Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
Story & photos by Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4’s spring run through Ontario’s Madoc region
With the frigid snows of winter finally melted and the trails beginning to dry out, the CO4x4 club decided to take advantage of a sunny weekend to get out on the trails and shake off the off-roading cobwebs. Four vehicles and nine people attended the run, including Val and Cyril in a Toyota Tacoma, John and Janet in a Toyota 4runner, Mo, Chandra and Olivier in a Jeep JK and Al and I in the Jeep CJ.
Meeting at the Tim Horton’s and gas station north of Madoc, Ontario, we drove northeast to the village of Cooper, then turned east on Lingham Lake Rd. Conditions were somewhat dry and dusty on the graded gravel road, however the terrain in the area is mostly rocky with bogs and wooded areas.
The road to Lingham Lake ends where it meets up with a power line access road. This is the start to the Lingham Lake trail. We stopped to air down and check our gear over.
The trail to Lingham Lake is usually a wet and boggy affair at the best of times. In April with snow melt and spring rains, the water levels would be high. The idea of getting stuck in cold water and mud did not thrill us and to reinforce the notion, some locals advised that taking this trail might not be the best idea. However, the point of the day was to try the various hill climbs and rock challenges along the power line road. So, we chose to leave an attempt on the Lingham Trail for another day.
Here are just a few highlights of a great day spent in the backcountry.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
Here Mo goes under the vehicle to get the sway bar disconnected.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
Mo was the first to tackle the first hill, finding conditions tricky. The combination of a bit of loose gravel and smooth rocks caused him to slip sideways and momentarily get hung up. The obstacle was dealt with nonetheless.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
After the ‘shenanigans’ with Mo, Cyril decided to try a different route that looked easier… well not quite. The ‘committee of adjustment’ (Al and John) started to give advice, but in the end, stacking some rocks got the Taco up the hill.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
This was John’s first run with the 4Runner. Shortly after engaging low-range, one front and one rear tire started to spin - something’s not right.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
The hood was lifted to check the ARB compressor and connections, all appeared to be running, but no lockers. Not to be deterred John just went around the obstacle and drove up anyway.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
With the hill conquered, this it seemed like a good place to take a lunch break with an awesome view in all directions. It was also a good time to look over the equipment.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
Despite a couple of mechanical issues, this proved to be a beautiful day spent on the trail. Of course, we stopped numerous times to get out and look around as well.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
With both Toyota’s having locker issues, just the Jeeps would attempt the second hill up to one of the power line towers.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
Mo’s JK making a slow descent down a rocky ledge.
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Quinton Neufeld
CO4x4 Club
John was not to be discouraged with the lack of locking diffs as he works his way off a rocky ledge. A beautiful day spent in the backcountry made all the better with a blue sky and good friends.