I’ve owned my Wrangler for almost two years now and I’ve never done any Jeep things in it, until recently. We went out on my first muddy weekend in the woods with the Jeep … and it was a blast!
My boyfriend is part of a local group called STL Tacomas. They hosted a semi-local off-roading day, intended to teach newbs how to safely hit trails and the etiquette involved. He wanted to take the Tacoma, but I’m kind of glad we didn’t because there were a TON of huge washouts in the woods and other truck guys were bashing rockers and sliders HARD. Plus, my Jeep has much more clearance since we lifted it a few inches. And he would have absolutely hated washing it after we got home.
So we rolled on out to Moonlight Off-Road Park in Sullivan, Missouri. It’s a privately owned property, about $15 each person to get in and they offer camping. Oh, and they’re dog friendly!! They also have a wrecker on site … if that tells you anything about the terrain! It was about 60 miles from our house – and it was all short and windy backroads to get there. It made for a hell of a drive on an absolutely gorgeous day.
To start the day, we were divided into groups (newbies, experienced, pros) and we headed out. We went in the newbs group with our friends Dustin and Meghan (fellow blogger – check her out here!!), in their overland equipped Ford F150. We went into the woods, through a deep washout and down into a stream. It wasn’t too tight of a squeeze with rocks or trees, just enough to make you check everything before you go.
Greg got out and ran around the group taking pictures for everyone. This makes me really happy. Greg used to be an avid hobbyist photographer and he kind of just stopped shortly after we got together… but he’s recently gotten back into it. He’s extremely talented and it just makes my heart full that he’s back, enjoying something he’s incredibly good at.
I was pretty much on my own a great portion of the day, but Greg ran back to check on me and to talk a little shit so that I wouldn’t skip out on obstacles.
“There’s a little waterfall ahead that everyone’s by-passing … don’t bitch out!”
Sometimes, it takes a little smack talk to really make you want to prove your other half wrong. It wasn’t a huge obstacle, by any means, but it was my first one ever. Greg was an awesome spotter. It was a little nerve wracking to be driving my still brand new Jeep through the woods, along the rocks and through streams … but man, it was a ton of fun.
After climbing the first obstacle, it was very clear to me just how capable Jeeps are straight out of the box. It’s wild that they have built something that can do more than you’d ever imagine where most people would get stuck. It was kind of fun too, because the STL Tacomas’ guide kept telling everyone how to do everything to stay safe, while he just told me, “Jeep girl, you’re fine. Just do Jeep things.”
We gathered before the next big obstacle as a group and this is where some people turned around. The higher we went, the larger the wash outs as we went back down, due to the massive amount of rain the week before. We climbed this GIANT hill, straight up and I was so nervous, but it ended up being cake. Once at the top, we had to maneuver through a large washout … and almost lost a truck to a rollover… but they got them winched out safely.
After about an hour and a half in the woods, it was time to make the descent back to the campgrounds. I followed a few guys down and there were a few behind me. But, everyone made it down slowly but surely.
Next time we go out, I’d love to remember to charge up the GoPro and bring it along. And I’d feel safe enough to bring both of our cars so we can both wheel. It was a ton of fun and I’d give it 13/10. I can’t wait to go again.
A Little, Friendly PSA
If you’re going to use a local self-wash to wash the mud off of your rig, make sure you clean up after yourself. Wash away the big debris and large amounts of mud, spray down the walls if there was any residual blow-by … just be considerate of the next person who may not enjoy the great outdoors as much as yourself 🙂
Off-road and overland people are some pretty awesome folks: everyone was extremely welcoming, helpful and just fun in general.
Do yourself a favor and get outside! There’s so much to enjoy in nature with family and friends! But make sure you leave nothing but tire tracks and footprints. Leave Mother Nature in better shape than you found her 🙂
