McGrew Run 8/15-16

Scoutboy74

Scoutboy74

Moderator
The date has been set for this year's run and the IHSTO event staff have been properly notified. It will be Saturday and Sunday, August 15th and 16th. I was hoping for a little earlier in the month, but there were conflicts with the prior two weekends. It will no doubt be very dry by then and much of the forest will be shut down, but I'm hopeful this area will still be open. It was wide open last year at roughly the same time when fire closures were in effect in many other areas, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. We will rendezvous at the post office in o'brien at 10am on the 15th. There is a staging area for trailers directly across highway 199 from the po/market. This is last chance for fuel and supplies. Hopefully there will be a good turnout now that the dates are set well in advance. I know it's a long haul for most of you and who knows what fuel prices will be like by then. As with similar club events, a potluck dinner Saturday night seems like a no brainer. Sumbudee's gonna have to kidnap mayben on their way down. We need his world famous sweatpads on Sunday mornin'. For more information, please review the thread below from last year as it contains links to pertinent mcgrew websites. Hope to see yawl there!

http://www.forums.IHPartsAmerica.com/I-h-s-t-o/717-mcgrew-trail-run-8-9-10-a.html
 
Mcgrew is stikeed dude! Thanks for taking the leadership role here!

We'll be there in some form. As long as we can plug in the a/c in the sweatbox to whup out the sweatpads.

August was turning out to be a real letdown after all the bee doin's...now we got a reason to live again!
 
Thanks for the stick 'em up! I think ya got some on me. I really want this trip to be a fun and memorable one for everyone who can make it. We May not have too many more cracks at it. The progressive granola and patchewlee oil gang has this trail high on their to do list fer lockdown. I'll stand beside ya with an alkeeline battree fan and an old scamway spray bottle mist-er while you flop them pan-flops. Can you do animal shapes? Make mine a chupacabra.
 
Less than two months to go. I know obdr and the bee are on the front burners at the moment and rightfully so. Fuel prices are creeping up nicely just in time for all these fun, long distance (for some) club events. Who's in, who's out, who's on the fence?
 
I/we are definitely "in" since foodstuffs is dependent on us showin' up. But we May be in the 'rango with the trailerhouse behind. The beatermobile is going under the knife right after Binder Bee and May be down for awhile. And that dually rear axle May be a tight fit from now on as a trail rig except on the log roads in the back country. But...mabee run it with only the inside duallys in place like a rail inspection rig????
 
scoutboy74 said:
less than two months to go. I know obdr and the bee are on the front burners at the moment and rightfully so. Fuel prices are creeping up nicely just in time for all these fun, long distance (for some) club events. Who's in, who's out, who's on the fence?
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I'm on the fence. But leaning real hard...:devil:
 
Yeay mayben! I gots my plate ready fer sweat pads:icon_domokun: cambo will have plenty of free range huevos de pollo. They's dang guud!
The 'rango draggin' la casa de ruedas up the trail orta be a site to see! I'm guessin' you'll prolly wanna park that at one of the fwb shop sites and make like a large boozummed blonde seat cover with sumbudy. I'm sure there'll be seats. We kin iron out those detalze as we git closer.

Ss2 & wes: the fence is still a fine place to be at this point. I'll have mayben start breakin' wind in yor presence and that shud finish thangs nicely.:icon_xp:
 
In reviewing both this year's and last years threads on this subject it appears I forgot to detail the trail difficulty and vehicle requirements. I ran this trail a couple years back in my Scout with 4 inch SUA, open front diff, trashy-loc rear, and 31 inch wildpuss ext tires that weren't a true 31 inches. I got hung up briefly in a spot or two, but was able to git un-hung and continue on without aid from any other vehicle or towing apparatus. I did choose to bypass the optional obstacles with this setup. For those obstacles, increased ground clearance and tire size of 33 inches or above is advised. A locker or limited slip in at least one diff would be handy as well. There are certainly portions of this trail that an experienced wheeler in a bone stock Scout 80 could manage, but there are also some spots that could be down right sporting in that rig. I don't want to say no to any stockers, but I'm not encouraging them to show up in droves either. You'll have less trouble and more fun if your vehicle is clearing at least 31 inch all terrains. The trail isn't overly difficult or extreme, but it is very rocky and bouncy and the obstacles are challenging, but probably a couple notches below the crushers in difficulty. I have witnessed a vehicle break down in the big sluice though. It was an early Bronco, not a Scout. No Ford jokes, okay ss2!:wink5: if I was richie Rich, I'd prolly be rollin' in a pimped out e.b., bought not built of course.:dita:
I even managed to poop out the bottom leaf from my front driver spring pack after shearing the center pin on this trail. That was due to pilot error and we were able to trail fix and move on. Anytime you're traveling over rocks and boulders, there's always the chance for vehicle carnage. As with any run of this nature, a modicum of tools and standard spare shit is a must. Fire season will be in effect, so carry fire tools and some fire water. You know which kind I'm talking about. The more volatile kind May be consumed in moderation at camp after the ride is over. Bring plenty of drinking water! Slather sunscreen if you go topless :yikes: not you mayben! Keep yer shirt on and leave the sausage sheath at home!
 
