Down in one of the deep canyons or quarries is this nasty exit obstacle, Shoot the Moon. It’s a hillside of big boulders scattered within loose, loose dirt. It’s obvious from the lightly traveled exit trail over the top that only a small percentage of attempts here succeed.Down in one of the deep canyons or quarries is this nasty exit obstacle, Shoot the Moon. I It seems like summer 2011 was a toasty one, but we found a respite from the hotter temps in the densely forested trails just outside Joliett in central Pennsylvania. Our destination was Rausch Creek Off-Road Park for the 11th annual East Coast 4Runner Jamboree. We joined fellow wheelers from up and down the eastside of the U.S. for a few days out on the trails. The park has grown in recent years, and the crew there has added more trails to bump the overall land space up to almost 3,000 acres. Trails range from easy dirt roads to gnarly boulders and steep slab faces. It’s also the site of several rockcrawl competitions each year, along with a qualifier race for the King of the Hammers race. Though the event is called a 4Runner Jamboree, it is open to all varieties of Toyotas. We wheeled with trucks, 4Runners, Cruisers, and a few buggies. The camaraderie couldn’t be beat, and we had a great time camping primitively onsite and swapping trail stories. For information on the event where you can meet and wheel with other Toyota enthusiasts, look for the information thread in the forums at midatlantictoyotacrawlers.com. Patrick Skelley of Virginia gets ready to drop into one of the water holes out on Trail 1C. Our first day out, the trails were fairly dry, but a good cloudburst that night sent down rain to make the trails more interesting the next day. For those who like it, there are snorkel-deep holes as well.Patrick Skelley of Virginia gets ready to drop into one of the water holes out on Trail 1C The second generation 4Runners with solid-axle swaps have proven themselves to offer great trail capability and a comfortable ride as well. Allen Dickenson has taken his ’95 Limited with all the bells and whistles, and built a comfortable and proficient trail rig. It’s lifted, locked, geared, and shod with 35-inch Trxus tires.The second generation 4Runners with solid-axle swaps have proven themselves to offer great Rausch Creek runs competitions from time to time and there are some good-sized rock hills to play on. The area is reclaimed coal mining land and is heavily wooded. However, there are serious exposed rock and slabs scattered throughout the forest.Rausch Creek runs competitions from time to time and there are some good-sized rock hills Dan Mullens idles his solid-axle 4Runner over some large, wet boulders on Trail 20. Rausch Creek trail difficulty can certainly bump up a notch or more when you add in the wet stuff, making mud and slippery rock.Dan Mullens idles his solid-axle 4Runner over some large, wet boulders on Trail 20. Rausch There was a wide variety of Toyotas in all body styles at the event. We spied this first-generation 4Runner from New Jersey back in the woods. Some rigs were close to stock, but most were modified to tackle the tougher trails Rausch Creek has to offer.There was a wide variety of Toyotas in all body styles at the event. We spied this first-g John Smith winds his way through the trees and rocks in his built ’79 FJ40. He drove his open-top Cruiser to Pennsylvania from his home in Maryland and is a frequent wheeler at eastern Toyota events.John Smith winds his way through the trees and rocks in his built ’79 FJ40. He drove his o By Jay Kopycinski Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
