Angelina National Forest, TX 4WD Trails

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SWFWDA Spring Quarterly, 1997
Jasper, Texas
by Mike Cohn

The weekend of May 2-4 was the SWFWDA (South West Four Wheel Drive Association) Spring Quarterly meet near Jasper, Texas. Sponsored by Fun Country 4x4 Club, the meet brought in off-roaders from all over Texas, Louisianna, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. With around 100 vehicles, the group took over Jones Country Camp Ground.

One of only a couple Land Cruisers on the trails. (photo courtesy of Karen Rose and Jerri Wood).

Jasper is located in East Texas, less than a half an hour West of Louisianna. The trails all found their home in the very dense Angelina National Forest and were designated 4x4 trails by the Forestry Service. The interesting thing about this forest, is the presence of "quick mud," which like quick sand will suck your vehicle right down! Add a big rain storm and the real fun begins! Because of the denseness of the forest, the Jeep was the main vehicle on the runs, as anything bigger just wouldn't fit. There were a couple Cherokees and a Toyota pickup which managed to barely make it through. No monster trucks here!

My TJ (Willy) getting high-centered on a tree stump. On the right are wet logs, several feet down on the Tram. (photo courtesy of Karen Rose and Jerri Wood).

The first day, I headed out on the Tram trail. The ground was already wet and muddy from the previous week's rains so the trails were slick. The question of "if a tree falls in the forest, does a Jeep cross it?" was answered right from the start. This, of course, is where our Samurai buddies showed their stuff, as everyone else but the CJ-5s got high-centered over them.

The tram also was littered with wash outs and creek crossings to add some fun. One spot found my TJ up to the doors in water, but I cruised right through. The rains had also caused any existing crevaces to get much deeper, causing many a strap-out.

The Tram trail.

One of many stumps on the Tram.

Each night, we did night runs. Friday night we had a big rain storm while hitting the Tram. The already difficult trail became treachurous and caused several Scouts to get stuck and a TJ to slide into a tree. But, we made it through ok, as most vehicles on the night runs were locker and winch-equiped. Pros only here!

Very unhappy Wagoneer owner. After the first YJ's battery died from his winch, it took two more (front and back) to get him out of this crevace. You don't even want to see his left side!

Saturday, I hit the Oasis trail. There were a bunch of creek crossings and lots of fresh mud to get stuck in a slop around. Most of this trail was fairly easy, as the trails just wound around the forest. But, the trail would increase in difficulty, due to the rains changing the landscape. The Samurais earned their "sewing machine" nicknames in one creek crossing as they spun and spun to no avail. Of course, they would get the last laugh later on...

There were many creek crossings. This was a very tough, slimy climb out of one 15 ft. below to the Oasis.

Cool flame-covered CJ on the Oasis trail.

One of the many tight, off-camber spots on the Tram Part 2 trail.

After lunch we headed to the Tram Part 2. Most of this trail was intended to be for ATVs and BMX bikes, as they were barely wide enough for my TJ. Our trail leader made a wrong turn, so we needed to go back in reverse order. So, the two Samurais became our trail leaders with me right behind them. As the trails got narrower and narrower, I had to chose my own lines, as the Samurais just buzzed on through. Lots of sections were so tight that the only way through was off-camber. Several times, I thought I'd bump my windshield on the ground to the right as my left side climbed it's wall of dirt. I told the Samurais to hang their arms out the windows and if they could fit like that, than we'd be ok in our Jeeps!

The obvious winner on the index ramp (CJ called The Dog House).

After those trails it was back to camp to assess damages and admire our mud! The mud there actually turned all of our tires blue! Needless to say, couldn't wait to wash that off of there. Later that night after the barbecue and door-prise giveaways we did one more night run, which was a non-stop tree dodge in the Cherokee we rode in.

Mike Cohn (512) 302-1677 or (512) 302-4724 e-mail.

For more pictures of SWFWDA Spring Quarterly see:

http://www.io.com/guerilla/jeep/swfwda.html

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