As magazine guys, we hear it all the time, Twirling Lilies or Devil's Tap Shoes or is the hardest trail in the country. Telling us that is a sure-fire way to get us interested enough to check it out. We like carnage, like pushing the envelope, and just flat-out enjoy a good day wheeling. The problem is we often find that "Mashed Potato" often isn't the hardest trail we've ever been down.
We had heard that Die Trying in Montrose, Colorado was the hardest trail around. We were told that this trail ate Dana 44s for breakfast, and that a rig with 35-inch tires wouldn't make it. We'd heard it all before, and while any day wheeling is better than a day at work (oh, wait) when we left Die Trying, it was definitely in the top 5 toughest trails we'd tackled. Not only does Die Trying live up to the hype, we'd definitely drive out there to run it again and if you are a serious rock crawler, you should add it to your bucket list too.
With 42-inch Iroks on his...
With 42-inch Iroks on his '91 YJ, Kirby Simoens was the big dog of the trip. Sure, 42's might be overkill, but it looks cool, and his '91 Dodge-sourced front Dana 60 and rear Corporate 14-bolt with 5.13s and front and rear Detroit Lockers didn't whimper, even though they were being pushed on by a '98 454 ci V-8, Turbo 350, and an Atlas II. The 14-inch front coilovers and 4-inch TJ lift coils out back coupled with a Campbell Enterprises hood and a 2-inch body lift provide just the right amount of clearance for those monster meats.
Don Boydan brought out his...
Don Boydan brought out his '89 Wrangler with a '00 Chevy 6.0L V-8, '90 700R4, and Atlas II. The front Dana 60 and rear Dana 70 both have spools and 5.13s which help turn the red label Krawlers.
This little flatfender surprised...
This little flatfender surprised us. After we were told that 35-inch tires were too small to get a Jeep through this trail, John Rants shows up with 35x12.50R15 BFGs on his '53 CJ-3B. He doesn't care too much about denting the vintage rockers and with the small tires, the '68 Ford Mustang 289 ci V-8, C-4 transmission, and 4.3:1 Atlas II all got a workout from the skinny pedal. A front Dana 44 out of a Scout with a Lock-Rite and a rear 35-spline Currie 9-inch with a True Hi-9 centersection put power out to the wheels through a set of 5.13 gears.
The trail is a non-stop climb...
The trail is a non-stop climb from the beginning. You start at the bottom of a wash and just keep going up for about 1-miles. It might not sound like much, but it took our group of well-equipped rigs with experienced drivers about 7 hours to run. This is no walk in the park, but with no huge cliffs to fall off you are free to try different approaches to the many obstacles which makes for a very entertaining and challenging day.
We took to thinking of this...
We took to thinking of this '82 Scrambler as "Tank". Shawn Rants built it for having fun, and he has fun by picking goofy lines that often result in off-camber, body rubbing, or other trail-based tomfoolery that was just a blast to watch. The 258ci inline-six is still under the hood coupled to a TF727 and 4.3:1 Atlas II turning 37-inch BFG Krawlers on KMC beadlocks. Poison Spyder corners, front and rear tube fenders, and rocker guards all work together to keep this Jeep straight when, not if, it comes in contact with the rocks.
Butch Clark of Montrose, Colorado...
Butch Clark of Montrose, Colorado and Jeremy Dejulio from his church's youth group piloted this '84 Scrambler. With a 5.7L V-8 out of a '99 Tahoe coupled to a Turbo 350 and 3.8:1 Atlas II there was plenty of power on tap. Check out The Comeback Kid (Jp, August 2008) for more info.
Yeah, we know it's a Toyota,...
Yeah, we know it's a Toyota, but this is a public service announcement: Keep all hands, arms, and feet inside the vehicle at all times. We know it is human nature to try and stop the vehicle from rolling, but we've been on enough trail runs where this action results in loosing parts; and we aren't talking parts that you can get from a Jeep catalog.
This '89 Cherokee was the...
This '89 Cherokee was the pretty one. Boat sides, a plated unibody, an internal/external cage, and major fender cutting for tire clearance all help this XJ stay on the trail. The stock six-cylinder, automatic transmission and transfer case are still handling power detail, but that's where stock ends. A high-pinion Ford Dana 60 found its way under the front end while a Lincoln-locked Corporate 14-bolt is out back, both stuffed with 5.38 gears and spinning 38.5-inch Super Swamper TSL SX tires on homemade weld-on beadlocks cleared by 8-inches of lift.
This '94 Cherokee is on its...
This '94 Cherokee is on its last legs. If you couldn't tell, Jason Crick has wheeled the snot out of it and the complete lack of regard for the body led to some really interesting lines. The stock inline-six and AX-15 are still there with a 4:1 low range being the only modification to the transfer case. A front Dana 44 and rear Ford 9-inch replace the puny stock axles and are stuffed with 4.88 gears, spools, and turn some well-worn 36-inch Super Swamper TSLs.
There might not be much actual...
There might not be much actual flatfender left, but it didn't matter one bit to Jared Newman. This was his first time out wheeling, and he was the only one of our group to actually run this stair step obstacle which was located at the top of a very steep 50-foot hill. If he went over backwards, it was a long way down.