Tellico Tale *Continued*

Many of the Tellico trails appear to be old logging roads . . . with off-camber grades, loose rocks and sheer drop-offs. At least there are lots of trees to break your fall and bash your Jeep. I am happy to say that this did not happen on our trip. Other parts of the trail reminded me of driving on rough cobblestone road in Germany . . . . although some of the cobbles are somewhat large!





There were only two times on the ride that I was really uncomfortable. The first was on the obstacle called "Slick Rock."

Here is what one trail review magazine has to say about it,

"Trail #9. Rated Most Difficult. Known as "Hard Rock" going up and "Slick Rock" coming down, either way, this trail provides plenty of excitement. The approach to the rock runs right up a creek bed with lots of big, loose muddy boulders that get shifted around each time someone goes up. Steering linkage damage and tires coming off the rim happen quite frequently here. There is no getting around Hard Rock, so when you reach this point on Trail 9 you are committed. The rock has a very smooth surface, is about two stories tall, and has a natural spring at the base to ensure that it's always muddy and wet. There are three lines that can be taken to ascend the rock, you can hang either far left for the easiest approach; far right and it will be an 8-9 climb, or you can attempt the middle and take your chances! This is a favorite place for the locals to gather and watch the show and rollovers are quite common. The fun is not over when you get to the top of Hard Rock either, as there is still a couple of good ledges awaiting you before you run into Trail 8. "

Yeah. I would be one of those potential "roll overs." As I was climbing up I lost traction on one of my front tires which caused my Jeep to yaw perpendicular to the incline. Eric . . . . although not nearly as quickly as I would have liked, attached my winchline to a tree to keep me stable and to swing my front around in the right direction.

The other time that caused my eyes to bug was when we came to a huge obstacle on the upper #2 trail. Inside of a washed out channel is a boulder that is basically impassable without a winch. The tricky bit is that the boulder is at an angle on the top, so as you winch over it your Jeep is pushed closer and closer to the jagged rocks on the side of the channel. I though I was destined for certain body damage. This is where the AiROCK system on my Jeep paid (ok, not quite "paid") for itself, as I was able to "lean" my Jeep out of harm's way.