Writen by Lloyd Swartz - Edited by Ray Sala
We decided to make it our last day as most riding partners were leaving for home and we wanted an easy leasurely paced drive back home.
We headed for #6 and the PeckerWood connector. It had rained all night and the Peckerwood Connector and related climb were impassibly muddy.
It was tough just to get to this big ledge and we cautiously winched up, struggling to stand up on the hill.
Above the ledge, we disconnected the winche and it took me 4-5 runs just to ascend a slight hill above the ledge!
The rest of 6-7 was an easy scenic loop. With that we had done all the major obstacles and all trails except the very top of Lower 2, and the short #11 escape route section.
Thursday morning we packed up, and made the Extremely scenic drive back down the Tellico River Valley toward Tellico Plains.
We stopped at Devils Den State Park in Arkansas, and did some hiking and caving for half a day.
Lastly we stopped at the rediculous tourist trap Palo Duro Canyon, TX. Complete with fireworks, spunkey monkey train, zebra stripped Jeeps with horns in and embarassingly bland hole in the ground.
No public wheeling is allowed although arrangements could be made on another ranch... That clinches it, Big Bend National Park is the only place to wheel in TX.
So ends our great out east adventure.
Here are my personal Tellico impressions...
First: To plat at Tellico without a "built" or "specialized non-roadable machine" either stick to the 3 easiest trails or make sure you have...
Second: To be trail ready, you'll need...
- Minimum 33" tires: Absolutely No AT Tries or Skinny Tires
- Lift
- Rocker Panel Protection: not those wimpy nerfs. We're talking hard core stuff here.
- Heavy Bumpers
- Front and Rear Lockers: A rear locker and front LSD combo will NOT cut the gravy here
folks.
- Winch: Don't even think about harder trails without a winch. Winching is a local past time!!
I have never used my winch so much.
- Sleep: Get plenty the night before
And finally, if it rains, stay off the trails for 24-48 hours as they WILL BE impassible.
I rand the hardest trails with the Montero finest setup, and I believe my observations to be correct and unrefutable. Even ran through them with CatFish.
By the way, his first sex lesson is free, the sign says so.
Also be ready for a Hill Billy atmosphere. It's no different than the movies here. Seems EVERYONE in TN and NC just chunks their trash in the wilderness, even in the middle income neighborhoods.
You can't possibly pick up all the trash like in the west. I did make a Huge Showing walking through camps picking up trash in front of everyone.
Finally, I constantly field questions from out East about Western rally's and now I have a little insight. (Note, this is my opinion based on my experiences)
First, though the lush Smokies and Tellico River Valley were beautiful, they don't even compare to western 4x4 sites or experiences and here's why I think so...
OUT EAST
1) Views are few and far between and usually lackluster.
2) Terrain variety and scenery are very limited.
3) Trails are mostly logging roads, going nowhere.
4) Trails are limited in scope and length due to private land intrusion, and long standing trail closures.
5) Difficulty level and body damage leverare high due to rainfall and humidity.
OUT WEST
1) Views are a Hugh part of the experience, with constant sights and viewpoints, they become a sport in themselves. Generally less vegitation and steeper topography.
2) In a few hours you can travel through dozens of Eco-Systems, from harsh desert to snow all on the SAME TRAIL.
3) Wester trails are more mining roads, wagon roads, ranching trails and dedicated 4x4 trails and can nearly stretch forever.
4) Vast public lands with right of ways, provide for interconnecting trail systems in areas with limited paved roads, and population. The ability to travel for days or weeks over 100's of miles.
5) Dry conditions allow for lesser equipped trucks and less seasoned drivers to tackle hard or even extreme trails that would be impossible in the east.
Out east owners always panic when I say Hard trail, when in reality, many western rally attendee's are either novice off roaders or have limited experience and yet are able to do even the most difficult trails.
Finally, most western counties and people have organized to fight the closurist movement.
If anyone wants to check Tellico out, I made lots of notes and am willing to help you plan a trip.
It's beautiful and cool in the summer with some nice trails/challenges and many other great activities in the area.
Also, being one of the most impoverished areas in the nation, EVERYTHING is cheaper here.
Lloyd.