At least the day I ran mine as far as I know this one the best collection of modified pathfinders [3 SAS's; including my scrap-finder, some nicely equipped IFS rigs, and the BBQ finder] I've ever run with.

Good variety of stuff on the loop but my pathy mostly laughed at everything including the bitch, which was about as challenging as rolling up a tall curb or something on the correct line.

As far as the rest of the models... well a couple of frontiers spend a lot of time buried in a mud hole while the X's put the strap's on but everybody had a great attitude and did well for the most part.

Would have like to stayed longer but faith [work & family] called so hopefully next year I can get in a few more days. Thanks to everyone for making the event happen, my only suggestion would be to run some more challenging rock crawling canyon type trails next year.

Next year we should have the "battle of the models competition" to see what's what. case of beer says its pathfinders next year also

Brian

Hey Brian, I wish I had a chance to wheel with ya.. I was off running the trail backwards with An1malch1n, so never got to see your pathy in action. My SAS worked really well. Walked up everything I pointed it at. I cant wait for the crawler gears to get here this week.

I'd like to try to work in a day or so of real rock crawling trails next year. I can assure that these will be quite challenging to everyone that attempts them but will be entirely optional with road bypasses for spectating and photography.

Brian - I don't want to brag or put other rigs down... but I was impressed with my mainly stock pathfinder.... With only a 3" SL and Mud tires, NO lockers (LSD Rear, Open Front) it made it over and through everything except the bitch...

Even when Doc stopped it dead in the mud puddle on FR41 it pulled right through...

This is my second Pathfinder and I don't know what it is about the design (Maybe the springs in the rear end) but they seam to get me through just about anything.

I think the truck challenge would be a good thing if everyone goes in with the idea this is just for fun and not to rub someone's nose in it...

I think a good REAL challenge of a trail would be Upper Ajax. I'm somewhat hesitant to run that one again, but I think as built as my truck is, it should get through it ok. I ended up with a lot of damage last time I ran it.. its a VERY challenging trail with several 10-15ft waterfalls and massive boulder rock gardens that must be traversed. It also has an access road so those that are unsure about it can walk along or bypass it and spectate from the canyons above. STock trucks wont make it on that one. Lots of potential for breakage on optional lines too.

My Fronty did just fine, save for a mud hole that would swallow any truck. That sucker looked dry and hard when I hit it...it was just quicksand.

That said, you've got more ride height and bigger tires. Of course your Pathy will do very well. I guess you're trying to get even with me for cruising right through Golden Crack a couple years ago, eh?

Seriously though, yes, there's a good collection of Pathy's getting built. No doubt about it. Was glad you were able to make it at least a day on the run.

There's always next year. We already have some trails in mind. Last year's run was more difficult than this year's. Next year....who knows. We've got some prerunning to do. A lot of us here are scenery junkies too, so we get equal pleasure out of the surroundings as we do the trails themselves.

last year's run harder?

We skipped DeSoto this year due to weather concerns. It would have been a lot more difficult.

Not all of us skipped the Desoto trail, my sas made cake out of it. Truth is, if I didn't get broken up in that mud hole, my rig would have had no problems on this trip. In fact I can't think of anything a Pathy did that my truck couldn't laugh at either, so there!

This could get out of hand...

Why don't we just drop off all the " I had no problem with that" people on Highway to Hell and you can let us know how it went at the end of the week.

You know, I find it interesting that people put all that money and equipment into a truck and then complain that obstacles aren't tough enough. You could have saved a ton of time and money and had a tougher truck to drive and the trails might have been fun.

Was the reason you put all that into your truck so you would always make it up obstacles? Or just so you could yawn at everyone else?

The Crawler guys here have a website, crawlinaz.com.

I'd like to invite the "I have no trouble with the trails" people to run with those guys. They like the six hours to go a quarter mile thing, maybe that will give some of you the challenges you crave so much.

As far as I know Arizona Run is about the whole week, not coming out for one day, deeming the trails unworthy and going home. It is (afaik) about getting your vehicle and you through the whole week, all 500 miles of it this year.

Interesting enough it was the built trucks who either were stuck or broken that took the majority of time to unstuck, fix, weld, repair, apply ballast to or otherwise to complete the trails.

I have not heard or seen any of the non monster truck people in our Nissan community berate the above people for taking so much time to run an undulated trail etc.

At this stage in the game some people have gone ahead of others in building their trucks. I would hope that some of you can remember the very recent past when your truck was like some of the rest of ours and maybe stop acting like a third grader that gets a new bike.

