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**** The return to Gitche Gumee ****

48K views 362 replies 38 participants last post by  MsUndrstood 
#1 ·
Gitche Gumee is back!

September 27-29th, 2013

This event is open to GLFWDA members only!

If you've never wheeled northern Ontario before this is your chance to see one of the most beautiful areas of North America. This trip is not your average weekend wheeling adventure. The trail is 40 minutes from civilization being prepared is key. Don't bring your rotted out broken down cj7 on bald tires, you WILL be left at camp.

Registration form can be found here: http://www.glfwda.org/showthread.php?13114-*******GITCHEE-GUMEE-2013-September-27-28-*******

Feel free to ask questions here.
 
#42 ·
here is some pics of the last time we went up to the tower, the last mile is starting to get growin in but is still do-able, whats a few scratches :sonicjay:

If I can muster up the troops to take a day to go up there and hack/blaze the last mile, I would be in, so please put out the word if any are interested







 
#44 ·
Get your passports for any American's that don't have them already.
If it's your first time into Canada and you have a DUI or DWI on your record there is a chance you will be denied entry. They are getting more relaxed now, but at one time Canadian Customs were very strict with this and would turn you around and send you back.
I so want to go to this and see the one area of my home province I haven't been to.
Sounds like a great time and I'll have tons of vacation time I have to burn up at the end of September.
 
#52 ·
:sonicjay: after a couple years living out of the tj we had a 1985 class c motor home and we flat towed the jeep up there. It actually worked pretty well except when we would leave we would go right and all the way to the lcbo and turn around so we could get going as fast as possible so we could make it up mile long hill. Ah the good ol days!
 
#55 ·
Another thing to look into for crossing if you have children. A few years ago everyone needed a passport, kids included. Then they changed it so only the parents needed a passport and kids could travel with birth certificates.

Now here is where it gets sticky. Enhanced licences. It used to be adults, WITHOUT children could cross with an enhanced, but if you had kids with you the adults needed full passports unless the kids had passports.

Currently, parents with only an enhanced licence CAN cross with children who only carry a birth certificate. However during times of high security and Amber Alerts they may not allow it.

So long story short, it is best for all adults in your group to have a full passport instead of enhanced licences unless you want to risk having to leave some of your kids at the border.
 
#56 ·
Campground update

According to Diane @ Blueberry there are only 8 more campsites left BUT she still has the trailer for rent if anyone is interested.
Once the 8 sites are claimed she said she has the 'group camp' area that was opened up this summer. It also has water and power.
Jim-kb8ymf
 
#71 ·
So, is anyone (Jim?) running a semi stocker run that a fullsize could squeeze into?

Reason I ask is just in case I don't get the rig ready, I always have my Excursion. I don't care about scratches or anything, it's basically my DD/beater/work truck.
 
#74 · (Edited)
So, is anyone (Jim?) running a semi stocker run that a fullsize could squeeze into?
Two situations exist on my trails that I would be afraid to take a bus like the Excursion on. The first one is where my trail skirts the edge of the Pancake River. If might not be too bad except for the fact if you broke over the edge you would plummet 150 to the river. The other situation (which occurs at least 10 times) is SUPER steep ravines where bridges have been removed. Going down to the bottom and then up the other side you would 'bridge' the two sides with both your bumpers. Even Jim R was catching his spare tire with his 4dr JK. Any long overhang vehicle will have problems.
I'll go see if there are some pics from the spring run that show this.
j-kb8ymf

It's kinda like this except the water is WAAAAAAY farther away and DEEPER!


And like this except some were steeper and deeper V, this was the only pic from May I could find.
 

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#77 ·
I've never doubted your 'wheeling skilz' Keith, it the submarine that you'd be wheeling that worries me. It won't fit without recurving your sheetmetal in MANY of the zig-zag trails that I'll be running. This trail hasn't probably been run in 15-20 years with a full size vehicle. It's probably seen some quad/SxS use though. As evidence that beaver dams are still in place and the GREAT washouts that exist on No-Bridge.
j-kb8ymf
 
#80 ·
Well by all means I do not plan to wheel the Excursion up there. The Sami should be ready in time. If, and only if it is not, I will still come up and do some on-road exploring/helping out around camp.

I understand the worry (and dare I say hate?) for fullsize rigs, however I do feel events like these should take them into consideration as well. Jeeps themselves are getting bigger with each generation, and besides the Wrangler, the only U.S. built solid axle vehicles anymore are fullsize trucks. I am seeing a trend of people building bigger rigs, expo rigs, camping type rigs etc. and feel it will only grow.

Now I'm not saying we need to fire up the chainsaws and widen the trails, but instead find some appropriate routes for maybe one or two fullsize runs instead of planning to exclude them alltogether from big events like this.
 
#82 · (Edited)
Keith,

I dare say that no one 'hates' the big boys you guys are faced with at least three problems. One is; many 'decidious forest' trails areas is that trees NEVER stop growing and no one ever seems to want to spend the time necessary to keep them open for anything much wider than a SxS, Quad or Snowmachine. Even those vehicles are starting to brush the sides. If you examine the issue further you'll see that the eventuality is that all these trails WILL eventually close back up and be reclaimed by Mother Nature.

