Marengo Swamp run

[boncrshr]

I'm in, and 2-3 hunting buddies tentatively going.

[mudbug3]

So far there looks to be an amphib group of " maybe " 9 to 10 who want to go .

This would be some great video coverage of this event , for 6x6 world .

[Meinfield]

I am going to try to make it down! Bon, are you guys camping?

[boncrshr]

Hey Mein,

I think that was tentatively the plan, however; when we were reading the rules on the park, they said no beer??? Could this be true?? I don't know that I've had a camp fire without beer since I hit puberty.....

One of my hunting buddies has a travel trailer, and I have a tent, so we should be good in the shelter department. Are ya'll going to camp or stay in a hotel?

[Meinfield]

Not sure at this point but leaning towards camping.

[JACKSTAND]

Hey Mein,

I think that was tentatively the plan, however; when we were reading the rules on the park, they said no beer??? Could this be true?? I don't know that I've had a camp fire without beer since I hit puberty.....

One of my hunting buddies has a travel trailer, and I have a tent, so we should be good in the shelter department. Are ya'll going to camp or stay in a hotel?

You can drink at the camp. But since the ride is on a wildlife refuge, no alcohol is allowed on the actual ride. We usually party pretty hard Friday then get a couple hours of sleep before heading out around 6:00am to work the trails.

[Roger S]

Here's a few hundred Marengo Swamp pictures, lot's of muddy people and quads. One Bigfoot spectating. Good viewing for your morning coffee.

Marengo Suicide Swamp Ride 2006

[Ducksmasher]

i really dont know if my max could make it through the suicide hole.. Ive been in some of that soupy clay and I just bogged down and all the tires spun. I had to winch out. What Id really like to do is put axle extensions on and another set of tires! Look out 12 tires mashin everything in sight!

[mudbug3]

My friend Dan ( aka mightymaxIV ) and myself , plan to make the Marengo swamp run this year . I,m planning on running six 26 " , Gator tires , on my Max IV , with all of them facing foward , in the mud positon . I want maximum traction for this event , and tires that shead mud better than the stock Terra tires . The Gator tires don,t swim at all , so I,ll avoid all of the deep water sections at Marengo . One of the staff members at the Marengo event , who has posted on this forum board , ( kickstand ) , said you can drive around most of the really bad mud sections , if you want . There are lots of spider web trails all through the woods , so just pick the one that looks less risky . The 70 ft , suicide hole , is about 3-5 miles into woods , and this is the place where Dan and I want to drive our Max IV,s through .

[Roger S]

One of the pics I linked too, cracked me up.

http://www.killeratv.com/four%20wheeler%20pics/Misc/Marengo2006/IMG_0603.JPG

[mudbug3]

Roger ,


That a picture only a mother could love . One thing about an amphib , we don,t have to get muddy unless we want to .

[mudbug3]

Roger ,


I checked out the pictures on that website you posted , and also watched several ATV video,s as well . I liked how the ATV video,s were posted , so you could watch them in full screen , on windows media player .

[micmac]

One of the pics I linked too, cracked me up.

http://www.killeratv.com/four%20whee...6/IMG_0603.JPG

Looks like one of the characters from Texas Chainsaw Massacre!!!

[JACKSTAND]

I pulled this post off of another forum. It's a pretty good check list to make your Marengo experience a little easier.

