Wotcha foggers....Well the first Se event of 2011 was a very wet muddy sticky and slidey one...probably the slippyest one we have ever done to date was the general opinion/excuse from the regulars...
We met at notcutts as usual and were joined by a couple of newbies to our madness and mayhem!
Hope today didnt put you off too much...it only gets better as it dries out and gets warmer!
Todays picnicers who braved the cold and mud were....(order copied from list)
Krusher....Well the moth attracting 2.8lwb with Kel at the helm was stuggling today against the elements...despite some excellent driving, well controlling the gas anyway while the car went where it wanted to...Jumped in with Kel for a while and filled his footwell with mud while we went looking for the absent Mapracing and RetroPedro...Despite his efforts at trying to get the new boost gauge off the scale it just would not climb the hills...
Kel got proper stuck on a side slopey bit (you should have known better!!!)...Fudge got stuck trying to get into position to extract kel, so we now have a new track chainsawed through and with Kels very skillful driving and gravity could return him back to a more sensible flat bit at the bottom of the hill...
Andytats....Good to see you again fella with your boy. Another one struggling with the mud today, but managed to get out unscathed I think...The 2.2 is looking good mate, do like them shogun wheels.
Houndog & coThe Houndog clan, Phil, Nina, Georgia and Lillie came down in the trusty 2.8lwb...this the first time with their new sploglet, Lillie, who just sat on her butt all day and didnt even get muddy!
Great to see the little one and you all again, Phil had a go in the 2.8, but didnt want to risk the truck in the extreme conditions on regular muddies, with a long journey back home again...sensible move mate...although I see you had a stuck in the pics above...
Louis in his now pickuped and lifted die-laughing...
Louis helped me out taping up gave a hand clearing fallen tress first thing aand helped with the cooking later...but made more of a meal of the mud when he bust a cv in the die laughing leaving him just rwd...didnt stop him though, although he just went from stuck to new dent to stuck again...
Just think...Louis has got his driving test in a few weeks and he is on the road!!! BadBoyPaul came down in his 2.8 shorty on road tyres to say hello, but not campaign it today...The winch came in right handy though, cheers buddy...extracting fudge and lloyds strangerover...New winch is cool, just need to sort some boots out so you can have fun in it...saying that you did well to get to recover fudge on road tyres...Sorry for lifting up your winch cable just as you stepped over it...LOL!
bolton56 & 3
Newbies to the woods and our madness, Nice to meet David and Susan and their 2.2 a series, nice truck...Came today to see what it was all about, but didnt take the truck out as it was on road tyres and would have stood no chance really today...Hope to see you both again when its warmer and you can amaze yourselfs at what you and your truck can accomplish with some guidance and help from the regulars...Sal said thanks to Susan for your help in the clearing today...
Robertmillsav...Well you put in the list that you "Need some training, directions,help, advice before the Annual meet"...I think today you should have deffo learnt what NOT to do!!!LOL...Hope you learnt some stuff that will be useful, albiet from an observing perspective today as the new unlifted B on roadtyres wasnt gonna play today...Hope you legs ache as much as mine after walking up and down the hills with me! Thanks for your help on the extractions...
Fudge + poss misses, ready to get stuck everywhere.
Thats what he typed on the list and he werent lying! The misses didnt come today, so Matt has noone else to blame! He took Didz under his wing to start with pairing up and venturing to the top in convoy, cheers fella, his 2.0i leafer sporting a rather familiar set of dumper tyres!
Extracted Didz a few times and got stuck himself trying to get in position to extract Kel...Sorry for tripping you over in the mud, I am still struggling to deal with the guilt! and cheers for lending Didz the rear wheels of your truck so he stood half a chance. Fudge a strange occurance on the way out if the woods when somehow he managed to kill BOTH tyres on his trailer!! Thought we could sort it but the tubes in my old towing dolly wheels were no good...D'oh...
Didz....Nice to meet Didz aka Dave in his 2.5tds...an newbie to woods and a newbie to offroading, talk about baptism of fire today!!! With a pair of fudges muddies on the rear of his 2.5, and some rather worn a/t's up front it was gonna be a challenge today...but you did really really well and hopefully found today a fun learning experience...just ignore everything I showed you, 2 gear reverse decents arent really offroading techniques as such, but are the only way to get a truck with no grip down a hill when its that slippy and even the brakes wont keep the car stationary! Look forwards to seeing you again with some muddies and with it a bit dryer...You did amazingly today to get out unscathed...
Lloyd....The strangerover did its usual thing today, throbbing v8 combined with ever decreasing body work...Got proper stuck when I doubledared him to try and traverse the "pit of certain doom"...he got half through before getting impressively stuck! It amazes everyone that the rangey is still going!
Retro Pedro...PETE MADE IT TO NOTCUTTS BEFORE WE ALL LEFT!!!
Great to see Pete and his trusty 2.8 shorty again...but even he was struggling in the mud today! Pete and Paul disapeared on many a mission impossible today, trying the undo-able but he kept the 2.8 together dispite the conditions...Didnt see much of Pete today as he was busy scaring people most of the day, showing em what a well sorted and driven fronty can do...Thanks for your help up the workshop after mate, much appreciated...
Mapracing + friend and his girls...
Did the girls actually ever get out of the truck??? LOL...Well...what can I say...Paul you really should try and avoid at least some of the trees mate!
Paul suffered significant carnage today, mainly attempting stuff that any sane person would have swerved given the conditions...but with his friend deffo learning what NOT do in his fronty! Every time I saw Paul he was grinning like a chesire cat as he battled the elements though...
Tom, Steph, Tazman and Family...
Great to see you all again braving the cold and mud in the woods...The kids enjoyed playing with Georgia in the mud, and the adults enjoyed playing in the mud also but from the comfort of other peoples passenger seats...I see Mapracing putting a wing and door in the back of his fronty that tom bought down for him...you might wanna just drag the whole car down for him next time tom!
Sally...Sally did what Sally always does...managed base camp and kept me in line, but also took on cooking duties in the absence of our resident chefs...
Thanks again Sally..ultra prepared yesterday with everything ready to go, while I was playing Landrover up the workshop...
Me...Had a different day today...gotta say it was nice to spend a bit more time having a natter with everyone as we only bought up the 2.4 today which is totally standard on roadtyres...I was really impressed at some of the driving demonstrated by everyone given the extreme conditions today...
My legs bleedin ache though...feel like I walked miles today! LOL
The trusty Stihl earned its keep today, firstly running round with Louis clearing newly fallen trees that come down in the last week or so, and then on the extractions...
Was cold though...and slippy, nearly went A over T many times...gotta say you dont realise how well our trucks do until you try walking where they go!
Proper fun day though...seems ages since the last one, great company, good food and mud and engines and all in the great outdoors...what more could you ask for!
See you all soon...when we do it all again!Some pickies I took, not many as cant use camera and chainsaw at the same time, or when my hands were covered in mud...which was kinda most of the day!
Krusher STUCK

Fudge STUCK

Mapracing,,,trying not to be stuck, but just alternating between one stuck and another...for ages...



RetroPedro giving it some beans....


Lloyds Strangerover....STUCK



