WOW!
That about sums up my weekend and experience on my first Jeep Jamboree. I had an amazing time, met some really great people who share my love for all things Jeep, and learned quite a bit about what a Jeep Rubicon can do. I did not stray from the Green and Blue trails as I am not willing to break my daily driver but I would have loved to have seen what a black trail looks like up close... maybe something for the future...
So I want to give you an overview of what a Jeep Jamboree is all about in case you have not had a chance to experience one for yourself. Think, "People, Places, and Jeeps", that about sums it up. We arrived at the
Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area (AOAA) on Thursday evening and got in line to have our Jeeps inspected. This was a very quick process where they make sure your Jeep is up to spec (more specifically, not beyond the allowable specs) and what your experience level is. I was given a trail rating of 6-7 based on my Jeep and my answers. From here, you go and drop off your waivers (one for the AOAA and the other for Jeep Jamboree) and then get your registration badge and pick the trails you want to ride over the next two days. This was my first Jeep Jamboree and while I have been off-roading for many years, I was not really sure what the grading meant but I knew I was not ready for any Black trails.
At three separate desks, they had the lead trail guides with maps and descriptions of what the trails were like and what was required on each Jeep to participate. We picked the Ho-Bud Green trail with guide Penny and then moved onto the Blue table to check out their offerings. My friend who came along with me and brought his TJ does not have lockers so that limited our trail choices on the Blues to one ride, Coal Cracker. After "peaking" at the Black trail table but skipping any conversations we head over to where the vendors are and checked out their wares.
Three of the big Jeep Jamboree vendors were preset that evening in the parking lot with their rigs...
I spent some time shopping at the Jeep Jamboree table and I picked up a nice shirt for my wife and a vest for me. The rest of the time we walked around looking at the various Jeeps and talking to the sponsors and attendees. Great group of people out sharing a similar interest.
Day 1:
Friday was the first of our two trail days and because of some jockeying on our part, we would up on the Blue trail first instead of the Green trail. Coal Cracker lived up to it's name and gave me my first real experience with anything other than a Green trail. According to the Jeep Jamboree guide Nick, we hit about a 7 rating during that trip. I can really appreciate what that means now. We began with a drivers meeting and then headed right out. Relatively early on we began to hit rocks and when I say "hit rocks" I mean it in the literal way... We went from relatively flat terrain and some water crossings to boulder fields and very tight trails (for a 4 door JL). It became apparent at ounce that Great White the Jeep might be in for a bashing over the course of the day. I am very pleased to share that all dents were limited to the bottom of my Jeep and not readily visible to my wife ;)! Along the trail I witnessed many Jeeps getting stuck, banged about in the trees and coming down pretty hard on some
rocks. I was Extremely motivated to "Tread Lightly" throughout the day. At no time was speed a consideration. SLOW and SLOWER were my words for the day along with "S*&t, what was that?" and some "%$!K - I hope that buffs out!". In all seriousness, my skills as a driver were important But the work that the Trail Guides and Spotters put in throughout the day along with the capabilities of the Jeep JL Rubicon are what got me through. It is amazing to see what the Jeep can do when I am behind the wheel and guided by awesome people. Really impressive as a team effort! My friend wound up breaking his upper control arm mount on the drivers side on one of the obstacles that put a damper on our day but it something we can fix and drink a beer while reminiscing about our adventure.
Day 2:
Saturday we did things a bit backwards and moved onto the Green Trails this time, Ho-Bud was the name and water and scenery were the game! Peggy was our Trail Guide and she did a pretty awesome job of not only taking us around the West side of the property finding as many water holes for us to play in as we wanted, but also gave us a great history of the area and how the coal was mined over the years. Green trails are much more like Over-landing trips that take you across an area and provide a specific destination. We toured the property and saw working coal mining, an underground coal fires and the famed Whaleback formation. It was no where nearly as arduous the previous day and that was kind of perfect. We had some technical sections where you needed to weave between tress and some small rock gardens to play in but mostly got some great history and scenic views of beautiful lakes and mountains of coal. We also did quite a bit of picture taking along the way.
When I first signed up for this Jeep Jamboree, I thought the price was quite high, The AOAA site is close enough to me that I can go myself for a weekend and skip the cost to participate in the Jamboree. I purposely wanted to join the Jamboree to see what the experience is all about. It really does not disappoint! The meals were decent for breakfast, very good for lunch and great for dinner, the organization was really well handled and the Trail Guides were the Best! They alone make it completely worth the price. It's one thing to drive around the property on your own but a completely different experience when you are with a group. I completed obstacles that I would have driven around or backed up and avoided all together if I were just out with my friends. This experience gave me a whole new appreciation for Jeep Jamboree and the vendors that support them.
Gallery:
I will provide some videos in my next posting so you can see some of the trails "live"...
The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!
What happened next was really cool. A trail guide was actually the first one to notice the carnage and pointed it out. My friend made his way up to the top of the hill where the ground was semi-flat. Within a few minutes of hopping out of his Jeep, he was surrounded by other drivers ready to help. After several people assessed the situation and a trail fix could not be completed, two trail riders from Vermont slid under his Jeep and began to ratchet strap his broken mount back into place. They worked on the Jeep while laying on boulders without any issues. I along with other drivers provided all of our ratchet straps to aid in the "band aide". A driver who was quite a bit back from us, walked up and after noticing the extend of the damage offered to trailer home his Jeep so he would not need to worry about what to do with it.
Once the trail repair was in place and seemed to be holding, we still had to finish the obstacle and make our way out to a safe exit point. I led the way with my Jeep in case he needed a pull, but the trail guides and other drivers picked out the best possible track for him to proceed on doing as little damage as possible to his Jeep. Nick, from Jeep Jamboree, walked the entire obstacle along side my friend helping him with wheel placement and keeping a close eye on the ratchet straps.
Once we were able to clear the Blue trails, we set off on our own down the Green trails and waited at the crossroads for the head of AOAA to help us out the rest of the way. They guided us along the Green trails for an hour and a half until we were back at the parking lot.
