Reminder: You can find the complete collection of photos here.
We had a pretty small attendance this time, but we didn't let that dampen our enthusiasm in any way.
Not that we actually asked anyone else, either.
According to our original trip notes, this was supposed to be a pretty difficult drive. However, since then (and as per the revised notes) the trip is much easier. Both Dennis and I spent most of the day in 2WD except for some very slippery sections of the track (to stop us sliding off the side of the hill) and some notable exceptions, as you will see below.
At the start, everything was nice and clean.
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We were wandering along the track when we caught up with another group. They were investigating campsites along the river and had just discovered one that was flooded. Instead of sticking behind them, we decided to use some time and have a look ourselves. Everything was going well - we got down to the bottom of the hill and the campsite was indeed flooded. I reversed up and Dennis went to do a three-point turn. On the first point, he found some nice sticky mud.
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Here are some shots after we pulled him out. During the operation the big cruiser was dragged a fair way sideways and the little cruiser was basically spinning everything. The mud down there was really slippery...
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And so we proceeded. Once again, the track was pretty ordinary. We had a nice stop for lunch in the middle of the forest.
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At the end of the day, the trip notes hinted at a very difficult hill. It was. I ran out of ground clearance about halfway up the first stretch. Despite having a couple of runs at it, this was about the best. Time for a diff locker or larger tyres I think.
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Dennis didn't have too much trouble with the first part (having limited slip diffs front and rear) but the second was giving him some trouble. After letting down his tires he had another run and got about two thirds of the way up before sliding back down and parking on a large rock. Luckily, no damage other than a few scrapes.
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This is where the winch came in pretty handy. From the photos, it's hard to see exactly how steep the hill is but it was nearly impossible to walk on given the slope and the condition of the mud.
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Finally, a couple of pics where we stopped to pump up our tires. While Dennis' truck doesn't look that dirty, I'm sure I used to own a white car...
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Obviously, Dennis wasn't trying hard enough. :-)
