Chasing Adventure

Kidding, but not really. How many times did I shift into reverse??? I honestly lost track.

We have moved into Old Mountain Campground and are very excited about living at the base of the mountain with access to hiking trails directly from the campground. With that being said, the roads getting into the campsite were challenging.

I drew on a screenshot to help give a visual. Camp Creek Rd is a decent road (shown in the first picture), wide enough for Pearl & Maverick if we go about 30mph. The left onto Old Mountain Rd wasn’t bad either. We had driven the route the day prior, so at this point, I felt pretty good about getting back into this place. The campground owners recommended having a lead vehicle to get around, and up, the 2 blind turns, so thankfully we already had Greg in place! The first turn wasn’t too bad, and I took the whole road to make it and be in position for the next turn which was tighter and ended in a steep incline. Pearl worked hard to pull Maverick’s heavy ass up that hill! The rest of Old Mountain Rd was slow going but passable. The handwritten speed limit sign made me laugh.

The turn into the entrance for the campground is at a good angle, just a bit bumpy. At this point, my concentration is on following Greg in the Jeep so he can guide me into my spot. It’s a one way loop to the right that goes up the hill into where the campsites were, then around and down the hill, so we could back into our site, the last one overlooking the pond What a great view!). Well, that blue Jeep missed the right turn (sigh) and I didn’t recognize it until I was fully passed it. In reverse, I backed down and around the curve on the hill with my foot on Pearl’s brake and my hand pressing Maverick’s brakes.

I got in position to go up the hill again, the correct way this time, and started in on it. The whole time I have Greg on the phone and can hear him talking to the owners about the best way to get pulled around and in. It’s a bit tight in places and Pearl & Maverick hitched are 61′ long. I come around the hill, pull past our spot, and get ready to reverse into it. Now, we are backing up into an angled spot, uphill with a mostly red clay and a little gravel drive and it rained a good amount the day prior. So, a little challenging already – we can do this. I start to press the gas, and Pearl goes a little, then slides cutting ruts into the wet clay. I shift it into 4L (or tried to…) and try a few more times. Still sliding. Now it’s the owners, Gareth and Jessica, and Greg helping direct me. They get me further down the hill and try to get me going so the turn into the spot isn’t abrupt, letting me slide less. Nope, still sliding. By now, I have put the truck into reverse a half a dozen times or so.

Now, the idea is to get me turned around and try coming up the hill the opposite way and blind back it in.

Okay, cool. Great. We can do this.

I go down the hill and have to drive at the very edge of the gravel so I can make the left turn, since It’s tight. I have to get all of Maverick around it and fully up the hill, so I can push him back down the other way. We didn’t make it all the way around because there were huge boulders not allowing Maverick’s tires to make the turn and Pearl was as far over a she could be.

Without hesitation, Gareth and Greg reached down and moved 2 HUGE boulders out of the way. It took at least 4 times backing up and pulling forward at a sharper angle each time to get Maverick turned around. Jessica was standing on the boulders they moved to help me pull as far forward as possible, while the guys helped on the back end of Maverick. I wasn’t going to fit here either and now I’m in a tough spot and blocking all entrances to the campground.

Okay, deep breaths. We can still do this.

Jessica goes to get a chainsaw and Gareth cuts a tree down for me! With that obstacle out of the way, the whole back end of Maverick, to the tires, was in the woods, so I could get turned around and back up the hill.

Now I’m turned around and head back up the hill, pulling just past our spot. There happens to be an empty spot across from us, so we take advantage of it to get more leverage out of the turns. First I have to get the trailer at the right angle so I can get into the open spot. 4-5 reverses later and we can start to push the trailer into our spot, even though it’s coming at a wide angle. Next to our spot is this pile of red clay that if I was backing in the proper way, we get no where close to. However, since we are doing it backwards, (thinking it will be easier) it is very much in the way.

I didn’t realize we would slide so much on the clay, but Greg (ever the baseball player) said clay is the best to slide on, but probably not a good idea to have Maverick slide into home with the pond right there.

By this time, our new neighbor, Charlie, has come out to join the ‘Maverick Parking Council’. Something crazy, like 13 reverses later, I’ve almost got the rig turned completely around and am sliding again and making ruts everywhere. Sigh. I feel so bad because Jessica is going to have to come back in with her tractor and relevel all my ruts.

Charlie comes over and is asking why Pearl’s front tires aren’t spinning, only the back. All I can do is shrug my shoulders as I confirm the knob is turned to 4L. He leans in the window to check what the dash says…. and it doesn’t say anything for gears.

What. The. Heck.

It’s been at least an hour in this parking adventure by now and I’m starting to consider coming back when the ground is drier. Charlie asks me to put Pearl in park, switch the knob back to 2H, then to 4H. A little message on the dash said shift was successful. Now, we switched it into 4L and the little message said to shift in neutral, so I did…. and Pearl shifted into 4L.

Sigh. I swear I’m fighting myself sometimes.

I absolutely hung my head in shame for being a COMPLETE idiot this whole time. If I would have only checked to make sure Pearl listened when I told her to go to 4L, I would have known she didn’t. Oh bother.

The Maverick Parking Council was very understanding and kind through this new enlightenment, not judging at all. Charlie helped get me back into the spot (still look some maneuvering of 7-8 reverses) and almost 90 minutes later, we could unhitch. With Pearl in the proper gear, she put Maverick in his spot EASILY. I could almost see her in my mind’s eye, looking at me with her arms crossed and 1 eyebrow raised. Pearl’s tires were caked with rocks and clay. Maverick’s tires were covered in red clay and hay. However, we were parked.

Everyone was so supportive and it was such a good real-world learning experience for me. What was my lesson learned? Don’t be in a rush or not check to make sure I’m ready to go. There are lots of items to check on the camper when prepping for travel in and out. I need to add the 4-wheel drive to that list for when it’s needed. Everyone said they were impressed with my driving, even with my mistake, and I (like everywhere) shocked quite a few people that I pull the camper. With these situations, I ask myself the same question. However the Maverick Parking Council said they couldn’t have done it any better and they have all been pulling campers and trailers for years. Not sure I want to go anywhere now…

~Katie