By Roger Walker

This was my first ever attendance at the annual Northern Alberta 4-Wheel Drive Association's Fall Creek trail run. Fall Creek is about an hour southwest of Rocky Mountain House. I wasn't sure I was going to make it, though! I had my rig, Black Rat, into Tonka 4-Wheel Drive to get a custom rear bumper, and it took a little longer than expected. Thankfully, I was able to pick it up Friday afternoon and head off for the fun. Great job, George — thanks.

Although the organized part took place on the weekend, there were several people running the trails all through the week. I got to the second designated campsite late Friday night; I completely missed the first one, coming and going! It was dark, so I didn't see the cow pie where I set up my tent. At least there was no smell!

Bright and early Saturday morning, someone came yelling at my tent that there was a drivers’ meeting scheduled for 8:30. I asked what time it was now and he said "7:00," so I went back to sleep for another hour. When I got up I had just enough time to chow down and air down. That Quadra-Flate made quick work of airing down all four tires at once.

By the time we started the first organized run, there were at least 31 vehicles. We split into two groups and headed out. I went with the beginner/stock group because I was unsure of my skills and what to expect, not to mention that my rig is a lease vehicle and I was concerned about damage. In retrospect, I think I would have fared well with the other group. Next time…

As seems to be a habit for me, now, my camera decided not to work. I was hoping to get some pictures of the convoys before they headed off. Oh, well. Better luck next time.

After a short drive down the dirt highway, we turned up a logging road. We continued for another 15 minutes and arrived at the creek at the bottom of a valley, and the beginning of the trail. We shifted into 4-lo and made the first of many stream crossings.

Throughout the entire run it was evident that if it wasn't wet (stream crossings), it was muddy (lots of mud holes). And if it wasn’t muddy, it was dusty! We had several stucks throughout the morning, but made short work of keeping everyone continuing on the trail.

At one of the stream crossings, there was enough time to declare a lunch break. That also gave me time to check out the camera. The electronics errored on the film roll, so replacing the film made it work, again. Scratch one blank roll of film.

A short ways past the lunch stop, we came across the Wall of Mud. This was so named not for the wall being of mud, but actually for the six-foot vertical wall at the far end of the mud hole. Most vehicles simply drove in, hooked up to a yank strap, and got pulled up by Roger's tall ride (below). That sucker is taller than I can reach!

When it was my turn, I decided to try to circle the right edge, but I still had to climb most of the same wall at the end, like the Landcruiser, below.

I ended up spinning out. Since the yank strap was already in position, I agreed to keep things moving rather than back up and try a run at it. It's the only obstacle that I didn't complete under my own power, so I feel pretty good about it. It's a good thing that there were some capable and otherwise winch-equipped vehicles with us.

After helping us out, Roger left us all behind. Can you see that Hi-Lift jack poking out between the left mirror and the spare tire? I don't even think it will reach the bumper! It must be for show, eh?

Many of the obstacles had me doing a lot of praying. I thank The Lord for navigating with me. There were serveral times I thought I would otherwise float away or severely damage something. Several times I decided to get out and have a look before trying certain obstacles. It proved worthwhile, as it saved me from damage that I saw others get.

The photo (above) just can't do justice to the real thing, even in color. The Landcruiser at the bottom is about half way down the hill from the vehicles at the top. What you can't see is the stream at the bottom, and the other side, which is a climb at least twice as high (where the photo was taken). Several vehicles seemed to have some difficulty with the hills, but my auto-trans made a nice, steady climb each time. And just to dispell a certain myth, the compression I got in 1^st gear was plenty good enough to slow me while going downhill.

The end of the trail and back at camp (above). A chance to survey for damages. Thankfully, Black Rat only suffered a few paint scratches. Oh, yeah. I also had a magnetic mount CB antenna yanked off by a branch. (Would the gentleman who recovered it be kind enough to contact me so I can return it to its owner? Thanks.)

I was pleased that my new bumper did me proud. In spite of decreasing my departure angle, it still proved to be as good as or better than most of the rigs out there, and I only scraped a couple of times. The photo doesn't show the quick release Jerry can mounts, but you should be able to see the built-in lights, Hi-Lift, and shackles.

The Trail Master, Dave Burns, commented that this was the worst run ever for breakdowns and damage. Two vehicles from our group had to be towed out later — one suffering from a fan through the radiator. Nearly everyone suffered from overheating due to a radiator clogged with mud. My radiator proved trouble free, with minimal airflow blockage. There were also a few drowned vehicles, but they were serviced in place and were on the trail again, shortly.

There was even a human casualty. Dave E. exited his rig to check his CB antenna, and promptly slipped and broke his ankle. Thanks to all who helped out, drove him through the rest of the trail, and took him into the hospital at Rocky. (It pays to off-road with a group!).

The next run is the September long weekend, with a search for new trails. See you there, maybe?