All that said, it takes months of planning to put an event together like this one. Due to the most rain in many years some of these trails were not runnable, or deemed safe FOR THE GROUP. These trails contained options that some built trucks may have likened to more than a parking lot.

Literally Andy and I pre ran a trail less than a week before the run as a substitute for another. We try to make it doable and fun for all of us, without running the same old Florence trails year after year.

In spite of the weather altering our plans, I thought the week long event went very well, and I had a blast. I enjoyed spending a week with all of you. A five hundred mile offroad trip through central Arizona in March is really tough to plan, hard to pull off with over twenty trucks but we did it.

Sorry to rant........

Terance it took ALL DAY for you and three other highly modified trucks to run DeSoto.

It would have been rather selfish and reckless for us to take that many rigs up that trail in the conditions we woke up to that morning.

I'm very sure we would have been out there into the night and someone may very well have gotten hurt.

It upsets me a bit that some of you are being so self centered and not looking out for the entire group. Please try to remember there were many other Nissans ou there besides yours.

Before this spins out of control, I'll just say that I put runs together that everyone can enjoy. Not everyone has a SAS rig on 35's. But everyone does have a good time. Central Arizona has every level of trail available. If the run had only SAS rigs running 35" tires, I'd put everyone on a lot tougher trails that are all about crawling boulders and waterfalls. I'd be happy to direct anyone to some of those types of trails in the area.

That said, my favorite part of the AZ runs is the camping out, relating the day's stories around the campfire, eating good food, and enjoying the breathtaking Arizona scenery.

Of course a SAS truck with huge tires is going to be more capable than the IFS guys....but we still have IFS guys that enjoy these runs too, so it always has to be a compromise. The GONE Moab runs are the same way. You didn't see Nissans on Helldorado up there....and a lot of guys were in way over their heads running Golden Spike. I will always contend it's more fun trying to get a near stock truck through a moderate trail than walking through a harder trail with ease in a totally built rig. It takes a lot more driving skill. I'm reminded of that myself every time I jump in my Xterra after driving the Fronty.

quote:

Originally posted by TF&J:
Truth is, if I didn't get broken up in that mud hole, my rig would have had no problems on this trip.

But it sounds like you did, and it did.

I was in one of the most non-modded vehicles and I have to say that I laughed pretty darn hard when I watched the video of me making it up an area with NO help (other than a spotter) while other built rigs had problems and required help.

Brian just made a suggestion, that's all...harder trails for battle hardened rigs. I myself had a great time, and was in no hurry to bash up my rig considering it had to make a 7 hour drive back to Texas.

But truth is when yer rig gets locked, lines get easier and somewhat boring. it's hard to look back on the days when it was stock (mine was particularly helpless)

Maybe next year there should be an optional trail for locked and SAS rigs, while stockers and open rigs go for something scenic. Then we can all meet around the campfire and get drunk again. Just a suggestion, not a criticism

I work at finding trails that have multiple lines....Unless we find more leaders, we're limited to one group. Hackberry in places is as hard as you want it to be...just veer to the sides a bit in the creek botom and crawl the bigger rocks on the hill climbs.

I do like the idea of getting drunk around the campfire tho

I had lots of fun and can't wait until next year, and I was quite flattered when you asked me to spot for you Rondo....

but

AZ runs for me are about driving 1100 miles to get licked in the face by Guinny (sp?)on Sunday morning, tolerate the weird ass sounds coming from Jove's room, watch Robin take out the local supply of chocolate for the greater Phoenix metro area, watch Andy throw a bear can into someone's nice vehicle while saying "now that right there is funny" , admire and learn from another one of John's masterpieces of machinery, laugh at the amount of rocks JW has moved on a single trail, run from Pheoby, gawk at the beautiful AZ sunset, get drunk off my hiney around a campfire, fix anything and everything of anyone elses that needs fixing, and enjoy a nice cigar by the fire with Mr Marchall Stone as well as corned beef on St. patties day.

I do not drive 1100 miles to be split into a different group.

AMEN!

Well I will not complain nor will I brag, for I have no reason to other then the fact I finally got to go out with you all for a whole week ( other then the night up in Crown King hehehe )
and I had the time of my life. Infact I did NOT want to go home. But life as we know sometimes has the upper hand. Not who's better or who's worse. It's who we are with and who we enjoy. Me I enjoyed everybody's company and laughs and Andy and Marchal my hats off to you two. You did another great year and I will be there next year as well. Thanks from hershi

quote:

In fact I can't think of anything a Pathy did that my truck couldn't laugh at either, so there!

Took me awhile, but I can: onroad driving.