by Tara

We left at 9:00 a.m. for the Mossy Mountain trail hoping this ride would be better than the day before. Due to rain, the trails were slippery and we didn't know what to expect. My husband, Lyle, drove his Jeep Scrambler and our daughter, Courtney, rode with us. As always, Lyle's best friend Rob and his wife Beth were following us.

Carey, Bill and Tom were our guides. In total we had 12 vehicles - the most unique was an old Army Jeep, driven by Steve and Sandy. Steve isn't sure, but estimates that his General AM was made sometime in the 1950's. Steve and Sandy were extremely brave, as they were in true "army style" with netting instead of doors.

The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining all day. Mossy Mountain was one of the most beautiful trails I have been on. The wooded areas, creeks and terrain reminded me of Northwestern North Carolina. It was absolutely awesome! Farm fields surrounded the wooded areas and we were very careful to avoid driving in the fields.

Although we usually take more challenging trails, the soggy conditions made Mossy Mountain plenty challenging. Carey, our fearless leader, tried all of the obstacles first. Even so, the first mishap occurred at our first obstacle, when a red TJ hung up his underside trying to come out of a creek. He slipped into a rut and had to be towed out - no big deal.

Shortly thereafter, we went down a steep run that was so slick it was like going down a slide. Several drivers opted for the bypass, which proved to be no better. After making it down the run (we just stopped short of sliding into a tree), we headed into a rocky creek to meet up with the drivers at the bottom of the bypass. As soon as we reached the intersection, Rob called out that he had a flat tire. One of the rocks slashed his two-week old tire. We stopped, the guys changed it, and went on our way.

We stopped for lunch alongside a corn field and then continued our day. Around 3:00 the next mishap occurred. Carey made a wrong turn and ended up on part of Susie's Knob. Before he knew it, his Cherokee was tipped sideways and stuck. Unfortunately, several Jeeps had started to follow him. Although they did not make it to the path where Carey slid (they were waiting at the top for the go-ahead), the waiting area was also slick and they had to be removed before Carey and his family could be brought back up. It took at least 30 minutes to tow the three Jeeps out of the way. Then a winch had to be used to bring the Cherokee back up. Carey's wife (who must be a saint) spent the entire time hanging in the Jeep with their three little kids, who seemed to be enjoying the situation. Miraculously, all that was broken was the passenger side mirror.

More excitement occurred at our last obstacle. We had to enter a mud hole, turn a sharp left, and drive up a steep embankment. Normally, drivers could chose to go straight and up another steep embankment, but after a few attempts it was decided that this would be too difficult. Nearly everyone got through it, though some straps were used. We were all standing around, watching the remaining Jeeps take their turns, when all of the sudden Steve and Sandy come barreling up the straight path. Unfortunately, Steve's course was slick and he ended up in a precarious situation. His General AM was nearly on its side. Both he and Sandy got out of the Jeep and our trusty guides analyzed the situation and came up with a plan. They pulled the Jeep out with a winch and a tow strap (after making sure everyone was well out of the way and behind cover) and we were once again on our merry way.

One of the red TJs had lost his alternator and on the way back to the Legion Hall, his battery gave out. Bill and Tom stayed with him and got him back to town. As we entered town, someone came over the CB and said that Carey lost a U-joint. Others were with him and they had the situation under control. We ran back to our apartment at Cherry's Guest House (wonderful place!) to quickly change and use the bathroom (warnings of itch-weed, poison ivy and ticks made the idea of going on the trail even more unappealing than usual). After a record five minutes (two girls changing clothes, using the bathroom, and trying to fix their hair in five minutes is a record!), we headed for dinner at the Legion Hall.

As we turned on the main street, we saw Steve and Sandy, and Carey. We radioed Carey and asked how he was and he said he broke his drive shaft. He was headed home and dropped in behind us. Moments later, someone came over the radio again and said that he was leaking oil. Again, they had everything under control so we went to the Legion Hall. Lyle got in line to have the jeep washed (the kids did a GREAT job!) while I made sure Courtney got her dinner (she was starving, of course).

After the Jeeps were washed, we ate and watched as more of our fellow adventurers returned from their trips. Eventually, we saw nearly everyone. Rob and Lyle had a great time telling Fuzzy all about Carey's misadventures. Sorry Fuzzy - hope we weren't too hard on him. Carey, Bill and Tom were all fantastic guides and we appreciate the great time we had on the trail. As always, we are extremely grateful to the Two Rivers Jeep Club, the landowners, the town of Pittsfield, and the members of the American Legion, for showing us a great time!

by Chad and Frannie

We started off Friday morning with the usual drivers meeting. Fortunately, OR did not have a lot to entertain us with. When everyone had been informed of the rules, we set out for the various trails.

We were headed for Mossy Mountain, led by Tom Miller, Carey Levoy, and Bill. We took the long way to the trail so that we could assess the creek situation after all of the rain in Pike County. Along the way, we came across one of the landowners who was feeding his cows.

We finally made it to the trail head, where we were eyed up by the cows while airing down and locking in. Our group consisted of 4 Cherokees, 5 TJ's, 3 YJ's, 1Toyota truck, a 1952 M38A1, and our lone CJ. The Toyota has had 18 inches chopped off the back. The 52 Military Jeep was very interesting. It had the original drive train and has been restored nicely. We had people from Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The people that traveled the farthest were Mike and Kathy Rowe from Detroit, Michigan.

We began the trail without many problems, until we came to a hill which looked to be somewhat slick and difficult. After the first Jeep attempted, everyone else decided to do the same. This went fine until Dan Beauman had to be winched up the other side of the hill. At the first attempt, he pulled the winch anchor back down the hill with him. Once he was up the hill, he decide to air down some, hoping to get better traction.

As we drove the trail, we saw many cows, occasionally having to wait for them to cross the trail, purple martins flying everywhere, deer, and lots of very large geodes. We stopped for lunch in the open pasture with rain making it rather wet.

Once lunch was finished, we tried getting up another hill, which caused some trouble. While getting this situation under control, the landowner called and asked us to finish up, which was probably not a bad idea because the rain and the rest of the trail was more challenging under dry conditions.

On the way out, Carey's drive shaft came apart and had to be fixed while most of the group headed out. We changed our course due to downed trees and blockages, and left a few people to assist Carey with his repairs. We decided to take a side trip to Valley City and see the flood waters and thought about getting a drink at the bar, but decided not to as we would need a boat to get there.

We then headed back to Pittsfield in search of dry clothes and some warmth. When we returned, I got a report that Wal-Mart did not have any sweatshirts to sell. (They could have sold several that day, I am sure.) At least we were not complaining about being too hot! We did have a good time and want to thank, again, Tom, Carey, Bill, and the gracious landowners!