Wheelin' For Hope... Jeeps Galore!

November 14th marks my dad's birthday. He would have turned 99 this year. We lost him to cancer 4 1/2 years ago, so supporting the American Cancer Society is near to my heart.

When my son and his girlfriend asked me to join them and 199 other Jeepin' folks for a weekend of wheeling in the woods to support the American Cancer Society's Wheelin' For Hope Jeep event in April, I said "Count me in!​"

Playing in the mud and rain...

My son has had his Jeep for 18 years, and he LOVES it! He has gone on countless 4-wheeling trips over the years with his friends. Somehow, though, I've never gone with him. So when he asked me if I wanted to go along as my birthday prize, I was excited! All I had to do was ride along. The kids took care of all the snacks, drinks, food, everything. Never having gone 4-wheeling before, I knew it sounded fun, but was bouncing along and crawling over rocks really what it was cracked up to be? I was soon to find out!

The event was held on private property at Oakridge Estate that is situated between Lynchburg and Charlottesville, VA along Rt. 29. The weather was rainy and downright chilly, which was going to make the event a bit wet and slippery. It was all for a great cause to support the American Cancer Society, so lots of Jeeps showed up... lots.... and lots... 200 in fact! Below you'll see all the Jeeps lined up and ready for the first trail of the day!

Getting organized...

There were 10 different groups, each led by an experienced Trail Guide. Each group would run a different trail so that everyone had a chance to get some quality off-roading in. Our trail guide happened to be an old friend of my son's, so it was going to be a fun time. Once everyone lined up, let out some of the air in their tires to make crawling easier, and jumped in...  we started off!

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​See the foil under the hood? Yep, those were breakfast burritos tucked in to heat up for a bit later on the trail. I had my doubts, but being a newbie, who was I to question??

My son's Jeep, affectionately known as "The Goat," is in line all ready to go! 

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We started off with our group and followed Ben, our trail guide. He took us down through the woods winding along the trail. Then he came upon a stream that was running pretty fast because of all the rain. I asked my son if he was actually going to try to cross it, knowing that if Ben did, we would all have to follow. My son thought I was silly for asking... "Of course, we're crossing it!" Check out the video I took to give you a sense of the ride across.

​How cool was that?!

Rocks? What rocks? ...Oh, and trees, too!

For anyone who hasn't gone 4-wheeling, you can't imagine the terrain these guys cover. Rocks, trees, streams, hills...all of them are just another challenge as to who can make it over and who might get stuck and need to be pulled out. It's a slow ride with lots of stopping and waiting to see if the next in line makes the obstacle or needs a tow strap, but boy, is it awesome!

Yep, it took some effort to get out of this. After we slid into the tree (on my side of course), I decided to get out and watch from ahead and take pictures. That rock you see in the center of the Jeep was only one of the problems. Being up against the tree and hung up on other rocks underneath were just minor details... :-) Because the guys try very hard not to damage the trees or bust up their vehicles, it takes time to figure out how best to "extract" oneself from such a crazy spot! "Goat" came through and paved the way for others behind us.

What about the burritos??

Remember the burritos on the engine? Oh yes! They were super hot and absolutely delicious! Bacon, eggs, and cheese never tasted so yummy!

Did you think that first stream was scary to cross? You should have been on this one! Here's the video of Ben, our guide, showing us the way.
Yikes! I had to hold on and couldn't video our crossing...Sheesh!
"Goat" managed very nicely to crawl up that rock!

This was not the best place to break down!  (see video above). It took a bunch of the guys, several Jeeps, and a few tow straps to pull this one out of the creek, up over the hill, through the mud, and onto the trail.  All it took was about 20 minutes. Piece of cake!

Relaxing with dinner and music after the first day...chilly, rainy...but oh so much fun!

Until Next Year!

 The weekend was a great way to meet new and old friends, get to play in the mud, and raise some serious funds for the American Cancer Society. Over the 2 days of wheelin' fun, $16,000 was raised...wow! Hopefully those monies and the thousands more over the past 7 years will help find a cure and save other families from the heartache of losing someone dear. My dad would have loved doing a trip like this... I'm so glad I could be part of it in his honor! 

Happy Birthday, Dad!

For more info on this event, please check out their website... Wheelin' For Hope