A little Fun on Sledge this weekend

Attended a FUN trip with the greatest bunch of people around, and had a blast!!!

This past weekend, MJR and JEEPBBS and some from Jeep forums had the annual JV rookie run up the world famous SLEDGEHAMMER.

As you KNOW Sledgehammer trail consists of a series of tight switchbacks, waterfall climbs, tight squeezes for over a mile of climbing, Rocks the size of minivans, 10ft waterfalls etc. make this trail challenging for the most prepared.

Well I agreed to accompany a bunch of GREAT people through the trail in my Grocery Getter ZJ, I new this would be an extremely tough challenge for it and just basically hope for the best as I new the people attending were going to help no matter what.

So on Saturday morning we all headed accross Means Dry Lake bed in JV, CA
12 TJS and 1 ZJ for a day of wheelin'



Yeah, the doors are off, or else they would have been smashed.



The start of the trail begins with good sized rocks headin up towards a big bunch of switchback v-notches with MORE boulders

Then progressively gets harder after the 1st small waterfall



and gets harder




Its a TIGHT squeeze for a TJ, EVEN MORE for a ZJ!!! Thank YOU JKS for the Supernerfs, they worked GREAT!!



to put it all into perspective, here is a nice shot of how tight and technical the trail is. If you want to call it a trail





AH, made it to the mailbox in 1 piece!!!




mmm Creepy crawlers with 5 psi air..




Did I mention the trail is Tight!!!!



Man, my jeep feels wide!!..




Overall very little carnage, Jerry, blew up a steering box (not his fault) another guy cut an MTR which needed 20 plugs (the trail requiring you be as light as possible, so very spares are brought on the trail), and another guy had a small electrical short on his winch.

I had to winch 2xs cause of diff hangers on some of the waterfalls, but overall it was the time of my life,..

The Spotters were great and kept me off the sidewalls so the body is still straight, and didnt break anything,

Thanks go out to all of the crew and friends for a GREAT!!! weekend..

Good Job, Mikey!

I have seen your rig and I haev seen other rigs that run sledge. I would not have taken your ZJ through there if it where me.

I am glad you did not damage anything and that you had a good time.

Let's get together soon for lunch?

Im impressed good looking and performing rig

No doors can=smashed "B" pilar=so long body intregity,but it sure keeps glass in good shape and makes it so much easier to see where you are going.

4xSanta said:

No doors can=smashed "B" pilar=so long body intregity,but it sure keeps glass in good shape and makes it so much easier to see where you are going.

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You cherokee guys forget the ZJ is vastly different in its space frame than the XJ is. the B pillars are still succeptable, but 3x's thicker and reinforced over the XJ..

but anyway, the doors went on FINE>.... didnt even have to adjust the door strikers....

10 foot waterfalls on Sledge? :dunno:

Unless Sledge has changed some in the last two months..................

cracker said:

10 foot waterfalls on Sledge? :dunno:

Unless Sledge has changed some in the last two months..................

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Two weeks ago it was super stacked. As easy as I've seen it. Rick made it on 35's no winch.

I think it's all in your prospective.


Nice Job on making it through Mike.

zjmikey said:

You cherokee guys forget the ZJ is vastly different in its space frame than the XJ is. the B pillars are still succeptable, but 3x's thicker and reinforced over the XJ..

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This was made from an XJ.

David Taylor said:

Two weeks ago it was super stacked. As easy as I've seen it. Rick made it on 35's no winch.

I think it's all in your prospective.


Nice Job on making it through Mike.

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A couple of things Dave... 1st, it wasnt stacked... at all..


2nd, the waterfall I am referring to is more like 15ft.. Its the 1st major obstacle past the mailbox, the Optional line where the hard right left is.

If you go straight up the optional line, its almost 16ft from bottom to top..


here is a pic and see if you recognize it.

zjmikey said:

A couple of things Dave... 1st, it wasnt stacked... at all..


2nd, the waterfall I am referring to is more like 15ft.. Its the 1st major obstacle past the mailbox, the Optional line where the hard right left is.

If you go straight up the optional line, its almost 16ft from bottom to top..


here is a pic and see if you recognize it.

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my wife would kill me lol

zjmikey said:

A couple of things Dave... 1st, it wasnt stacked... at all..

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How many times have you run this trail ? I was there one week before. It's stacked.

zjmikey said:

here is a pic and see if you recognize it.

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I know right were it is. He is on the right line. But ,I have never seen anybody take a strap there. Cherokees drive right up. With your long wheel base it should have been like going up your drivway.

Like I said before good job making it up Sludge. Now matter how stacked it is, it's still a tough trail. Don't read to much into my reply. I was mostly just talking to Cracker.

great pics, looks like a hell of a fun time

David Taylor said:

How many times have you run this trail ? I was there one week before. It's stacked.




I know right were it is. He is on the right line. But ,I have never seen anybody take a strap there. Cherokees drive right up. With your long wheel base it should have been like going up your drivway.

Like I said before good job making it up Sludge. Now matter how stacked it is, it's still a tough trail. Don't read to much into my reply. I was mostly just talking to Cracker.

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It has been really stacked since the Victor Valley 4 Wheelers had there event last fall. I don't think anyone took a strap or winched when I led the Sledge run at the Rockin' JV event.

Was it stacked when I ran it in September? I thought it was hard.

Phil said:

Was it stacked when I ran it in September? I thought it was hard.

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No. I think I was with you then.

It was after that. Maybe Oct?

Roxy Bash weekend.

Paul is thinking 'what the hell is this guy doing?'

Avery is thinking 'this junk makes my Jeep look good.'

Dave is thinking 'this guy can't keep up worth a damn' and won't even be in the picture.

cracker said:

No. I think I was with you then.

It was after that. Maybe Oct?

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Phil said:

Roxy Bash weekend.

Paul is thinking 'what the hell is this guy doing?'

Avery is thinking 'this junk makes my Jeep look good.'

Dave is thinking 'this guy can't keep up worth a damn' and won't even be in the picture.

Click to expand...

I thought I was there :laugh:

Phil said:

Was it stacked when I ran it in September? I thought it was hard.

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I can't remember how it was in September.

VV stacked it for F in the D in Oct., but they didn't go overbord with the stacken.
In early November it got stacked in a way that I have never seen a Hammer stacked. It was actually laughable how stacked it was.
IMO, since early November it has slowly been on track to what it use to be (less stacked) but still has a ways to go.

Anyway, good job Mike. I remember the first time I ran a Hammer (Sun Bonnet), I was on a high for weeks after.

Paul

Phil said:

...

Paul is thinking 'what the hell is this guy doing?'

Avery is thinking 'this junk makes my Jeep look good.'

Dave is thinking 'this guy can't keep up worth a damn' and won't even be in the picture.

...

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Being behind you, I was thinking "Please God, don't let the intern break."

First time out on Sledge is a buzz. Looks like you did good zjguy.

Kinda hard for me to tell about the trail. Since Phil's run and the November run, I was on it on 33's and it was a roadway. I figure anytime you can get a group of 4 on 33's thru Sledge in time to run another 2 trails, it must be easy. I don't think we stopped once on it. Last time with Dave, Rick, and Santa, it was looking a bit more torn up in spots, but on 37's and being familiar with the trail, it just seems hard to judge anymore.

--ron

I was just bummed that nobody got a picture of my junk next to the mailbox, to prove I made it.

Captain Ron said:

Being behind you, I was thinking "Please God, don't let the intern break."

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And you should know better than anyone that my major breakage happens on the freeway, at night. :confused1