There's use and then there's abuse. What do you see in those pictures?

720s Forever

 

I said it on the Chevy board, and I'll say it here: What a bunch of morons. I fully agree. This is why trails get closed.

Marc
Contagious Racing

 

For those interested, the guys email adress is mpeckham@mindspring.com I sifted through the site (some of those pics just amaze me how stupid a person can be..fire road racing???!) This is how trails get closed. Driving through mud is one thing, blasting it is another! I guess im a hippocrite (sp?) due to the fact one pic I have of my truck is of it splashing mud everywhere. BUT, that particular pic is of my truck on MY land! If I screw up my own trail, thats my problem. I just hope that pine barrens is not a forest area that will get closed due to idiots! Seems like a scenic, and nice spot to wheel, keep it that way! rant mode off:

Happy Trails
Wade Colvard
Path26@aol.com

 

Wade, you can drive anyway you want on your own land. How about those commercials showing idiots tearing ass along a trail. What does that say? If that's the kind of crap people are doing then no wonder all of our public land is being closed! How can you blame the eco-nuts for being upset, it makes me mad too.

 

A bunch of yuppies who just discovered what a transfer case is for. I run into these kind of people more and more.Their the ones who think putting mud flaps on is a modification and are the last ones you want to be near on a trail.Tearing along with no regard for anybody else that might be on the trail, destroying the heck out of streambeds, I don't even want to get started they ruin my weekends enough!!!

/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gifStraight outta Oregon, land of trees,ocean breeze, and a lotta mud!/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif

 

Yep! These freakin' clowns spoil it for a lot of us. Up here in my neck of the wood we have the little SNOT-NOSE-NO-PUBE-PUNKS who steal cars etc, then take them into our local trails andplay area's to torch them, not to mention all the other low-life pieces of street crapp that can't aford a garbage can so they have to take all their rusty appliances etc an dump them in these same area's. I mean I'm no tree-hugger, but it's just common sence. The goof your talking about displays the same metal deficiencies as some of the idiots who go stomping through meadow-lands that are near some of our more popular trails, turning them into mud-boggs so when the real tree-huggers see the damage all us more responsible 4wheeler's spend countless hours fighting to keep the trails open.

Sorry, just had to get a little upitty, it's a touchy subject around here?

Chris J.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifIt's not the Biggest, but at least I use it!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

Okay, I've read with some interest the posts regarding the Xterras that went off-road in the Pine Barrons. Instead of just calling them names and such, maybe everyone should direct their efforts at educating them. I spend some of my time off-road doing trail maintenance with a club that I am with, so I understand the importance of keeping the trails opeen...especially the ones that I work on! But, in a kind way, we could broach the topic with the people (via their bulletin board?) and explain the Tread Lightly concept and why it is so important for us to keep the trails open? No offense meant, but just complaining here won't help anything.

TopDog

 

I can appreciate what your saying, I've been doing the same crap with our club, other clubs and our local 4 wheel drive association, but it's just a case of been-there, done that??? I know of fellow 4wheeler's who have even gone out and caught some of these guy's on video tape etc, nothing ever happens and there right back at it with more of the same and more trucks. It's just a case of SO WHAT?, if they put up a gate we'll just crash-it or go around etc. This type of activity is not what I'm the most PO'd at, most people are starting to figure it out for themselves, but it's the torching of vehicles and dumping that's the nut-kicker. Not only are the clubs etc I'm associated with doing the clean-up's and dragging out these vehicles, but were also having to spend our own money in order to dispose of this garbage. If you've ever really done a major clean-up's and piled up all the garbage collected, it takes time to haul it out and $$$ to rent giant dumpsters which is then added to because the more time it takes to remove everything the bigger the piles get. You come back the next day and it's doubled in size with people thinking oh well they take it away for us? It's just a no win situation, I used to say the same speech as you, and many many others before I, but when even the local authorities etc, who offer their services to help-out and then don't pull through it's pretty frustrating.
But hey if you can get some results let me know, because I along with a few thousand other's would be curious on how you pulled it off?

