August_4-03

August 4/2003 @ Chipmuk Creek FSR
& Mt. Thurston FSR

In Attendance:
Chris - Bronco (blue)
Ed & Terry - YJ (black)
Doug - Comanche (red)

Ed finally got his front gears installed, my SAS was pretty much done; this means wheeling time! When deciding where to go, due to the
heat we opted for a nice scenic run around the Chipmunk Creek area.
We met in Chilliwack at 9:00am, topped up the gas tanks, and headed to the hills. Being the end of the long weekend, there was a lot of
traffic on the roads. We stopped at a pull-out on the Foley Creek FSR to air down, then continued up to Chipmunk FSR. The roads were dusty
so we tried to keep a distance between us, but just didn't to work to well; at times you could hardly see the road in front of you.
We went past one of our turn off's to see where it went; it was a dead end with a hiking trail, but a beautiful view of the Cheam Ridge. We
turned around and headed for the second gravel pit, where we did our usual play around for about 10 minutes, then after putting on some
sun screen we hit the trail again. As the road comes around the other side of the mountain, you go from dry dusty roads to damp muddy
narrow trails. Now that was as treat. After stopping at a spot that overlooks the Fraser Valley for a few minutes, we continued on to a
spot of the trail where you are driving along the ridge of the mountain. After a few kilometers we ran into a few trucks, and of course
we were on the narrowest part of the trail, but we managed to find some brush that we could bury the trucks into so the other group
could get by. After a few more kilometers we stopped to get some nice scenic pictures and enjoy the bugs.
We finally came back around the mountain and found an old skidder trail that turned out to be a shortcut, but the trail was so much
fun that we then ran it backwards thus making it not so much of a shortcut.
The main road goes all the way around the mountain, so we were back at the gravel pit. Play time! Doug tried something totally
different, and his left axle shafts let him know who was boss. The universal joint let go and took the ears off the shafts. He just unlocked
the hubs, as 2 wheel drive was all we really needed.
After that we decided to head over to Mt Thurston FSR and check out 'Reach For The Sky'. This is a short climb that can require HUGE pucker
factor. It took about an hour as we went to the bottom of the mountain, then climbed all the way back up; 5000 feet. Doug had to stop a
few times to let his truck cool off; four low would have solved this problem. At the top the trail got nice and narrow and the view was
spectacular. We reached 'Reach For The Sky', and Ed went for it. He had all 4 cylinders cranked, churning up the dust, and he
made it. Then I lined up and just for added measure, I turned on both ARB's and climbed away. It is quite the feeling as all you
see is blue sky and nothing up the side. Did I say pucker factor? Once at the top it was well worth it; 5100 feet and a view to kill for.
Going down wasn't as bad as you could see some land around you.
At this point we had had enough and decided to head back down the mountain and dunk our dusty heads in the creek. Man was that
refreshing. We chatted for a while, then hit the trail for the last few kilometers to the main road where we could air up.
After airing up I pulled the blow gun out and we all dusted off, including the inside of the trucks. We hit the highway for town to get some
gas; the cool breeze was refreshing. When we hit the main road Doug was not behind us. Ed and I doubled back to find him; he had pulled
off to the side of the road as his hub kept engaging. After a hard fought removal, we were back on the road. We hit the freeway and
headed for home. We followed Doug home just in case his hub tried to cause any trouble.
So, other that Doug's mishap, it was a nice scenic day, just as planned.

Cheam Ridge.