[rkj__]

I was over on the Expedition Portal forum (ExPo: Adventure and Overland Travel Enthusiasts) looking for vacation ideas. Through the forum I got pointed towards a facebook group with some members located not to far from me. They were planning a trip to central Ontario. After some careful consideration, a few questions, and a little research, I decided to commit to the trip. I was unsure if my truck was up to the task, as it sits at stock height. My only off road mods are Super-Skidz and lower valance removal. I heard tales of stock Xterras, Tacomas, and FJs, and 4 Runners making their way around the trail, so I decided I'd go for it.

I booked the Friday off work, found some free wood to burn on kijiji, installed a CB radio, and loaded up my truck.

Tons of room

I met the group at a Tim Hortons, just off the highway.

Yup, that's a lineup of 4 Jeeps on 35s. What am I getting into?

A bunch of northbound highway traffic for starters...

As we got further north, the scenery and traffic improved.

And then we turned off the pavement, and kicked it into 4 wheel! A little dusty road to start.

Typical Scenery

I watched the Jeeps play on some rocks

Whether you like Jeeps or not, their capabilities are pretty impressive.

Hydro lines through central Ontario

After a little playing around, we set up camp right on the beach.

 

[rkj__]

When the sun came up again, it was time to hit the trails.

There was an offshoot that was no good for my truck, so I rode along in one of the Jeeps. You can get a sweet sound system in them by the way.

A little Jeepin'

There were some scenic views

A few of the Jeeps took a tough line to our lunch spot

Lunch Spot

Back to the trails...

A good spotter, some carefully placed rocks, and some skid plates can take a Canyon pretty far.

But sometimes,

You simply need a tug.

Which one does not belong? lol

I spent a lot of time in this position.

So much so, that I had light bruising on the inside of my arm. At times I felt like I was getting tossed around like a rag doll inside the truck. Wheeling is taxing on the body and mind. I had to stay focused to keep my truck in one piece.

Nice terrain

This is my favourite picture from the trip.

I have no idea how I got my truck there!!!

At last, we reached our camp site for the second night. Nice and far from, well, everything, including toilets. There were six people, and six meals to be prepared. So, each person cooked one meal for everyone, so that more time could be spent relaxing. I got Saturday supper, so I put the pot of chili on the single burner.

The trails were nice and wide, but you still get close with nature at times.

The Weather Tech floor mats helped keep the sand contained.

Jeep

Super-Skidz. I beat on them HARD. There was a ton of smack and drag! Without them, I'm pretty sure I would have ****** my truck up. They did get scratched, scuffed, and bent a bit, but did their job perfectly. If you plan to take a stock height truck off road, anywhere near rocks, I strongly recommend skid plates.

There was a point where my truck was defeated by the trail. We were doing an out-and-back trail on Saturday morning. We reached a point where I got stuck, and there was no simple way to get my truck up the trail. So, I had to do a 6+ point turn to head back. I think that's when I mangled my license plate and mount (again.)

Our second great camp spot by the water

I love a good campfire.

 

[rkj__]

On Sunday, there was just a few miles of trail left. It was tough going, but I was learning my trucks capabilities, and relying less on spotters. I continued to amaze myself with my truck's capabilities, and I continued to smack the **** out of my skid plates, and trailer hitch, and leaf spring mounts, and well, most things underneath the truck.

Oh, and a note on tires. I had the stock General Ameritrac TRs. I aired down to 24 psi front and 22 rear. I had great traction. The soil was on the sandy side of things, so even in the wet spots, traction was good. I was impressed.

Finally, we made it to the end of the trail. I could not believe it, my truck survived! What an unreal adventure! I am so thankful for the kind and patient people I spent the weekend with.

After airing back up, we were on pavement again. After crawling around for hours, 50 km/h felt really fast!

And then I said goodbye to the north, and it was back home.

I made some great memories I won't soon forget.

 

[smokeybear]

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing the photos.

 

[apmech]

This is awesome. Ive been wanting to do something like that for a while. Imagine what you could have done with a small lift and better tires lol.

 

[revmoto]

Thanks for sharing. Great picks, and captions. I want to go!

 

[nathan_w1]

This sounds like a cool trip. I'd like to do something like this one day