Best of luck to ya!

Chris J.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifIt's not the Biggest, but at least I use it!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

taken care of that...emailed the owner of the page, and simply put the website for treadlightly in the email. He already mailed be back, stating that his actions werent exactly up to par, but hey, we all make mistakes right?

Happy Trails
Wade Colvard
Path26@aol.com

 

Touchy subject. Keep in mind that all the wrecked cars and such are not the cause of the guys in the x-terra's. Yes they got a little crazy but I would too IF I had a new x-terra. But I would agree if there is a bridge use it. As far as spinning tires I dont think Ive ever seen anyone go 4-wheeling without spinning a tire here and there. Just my opinion...

Throw it in reverse and grab second

 

I have been following the posts on the issue of my site and have decided it is about time to respond.

I have been thinking about the possible effects of my actions this weekend and I am in the process (it'll take a while since I'll be out of town) of updating the site and removing most of the offending images so as not to further hurt the cause. I met up with a couple guys who I have been chatting with for some time online with but had never met. They were expecting a little more technical ride and I guess they were disappointed when we realized the area we went to had zero hills or anything even remotely technical. We started taking photos of the guys going through puddles. Our boyish instincts got the better of us. We were in an area that was hardpacked sand a few feet above the level of a marshy area so I can only guess that the puddles were just the natural water level and the bottoms were solid sand. no mud there, just brownish backwater. most of the stuff being splashed around was leaves and water. I admit there were a couple of places that were soft bottomed and we probably contributed to the damage, for this I apologize. I also apologize for the stream crossing when there was a valid bridge next to it, but our trucks were not all covered in mud just a little of the sand that had stuck. Mine is the yellow Xterra and if you saw my streamcrossing it was at a low enough speed so as to cause as little harm to the streambed as possible. Our actions were easily scrutinized, but that is because we didn't take photos of the trails that we cleared or the trash we collected. I guess the action shots are a lot more interesting and since we didn't have any vertical areas to climb our photos leaned more on splashing through puddles. By the way, the fire road racing was just riding along a trail in an open area single file, we were not racing like the Dukes of Hazzard or anything.
I will mend my ways and add the tread lightly logo to my site and a page that states a disclaimer that this kind of behavior should not be copied or idolized. I guess we saw one too many commercials. I was pleased with the photos though, they really had a sense of action which I haven't seen on other sites. Maybe this is the reason.

Matt Peckham
mpeckham@mindspring.com

 

It will NOT work for everyone. But, if you catch people while they are new to four wheeling, you can have a positive effect on them. I have seen guys be taught and turn around and teach others. For whatever reason, this seems to work better on guys with newer, unmodified trucks better than it does with people who drive beaters that they don't care about. I guess the new truck guys can't afford to totally trash their new vehicles. My previous 4x4s were Nissan Hardbodies that were always used as trash trucks, with other pickups, on clean-up/maintenance day. One of the things that wee did was to get the supoort of a few local business owners that we patronize when we are in that town for wheeling. Usually, several of them have allowed us to use their dumpsters when we explain what we are doing. Wee even have had the Forest Service allow us use of their dumpsters since we were saving them work and money. I've been doing trail clean-ups and maintenance work with either of 2 local 4wd clubs since 1992. I'm familiar with clubs and people shelling out their own dollars.

For those people that do not listen, take a picture of their rig and their license plate. Eventually, the Forest Service will do something about it. If not, you know that you have done everything that you could. Send the documentation of your letters and pics to your representatives. If they know that we wheelers are really trying hard, as a whole, the may not be so rash to close lands and maybe they'll ask why the Forest Service hasn't responded when we have told them who was damaging the forest lands. Just my thoughts....

BTW, I love your tag line. My Pathy also isn't big, but it IS used as well!!! Oh what a fee....woops, wrong make....

