Day 7: Bitch Trail Day
Mud, rocks, mud, tight twisty trails, narrow tree chutes, mud, and mud. That's what we were promised on the Bitch Trail in Duncan, British Columbia, and that's where we were headed. Albert Vanderveld of Canadian 4x4 had put us in touch with the local club, and they had a good time planned for us. No one in our group had done this trail, even though a few had visited Vancouver Island before. Our trail leader, Steve Duifhuis, met us the night before, and prepped the group for the morning strategy. After an early breakfast we'd head out to Mount Sicker, where remnants of old copper mines and other debris still dot the landscape. Morning came soon enough for those still fixing rigs in the parking lot, and we all lined up to attack the Bitch. Our first stop was the Chute Trail which traversed old slag piles left over from earlier mining days. These steep, loose hills of mining and smelting waste caused a Jeep or two to slide precariously, but no one turned turtle this time. Our trail guides, Berry and Jenny Sintnicolaas, cruised around in their blue(ish) '84 Toyota, gathering up the wayward wheelers, all of us with grins on our faces.
Now that we were all warmed up, our trail leaders led us into a massive mud hole and promptly got stuck. This made the hole a challenge to most of us, and once the lead vehicle was winched out, many of the rigs gave it a try, all succumbing to the hook except the Ultimate A1. Luckily, Tim Hardy pushed the Jeep from the rear with his Suzuki, but then plopped into the goo himself.
Once the hole was cleared we realized that this was just the Hamburger Hill access trail that had to be scaled before we even reached the Bitch Trail. After too much fun in the mud, we scaled upper Ham without many problems, and encountered the Bitch. This trail is a shorter, wetter, slimier version of Sledgehammer, but with smaller boulders and trees. The 90-degree turns through the trees and the steepness make sure you stay on the throttle, but never too much if you care about sheetmetal. Tops off and windshields down is a good idea on this trail, even though we chanced it this time. With motors roaring and tires spinning, most of us made the ascent. All but Tom Boyd's Bronco and the Ultimate A1 used the winch cable once forward progress was halted. Tim Hardy blew both front axles out of his Suzi and was done for the day. All agreed, "What a Bitch!"
We had done it. The majority of the participants of the Ultimate Adventure had finished the Bitch Trail, and the Adventure was now at a close. New friends were made, parts were broken, and trail fixes were discovered, all in the name of fun. Seven days, three tough trails, and 1,200 miles had come to an end, and everyone agreed they'd do it again.