Okay I searched and didn't find anything. If this was discussed already please provide me with a link. Thanks.

Just wondering what was your worst stuck or hardest trail that you have ever attempted. If you have some pics to show please include them. Also what is the deepest water crossing that anyone has ever attempted. If you have pics of those then I would love to see them.

After installing the 3" suspension lift... and three days of rain, I figured time to get a little muddy. I have no "on trail pics" but put the top of the hood under water. I know the water was above the doors, but I was not stopping to look.

The funniest thing, Laura looks at me and says, we need a snorkel! I reply, they really make them ya know. So, future mod: Snorkel!

Hardest trail, about 7 miles though the Pennsylvania woods (on private property, with permission) with LITTLE to no trail. From a "fire road" to my back yard. This was about 2 weeks after I started dating Laura, and she's still here today... so.

-Jeremy

Hardest trail, anything in Moab with a bad hangover.

Yep, and maybe that mixed in with a bolt of lightning! (last May)

Table Mountain Ranger District, WA State:

Got on a trail that hadn't been used for awhile. Ended up winching and pulling trees out of the way so we could get anywhere, lots of tight spots, and lots of off camber. Most of the trail was basically driving up the side of a mountain. Very steep, and very loose dirt and rock. At one point I winched up a section and then we removed one of my rock sliders and carried it 100 yards down the side of the hill so one of the Xterras could borrow it for his trip up. After about 8 hours of winching, pulling, and swapping parts we ended up spending the night on the side of the mountain off camber with one truck about 200 yards below stuck in a bunch of loose rock. Next day we spent about 3 hours trying to finish the last 100 yards (after finally getting the last truck up to that point), which was straight up the side of the mountain on loose rock with no trees to winch to. We gave up, turned around and it took about an hour and a half to get back to where we started the day before. When we got down, two guys were headed up on Quad Runners. While we were putting air back in our tires and stuff they came back and the guy says "I can't believe you guys went up that! My Dad rolled his quad trying to get up there and we decided to turn around!" Definately a trip to remember! I only got one picture because most of the trip was spent working or in total fear! Picture is out my right window showing the view in my mirror of the valley below. Too bad I couldn't get video or anything, because there's no way to properly describe all the work and fear involved. I'll post the picture!

Now, just two weeks ago, some of PNWX made it to Moab and had a bad day on the Golden Spike trail. One truck broke a torsion bar right after the crack and they ended up driving most of the trail in the dark with it pouring down rain while somebody walked ahead to keep them from driving off any cliffs. Two of them were the guys I went up that other trail with. They were on the trail for 15 hours. Not sorry I missed that!



Just a note: WHen I took this picture, I had the truck turned off, it was in 1st gear, AND I was standing on the brake to keep it from rolling down the hill! I had just crossed the hill sideways and turned left to start going up. Very scary; one more inch to my right and I probably would have been a gonner. The worst part though was that was the point where we turned around and I had to back up there and across the mountainside going backwards so the other guys could come down.

Hardest Trail:
Golden Spike Moab.

I've been on trails with harder obstacles but Golden Spike is like a 4wheeling marathon so I'd rate it hardest overall trail.



Worst Stuck:
Wrong line up Tip Over challenge on Hells Revenge.

I wasn't really stuck but after two tries I was so disoriented I had no idea where my line was and really needed a spotter to get me out. And it didn't help that every time I tried to go up the front driver side wheel would lurch 5ft in the air threatening to tip me.

Not to mention bone stock with bald tires

Those racing slicks provided quite a bit of traction on the slickrock.

Stress has a WHOLE new meaning when you have to run Golden Spike, from the Golden Stairs, to the end in the dark.... IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR! Haven't felt that stressed since USMC Boot Camp 13 years ago.

Every steep obstacle (up or down), had waterfalls running down them. My wife walked ahead of the truck scouting the trail markers, since they were pretty much impossible to see with the water running over them.

Well, Rusty Nail Trail in Moab is rated as a 5+. Little areas like this are the minor obstacles.

That trail claimed one K5 Blazer about 2 hours after this pic.

Nasty, but fun. Ends on the Golden Spike Trail.



Victim of the day.

A little hill called Potato Salad in Moab or Upchuck on Behind the Rocks.

A dirt road in a CR-V.....

Disney, OK. The ruts were deep enough I was just resting on the frame spinning my wheels. It was raining and the ruts leading to this were slick enough I couldn't get out of them to bypass it. Kind of like driving a car on a rail at Disneyland.



The spillway at Disney. In the pool I'm on a ledge that a couple feet further out has a 20 foot drop. It's recommended you have a spotter that knows where it is to keep you from playing submarine. The red marks are for the competition course that runs through here.

wow steve! that looks absolutely insane! And no water got into the intake? I'm surprised none did... What about inside the car?

I don't have a lift but i have crossed a river with water coming over my hood and splashing on the windshield! everything turned out fine!

Anyone to put water over thier hood i think is lucky to not get drowned unless it was REAL quick in n out.

Ok, I'll bite...Not the fist Xterra on the Con, but I would definately say a tough trail.

pics

Nice pic's of Gate Keeper. One trick for squeeze (if you have a front locker and good side rails) is to turn the front locker on half way thru the turn and let it pull you around the rock.

Toy Man

So whats the highest safest spot you can place the water level on the xterra? I mean if you planned to go water forging, where would the limit for the water cut off? Before the water gets in the engine, or electronics, and the such.

Josh

The intake is above the water. Water did leak into the interior. Really resulting in muddy carpets and my Sirius tuner under the passenger seat looked chocolate dipped. The alternator crapped out as well. The tuner and alternator were pulled, disassembled and washed out at the campground and are still working a year later. The carpeting was yanked and washed at a carwash and the rest of the interior hosed out when I got home. There is no sign of it now.

I have done it once and don't want to do it again. I missed a ford by 20 feet. Water washing up to the windshield causes serious sphincter pucker. A Jeep following me hydrolocked. I have no idea how he did and I didn't the water was barely over his frame. I towed him back to camp. When I got across and popped the hood the fender under my K&N aircharger was damp, but the filter itself was dry.

worst stuck- stuck in 2ft. of snow with no shovel.

Anywhere past the hubs is when you have to start worrying. First problems is that if water gets in the hub grease it contaminates it and causes wear. Some people change the grease ASAP but I checked mine after a deep fording and the grease was fine. But if you do it alot you should change the hub grease.

Second problem is water getting into the drivetrail components. Luckily all the vents are mounted up high or they have a valve that closes in water so they're usually ok for fording.

The real limit is the bottom of the doors, you can close all your windows, turn the ventalation on full fresh air to create a postitive cabin pressure but it won't keep the water out if the water is very far past the bottom of the doors.

Plus there's a whole mess of problems when the water is up to the body. The Xterra will actually start to float when the water gets too high. It won't float enough to float over the water but it will be enough to cause your tires to lose traction on the river bottom. And it the water is moving very fast it can wash you donwstream.

To sum it all up:
Water below the hubs is ok, no problems.
Water between the hubs and body you need to be cautious.
Water up the side of the doors is a cause for concern.

And in any situation don't go too fast through the water, you should go fast enough to create a small bow wave in front of the Xterra. You shouldn't be going fast enough to get the water to wash up over the hood.

Whew! That ended up being a tiny essay.

Wow, thanks Kerensky for the information. Nice complete explanation of each stage was a big help!

This was an interesting trail for me:





More pics & info ...