Day 5: Washington, Shoestring/Kaner Trail
We didn't have a clue what was in store for us on our Washington trail, but it turned out to be a shocker. Spending three days on a road trip was fine, but the crew was itching to get back on a real 4x4 trail. We met our trail leader, Mike Lovell, and his friends. With fantastic scenery and a yearning to be on the trail, we followed the trip leaders high up the mountain.
We had known that if the weather cooperated (or not, depending on your point of view), the Shoestring/Kaner trail could be extremely difficult with tight twistys through trees while sliding around in the mud. Alas, most of the trail was dry and the sun shone brightly all day, so we scurried up some loose hill trails to an area called Funny Rocks for some real fun. Funny Rocks is like a mini-Moab, with sandstone ledges and V-notches, and pandemonium ensued as each rig went for a different challenge all at once. It was like kids breaking for recess after being cooped up all day, and we played furiously, with some vehicles nearly ending on their backs.
Since we still had miles of trail to complete, we spent too little time at this spot and fell in line to master the Kaner trail. While not exceedingly difficult, you had to keep on the ball to avoid a tree gouging the body panels, and even Larry McRae got a dent in his door from an errant limb.
Our worst event happened in the middle of the trail. Tom Boyd's Bronco lost its brakes and clipped Jon Bundrant's 4Runner as Tom tried to steer off the trail. The 4Runner tumbled sideways down the trail, with Jon's wife Tracy riding shotgun and daughter Tory sleeping in the back. Luckily, all were belted in and suffered only minor cuts and gashes, except for the Toyota. It landed on its feet like a cat with nine lives, but the Toy was crumpled on every panel, with not a single piece of glass left uncracked. The Bronco had bent a custom control arm way past driveable, and the grille and fender were both trashed as well. Since all participants know that the Ultimate Adventure must go on, half of the group stayed behind to weld and patch the decimated Bronco, while the other half continued on the trail. The Toyota ran fine, and the Bundrant clan climbed back in and headed back to town while Tom Boyd and Cole Quinnell mastered trail repair 101, including the scavenging and welding electives.
We all met back at the hotel to swap the days stories and then noticed a stock, super-clean '85 4Runner with a For Sale sign on it drive into the parking lot. We all quipped how Jon Bundrant should buy it and continue the trip, when the driver popped out and said, "He did!" Sure enough, Jon had seen the Toy on the side of the road as he limped back into town and knew it was the right rig for his family to continue the Ultimate Adventure with. By dusk, all the rigs were accounted for, and we would start out the next day for the final road trip of the Ultimate Adventure.
We expected Shoestring to be muddy the entire route, judging from Washington's reputation, but it left us high and dry. We found some good slop to spin the tires in, which Greg Miller gleefully did. This trail was more technical than difficult, but it would've been killer in the rain or snow. | 
Most mechanical problems were minor pains instead of serious situations. The SM420 transmission in the Ultimate A1 kept sticking in Third gear, which called for a tower removal and inspection. Everything looked peachy-keen, so we put it back together. Careful shifting kept us moving without sticking. | 
Our most relaxing time was the ferry from Swartz Bay on the mainland to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Most of us had time to do absolutely nothing, except for our TV editor Kalani Duong. Kalani kept dragging us off to shipboard locations for on-camera interviews for the upcoming video and TV show. You'll get to see the Ultimate Adventure crew roll off the ferry just like this, and a few other treats. |