Trent McGee was granted the honor of piloting Scott Frary's other trail rig on this trip. Having had some experience with this Jeep YJ in the past, we kind of envied Trent. It's a great trail machine.
Day Three: Shoestring
Positioned in Washington's Naches area, the Shoestring Trail combines beautiful vistas with tremendous challenge. At certain spots, you can take in views of both Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. The trails are tight, twisty, and tailor-made for short, narrow rigs. Adding a level of excitement to this area are two tremendous playgrounds: Funny Rocks and Moon Rocks. The first is reminiscent of rock gardens in the Southwest, where you can really stretch the suspension and test the extreme articulation of your vehicle. The latter is comprised of volcanic rock that is very sharp, jagged, and steeply pitched - a perfect way to round off any day of four-wheeling.
Larry Trim of Trail Ready had recently crushed the rear section of the roof on his Grand Cherokee. But a little bodywork had him ready for another week of hard-core 'wheeling. The well-built little machine never missed a beat.
Day Four: Enumclaw
This had been intended to be a day of travel, to get the whole group up north to tackle Walker Creek. However, Scott Frary decided to squeeze in a morning of four-wheeling fun in the Enumclaw district. The trails were noticeably easy after the strenuous 'wheeling of the past few days, but the views were remarkable. After a couple of hours of just running up and down trails and taking in the beauty of the Northwest, we loaded up and headed north on Highway 5 to the little town of Mt. Vernon.
Day Five: Walker Creek
In all our years of running trails, never have we been anywhere with so many tree stumps lying in wait to cause grief to the unwary and unlucky. Once again, the trails were very tight and required that we thread our way through the forest floor. Sometimes we would travel a good mile or more with nothing more challenging than a spot of mud. Then suddenly a muddy rock precipice would present itself and the fun would ensue. After a week of 'wheeling and very little damage, this final day took its toll. There were at least six rollovers (hard hitting, too), mangled sheetmetal, and some of the most vicious little mosquitoes we've had the misfortune to meet in a while. However, not once was anyone forced to winch to make it up an obstacle. There was too much driver skill on the ground for that kind of ignominy.
If you have never had the experience of four-wheeling in the Pacific Northwest, you owe it to yourself to make the trip. The trails are spectacular and the scenery is magnificent. A week in the Washington outback is an adventure you won't forget.
The Gear Centre's Keith Hart had a tremendous time in the company's XJ. Aside from a bit of crinkling on a passenger-side door, the Cherokee rolled through the trails unscathed. | 
Another one of Jerrod Prindle's trail creations joined the Detroit crew for the week. This beautiful Bronco belongs to Nathan Middleton and it is a one-of-a-kind machine. |  |
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One of several hard-hitting rollovers that occurred on the final day in Walker Creek. The rollcage was tweaked, but the Willys started right back up and climbed the remaining obstacles. |