Oregon Trophy Challenge - 2013
Tillamook State Forest
September 22-23
Tillamook State Forest
September 22-23
After competing in last year's "Team Trophy Challenge" event, and having a total blast, I was happy to hear the event would be returning again this year. That's not to say last years event was easy by any means. In fact, it was one of the most miserable, stressful, and frustrating trips I've been on. However, it was also one of the most memorable trips.
With the event date quickly sneaking up on us, a few of us from the NWC got a team together for this years event.
Rig #1: Dustin (TORX), Scott (NW-ZJ-SCOTT)
Rig #2: Josh (jeepboy381), Nick (redjeep2.0)
After work on Friday I loaded up the Jeep with the essentials, and headed to Browns Camp which would be our base camp for the event.
Set up camp, sporting the colors.
Josh and I installing our team stickers on our rigs after passing tech Saturday morning.
0800, drivers meeting.
Nick and Scott hung around while team names were drawn for starting positions. Josh and I raced over to the rigs to finish airing down. Not long after, Team 6 was drawn, and we were on deck to leave. We lined up at the day use exit, and waited for Shawn to count us down... 3...2...1... we were off!
I led us out of Browns Camp as Scott familiarized himself with the directions. Learning from last year, we double checked our decisions with Josh and Nick, and began checking them off one by one. We quickly found Team Toyota on Powerline and chased them down University Firepower.
Eventually after a few trails, we were heading up Firebreak 5. After a wet few days prior, the ground was pretty saturated in a slick peanut butter mud (typical). Josh led the way up the first section, and powered his way through the rock of doom area. I gave it a few tries with no luck. Not wanting to waste time Nick and Scott pulled cable. Yes, I winched FB5.
We powered our way up the rest of the trail, and finished the first section. At the beginning of the second section we saw the Pink Flamingo... Checkpoint #1.
Our first questions was, "how many teams were in front of us?" Much to our surprise, we were told we were the first team.
The challenge was simple, it involved the rock garden, but we weren't in our rigs. We worked really well as a team, and came out of it feeling pretty good.
We made great time up the last two sections of FB5 with Josh setting pace. Hit gravel, and cruised some more, double checking each direction.
We then reached Airplane Hill where some EMT's were staged at the bottom of. They told us we were the first to arrive. Nick hopped out and spotted Josh through the bottom filter, and Scott gave me some eyes as I followed with no troubles.
After completing the filter we cruised up the trail to obstacle, where to all of our surprise we saw what Checkpoint #2 involved... completing Airplane Hill. If you've never set foot on Airplane Hill in it's current form, pictures don't do it justice. Josh and I walked up to the ledge and both just stared at it. Josh said, "Dustin, we can't do this." Not in a pessimistic way, but he was right in that this would push our rigs to the absolute max.
A checkpoint was a checkpoint though, and we all were up for at least giving it a shot. Josh got in his rig, I gathered recovery gear, Nick started doing some trail maintenance, and Scott hiked it to a suitable winch tree to set an anchor.
With the recent rain creating a slick glaze on the rocks, we hooked up Josh's cable pretty quick. After some slow crawling, and winch work, we got him up to the ledge.
McGyvered winch fix, NBD.
Even after trying to get the winch line as high as possible, we still were plowing his bumper into the ledge (by a lot). This is where we realized we might have just found the limit to an XJ on 33's. With at least two teams now behind us, we called it, and backed Josh off the obstacle. The checkpoint staff scored our effort accordingly, and we took the bypass around. The important part was, we didn't break anything, earned some points, and were still in the game.
After making our way through the top filter, we took a break to unwind and grab a bite to eat. That didn't last long too long though since we were all anxious to keep going, and we were back on road/trail crossing off more directions.
Punching our score card at a flag.
With the event date quickly sneaking up on us, a few of us from the NWC got a team together for this years event.
Rig #1: Dustin (TORX), Scott (NW-ZJ-SCOTT)
Rig #2: Josh (jeepboy381), Nick (redjeep2.0)
After work on Friday I loaded up the Jeep with the essentials, and headed to Browns Camp which would be our base camp for the event.
Set up camp, sporting the colors.
Josh and I installing our team stickers on our rigs after passing tech Saturday morning.
0800, drivers meeting.
Nick and Scott hung around while team names were drawn for starting positions. Josh and I raced over to the rigs to finish airing down. Not long after, Team 6 was drawn, and we were on deck to leave. We lined up at the day use exit, and waited for Shawn to count us down... 3...2...1... we were off!
I led us out of Browns Camp as Scott familiarized himself with the directions. Learning from last year, we double checked our decisions with Josh and Nick, and began checking them off one by one. We quickly found Team Toyota on Powerline and chased them down University Firepower.
Eventually after a few trails, we were heading up Firebreak 5. After a wet few days prior, the ground was pretty saturated in a slick peanut butter mud (typical). Josh led the way up the first section, and powered his way through the rock of doom area. I gave it a few tries with no luck. Not wanting to waste time Nick and Scott pulled cable. Yes, I winched FB5.
We powered our way up the rest of the trail, and finished the first section. At the beginning of the second section we saw the Pink Flamingo... Checkpoint #1.
Our first questions was, "how many teams were in front of us?" Much to our surprise, we were told we were the first team.
The challenge was simple, it involved the rock garden, but we weren't in our rigs. We worked really well as a team, and came out of it feeling pretty good.We made great time up the last two sections of FB5 with Josh setting pace. Hit gravel, and cruised some more, double checking each direction.
We then reached Airplane Hill where some EMT's were staged at the bottom of. They told us we were the first to arrive. Nick hopped out and spotted Josh through the bottom filter, and Scott gave me some eyes as I followed with no troubles.
After completing the filter we cruised up the trail to obstacle, where to all of our surprise we saw what Checkpoint #2 involved... completing Airplane Hill. If you've never set foot on Airplane Hill in it's current form, pictures don't do it justice. Josh and I walked up to the ledge and both just stared at it. Josh said, "Dustin, we can't do this." Not in a pessimistic way, but he was right in that this would push our rigs to the absolute max.
A checkpoint was a checkpoint though, and we all were up for at least giving it a shot. Josh got in his rig, I gathered recovery gear, Nick started doing some trail maintenance, and Scott hiked it to a suitable winch tree to set an anchor.
With the recent rain creating a slick glaze on the rocks, we hooked up Josh's cable pretty quick. After some slow crawling, and winch work, we got him up to the ledge.
McGyvered winch fix, NBD.
Even after trying to get the winch line as high as possible, we still were plowing his bumper into the ledge (by a lot). This is where we realized we might have just found the limit to an XJ on 33's. With at least two teams now behind us, we called it, and backed Josh off the obstacle. The checkpoint staff scored our effort accordingly, and we took the bypass around. The important part was, we didn't break anything, earned some points, and were still in the game.
After making our way through the top filter, we took a break to unwind and grab a bite to eat. That didn't last long too long though since we were all anxious to keep going, and we were back on road/trail crossing off more directions.
Punching our score card at a flag.
." We were in! The other three teams were pretty competitive, and we definitely had our work cut out for us and our Cherocars. Which, I might add looked like grocery getters next to the other teams. 