TopDog

 

That's cool your local business's etc actually own-up to their offers! We always seem to get burned, only once did they provide a dumpster, but it was only for one load and then "poof" never seen again, so a few club diveed-up some cash to rent more, but it became pretty costly since other people not associated with us just dumped more garbage there every night??? It's a real bummer because our clean-up's are usually alot of fun, sometimes as many as 100 trucks, and the prizes are always good too. The club that usually host that particular clean-up will come up a day or two early and mark certain items of trash etc, everything from a torched truck to an empty pack of smokes. This in tern makes for a good scavenger hunt, and at the same time gets the place clean.

Tag line! Thanks I've been meaning to get a decal with that made up for my truck.

Chris J.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifIt's not the Biggest, but at least I use it!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

Matt,

I must commend you for having the guts to come forward. Over the years I have seen my favorite trails closed because of abuse similiar to the pictures you have posted on your web site. And when I saw your pictures, I took my frustration out on you. I'm not apoligizing, but please understand where I am coming from. With all of the talk of government land closure we should not add fuel to the fire. We are already at a disadvantage because of very well organized and well funded enviromental organizations that would like to see all public land closed to off road vehicles. I hope this explains my standpoint.

You have a really cool Xterra and web page, and you're a fellow Nissan owner, so let's be friends. See you on the trail!

 

I must also commend you for standing up and taking care of this! I reacted harshly to the pictures because of the continual stream of people who are now entering the woods in SUV's and doing serious damage. Whenever me and my group would try to talk to the drivers we would be met with the F-OFF attitude and became very unsocial in regards to the disregards for the rules of trail usage. I aploigize and in the future will make more of an attempt to talk to the people and get their take before I condemn them wholesale. Your website was very nicely done otherwise and I would like to restate that were all Nissan owners, lets's all be friends.

/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gifStraight outta Oregon, land of trees,ocean breeze, and a lotta mud!/wwwthreads_images/icons/tongue.gif

 

hey, since they close trails when people drive like idiots on them, lets drive like idiots on the road. if they close down all the highways then there will be more trails?
What's that? a lot of people drive like idiots on the road already? oh. and they haven't shut down any roads do to this? damn!!!
oh well i tried!! heheheheheh

 

just checked out the site. I have to say this...at least it they aren't no prtty boys afraid to get them dirty. i counted 4 or 5 pics that were not tread lightly but i know almost everyone (myself included) has done something not in the guide lines. the guy's were excited. Hel,l i want to join there club. i can't remember that many nissans on one trail ride. i would have loved to have been there just to be able to pick on the jeep guy, so he would know how we feel when we go riding with them. so do you all think they will let me ride with my hardbody? (i am a wuss with my frontier) anyway, i think if mr. t and them take it down a notch they won't get so much flack from you guy's. and if the guy is reading this....can you send me an app.?
lator.....

 

Re: Next!

Okay folk's nothing to see here, move it along folk's, move it along?

Chris J.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifIt's not the Biggest, but at least I use it!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

Whoop's My appologies, I had assumed that from what everyone else was saying that you were ripping up sensitive area's, but after further review and actually checking out your site I don't see anything wrong at all with what you were wheeling. If that's where the trails take us then SO-BE-IT!

Once again my appologies, although in defense my trip is more about the stolen vehicles and garbage!

Ride hard and hang it up wet!

Chris J.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifIt's not the Biggest, but at least I use it!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

well looks like he has got 2 of us for his club. Well see how long those xterra's stay shiny.......aye chris?
not only that it was NEW JERSEY? what is so sensative about that state?
i am having way to much fun here

 

hahahahahaha! LOL~ You and me both! hahahaha

Chris J.
/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gifIt's not the Biggest, but at least I use it!/wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

 

Matt,
Thanks for your reply here. It takes more of a man to own up and not simply get mad when recieving criticism. Your Xterra (and to me, my Pathfinder) is the "new toy" who wouldn't push things a little. After all, 4wheeling is about fun and the opportunity to test yourself and your machine and see a little more of the planet than you can from a car window during the daly commute.
If you enjoy wheeling you want to curb the entheusiam (sp) and take things a little easier, enjoy the view as it were.

regards,

Brian Oberle
95 Pathfinder XE