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Larry Haight
Learning to Crawl
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Larry Haight
Learning to Crawl
Nils D. being guided up the flex rock.
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Larry Haight
Learning to Crawl
Jason B. in his new Renegade getting his flex on.
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Learning to Crawl
The class lined up to take turns guiding and being guided.
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Learning to Crawl
Tara C. determined to test her Jeep and her own newfound skills.
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Larry Haight
Learning to Crawl
Mike M. past centre on the Teeter Totter.
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Learning to Crawl
Kelly N. on the Teeter Totter.
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Larry Haight
Learning to Crawl
The class of Jeeping 101 2016 at Halls Harbour.
Story & photos by Larry Haight
Nova Scotia Jeep Club trains future Jeepers with Jeeping 101 course
“Does that Trail Rated badge mean anything, or is it just a marketing gimmick?” This was a question asked by one of our students, as we were airing down at the trailhead during the Nova Scotia Jeep Club’s 2016 Jeeping 101 course.
The Jeeping 101 course was so popular last year that we decided to offer it again this year at the club’s 10th Annual Jamboree (June 2-5, 2016), at Fox Mountain Camping Park in the Annapolis Valley. John Cranfield was our instructor and I was the trail guide for the two days of theory and practice as we helped our students learn what they, and their Jeeps, were capable of. Ten drivers signed up for the course, a couple of them had been wheeling for a little while, but most had no off-road experience. Rigs ranged from stock JKs, lifted ZJs, a stock WJ Overland and a new lifted Renegade Trailhawk on 29-in ATs. John and I used my WK to demonstrate and lead the exercises.
Friday: After breakfast and the official greetings, it was time for the Jeeping course to get started. Using a Power Point presentation for technical information, John drew upon his wealth of knowledge and off-roading experience to provide many anecdotes for the enjoyment of all the students. All the usual topics were discussed: driver position, knowing your Jeep and how it works, airing down, spotting and hand signals, using a CB radio, the importance of your rear view mirror while in a convoy, picking your line while traversing obstacles, manoeuvring through mud and water, climbing and descending steep hills, off-camber situations, and more. Many questions were raised, and answered, and we wrapped up the morning with a winching safety demonstration.
The real fun began as we turned on our CB’s and lined up our Jeeps for a tour of a trail on the campground property. The trail was quite stock friendly but rougher than some had ever been on. With a dry spring in Nova Scotia after a very mild winter, the woods were dry and water levels were low. We arrived at what was left of a flooded portion of the trail, stopped, and gathered round as John gave pointers on crossing water safely and introduced a great idea to keep in mind if we ever come across relatively deep water. We took a small tarp from my Jeep, lifted the hood, laid one edge of the tarp slightly inside the engine compartment and draped the rest of it down over the front and closed the hood. This would create a bit of a bow effect and help prevent a lot of water from entering around the engine and intake.
Next on the agenda was an obstacle crossing over a small log, about 2.5 m long. One by one, the students took their turn as they were guided across the obstacle. A granite rock with a nice taper was used to practice spotting and flexing. Each driver took a turn guiding and being guided, with one front tire up the rock until their Jeep lost traction or the diagonally opposite wheel was stuffed fully into its wheel well. This was great fun for everyone and gave most their first taste of being off-camber.
After each participant had practiced on the rock, it was time for our last demo of the day, trail jack safety. I got out my trail jack, engaged my e-brake and chocked the front tires. John explained the workings of a jack and stressed how dangerous they can be. He had lost an eye many years ago when a jack handle flew up unexpectedly and struck him in the face. I proceeded to raise my Jeep until the rear tire was clear of the ground. We learned that not only can the jack be used to raise your rig, it can also be used for recovery if you become high centered. If my Jeep had been hung up, we could have pushed the jack over at this point to help get off of an obstruction. After I engaged the lever to lower the jack, John had me demonstrate how dangerous a jack can be. With the handle lowered into a horizontal position, I gave it a quick downward tap and jumped back as the handle rapidly snapped up and down against the upright beam of the jack until my Jeep was back on the ground. This demo really had an impact on our students and we hope that they will never experience an injury from a jack.
Towards end the day; the students had a chance to be guided through a small rock garden. With expert guiding at the front as well as the rear, two brave volunteers ‘crawled’ their Jeeps through the ditch filled with granite rocks without a scratch.
Saturday: The Black Rock Trail is a favourite of Jeepers in Nova Scotia, offering steep inclines and declines, mud, rock ledges, tight sections, off-camber spots, scenic vistas, swamp and a teeter-totter out in the middle of the woods. We arrived at the trailhead and aired down. Most had never aired down before, so I suggested that they drop to half the air pressure they usually run on the street as a starting point. In 4-Low, we climbed steeply out of a gravel pit to the crest of North Mountain. Not too far into the trail, an old ‘J’ class road, we stopped to take a group photo at a small waterfall. Back in our rigs we continued along the trail and through a couple of mud holes where everyone got a feel for keeping their momentum up while not being too aggressive on the skinny pedal. We exited the first segment of the trail and headed to Halls Harbour, on the Bay of Fundy, for lunch and an opportunity to get some group shots with fishing boats as the backdrop.
In the afternoon, we took the students through a short trail called ‘The Vault’ which has some very tight, gullied out sections and an off-camber ledge with a tree leaning across the trail. It was passable, but forced everyone to ride the edge of an embankment with a 25-metre drop to a brook on one side. After a few little jogs on back roads, we were back on the Black Rock Trail. At each obstacle or steep hill, everyone would get out and observe what they would be facing. All the participants did very well on the steep descents and inclines. The trail meandered through a swampy area before leading to the teeter-totter. Everyone in our group tried to conquer the steel beams secured to a huge log, and a few did quite well. Whether they managed to balance or not, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
The group was fatigued as we aired up to return to the campground for supper, but we took a few moments to present some impromptu awards to a couple of students who demonstrated exceptional courage and achievement over the weekend. Jeeping 101 was complete for another year. And as for the Trail Rated badge, yes, it does mean something!