going to be at 3-5mph in rough terrain but nothing overly difficult for these vehicles. We ventured up and then through the woods until we hit the mud pit. If you didn't want to get your vehicle dirty there was a "chicken ridge" you could take off to the side. Some people took the out but several did decide to have some fun. Due to the rain the day before it was a thick muddy soup and the first vehicle through immediately got stuck and had to be recovered to get out. This continue on with the vast majority of the vehicles ahead of us needing to be recovered by the car in front of it. My wife was insistent she was going to get through so I gave her the game plan of maintaining momentum and cutting a wider line to avoid the giant rut every vehicle before us kept making deeper by getting stuck and spinning tires. "Whatever happens", I said, "don't hesistate and lift, just keep at it with steady power". She got a nice run into the pits and maintained a solid 3-4mph through it all and just like that she was clear of it all. It was pretty amazing actually since about 80% of the vehicles that attempted the run in our group needed some recovery or assistance. She did that with her Jeep with no lockers!
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| Talk about getting muddy |
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| Successfully through the mudpit with no assistance |
The big smile said it all. One more achievement unlocked. Just 6 months ago she had barely driven her entire life despite getting a license some 20+ years ago and here she is now in her own Jeep wheelin' it and getting all kinds of dirty and having fun. After about 3 hours of driving (well including 30 minutes or so of pulling vehicles out of the mud), we made it to the summit.
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| At the Summit |
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| At the Summit |
We stayed up in the summit for about 30 minutes so people could eat any food they had packed with them and get a bio break. We then spent the next 20 minutes doing the summit loop which consistent of some fairly tight, rocky trails that required a bit of careful maneuvering. It was important to keep the vehicle in front and behind you within eyesight so no one took the wrong turn and ended up trying to drive down a black diamond instead.
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| Navigating the tight trails of the summit loop |
There were definitely a few sketchy spots here and there and I was glad we were in a 2-Door JK making it a bit easier to squeeze through. Once we completed the loop we took the steep road down then across the ski slopes to get back to our starting point.
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| Heading back down from the summit |
We had a great time and I was glad this Jeep isn't just another mall crawler. There was mud in all kinds of crevices and we had all kinds of branches wedged under it that I had to go and yank out but overall Chopper did really well. No issues whatsoever during the entire ride. We had the AC blasting to help take some of the edge out of the humidity and not even a tiny issue with cooling. The BFG K02s were fantastic in making sure we could get through anything with no drama. My wife and I had a great time. Yes, even me, even though I was riding shotgun the entire time. We've gone wheeling before in Jeeps in Hawaii and Colorado with me as the driver and I loved it and it was great that my wife could experience this for herself in her own Jeep. The event is so well run and organized, we're going to be signing up for their Fall drive as well as maybe some additional off-road courses with NORA 4x4. If you're in the NY area, have a 4WD vehicle and want to get a taste of going off the beaten path, this is a great way to do it with experienced people that know what they're doing.
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| All done for the day....dirty but so much fun! |
I took the Jeep today to car wash in Secaucus just to get as much of the mud off as I could. The undercarriage still probably needs another solid pressure wash which I can do myself but it's looking half-way decent again.
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| Cleaning up the evidence - 5-22-2022 |
