Jeep Jamboree Coal Mountain Spring

                                                 Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree

                                                            By Off Road Consulting

Quadratec attended the Coal Mountains Spring Jeep Jamboree that took place on May 12th-14th at Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area or AOAA.

Registration took place on Thursday and Quadratec was there to hand out Quadratec goodie bags to the 90 registered participants that traveled from over 12 states and Canada. The participants ranged from first time Jeep Jamboree participants to folks such as a lady named Joan who marked this as her 32nd JJUSA ride.

Friday Morning brought an overcast, foggy, rainy start to the Coal Mount Spring Jeep Jamboree but that certainly didn't damper anyone's mood. Quadratec was assigned to trail guide with a blue rated trail group that ranged from a stock 4 door JK Rubicon, an M715 and and various JKs and TJs. Our group lined up and convoyed out of the parking lot and the JJUSA Coal Mountain Spring had begun!
Right away the trails were technical with rocky, washed out terrain. Trail guides quickly turned into spotters and Quadratec quickly jumped into action by assisting with getting drivers through these obstacles. We were prepared for whatever the trails had in store for our group as we were equipped with our Quadratec Recovery Kit.  As the group navigated through the trails we found way to an area that had various sized dirt mounds with tight twist and turns. This particular obstacle took some time to get the vehicles through and with a bypass available, the M715 decided to sit this obstacle out. The last vehicle to go through was the stock JK and while they considered the bypass they ultimately decided to give this obstacle a go! They quickly became high centrered and after trying a few maneuvers to re position with failed attempts the next step was to recover the vehicle to avoid damage. With the Quadratec tow strap and a little help from a modified XJ, the stock JK was back and ready to continue on the trails.
After getting everyone through a steep uphill we proceeded up a tight, twisty challenging uphill with washouts and various rock faces. These trails were just the warm up for what the trail guides had planned for the afternoon.
The next obstacle was a rocky section that was rutted and muddy. The M715 decided it was best to bypass this obstacle and the decision was made for the M715 to meet up with a different group that would be more friendly for his vehicle.
After a JK broke a ujoint, Quadratec helped limp the broken JK back to the AOAA office and  brought along the M715 and the stock JK to meet up with the Green trail ride group around lunch time. After getting acquainted with the new group we were quickly back on track and finally able to put some time actually driving on the trails.

The group navigated its way through the green trails at AOAA through areas called Timber Town which is a tight, technical narrow trail system with trees just waiting to jump out at your vehicle. After careful driving and spotting folks through the narrow trails we were lead along to more scenic areas that this off road park has to offer. One JK sliced a tire on rock section and with the assistance of the trail guides and Quadratec we were able to change the tire on the trail in 5 minutes. We quickly continued onto areas such as "Helmet Hill" and "Tunnel of Love". There is something to be said about the green trails at AOAA. They are technical and challenging when they need to be but fun and enjoyable all at the same time.
After returning to the parking lot folks that participated in the ride were so thankful to have had Quadratec join them for the second half of the ride and left for the end of the day with stories that they will tell for a lifetime.

Saturday arrived, the last day for Jeep Jamboree Coal Mountain Spring was upon us. In the morning Quadratec was asked to help out with the Mud Mining green guided trail group and we couldn't have been more excited since we had so much fun with this group yesterday.
With 16+ vehicles in the group we left the parking lot and set out for the last day of Coal Mountain Spring JJSA!
The morning was perfect, with jeep tops down we kicked things off with an overview of how large Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Park is along with some local coal mine history. After a group picture back in the Jeeps and back to the trails we went. Stopping along the way to wait for another group to pass we saw Joan, the 32nd Jeep Jamboree veteran and she had the dash plaques to prove it! She beamed when she talked about the Jamborees and you could tell they were a big part of her life. After moving on the guides navigated the group through a variety of trails, rocks, uphill, down hills and then to "Mini Mud Road" and did this trail lived up to its name! This large mud play area is a mud lovers dream! After playing around in the mud, the group continued on for an afternoon of fun trail riding through the AOAA. During the afternoon some rain showers arrived and we stopped to prepare our vehicles for the approaching weather. With our Quadratec LED headlights ready we were able to navigate through the heavy rain showers without any visibility issues.
The trail ride had ended and the group made its way back to the AOAA office one last time  to prepare for Jeep Jamboree dinner ad to close out the 2016 Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree.

At the dinner we were entertained by the Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree Coordinator Steve Risk.A few awards were given out to those who had the most damage and who had traveled the farthest.
Quadratec was asked to say a few words as a sponsor of the Jeep Jamboree and we had something special to give away to one special lady. We thanked the coordinator, trail guides and most importantly the participants for attending the Coal Mountain Spring Jeep Jamboree. We had a set of Quadratec LED Headlights to giveaway and we couldn't think of anyone more deserving to receive them than Joan.  Joan was actually late for the dinner as she was fixing her jeep herself from the blue ride on Saturday but was delighted when she arrived and received the Quadratec LED Headlights.
Folks like Joan are what the Jeep Jamborees are all about and they are role modes for future Jeep Jamboree participants and the four wheeling community. The days of Jeep Jamborees trails being filled with YJs and TJs might be dwindling and giving way to JKS and Cherokee Trailhawks but in the end we all have one thing in common, we love to four wheel and the Jeep Jamborees bring us together for a weekend.