Trail Time!

This wheeling trip near Madoc, ON, gave this group some unexpected, off-road surprises.

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Words and Photos by Quinton Neufeldt

This past spring, with a sudden hike in the temperatures and no plans on my radar due to COVID-19-related closures until Easter Sunday, it was the perfect time to plan an early-season day trip running the trails in the Hastings County area just north of Madoc, ON.

So I reached out to some of my wheeling friends, John and Simon, and they were all in. Simon had done a lot of work to his Jeep WJ over the winter, installing and repainting some new body panels (after some various damage on the trails in the summer), and even completed an engine swap. The latter was a good choice as the previous one never ran the same after getting water-logged last season!

My 1986 Jeep CJ7 wasn’t used very much during the winter but I always check the front hubs as well as the linkages and U-joints to ensure they are properly greased. This is especially important considering a lot of our wheeling involves going through water. As I expected, they were good to go.

On the day of the trip, I packed up my recovery gear, some tools and spare parts, and then hit the road to meet Simon and John who were running in the WJ. The forecast called for cooler, breezy conditions and once we were in the powerline area, we encountered a group of ATVers also enjoying a much-needed escape outdoors. It’s not uncommon to see ATVs, various 4WD vehicles as well as hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the area.

The graded-gravel access road snakes around various hills, lakes, and bogs. The general route leads along the powerline towers while some trails go in different directions, including to the Lingham Lake Conservation Area. The hills were bare rock and provided a chance to practise our rock crawling techniques without worrying about running into trees or getting stuck in the mud as we encounter on other wheeling trails.

Simon’s WJ was working well and his aired-down, 35” Deep Digger’s were providing excellent grip on the rocks. Once at the top of the hill, we stopped to get out to enjoy the view. Simon had brought along his drone so he practised his technique. We looked at the various ledges and rock slabs before deciding to try a few maneuvers on the rocks.

After Simon was feeling pretty confident in his WJ’s ability, we slowly proceeded down a near-vertical face. When Simon was descending, he needed a sharp punch of the gas once the front tires contacted the flat slab to prevent an end-over or side-slide.  With a quick bump, his WJ bounced a little but he made it look easy! There had been a loud metallic bang at the point of contact. However, after a quick visual inspection, he didn’t see any damage.

All the excitement made us hungry so we decided to stop at a gravel plateau for lunch. After taking a short walk to take some photos of the area, I returned to see Simon’s WJ up on a Hi-Lift Jack with John underneath it. The loud bang Simon experienced damaged the upper link arm, which was now partially torn away from the subframe. As a result, the axle and tire were contacting the spring on the passenger side. Following some back and forth discussions on what to do, we decided to adjust the arm back enough to get the tire back to its proper location. The vehicle was still driveable, although it was no longer a good idea to push it to the limits since it could tear off further and cause even more damage.

My CJ7 was working great. It easily climbed all the hills and maneuvered over obstacles without any issues. The 35” BFG M/T’s were also gripping the granite-exposed slabs well. But after going through a deep water area, our tires were packed with mud, making it impossible to get the traction we needed. So, I hooked up a strap to the rear shackle point of the CJ7 and brought it in the cab with me to have it available to toss out the window to John. This way, if I got stuck or couldn’t make it, John and Simon could pull me back without having to jump in the water. For whatever reason, I was able to drive right through.

But I proceeded up the following hill and got out to take a selfie before coming back down the other side. Simon decided not to try it with the condition of his front link. However, with the day marching on, it was time to leave the area. Yet, we enjoyed the opportunity to test our rigs on the rocks and admire the scenic view one more time.

Once out on the side road, we stopped to repack our gear and air-up the tires before going back on the highway. We stopped in Madoc for a hot drink at the local Tim Horton’s to recall the day’s adventures before heading home.

See you next time!