You can count on a definite fence sitter at this time. I have to check with my people for the final word. They will squack about the lack of power for the tv and other amenities but might get by for overnight. Dave
 
cearly said:
you can count on a definite fence sitter at this time. I have to check with my people for the final word. They will squack about the lack of power for the tv and other amenities but might get by for overnight. Dave
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So the new rig's gotta 48" plasma on the wall anda auto-locate satteelite on top???

But no genset???

I wuz gonna plug our rig into yore genset so we'd have coldair!!!!

While yore on tha fence..can ya rig up a 6.5kw for both of us??

Watch teevee on tha smartphone! We call that ruffin' it. Long as steph has cheetos, she don't need no teevee.
 
cearly said:
you can count on a definite fence sitter at this time. I have to check with my people for the final word. They will squack about the lack of power for the tv and other amenities but might get by for overnight. Dave
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Hail dave I'd be more worried 'bout reesepshun than power. That's why the man upstairs invented alkeeline battrees. Jes git one uh them thar port-a-dvd whizz bangs what runs offa cigar lighter and steph kin watch ice age over and over and over agin. As fer amenteez, what more do yawl need than what uncle jedidiah smith had way back when he wuz uh scoutin' that kuntree? Glad you're considering it anyway. A f/s rig could be interesting on that trail.
 
Okay scott. It will be interesting to see if it gets any traction there. I tend not to frequent that forum.

Well, we're just one month away. A couple more things I should add to the discussion:

1. Osp stickers are required on this trail same as on the dunes etc. They can be purchased from a variety of motorsport retailers across the state for $10 and are valid for two years.

2. I got some questions at the bee regarding vehicle requirements etc. One or two folks have expressed interest in hitting this trail in their nice condition fs rigs. While it's a safe bet that fs rigs have successfully negotiated this trail, I haven't witnessed it with my own eyes. I'm not hating on the big boys. I just don't want anyone upset with me after traveling perhaps many miles only to discover that we won't be motoring along on some well-groomed forest road, a fact that will be obvious within the first 25 feet. We will be encountering sharp switchbacks, rocks, and a very uneven road surface. Short wheel base rigs are naturally better suited for this terrain. That's just basic physics. So be prepared for some hieny draggin' if'n yawl wanna bring yer stretched cow pasture cadeelacks...and don't say ya ain't been told!
 
7/29 update: this morning I spoke with a fs employee from the district that oversees this trail. We discussed a number of topics.

1. fire restrictions. It's already hotter than a chupacabra's left armpit and quite a bit dryer, but we knew this would be the case going in. As of right now, fire danger is extreme, but roads are still open. Hopefully they will remain that way at least thru 8/16, but there is no way to predict. She took my number and volunteered to call me if and when a full closure goes into effect so that I can pass that info along asap. She also stated that full closures in that area while possible, are rare in her experience, so keep your fingers crossed on that note. Basic fire tools, the stuff most of us probably carry already, are obviously a must. No fires will be permitted in the camping area (duh!) but gas cook stoves are okay.

2. staging area. There really isn't a designated staging area per se, but folks commonly stage near the trail head alongside the main nfs road at wide spots and turnouts etc. The further you can get off the road safely, the better. Take as many precautions for securing any unattended vehicle as possible. This is the same advice they give hikers who leave their vehicles parked near the trailhead and folks who tow bikes/quads up there. It's generally safe, but there is risk involved. This is the wild, wild west after all.

3. permits/stickers. I was partially correct and therefore mostly incorrect in my previous update. If your vehicle has current tags, you do not need any other stickers. The need for stickers only pertains to unlicensed ohv's. Sorry for the miss-info there.

So far, it looks like the vehicle count is hovering around 3-5 possible maybeez subject to change. Myself and 1 or 2 purdy-mouthed seatcovers (sinner and/or mayben) in hooty, john & cambo in big girl, big phil and colin in phil's Scout and/or colin's p/u, the early's in a t/a...anybody else? We're just a scosh over two weeks out now!
 
It pains me to make this update, but unless I'm reading the map wrong and my understanding of what fp level 3 means is incorrect, it appears as though this trail run May be doa as of last Friday.:mad2:
my apologies to anyone who was still leaning towards making the trek down.
We'll shoot for next year, I guess. I'll be looking hard at June so as to avoid this whole fire danger business altogether.
 
We all certainly appreciate you boys putting the effort into organizing the mcgrew run trev! But nobody has any control over this deal. Same thing happened two years running for obdr 2006/07 with me!

Stuff like this happens for a reason...
 
Yeah, I know. We got away with an August run last year in very spur of the moment fashion. We pushed our luck too far this time. The onliest thing to do is schedule it earlier in the year and take some of the guesswork and chance out. I wanna stay away from July completely cuz of the bee, and the pac nwest trailriders ass usually runs the trail late in the month also. I think they might uh got scru-ed out of their annual trip this year too. I believe it was scheduled for last weekend.
That leaves June or May. Judging by the club event calender, June didn't have much going on other than obdr. The evenings are generally still cool enuff fer a sweater and a fire. That's more like my idea of campin' anyway, rather than sweatin' in a t-shirt and shorts at 10pm with no fire.
Late May would work as long as the ground ain't too soggy still. Them fed scruus won't 'low nobody in there 'til thangs dry out a little bit. One way or t'uther, we'll git 'er dun afore the messiah an' his eco-nazi minions manage tuh git the whole state put on lock down tuh protect us from ourselves.
 
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