1) Pre-register. The lines will be long anyway, last thing you want to do is stop and fill out paperwork. The application in on our web site.
2) Get the one-day license and DO NOT FORGET IT. You will be turned around and sent back. You cannot get this at the ride.
3) FILL your quads with gas - bring extra gallon or two if you intend to play much. My rancher normally gets 25 mpg - at Marengo I get 7mpg and I do not play that much.
4) Go to Kmart or Wal-Mart and buy a 1 to 2 gallon garden sprayer - fill it with water and bungee it to your quad. This will allow you to clean your face and hands during the ride - if any of your quads are liquid cooled, it gives you a way to clean the radiator. If you have to work on your quad, it can help clean the mud off.
5) Put everything in Ziplocs. Bring extra gallon size zip locks for the shirts they sell at the start of the ride (they tend to sell out before they day is out). Bring some hand towels to dry your hands and wipe things off.
6) Bring some water to drink - Marengo is generally VERY hot and muggy and I have seen folks get heat stroke. Water or gator aid is good to have.
7) Somebody bring a first aid kit - you are a long way in a swamp.
8) Put at least 5 or 6 psi in your tires - something very common at Marengo is tires coming off rims - they tend to get knocked off because you slide so much - that is the slickest stuff I have ever seen when wet. And it sticks to everything.
9) If anyone has a small air compressor or flat fix kit - bring them - a tire off the rim 8 miles from the parking lot is not a lot of fun.
10) Get club shirts so you can recognize each other (do not use white - pick a bright color). There were over 3600 4 wheelers there last year and all of us are going through an area less than 100 yards wide - you will get separated from your group sooner or later. We generally make a plan to stop every mile or so and meet back up. We also carry talkabouts. To help us keep in contact and to get help to each other if we need it.
11) Bring some basic tools for the quads.

12) Bring towropes.
13) The ride can be as easy or as hard as you want to make it - the middle will be impossible. You just have to pick the go-arounds you want and go left or right of the really bad stuff.
14) Most folks that like to play in the mud - jump right into the first mud hole they come to... I would recommend you not do that - there is 17 miles of nothing but mud - don't wear yourself out to start with. It is a hard ride and you will be tired at the end. I don't know how your quads are set up, but you can easily stick a big quad running 28" outlaws here - over and over. I guess I'm just recommending that you pace yourself - there is plenty of mud.
15) Plan on stopping at suicide hole for a little while - it is fun to watch... for that matter - the whole ride is fun to watch.
16) Try to get there early (by 7 or 7:30)- there will be huge lines. We generally go past the entrance to the ride and park at the end of the paved road on the left, but you can park wherever you want. We try to be on the trail by 8 and it takes us till 3:30 or 4:00 to finish the ride. Bring a cheap dust mask and goggles for the ride out. There is a gravel road several miles long that is a dust pit at the end of the day and it is miserable to ride out without the mask and goggles.
17) Wear hats - this mud contracts when it dries and will pull hairs like you would not believe (arms and legs too)
18) They always have drinks and burgers at the end of the ride, so bring a few $$$ if you want one.
19) Do not under any circumstances bring beer or a firearm - it is a "go to jail immediately" thing.
20) Most folks are very helpful during the ride - and there are rangers that in on the ride as well.
21) Bring waterproof disposable camera's
22) Bring extra cloths and garbage bags to put your riding cloths in at the end of the ride.
23) There is a wash off spot (bayou) at one point during the ride and at the end of the ride - you can't take your quad into the water at the end of the ride, but you can take your quad seat.

[Roger S]

This page has a lot of links and info:

Wish I Could of NELA Foundation - Marengo Suicide Ride

click on the Marengo Map Button to see an interactive Google map of the area, zoom in to see the smallest roads, zoom out to see major highways, etc. My understanding is there is one field/parking lot past the entrance gate that fills up mid week. Another field, back to the west and down, marked on the map as Free Parking, that doesn't get as crowded and will probably have parking Friday night/Saturday morning. I think people park all over the area..

Back on the main Wish I Could page, there's pre registration forms, ride information, and Wildlife rules and regulations. Out of state people w/o Louisiana hunting/fishing licenses need a one day Wild Louisiana Stamp permit, dated for June 7th. $2 at Walmart, etc. Online for $4.50 and mailed to you. Pre registration must be mailed before May 25th and is $15 per atv. not per person. Although everyone needs a Wild Stamp including passengers (if not using a hunting/fishing license)

I think the group is not going to pre register, as the line is supposedly shorter. It's $20 per atv.

There is a 1000 lb, 100" length, 60" width limit in the Wildlife regulations. I am over weight slightly and about 20" over on length. May come as a passenger unless I get something in writing as a waiver from them. Not going on a 1000 mile trip to get fined and turned away by a game ranger. Would free me up for a LOT of camera time though