2005 Cherokee

[Goose]

Gaaak Mud thats a lot of truck to be throwing mud around, i await with baited breath (or something like it anyway).

[Mudrat]

Well I wouldn't say "throw around" is the right term - but I use my truck as a truck It pulled a 19 foot pop-up camper into the hills (2200 feet at the campsite) the last 30-foot hill, I needed 4WD (it had been sprinkling and it was wet & muddy) to get it into camp. Loaded with camping crap and a weeks worth of food and dry firewood
Tuedsay we decided to hunt a different area and had to cross the river. Usually not bad as you can see. A rough rocky bottom and only 15-18" deep - but you needed 4WD to handle the rocks under foot and get across. Mark's 2WD couldn't make it. Note the water depth in this pic. As a reference my licence plate is 21" to the bottom.



Since the truck was a mess, I was washing the running boards (16' off the ground)...



Tues PM we hunted a different field. Fresh clear-cut and LOTS of deer sign showing the the critters were there. Also had some bear and couger scat and I saw one bear print. To get there was a 'little' hill. Tried to cut down on some of the 500 foot climb to get to the crest overlooking the field. If I had gone further I would have hi-centered the truck and since Mark couldn't get his in there to pull me off, I decided to back down.



Tuesday night it started raining and continued all day Wed. Bad case of Cabin feaver, but we hunted the area we were camped at and nobody got or even saw anything that day

Thanksgiving around noon, I thought I'd check the river to see if we could get across. Notice the water level is up, just a bit !!! The sorta green area is the normal river (about 40-50 feet wide), the brown are fist sized rocks to prevent the "road" from washing away in this scenario. The river is now about 75-80 feet wide and 3-3.5' feet deep in the middle! Oh yeah, the normal flow was up to about 10-12 MPH. Hummmm if a cubic foot of water weighs 64 pounds, and moving at 10 mph, figuring 120-130 cuft of water per-minute, per tire, and 31" tires on the truck ... quick math say's don't push your luck!!!



Just for kicks-and-grins I did start across to wash the running boards again (keeps the mud outta the inside that way). I didn't get 10 feet into the over-flow part of the river before it was over the steps, didn't need the cup this time - over 20's of water within the first 10 feet and maybe 100-120 cuft per minute? !! I backed up a few feet and snapped this shot.
In the second pic I was in the river and had to use a cup (the blue thinggy) to wash with. The water was about the same depth as this pic shows, but this time I was about 10 feet into the river and didn't need the cup



Needless to say, we didn't get back up the hill to find that bear

Mudrat

[Lifted79CJ7]

Wow, looks like you had a great time on that trip! Thanks for the pics!!
Jack

[Goose]

Now wait aminute! Do you mean to tell me that you a Real live NAVY guy do not have the Nickel plated by gosh all-purpose double reinforced transom/step bumper with a 200 horse mercruiser outboard? ( available through our friends at sinkorswim industries)





J/K Rat us die hard tread heads would have affixed a cardboard snorkel and forged ahead..there by renaming our rig TITANIC and had the obligatory photo of me standing on the roof waving bye bye as I floated away. (I actually sank a M-60 a3 MBT in Kentucky during a fording exercise, you would be surprised how fast 60 tons will sink with the hull drain valves open)

[Lifted79CJ7]

Those silly open drain valves, they're such jokers!!

[Mudrat]

Now wait aminute! Do you mean to tell me that you a Real live NAVY guy do not have the Nickel plated by gosh all-purpose double reinforced transom/step bumper with a 200 horse mercruiser outboard? ( available through our friends at sinkorswim industries)

J/K Rat us die hard tread heads would have affixed a cardboard snorkel and forged ahead..there by renaming our rig TITANIC and had the obligatory photo of me standing on the roof waving bye bye as I floated away. (I actually sank a M-60 a3 MBT in Kentucky during a fording exercise, you would be surprised how fast 60 tons will sink with the hull drain valves open)

Oar? What's an OAR?? I left the canoe club to be on dry land for a while !!Hahahah guess that lasted about 2 years And the Golden anchor has 365 ponies under the hood, why do I need an auxiliary motor?

Been thinking of the snorkle bit, but it's going on the CJ that WILL ford the river next year The Hemi's K&N might object to a piece of cardboard - or suck it down the wind pipe

Mudrat

[MC]

Does the bank know about your wheeling son?

[Mudrat]

Does the bank know about your wheeling son?

Nope, and I hope the scratches will rub out The paint chips where the branch hit me I hope to fix next week. Got a big 'ol chunk on the right side of the hood I need to fix

Mudrat

[okiefsj]

mud rat do you run dogs?

[Mudrat]

mud rat do you run dogs?

Only the two under my knees
Where we go in the National Forest, they aren't permitted. The hunt club on the other side of the ridge has a special permit to run the deer over the top with their dogs, just for us

But it was funny as we were heading to the check station, there were 5-6 guys walking a field like they were looking for something - maybe the deer I had in the back??

Mudrat