Marty Tilford is shown with his two four-year-olds, Emerson (left) and Ian (right). Those two love to jeep! That’s Marty’s trail jeep behind them.
This week the PNW4WDA is holding its 27th annual Trail Jamboree. It is a very popular event; tickets go online early each year and sell out within a day or two. I’d never had a chance to attend in past years, but this year Marty Tilford offered to give me a ride over the Shoestring trail.
This was something I couldn’t pass up. This was my 30th anniversary of my last trip over the same trail, an adventure I wrote about in Finding Virginia. So, on Thursday, I ditched my computer (and my wife) and headed for the Yakima area of Washington State to join Marty and his two four-year-olds for a ride over the mountains. I had a great time. Thanks to everyone who made me feel welcome!
Below are some photos of our adventure.
This is a map of our trip though not drawn to scale. It’s also missing a lot of the twists and turns. It’s also missing large rocks and steep inclines. The entire trip was under 50 miles, but took about 8 hours (with a few breaks along the way).
Marty (from the Vancouver Four Wheelers) and another club, the Timber Tamers, were the hosts for this 20-jeep trip.
One of our early stops. It didn’t take long to reach about 5,000 feet.
Here’s a better photo of the area. Below is another road to somewhere or nowhere.
After driving for a short time we came to a stop in a meadow called Tripod Flats, where a hunting shack is located. This photo shows the only two flatties. In a funny coincidence, the green flattie on the right is a highly modified desert racer at one point that was for sale about the time I was considering building Biscuit and I contemplated purchasing it.
Among his mods, Marty has installed a Samsung tablet with Google maps installed. It tracked our entire trip through the forest. That was a first for me jeeping.
These two kids were the best travelers. They were giggling, singing, and reminding dad to put on his seat belt when he got in the jeep.
In some of the boggier areas, old tracks from Fort Lewis tanks have been laid by PNW4WDA members (with forest service permission of course) to reduce damage to the trail.
A few years ago this area around Shoestring Lake burnt from an errant campfire. Even if it hadn’t burned, I doubt I would have recognized the area. Everything and nothing seemed familiar.
Marty’s prepared for just about everything. In the far back is an ARB fridge/cooler that he and his family love. The carry than on the jeep and in their vehicles. It’s always packed with drinks.
The old Shoestring trail went through the huge rock field to the left. The newer trail has been shifted to the foot of the rocks. It also no longer goes past Shoestring Lake.
We stopped for lunch on what I believe was the Manashtash Ridge for lunch. The views were vast.
Here’s a better view of the surrounding area.
The rocks never look as big on camera as they do in person, but they are quite large and this hill was somewhat steep.
The trail ended at Lilly Pond Lake. The kids, still smiling, were happy to take pictures with their new jeeping buddy.
So, what does a married guy do once he gets done with a long day of jeeping? Well, he stops by JoAnn Fabrics in Yakima to pic up some material Ann couldn’t find in the Tri-Cities. 🙂
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For a couple retro pics: Here’s a photo of my jeep at the start of the 1986 trip near the western end of the Naches Trail:
T/his twenty-one year old handsome dude is me somewhere not far from Shoestring Lake:
Great write up! I assume Marty is related to Herm the overdrive guy?
Yes, he is Herm’s son.
Beautiful country… I’m jealous!
They haven’t heard of eWillys??? I think the Bible warned you about this, Dave:
Luke 4:24 (CJB) Yes!” He said, “I tell you that no prophet is accepted in his home town.”
It might also explain why certain jeeps aren’t selling up there, despite appearing on eWillys year after year. One in Port Townsend comes to mind. The Pacific Northwest needs to join the rest of the Willys loving, eWillys reading country/world 🙂
It was clear that the club members have switched in droves to the newer jeeps, beefing them (bigger tires, ARB lockers, and other updates) to handle the trails. I keep trying to get that Port Townsend jeep sold, but no one will bite. I’m not sure why.
Very Cool Dave…we just don’t have stuff like that around here.