OP
Pennsylvania Rausch Creek Rides
- Thread starter Westtown Willy
- Start date
OP
This is crazy, it's been raining non-stop here for a week or so, this is a short video from the other day in Pine Grove, Pennsylvania, the small town I drive through about 10 minutes outside of Rausch Creek:
This rain continues today & on into next week it looks like, a brief rest is forecast for Saturday where the forecast is only cloudy.
I have been planning on heading up on Saturday but not really sure if it'll be possible
This rain continues today & on into next week it looks like, a brief rest is forecast for Saturday where the forecast is only cloudy.
I have been planning on heading up on Saturday but not really sure if it'll be possible
OP
Following the epic rains of the past week or so many of the trails at Rausch Creek have been reformed & some were unpassable due to cave-ins, it mostly affected the easier trails because they’re generally not covered in rocks & stumps which hold it all together so some of them became extreme if not impossible. Also, we spent the entire day on the north property which only recently reopened after being largely off line for over a year due to pipeline construction that ran right through it. All of this manmade & mother-nature made reconfiguration made for a very interesting day. It was just me & one buddy in his JK, here are some random shots:
Next ride is August 11, join me if you dare :borra2:
Next ride is August 11, join me if you dare :borra2:
OP
following a 4 week hiatus that included some new shocks and tires & a whole lotta rain around here, the forecast is for sunny skies & upper 70's for the weekend so I've got a small group of 3 Jeeps lined up for 8am on August 25th, if interested lemme know, cannot wait to pop the cherry on these mud terrains
OP
so the water damage related trail reconfigurations continued, all crevices are wider & deeper, many trails have jumped up a level in difficulty. It has pretty much made the park more fun. As usual I didn't get many pictures but I had jumped out to see if I was going to clear my bumper here, this stream was something you wouldn't normally notice, maybe two feet wide but is now the size of the TJ, had to back out & do it at an angle to prevent potential damage to the winch line.
Shortly after that we were on a trail with a nice parallel washout, I zigged, my buddy zagged & this happened:
half way through the removal, after that he stuck far to the opposite side
Shortly after that we were on a trail with a nice parallel washout, I zigged, my buddy zagged & this happened:
half way through the removal, after that he stuck far to the opposite side
Have you been over to Anthracite? I went up last fall with a small group and loved it. I am hoping to make a trip to Pa this fall before the weather gets cold.
OP
Yup, it’s bigger & more spread out but I find the trails to be less interesting, though there are some really good ones. If you plan on heading to Rausch drop me a line, chances are pretty good I’ll be going too… Weather is generally good for wheeling through December; January & February is when the snow/salt hits the most & that’ll sideline me, this past winter was warmer & I made it up every month.
I started this thread but no action on it
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/anthracite-aoaa-rides.11029/
OP
last minute but it's on for tomorrow if anyone's interested; 7:55am at the office & on the trails by 8am
Damn, if my Jeep wasn't in Chicago right now I'd be so down for this. Only two hours away! Have fun out there tomorrow! Rausch is a great time.
OP
It really is, met up with my buddy Chris & had a great day, decided to drop the map & the GPS & just drive around randomly; worked out well but the main plan was to take it easy as I had just installed new springs & control arms yesterday. One thing led to another & we ended up on Trail 5, a pretty hairy black trail. I needed about an inch more clearance underneath & this wouldn't have happened, need that tummy tuck
.as soon as my front wheels crested it the engine skid hit & I slid laterally & got wedged in between the rock & the stump
I was jammed all up in there really tight, all 4 wheels spinning. Tied the winch off to a tree about 30 feet in front of me but tied it too low, just pulled the nose down so I ended up climbing the tree & tying it about 10 feet high to get the proper angle, couple jolts with the line & I popped up top
The ride up this morning was nice, was around 72 with about 95% humidity so no doors or windows wasn't a problem, but I swear Fall arrived while we were there, temp dropped into the low 60s & so did the humidity, glad I brought a hat & jacket for the ride home...
Edit: Just uploaded this video my buddy sent me, shows the angle of the winch line going up into the tree. The second part of the video is the cop-out Jotters hill climb, it's where I test all new modifications, it's the second time I've rolled up it without issue since installing the KM3's, those tires have made a huge difference:
Next ride October 6th
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OP
meeting my buddy in his LJ this Saturday, October 20th at 7:45am for a day on the trails, if anyone’s interested in joining us lemme know. I’ll be reluctantly putting my doors on for the first time since spring, gonna feel like a rat in a trap at first no doubt.
