Flagpole Knob and Switzer Lake in GWNF
          December 13 & 14, 2008

I had to make a trip to Harrisonburg so I thought that it would be nice to combine it with a trip to GWNF.  So I posted on the PlanetIsuzu site and the FJCruiser Forum.  Surprisingly, we ended up with a total of 4 FJCs, 2 Troopers, a Wrangler and a Dodge Ram. 

The plan was to meet at the Shell Station around 9:30, head to the meadow to set up camp and to be on the trails by 10:30.  Like most plans, this one needed some flexibility from the very start.  Mike called me and said that the Richmond contingent was running late.  So the rest of us went to the meadow without them.

Don and I set up our camp, but since none of the others were spending the night they just waited around.  After we finished, the FJCs went over to Switzer Lake to play in the mud (the lake was very low) while I went to meet the late arrivals.

After the Richmond crew arrived and Mike set up his camper, the two groups joined up and headed up to Flagpole Knob.  This involved just running a fire road, and was a good way to get started since this would be the first time Andy would be driving his Ram off-road.

Eventually, we reached Flagpole Knob where we had lunch and admired the view.

Then we played on some obstacles on the Knob.

Since these were relatively tame, we went in search of more fun.  I suggested this one.

Fred thought that this one was even better.

Here is the video of my attempt. Some photos are below. As you can see from the video, I was entirely dependent upon my spotters for the line as I could not see the rocks. Unfortunately, some communication issues led to my front bumper impacting the rocks. When these were resolved, the Trooper climbed right up.

As it was getting late, we ran to the bottom where we found this wall to play on.

We finally reached pavement just before dark.  I went to Harrisonburg to check my daughter into a condo.  (She was skiing at Massanutten Mountain.) Jen, Fred, Andy and Ryan headed home. Don, Chris and Mike went back to the Meadow.  I returned to the meadow around 7PM, had dinner and refreshment, then smoked cigars by the camp fire with Don and Chris.

The next morning, Don and I broke camp and loaded our trucks.  We then decided to do a quick run on the lake since Mike, Chris and I had missed that part of Saturday's run.  This was supposed to take a hour or so, but it didn't quite work out that way . . . sort of like how it wasn't a three hour tour on Gilligan's Island.  Although we didn't know it, the conditions were vastly changed from the previous day.  The warmer temps and run-off had really softened things up.

I led the group and immediately headed to these rocks.

Then I continued on to the flat section with all of the tire tracks from the day before.  This was a big mistake since the Trooper immediately began to sink.  After some effort, I managed to get out and called on the CB for everyone to stay away.  Too late.  Chris was already stuck.  

Worse still, Mike got stuck trying to help him. 

So I aired down to 16 PSI, took a run on the road to clear my tires and then tried to get in position for a recovery.  Big mistake . . . the Trooper also got stuck.  Mike's wife, Katherine, didn't like this one bit as she had her young daughter with her and her two dogs were back at camp.  So Don ran the girls back while we worked to get out of this mess.

First, I pulled out my hand winch, and we used it to winch Mike's Trooper towards mine.  This allowed Mike to snatch my Trooper and free it.  I was able to drive to the edge of the mud before getting stuck again and Don was able to snatch me the rest of the way out.  So now we had two rigs clear.

Next, Mike and Don went into town to get more straps.  With the additional straps, I was able to snatch Chris' Jeep while climbing over the rocks for traction.  I did this three times before I broke a motor mount and had to give up.  (Joe had warned me to change that mount during the swap, but I had forgotten about his advice.)  In any case, that was it for the Trooper assisting in the recovery.  Thankfully, the Jeep was now in position to be recovered by Don and after a few snatches it too was free.  So now we had three rigs clear.

Unfortunately, we could not get an angle on Mike's Trooper from the solid ground and we were definitely not venturing back into the mud.  So we strapped the hand winch to a large tree, ran out about 150ft of strap and started cranking.  The problem was that the winch only had 40 ft of line and we had to double the line to get the needed mechanical advantage.  Worse still, the recovery straps stretched a lot so that we'd only move the Trooper 5 ft before we'd run out of cable.  With the sun setting below the ridge, things were getting desperate.  So I asked Mike to let me try driving his Trooper. I didn't get very far, but somehow I managed to change the angle of the Trooper just enough so that Don was then able to snatch it.  

It was a slow process, but Don managed to free Mike around 6 PM in nearly total darkness except for the light given off by our headlights and flashlights.  Just then, the cavalry arrived.  A local 4x4 club heard about us from one of their members and put in a call for the big boy.  Big boy is a full sized Chevy pickup, with a big block V8, lots of lift, huge tires and a winch.  We thanked them, but were glad that we managed the recoveries on our own.

Mike and Chris headed back to the meadow where the girls and dogs were waiting.  Don and I went into town, washed off our rigs and had dinner.  Then I eased the Trooper back home being very careful not to torque the engine with the busted motor mount.  Don and I got home around 11PM.  Chris and Mike didn't get home until 1AM since they still had to deal with Mike's camper. 

I got home just in time to see the Giants lose to the Cowboys in Texas Stadium.  It was that sort of weekend.

Link to the directions to Flagpole Knob.
Link to a map of the section of GWNF near Flagpole Knob.