2016 Rausch Creek, PA
June 4, 2016
Trip Report by Lucas Hardin
Rausch Creek this year was a great time, although there was an abundance of little speedbumps along the way. John Herr was gracious enough to tow my Jeep up on his big trailer this year. Thanks again, John!
I showed up Wednesday night so we could load both rigs up and check the trailer/truck over before the long journey the next morning. Got loaded up, changed the fuel filter in the truck, and I headed home and met John the next morning. Right before we left we noticed one of the truck tires had a leak. Instead of hitting the road we decided to find the leak and plug it which set us back about an hour. Finally we hit the road and it was smooth sailing up to the rendevous point outside of Richmond. We had been sitting at the truck stop for 45 minutes when Ronnie calls. “Hey I’m half a mile from the exit, I ran out of gas.” We unloaded my Jeep and I headed out to rescue Ronnie. Talk about cutting it close!
Traffic killed our trip time. It took 6 hours for us to get from Richmond to Gettysburg, PA but we finally made it to camp and got set up. My buddy Greg drove his YJ down from Long Island that night to meet up with us.
First day of wheeling was great. Michael and Jason of CTB tagged along. We ran Walk in the Park, Trail 8, “O” Trail, Trail 13, Otter’s Trail, and played around on the comp course a couple times. My buddy Matt met us mid day and rode along to take pictures.
Second day of wheeling we got a late start and headed out to meet the CTB guys on Rock Creek around 11. Near the end of Rock Creek John broke a hub so we decided to pull off into the shade and have lunch. 30 feet off the trail I shear my drag link clean off at the tie rod end. Luckily we were able to patch it together with a jack handle and ratchet strap to get me off the trail. By the time we had my pile of junk moving again John had his truck fixed, but Robbie from CTB had broken a motor mount on his V8 YJ. We limped back to the parking lot to regroup. Against all odds Rausch had the exact piece I broke on my jeep and I was able to get back out wheeling. We went over and ran Stair Steps, a bunch of lines behind the comp course, and Walk in the Park one last time. Halfway through the last trail I annihilate a front axle shaft. Threw a spare in and called it quits for the day.
As soon as we left the parking lot at Rausch the bottom fell out and John and I got drenched while loading up. We strapped the rigs down and hit the pavement. We stopped outside Richmond late that night and finished the trek the next morning.
Great time was had by all. Can’t wait for next year! If you are thinking of going to Rausch don’t hesitate, it is one of the best places to wheel on the east coast and has something to offer for everyone!
