When I saw the
Brawlers post up on
Marlin's Forum, I couldn't pass up another opportunity
to wheel with some of the most extreme rock crawlers in
Southern California.
We are lucky to have the famous Hammer trails within easy
reach. Some fellow wheelers are just a half hour away, I'm
three hours away, which is still reasonably accessible. How
could I pass on this?
Chase conducted a very informal drivers meeting, and
asked what trail people wanted to run.
With vehicles of different abilities assembled for the
run, Wrecking Ball was decided on for the capable rigs, and
the not so extreme opted for Claw Hammer.
When the moon rose over the Hammers, I took this shot and
captured an image of what appears to be a spirit entity.
Full moon at the Hammers. Maybe there are ghosts haunting
the trails. Or maybe I had my digital camera set for low
light and the guy that walked in front of the shot was
moving.
Darren brought his rig out for the run. He bought this
two wheel drive Datsun pickup from a friends Grandmother.
First thing he did was to convert it to 4-Wheel drive. After
that it took on a life of it's own. At the trial head, he
suffered power steering pump issues, but continued on.
Here Darren and Dean flex out the little Datsun's gnarly
suspension. Classic style!
This Heep had some trouble at the trial head too, but
decided to try to keep up with the Toyotas.
Further in, some of the other rigs on Wrecking Ball that
night show there stuff. This is Chase riding shotgun in
Joey's rig.
Nicely done!
These guys are either from North Carolina or Vegas. Or
they came here from North Carolina through Vegas. Whatever.
Check out the rig!
Monster flex, axles, tires. These guys must have good
jobs!
What would a night run at the Hammers be without Teag and
Tiffany?
They left G and Bear and the new addition home with G-ma
for this run. A little quality alone time. Rock Crawler
style.
Teag's rig has taken on a few different personifications
in it's time. Very capable since the first run at Outer
Limits.
At one point in the evenings festivities, an obscure
section of trail beckoned.
I have a tendency toward seemingly impassable obstacles.
I could swear I saw a line. A couple of different times that
night actually! The last one required help from Jason,
Cameron and friends to rock me and shout directions off the
jam I got myself in. Thanks guys.
What amazes me is...people followed me. I see a new
bumper sticker. "Don't follow me, I'm lost".
Ahh! My favorite section of the trail. The Waterfall.
Straight up, and it can be off camber if you go too far
left. There are two good lines and it's getting chewed up
and changing, but I still prefer the line to the left, far
right. Anthony shows his skills.
As Chase looks on, seemingly non-plussed, Anthony wowed
the crowd. At Jason's bidding, I strapped on to keep him
from going turtle. You had to be there.
Props to Jason for getting these shots of my approach. T
II did me proud and walked it with just a little bump at the
top.
I believe my passenger was enjoying herself. She came out
with a rig not ready for Hammer time, but was determined to
see the trail. Jason gave up his seat and Tuffy II showed
his stuff.
Here's a short video of the No limits custom fabricated
buggy on Wrecking Ball.
All in all, a great run. Teag had some trouble with his
new cooling system.
Power steering issues plagued my rig and some other rigs
had minor issues.
No major carnage and we made it back to the lakebed
around 4 a.m. The Claw Hammer rigs had already returned when
we got back.
A quick snooze in the back of the tow rig, then homeward
bound.
It's a long night on the trial, and an unlikely location
for a party. But with this crew, there's no better location
for an all-nighter than the Hammers!
Stay safe. Help each other. See you on the trails.