I have a vast quantity of maps from years gone by up there and you'd be suprised at how many of these trails no longer exist.

Even last year fall the run that Whiterhino took up on was totally un-recognizable at the exit point. Were it not for the fact we pushed through 50 feet of total brush overgrowth, you would have NEVER found that trail going in the opposite direction.

My trail that I'm going to use you would NEVER find it if we went in the opposite direction either. That's because they build a full blown logging road right on top of some of my old trail and covered it up. The best we can hope for is that with some relative consistient use some of these trails will develop back to a decent width that you can at least FIND them in the future.

Two, most of these trails were never designed for full size vehicles. At best some of these are just skidder trails that we've 'kept open' by our limited use. Some of that limited use is due to groups wanting to keep the trails to themselves. This attitude was perpetrated by the fact that many users are fearful of how the U.S. based Land Manager like to close every single trail once someone finds out how much how 'fun' that trail is because 'fun' is usually associated with environmentally damaging. Remember though, we can use these types of trails in Canada where in the U.S. you can not.

The other aspect of the big boys is that as Whiterhino pointed out, when you guys get stuck, it' s MAJOR undertaking to get you out. All too often there's only one and maybe two of you big guys. To make it more fun for all and not kill some small vehicles trying to get you guys unstuck, you need to travel with a few of you together to have adaquate equipment to get unstuck.

jim-kb8ymf
 
#81 ·
Keith,
I know you get it and you've been there before. In fact, you have been part of more than one of the guy's runs that I have organized in the past where some of the most fun ever has happened. With that said, there is a reason that I for one stopped doing GG. It came to a point where I was "expected" to provide a good time and find a place for anyone with a 4x4 who attended. And for me, in Canada, that is just not possible. When I was approached about bringing this event back, my answer was quite simple. Yes, I would lead a run both days. No, I will not make any effort to accomodate anyone in particular. I am going where I want to go, regardless of difficulty or lack thereof and I welcome anyone who thinks it would be fun to tag along. Bottom line, this is my vacation too. I am taking days off work and spending several hundred dollars to enjoy the Canada "I" enjoy. GG-06 pretty much ruined it for me when I had a young kid ready to take a poke at me because I told him he couldn't go because he needed a winch. Why?, because we were going here and I knew it would be a winch fest;

Note in the background 'ol fatass himself on a hill that all but 2 winched. :d:


I don't hate full size rigs, I just know they don't do well in the type of trails I like to run. There are some good places a fullsize rig on 33's - 35's could enjoy a full weekend. As far as camping goes, I have done a couple overnight runs in Canada. One a decent truck could have gone on, the other not a chance.

I would hardly like to take a heavy vehicle here. (and yes, we will be here this year too)

 
#83 ·
GG-06 pretty much ruined it for me when I had a young kid ready to take a poke at me because I told him he couldn't go because he needed a winch. Why?, because we were going here and I knew it would be a winch fest;
Let it also be known thatI got stuck with this guy after WR kicked him out of his group for the reasons he explained.
He had open diffs and nearly bald 33" All-Terrain's. At the end of the day after him badgering me for hours on end I took him to 'Fruitloop' off Robertson Lake Road. He made one run @ Mach 8 up a pretty challenging hill and proceded to literally 'toss' his radiator into his fan (Radiator was zip tied to the front cowl with two zip ties) and dump all his coolant probably 20 feet up a 400 foot long trail. He was stranded and didn't have a single tool in his vehicle. I believe hitched a ride back to the campground to get a trailer to retrieve the crippled truck.

I am of the same opinion as WR, I like this area but I'm going there for MY enjoyment. If you want to come and explore with me that's great. Not everyone likes exploring. If you want to be entertained and guaranteed XX miles of 4WD road, go find another event. This is meant to be an exploration run and a layed back trail ride.
I've been going there since 1980 and there's still plenty to explore and not keep going on the same trail each and every year.
j-kb8ymf
 
#85 ·
I am not upset at all, and I think you guys were on the same run I was years ago where a guy kept pulling out his chainsaw to widen trails so his Grand Cherokee wouldn't get scratched. That was unacceptable in my opinion.

I only brought up my comments as a question/thought. The pics you guys showed I would probably not take the Excursuon on. If I had to bring it up I would be looking at a color tour two track sort of thing and was just curious if anyone else was doing something like that. The old gitchee gumee I remember had everything from stocker runs to the more hardcore and I applauded the event for just that.

I feel our converstation here is good and productive. Maybe others reading it can get a good idea as to the types of rigs that this trip will be appropriate for.

Maybe an idea for the future would be to put right on the registration "full-size rigs not recommended for this event" or something like that.

I agree this is all our vacations and we should not be trying to make the event "one size fits all"

I'm hoping my rig will be ready. Maybe you guys can get a pic of my girlfriend hanging from a seatbelt :D
 
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