Well...what can I say...
4 months ago we all wanted MUD...
...and now we have got it, in mammoth hyper-adhesive quantities!!!!
We want dry now!!!
A blinding day....big thanks to everyone who came and made it a success...
Particular thanks to Steve for being "the MAN" on the FOG-B-Q...Gareth for being the outside broadcast unit and winch man...and Sally for being a great hostess and a great help as always...
The day started with us meeting at Notcutts and trundling up to my workshop to load the gear into the chevy ready to go down the woods...
Many hands make............"INTERESTING LOADING"!!!!

Setting up went really well and everyone helped....but we had a bit of a saga putting up the FOG-WAM (bit like a kinda wigwam covery thing, but a FOG fing)
Finally we got there after putting it up and down 1/2 a dozen times...will be easy next time as Gareth marked one of the ropes so we know which way round it goes now!!
Boy was it muddy though...where the snow had all melted the ground was just thick with mud...the really easy stuff is a massive challenge at the mo...
Was a great day, FOG-B-Q was yummy...loads of recoveries...a bit of carnage (pedro!!!)...but great fun...and the sun was out most of the day, still bleedin cold though!
The mud lovin crew today were....(in no particular order!)
Sally....Sal looked after everything at Basecamp, kept the kettle on the boil, watched us making t1ts of ourselves and got cold!!
Gareth (garethc976)...Great to see ya again, been a while...His 2.2dti did blindingly but later on the less extreme m/t's struggled as the mud thickened! Had a storming run up the final climb down the far end of the woods...didn't think he would make it, but some stunning driving, determination and dti abuse got it up there...only to get stuck right at the top as Kel and Pete had parked in the way!!! His winch got plenty of use today...and Gareth learnt a valuable lesson about not driving over the winch remote...we got it fixed though...
Had a couple of predicaments up the top of the woods on the slopes where it was really greasy...winch and tirfor extraction was called for...
Gareth's got to be the only fella I know who can lean his car on trees and not dent it!!Carnage...a few more scratches to join his laning wounds, a winch solenoid pack that decided to get tangled on the winch wire, ripped the wires out the winch remote...
Snorkel looks good buddy...and don't leave visiting us so long next time...
Steve (2much)...Again stunning driving, with Steve's usual "its gonna do it" approach...was determined to do the horseshoe, I kinda thought no chance, but he proved me wrong again...Got a bit stuck down on the final climb which his colways couldn't hack...ended up wedged in between loadsa trees...but didn't hit any...extracted by a load of us bouncing and pushed it so it slid round if I remember rightly...
A master at the FOG-B-Q...thanks mate...and a great help all day extracting everyone else, but I don't think his fronty got towed all day...excellent...
Managed to get stuck in the clearing by parking on a tree stump...had to chainsaw if out from under the car!!!
Carnage...rear quarter developed a little more "character" when he slid sideways into the same tree that Pete did...only not so much damage...
Kel (krusher)...Kel couldnt get any new tyres in time for today's meet...so sooner than him get stuck in the clearing on the flat...or trash his new motor, I lent him my dumper tyres for the day...
Swapped em over in the woods which was fun, and then off he went...I kinda think Kel was impressed with his new found traction, but not as impressed as he was with Sals pink kettle...can we have it back please Kel!!
Stormed up the final climb and then parked in the way of Gareth!!
Kels master piece today, was tackling a difficult climb, which in fairness hadnt been driven by anyone else today (I couldnt get up it, even with brain in glove box and headlights on too)...a superb piece of driving,then the wrong line at the top...slid diagonally and was stuck between a tree, a fallen tree and a huge slope...It wasn't going anywhere, and then the egg cup full of diesel that Kel had in it ran away from the fuel feed pipe...and then the battery went flat!!!
Ended up using two tirfors to drag it round and straight, as it was too muddy at the top and if Gareth had tried to get up there with his winch,we would have had 2 stuck cars to deal with...
Dragged it round after loads of sweating and swearing...I think Kel even found it knackering watching us work!! LOL...
Then he had to freefall backwards down the hill using the dead engine for engine breaking...bit hairy!! Got it to the bottom with a tow from Pete, and a jump start and it was going again...
Need more diesel next time Kel...just cos it does good mpg doesn't mean you don't need to put any in it!!
Glad you enjoyed the dumpers mate and your car is still intact...they are not so good on the road though are they????!!!!
Sally wants her kettle back Kel...just cos its pink, doesnt mean its yours!!!

Pete (retro pedro)...Well....I dont think Pete could make it today...so he sent a demolition derby driver who looked just like him,in his place!!!
Some stunning driving Pete, and loads of recovering people, cheer mate, but have you started putting your brain in glovebox too???
Got to say Pete went everywhere, doing the climbs that I wouldn't even think of with my dirt devils on (and would have probably thought twice if I had been using my dumpers!)...but Pete did get some carnage into the deal!! Rear quarter window busted and a bit more rear quarter character, bust nsr tailight...
Got stuck in the big bomb hole up the top...cross axled out...but it came out easy enough with a bit of pushing and pulling...
You did well though mate...well impressed with you and your fronty, you are working real well together now...
Lloyd...Lloyds range rover bobtail looked rough at the start of the day...and rougher at the end...it missed one or 2 trees in the woods I think, but as rough as it sounded he kept it together all day, the back getting fuller by the hour with all the bits that parted company with it...did well though, and a big help with the recovery's and a hugely tall help with putting up the FOG-WAM!!
Louis...Louis rangey didn't come at all today...as it is dead...
R.I.P. 3.9 vogue efi...the autobox finally gave up, after Louis ran it on engine oil for the last meet when he ripped a cooler hose off it...
He bought his tractor instead, with turf tyres that weren't ideal really in the mud...but he trundled round all day helping us get people unstuck...and lending us tools to fix stuff...top man...
Gregster...Thats me! Well I didnt have my dumpers today as they were lent to the "SAVE KELS BODYWORK FOUNDATION"...so had a struggle on the dirt devils instead...
And it was a struggle...had a couple of moments trying to do stuff that I really knew I stood no chance of doing...but its fun trying and had some interesting moments with the brain in the glovebox...
Didn't take hardly any photo's as was too busy extracting, fixing and having fun today...
Didn't score any carnage really...bullbar is a bit more bent...that's it really I think...reversed into tree in the Chevy, but that just straightened the bent rear bumper a bit...
Chevy had a flat battery later on as had been standing all day...cheers for the jump Pete and the mile long leads from Kel...
So there you have it....all in all another blinder, really enjoyed it and looking forwards to the weekender...and the summer!!!
Thanks again to everyone who came, all of your help, and enthusiasm....you all made it a really good-un... 8)
Laters
Greg n Sally