First Annual SWAMP RUN!Trail Ride, Berlin WI

[foxvalley]

There is no challenge to be offered. Vehicles without tracks cannot make it more than about 30 feet into the swamp. And no one was willing to pull a machine without tracks all day.

Keith.

Keith is right, you just can't go without tracks here, it also takes the right type of tracks, plastic tracks are almost as bad as no tracks at all.
It's to bad we didn't have any escargot,or buzzes hybrid tracks here, I'm sure both would have done just fine here, as they are both very aggressive tracks,just what you need to traverse this type of terrain.

[foxvalley]

Awesome job with the video Nick,I'm glad you took a little footage of the buildings before we started,something I don't have.
I also wanted to keep are videos separate so we didn't overlap,or repeat the same footage. It also gives two different perspectives,Nick, and his professional video job, and Tim and I,with our amature,uncut, unedited version.

[mudbug3]

Thanks for posting that video Nick.

[autobon7]

Keith is right, you just can't go without tracks here, it also takes the right type of tracks, plastic tracks are almost as bad as no tracks at all.
It's to bad we didn't have any escargot,or buzzes hybrid tracks here, I'm sure both would have done just fine here, as they are both very aggressive tracks,just what you need to traverse this type of terrain.

I watched all the videos......wow....looked like loads of fun. Now I understand why tracks are needed.

[Obsessed]

The beginning is a bit of a winch fest, but we later on learn how to tame the terrain.

Awesom video of the Fox Valley Argo ride! You did an awesome job of taking multiple cameras and angles and putting them all together into one enjoyable clip. The first part of your video explains a lot...we had some new guys that jumped into Doug's new tracked HDI that were following us up front, and then then a tracked 6x6 580 Frontier that was right behind them...when we stopped and looked back we waited a while before we saw Keith on his Tracked Max IV and we were starting to wonder if the rest of the group might have taken a wrong turn. That part of the trail is so narrow that getting out of order or trying to get back to help another vehicle is actually pretty difficult. That's about the time Keith blazed a trail Through the heavy overgrowth and went back to see what was going on... That's about the same time that we could see somebody climbing one of the hunting towers... I'm glad that somebody got a little video from up high like that because it was a pretty good perspective on how dense and difficult that first part of the swamp really is. Knowing what we know now we should stagger the machines a little differently next time so that it would be easy to keep the whole group moving through that first part. If we wanted to take all of the fun out of it you could just about tie every machine to the machine in front of it and we can all just let Doug autopilot the chain of machines through that difficult section LOL

Great video and a lot of fun to watch! Thanks for taking the time to put it together and for sharing it Nick

tim

[mightymaxIV]

Nick, you did a very good job of putting several good clips together. Considering the type of tracks the MaxIIs did very well under very extreme conditions (I remember Noels MaxII with Adair tracks was unstoppable under conditions like these). I really enjoyed watching the Mudd Ox knock down trees and acting as a tow vehicle. All and all a very impressive showing by every machine. Matt, I still believe that an Ox with 16 Vendettas and a set of Adair tracks would be king of the beast under these same conditions, your only disadvantage is trees that are growing to close together along the trail, next year bring a chain saw.

Thanks for the great video Nick, I will have to watch it several times to see everything.

[john swenson]

hey guys, for someone who really loves tracked machines i sure enjoyed the videos. the best was really seeing each one with different tracks and how well they performed. those were some pretty extreme conditions. watching closely i really learned alot. looked like my buddy locolouie managed well. thanks for sharing ! johnboy va.

[locolouie]

hey guys, for someone who really loves tracked machines i sure enjoyed the videos. the best was really seeing each one with different tracks and how well they performed. those were some pretty extreme conditions. watching closely i really learned alot. looked like my buddy locolouie managed well. thanks for sharing ! johnboy va.

thanks John, I believed we all managed pretty well considering the conditions of that swamp,

[locolouie]

I hope no one else got poison sumac, had to get a shot to clear it up, was driving my crazy

[tbone9]

Sorry to hear that. How are you doin?

[rodp]

I hope no one else got poison sumac, had to get a shot to clear it up, was driving my crazy

??? Poison Sumac ?? Can someone tell me what it is please ?

[plott hound]

??? Poison Sumac ?? Can someone tell me what it is please ?

same reaction as poison ivy.big itchy juicy lumps on your skin,drives you crazy.i get it almost every spring when im picking morels.i swear to god if I even look at poison ivy I get it.

[foxvalley]

I hope no one else got poison sumac, had to get a shot to clear it up, was driving my crazy

Sorry to hear that Mike, I was hoping that we got lucky in there, with nobody getting it. Guessing they gave you steriod shots,should clear it up in a week or so.

Poison sumac is a small shrub that grows everywhere in my swamp,and produces small white berrys in the fall. If you scratch the bark, or the branches,there is an oil underneath which creates a histimine reaction. Some people are very allergic,some not so much. The first time I was ever in there, and had no idea about sumac, I had to get a shot also, as my eye swelled shut,and it made me physically sick. I think you can build up a tollerace for it, as I will rarely get it, but still shower, and wash my cloths after comming in contact with it.
It's a very nasty little shrub,and you can even get it in your lungs if you burn the stuff.

My brother in law was helping me track a deer in there one time,and while we were taking a break, I noticed he was chewing on a branch.........I asked him where he got it, and you guessed it,pointed to a sumac tree.Two days later,the opening of our gun deer season he called me,I thought to tell me about his big buck, but instead,to tell me he was in the hospital getting treated.

[rodp]

Hmm, it's not good then You guys have some stuff over there I'm glad we don't have, snakes, spiders, poison trees etc

[mrtlc]

My wife got poison sumac from washing the boys cloths. Sorry Mom We all took showers when we got home and came out CLEAN :-) We'll do it again :-}