Weather is kind of iffy as of now, so this may move to Sunday but that’ll be a game day call, actually a Friday afternoon call to be exact
Weather is kind of iffy as of now, so this may move to Sunday but that’ll be a game day call, actually a Friday afternoon call to be exact
OP
another really fun day with a couple buddies, relentless rain continues to reshape the trails & with the leaves coming down it had all the traction of an icy road, LOTS of laterally sliding, really had to take care to not allow the TJ to be tossed into trees/rocks/berms... some random shots:
was checking my rear bump stops, think I need another inch of extension back there
anyone else love that tippy feeling
driver's rear tire was off the ground here, diff & shock mount were grinded into a rock & after 5 or 6 attempts to wiggle free I thought the better of it
not two minutes later my buddy got jammed up in a similar way right behind me, that's a lifted JK, 35s & lockers, no match for wet leaves & rocks, we got him past that spot & about 100 feet further up had to pull him a second time; as usual the photos do no justice to the grade of this climb
Side note for the LJ fans out there, the only one of the 3 of us that made it up that trail without the winch was my buddy Art in his LJ, 35s & lockers & a lot of will power, & he's a really good driver too
I love driving sideways, even for no particular reason
Not sure when the next outing will be, probably a month out; hopefully one of these days I'll be able to drag one of you out there with me
was checking my rear bump stops, think I need another inch of extension back there
anyone else love that tippy feeling
driver's rear tire was off the ground here, diff & shock mount were grinded into a rock & after 5 or 6 attempts to wiggle free I thought the better of it
not two minutes later my buddy got jammed up in a similar way right behind me, that's a lifted JK, 35s & lockers, no match for wet leaves & rocks, we got him past that spot & about 100 feet further up had to pull him a second time; as usual the photos do no justice to the grade of this climb
Side note for the LJ fans out there, the only one of the 3 of us that made it up that trail without the winch was my buddy Art in his LJ, 35s & lockers & a lot of will power, & he's a really good driver too
I love driving sideways, even for no particular reason
Not sure when the next outing will be, probably a month out; hopefully one of these days I'll be able to drag one of you out there with me
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What level trail was that?another really fun day with a couple buddies, relentless rain continues to reshape the trails & with the leaves coming down it had all the traction of an icy road, LOTS of laterally sliding, really had to take care to not allow the TJ to be tossed into trees/rocks/berms... some random shots:
was checking my rear bump stops, think I need another inch of extension back there
View attachment 59682
anyone else love that tippy feeling
View attachment 59683 View attachment 59684 View attachment 59685
driver's rear tire was off the ground here, diff & shock mount were grinded into a rock & after 5 or 6 attempts to wiggle free I thought the better of it
View attachment 59686
not two minutes later my buddy got jammed up in a similar way right behind me, that's a lifted JK, 35s & lockers, no match for wet leaves & rocks, we got him past that spot & about 100 feet further up had to pull him a second time; as usual the photos do no justice to the grade of this climb
Side note for the LJ fans out there, the only one of the 3 of us that made it up that trail without the winch was my buddy Art in his LJ, 35s & lockers & a lot of will power, & he's a really good driver too
View attachment 59688
I love driving sideways, even for no particular reason
View attachment 59689
Not sure when the next outing will be, probably a month out; hopefully one of these days I'll be able to drag one of you out there with me
OP
that's a combination of trails in the West section of the park including trails 11 (green), J1 (blue) & 17 (black), we were winching up the 17 climb, it's a fairly light black & probably should be a blue but there are some tough spots to it, mostly the entry into it; oddly enough we got hung up on the easier straightaway section.
Looks like you just need a TT to make that rocky ledge.It really is, met up with my buddy Chris & had a great day, decided to drop the map & the GPS & just drive around randomly; worked out well but the main plan was to take it easy as I had just installed new springs & control arms yesterday. One thing led to another & we ended up on Trail 5, a pretty hairy black trail. I needed about an inch more clearance underneath & this wouldn't have happened, need that tummy tuck
View attachment 56334
as soon as my front wheels crested it the engine skid hit & I slid laterally & got wedged in between the rock & the stump
View attachment 56335 View attachment 56336 View attachment 56337 View attachment 56338
I was jammed all up in there really tight, all 4 wheels spinning. Tied the winch off to a tree about 30 feet in front of me but tied it too low, just pulled the nose down so I ended up climbing the tree & tying it about 10 feet high to get the proper angle, couple jolts with the line & I popped up top
View attachment 56339 View attachment 56340
The ride up this morning was nice, was around 72 with about 95% humidity so no doors or windows wasn't a problem, but I swear Fall arrived while we were there, temp dropped into the low 60s & so did the humidity, glad I brought a hat & jacket for the ride home...
Edit: Just uploaded this video my buddy sent me, shows the angle of the winch line going up into the tree. The second part of the video is the cop-out Jotters hill climb, it's where I test all new modifications, it's the second time I've rolled up it without issue since installing the KM3's, those tires have made a huge difference:
Next ride October 6th
Maybe just coming at it from an angle would keep you off of your skid plate.
OP
Looks like you just need a TT to make that rocky ledge.
no doubt about it, if there's one weakness my TJ has that's it. Fortunately it's a pretty rare instance, can count on one hand the number of times it's stopped me in my tracks like that. I'm loathe to get into that modification however given what I'd need to do to do it correctly, primarily the body lift alone would sentence my rig to a life out in the driveway unable to squeeze into the garage anymore height-wise, as it is I practically have to Crisco the top to fit it in
. In the end keeping her out of the elements takes priority over improving the break over angle so when it happens I'll winch, and curse, a lot.Yes, I've considered reconstructing my garage to yield a taller entry, but then I slapped myself back down to earth :aplastao:
That’s one limitation I didn’t think of. That’s too bad.no doubt about it, if there's one weakness my TJ has that's it. Fortunately it's a pretty rare instance, can count on one hand the number of times it's stopped me in my tracks like that. I'm loathe to get into that modification however given what I'd need to do to do it correctly, primarily the body lift alone would sentence my rig to a life out in the driveway unable to squeeze into the garage anymore height-wise, as it is I practically have to Crisco the top to fit it in
Yes, I've considered reconstructing my garage to yield a taller entry, but then I slapped myself back down to earth :aplastao:
Throwing this out there to see if theres any interest....
Looking to hit up Rausch Creek for the first time next Saturday the 22nd. Trying to get my feet wet with the off roading thing so not looking to do any crazy trails or trash the jeep. So mostly green trails just to see what its about. Would anybody be interested?
Looking to hit up Rausch Creek for the first time next Saturday the 22nd. Trying to get my feet wet with the off roading thing so not looking to do any crazy trails or trash the jeep. So mostly green trails just to see what its about. Would anybody be interested?