Piparo-Tabaquite Water Line Trail
June 10th, 2007

This trail was one of the better attended for the year and hopefully is a sign of things to come.

Eight jeeps assembled at the Palmyra turn-off, this included Trevor, Peter, Calvin, Sheldon, Gauph, newcomer Zahir, Harold and birthday boy Frankie. Raffick without Goliath for the last 5-6 months, opted to ride along.

We were off at 9.40am and was led by Calvin who took us through a long but scenic route via Princes Town to our starting point in Piparo. Here we stopped looked down the trail and considered our tyre pressure, this varied from 8psi to 20 psi. Pot and cooler then came out and someone shouted lunch, thanks to Calvin for the vegetarian delightful lunch.

One by one we went down and up the 1st hill which was fairly slippery. Much attention was paid to Harold, Trevor and Zahir since this was their first grade 3-4 trail. It was Gauph however who was soon in trouble since his front hubs did not engage and had to be pulled by the mighty Hercules who sported a full set of 36” farmal tyres! The hub was quickly repaired by Frankie and crew and we continued into the slick mud trail.

Newcomer Zahir stunned everyone who tried to figure out how his vehicle was put together and what components. His turbo inter-cooled diesel provided ample power but his tyres had no bite. We were soon into the 1st major hurdle where the mighty Hercules had to resort to mud ladders and com-along to get out.
NOTES by Web Site Editor: Go to www.wyeth-scott.com for more details of the cum-a-long. 4 tons of drag rating. Weighs 28lbs (so you can bring it back in a suitcase).....costs US$151. Anyone can make mud ladders from scraps of angle iron and rebar. Even if they are only two foot long they help enormously. (Suggestion: Make these two items should be compulsory for any grade 3/4 trail if you don't have an electric winch)

Zahir was then pull through with com-along and also by Hercules and 200ft of rope. While all this was ongoing, Frankie, Calvin & Gauph decided to construct a new route at the back of the pipeline through the bushes. These experienced bush men made light work of this and Gauph was the 1st to go up. Gauph however stalled at the top of the hill. The repairs at this point and winching of Gauph and Calvin took up some time.

Meanwhile Hercules and Zahir’s ‘Mazzuki’ (Mazda 323/Nissan/Suzuki mix) made tracks.

After we got going Gauph soon had problems mid-way up a muddy hill, mechanic Frankie fired and Harold hired, problem was soon fixed as the gas filter was changed. With darkness looming in the damp forest the occasional stick did not pose a problem as the ‘pushing crew’ were superb.

A few more interesting ditch crossing brought us to the steep pipe crossing with about 18inches of water flowing over. Hercules stood in waiting at the other side however everyone made it up.

We were finally out at the WASA station at about 7.45, everyone tired, hungry and totally trilled. There were no injuries, only a minor dent to Trevor’s front bumper and no litter was left on the trail. This was one of my most complete & enjoyable trail to date and perhaps for most who was there. Happy birthday Frankie!

The excellent Trail Report and Photos are courtesy Sheldon

(Click here to Go to Trevor & Harold's Report at the end of this page)

Tabaquite Pipeline Trail Report by Trevor.

Never saw so much mud in along while.  Rode along with Frankie a couple of weeks ago in drier conditions and it looked like a cake walk.  Sunday was different, plus I was having my first drive. At my urging Raff ‘volunteered’ to ride along with me. His presence and advice went a long way towards getting me to the end.  Am not sure I would have had the courage to go it alone.  Thanks again Raff.

Although some guys call it a grade 2/3, it seemed like a grade 25 to me.  I got stuck a few times, some due to the extreme depth of the mud where others were also caught, but sometimes because of inexperience and the limited ground clearance of my almost standard Suzuki.  Initially I felt embarrassed at being stuck, but the guys all seemed to think nothing of it and simply pulled me out.  Thanks to everyone for being so supportive.

At a bypass to the trail, I had to slow coming up the hill because of a stuck vehicle in front.  I lost traction and ended up back down the hill and stuck in a stream running across the trail. When it was my turn to drive up the hill, seeing the chewed up condition of the path, and the lack of grip (read wet sohari leaves) I chickened out and asked Frankie if he would try it for me.  Well, the blue jeep flew up the hill with the engine screaming.  That restored my faith somewhat in the skinny (landrover) tyres and illustrated what Raffick meant when he was yelling ‘power’ whenever we approached a hill.  How was I to know he meant maximum or higher revs?

There were also two occasions when the Suzuki inadvertently changed lanes (understeer?) on me.  Fortunately the trail was wide and flat so there was no untoward incident.  Will discuss the reason for this loss of control problem with other members.

The lights at the end of the trail were a welcome relief.  It was a most interesting and educational experience.  Wished members had informed me that it takes many days to clean the vehicle after a trail.  The colour of my upholstery has been changed forever.

I would like to have cut my teeth on a less demanding trail, one with some dry road in between the mud.  This would have given me the opportunity to relax a bit before the next Mount Kilimanjaro. The advantages of differently prepared vehicles were apparent, but it seems possible for slightly modified vehicles, with special attention to tyres, to successfully navigate most trails.  However, driving ability and experience appear to be the more important parts of the equation.

Some club training for newcomers under controlled conditions on hill climbing, crossing ditches and logs, handling ruts etc would help develop the necessary skills and give them the confidence to go out there and …..Stick!

Kindly submitted......Trevor.

Uncle Trev,
                your oh so matter of fact report on the Tabaquite pipeline trail reminds me of my first experience with this type of off-roading, Madamus with a stock Suzuki with highway tires running 28  lbs pressure. My gratitude to Peter and Hercules for yanking us (Garvin and myself) out back to civilization without stopping at all on the trail.

This being your first driving experience on grades 2/3  I notice that you neglected to mention the adrenalin rush and the now new appreciation for your beloved Suzuki.

Roll

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