Ultimate Adventure 2018, Part 1 #UA2018

Longtime readers will recall that our last two Ultimate Adventures were defined by triple-digit temperatures that overshadowed the amazing scenery and challenging terrain in Arizona and California. This year we vowed that things would be different. Editor Christian Hazel took the UA back to his old stomping grounds in New England, just about as far away from Arizona and California as you can get while remaining in the continental United States. New readers may wonder what the heck we are even talking about though, so let’s back up a bit.

The Ultimate Adventure is a weeklong wheeling trip organized each year by us here atPetersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Roadmagazine. The adventurers are members of the magazine staff, readers, sponsors, and UA cronies (off-road guys who use up all of their vacation and beat up their own vehicles to come hang out with us and keep the trip running smoothly). We not only wheel hard all week but also cover hundreds of miles on the pavement and essentially live out of our vehicles in search of the next wheeling destination. The trip happens in a new location every year, no trailers are allowed, and only the event organizer knows where we are going ahead of time.

What we did know this year is that we were starting in the little hamlet of Wilton, Maine, way in the northeastern corner of the United States. As the participants trickled in, the rain trickled down, and while no one said it, everyone wondered if we would spend the week wet, muddy, and winching through the trails. Vehicle inspections were performed, sponsor stickers were applied to wet sheetmetal, and hugs and handshakes were exchanged amongst friends old and new—and then UA 2018 was officially under way!

Check In

Check-in took place on the first day, with participants arriving from all corners of the country. Longtime UA cronies Sam Gillis and Keith Bailey performed a tech inspection on each vehicle for necessary items including rollcages, fire extinguishers, and first aid kits. After that, folks trickled inside, where Editor Hazel finished their paperwork. Then it was time for the fun stuff like pizza, stickers, swag from UA sponsors, and the first of many, many drivers meetings.

Day 1

Rocky Mountain Terrain Park

This was the first time the UA visited Maine, and the Pine Tree State did not disappoint. By the morning of Day 1 the pouring rain from the night before had cleared and UA crony guide Trent McGee led us to the nearby Rocky Mountain Terrain Park (RMTP) in Carthage. We know—Carthage isn’t in the Rocky Mountains, but RMTP is rocky, and it is on the side of a mountain, and it does have amazing terrain. Owner John Steele has 700 acres of land here, with a 4x4 playground, campsites, and miles of trails with more being built all the time.

While the rain had stopped, the saturated ground made it nearly impossible to find traction on the loose, rolling boulders at RMTP. It was like trying to drive on greased marbles. Since this was just the first day of a long trip, the Warn winches and VooDoo Offroad ropes got a workout to get everyone through the park’s Frank N Beans and Ex’s Revenge trails. Well, nearly everyone. Keith Bailey showed us that nothing is impossible as he rocketed to the top of Frank N Beans. Driving a tube buggy for a week and finding a place for all of your gear is definitely a challenge, but the lack of sheetmetal and increased trail prowess can make it all worthwhile.

At the end of a long hard day, park owner John Steele personally cooked up some world-class hamburgers for every single participant. This was a taste of the hospitality that we would come to find at each stop on Ultimate Adventure 2018.

Day 2

Wilton to Berlin via Bethel

Typically, our Ultimate Adventures have alternated between wheeling days, with the hubs locked and the tires aired down, and road days that cover hundreds of pavement miles. Editor Hazel likes to wheel though, so this year was a bit different. Since there were ample opportunities to put T-cases in Low Range every day, trail guide Trent McGee did his prerunning homework well and had us airing our Falken tires up and down seemingly at every stop.

After 80 miles through beautiful Maine backroads we met up with Jim Bennett of the Western Maine Mountain Jeepers. he led us through the Dragon’s Tail, which is on his own private property in Bethel. As at Rocky Mountain Terrain Park, the trail conditions in Bethel were constantly changing, becoming slicker and challenging with each passing vehicle. We only scratched the surface of this beautiful area before we ran out of time and had to move on, but no one complained about the beauty or the challenge of Dragon’s Tail.

Mount Washington

After leaving Bethel we fueled up and resupplied on our way west into Berlin, New Hampshire. McGee wouldn’t tell us exactly where we were headed, which added to the challenge of herding this group of cats to a special location where we had a firm appointment. Bets were made with guesses ranging from skydiving to making our own maple syrup. No one imagined what was in store for us when we pulled into the parking lot at the base of Mount Washington.

The highest peak in New England, Mount Washington is at the top of a private road that normally shuts down at 6 p.m. McGee and Hazel had arranged for a sunset tour to the top of the mountain, and the views were absolutely chilling. The temperatures were chilling as well, dropping over 40 degrees from the base of the mountain to the summit. This is the location of the highest wind speeds ever recorded: 231 mph.

Day 3

Jericho Mountain State Park

After a chilly night camping in Shelburne, New Hampshire, we broke camp early and headed to nearby Jericho Mountain State Park. At 7,500 acres, Jericho is not only the largest OHV park in the area but also the only public OHV park in New England. The bulk of the 60 miles of trails are geared towards ATVs and UTVs, but members of North Woods Off Road took us to the facility’s Split Rock Trail, which contained plenty of legit rockcrawling. As we had found with our respective hosts all week, members of NWOR were eager to give us a taste of East Coast wheeling in the White Mountains. New Hampshire’s motto is “Live Free or Die,” and we were loving life during our time in the Granite State.

Mountain Mud Run

Everyone survived Jericho unscathed, so after topping off fuel tanks and resupplying coolers and fridges, we aired up the tires and turned south towards Attitash, where we took a break from the drive to enjoy the alpine slide and other attractions at Attitash Mountain Resort. Along the way we passed participants in The Great Race. While it takes place on pavement, the vehicles and participants of The Great Race are definitely kindred spirits with the Ultimate Adventure. As the antique cars rolled past we continued on to Mountain Mud Run, in Warren, New Hampshire. We will confess that there wasn’t a lot of enthusiasm for spending the afternoon getting stuck in bottomless mud, but we found that despite the name, John and Brenda Lester’s 63-acre park has a smorgasbord of varying terrain. We had barely scratched the surface (and some sheetmetal) as the sun dipped below the horizon and we had to continue on to camp for the night. It was only Day 3 of Ultimate Adventure and we had packed in so much already, what more could Trent McGee and Christian Hazel have in store for us?