dirtlooter
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- XP Deus with 9"LF and 9" HF Coils and 600 Equinox with stock and 6" coils
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This was about 30 years ago and 4 wheelers were just coming out pretty well. Most people I knew that owned anything was either a dirt bike or a 3 wheeler. I had gone to a friend's, Dendin's house and he lived out in the sticks in the Shady Mountains. Dendin was happy to see me and insisted that we went on a ride. I was expecting a horse ride but then he showed me his two new Honda 4 wheelers. They were full of gas and he assured me that you could ride all day long on one tank. Now I had had lots of dirt bike experience and am still suffering from some of that even now and a little 3 wheeler time. The 3 wheelers weren't very kind to me but heck, these things had 4 wheels, what could go wrong?
We started off making our way to his "cabin" about three miles away below the north side of Fodderstack Mt. We were basically going down the old remains of an old logging road that had trees growing up in it. The mountain was to our right and was pretty steep with a branch or wet weather creek beside it. As we made our way deeper into the woods away from any road, I could see that Dendin was really checking the mountain out. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to a small finger of a ridge that was a little gentler (compared to the rest of it) going up. He started across the branch and then began going up. I was now very glad that I had put on the helmet as I slowly began to follow him. I was not seeing this as a very wise thing to do but the redneck in me said ah what the heck. We slid around in a few places but we finally made it up. Now this was a place that I had climbed numerous times to deer hunt (but secretly hoping that I didn't see anything) and it was always quite the chore. Now here we were, on top and not a drop of sweat.
Dendin was talking about all kinds of stuff but all I could think of was how we were going to get back down..alive! Finally I mentioned that it was going to be dark in a while and we really needed to get back down. Now, it would have been a lot better to have gone down where we came up but he insisted that we go down in this one spot. I almost started back to find that spot but Dendin was already yelling that it was no problem. So, I started down. Almost immediately, I was sliding downward and those brakes? They did nothing as the thick wet leaves helped me to slide even faster. Suddenly a mid sized tree stopped me and now I had to somehow get it unhung. I managed a glance downward to see him hung up too and finally I was once again in a slide downward. Now I have to admit that my butt had my underwear sucked up tight as I managed to stop against another tree.
I did this several times until I suddenly came to this low spot that I knew immediately was a bad thing but there was nothing I could do but to hold on. I can still see it in slow motion as the front end dipped downward even more and over the top I went. I knew enough to roll as fast as I could to the side and watched the upside down 4 wheeler hit and then slide down to a stop. Dendin had somehow made it to a small flat and was now hurrying up to me. I had the customary cuts and scrapes with a little blood here and there but the helmet had done its job. After he made sure that I was okay, he began grinning from ear to ear. He was loving it but all I wanted to do was to get to the bottom alive. After a few minutes, we got it upright and I began the sliding process again until we got down to the branch.
As we sat there and looked back up to where we had come down, you could see very plainly the two trails, Dendin told me that he was going to have to find a better place to get up and down but that he was going back up there. I told him that I was okay with never doing it again. He just laughed as we headed home. The 4 wheeler? needed new mirrors and a few parts straightened out but he never batted an eye. My dirt bike jumps and racing days were now over with and I had no desire to get hurt any more. I own a 4 wheeler now and it is a Honda but I take it easy and am very careful. My son calls me timid now but I don't care, he will find out soon enough about the aches and pains from youth stupidity. Dendin, his wife put her foot down after she heard what had happened to me and no more mountain top rides for him. Besides, we had to find out what it was like to run out of gas miles from any house.
We started off making our way to his "cabin" about three miles away below the north side of Fodderstack Mt. We were basically going down the old remains of an old logging road that had trees growing up in it. The mountain was to our right and was pretty steep with a branch or wet weather creek beside it. As we made our way deeper into the woods away from any road, I could see that Dendin was really checking the mountain out. Suddenly he stopped and pointed to a small finger of a ridge that was a little gentler (compared to the rest of it) going up. He started across the branch and then began going up. I was now very glad that I had put on the helmet as I slowly began to follow him. I was not seeing this as a very wise thing to do but the redneck in me said ah what the heck. We slid around in a few places but we finally made it up. Now this was a place that I had climbed numerous times to deer hunt (but secretly hoping that I didn't see anything) and it was always quite the chore. Now here we were, on top and not a drop of sweat.
Dendin was talking about all kinds of stuff but all I could think of was how we were going to get back down..alive! Finally I mentioned that it was going to be dark in a while and we really needed to get back down. Now, it would have been a lot better to have gone down where we came up but he insisted that we go down in this one spot. I almost started back to find that spot but Dendin was already yelling that it was no problem. So, I started down. Almost immediately, I was sliding downward and those brakes? They did nothing as the thick wet leaves helped me to slide even faster. Suddenly a mid sized tree stopped me and now I had to somehow get it unhung. I managed a glance downward to see him hung up too and finally I was once again in a slide downward. Now I have to admit that my butt had my underwear sucked up tight as I managed to stop against another tree.
I did this several times until I suddenly came to this low spot that I knew immediately was a bad thing but there was nothing I could do but to hold on. I can still see it in slow motion as the front end dipped downward even more and over the top I went. I knew enough to roll as fast as I could to the side and watched the upside down 4 wheeler hit and then slide down to a stop. Dendin had somehow made it to a small flat and was now hurrying up to me. I had the customary cuts and scrapes with a little blood here and there but the helmet had done its job. After he made sure that I was okay, he began grinning from ear to ear. He was loving it but all I wanted to do was to get to the bottom alive. After a few minutes, we got it upright and I began the sliding process again until we got down to the branch.
As we sat there and looked back up to where we had come down, you could see very plainly the two trails, Dendin told me that he was going to have to find a better place to get up and down but that he was going back up there. I told him that I was okay with never doing it again. He just laughed as we headed home. The 4 wheeler? needed new mirrors and a few parts straightened out but he never batted an eye. My dirt bike jumps and racing days were now over with and I had no desire to get hurt any more. I own a 4 wheeler now and it is a Honda but I take it easy and am very careful. My son calls me timid now but I don't care, he will find out soon enough about the aches and pains from youth stupidity. Dendin, his wife put her foot down after she heard what had happened to me and no more mountain top rides for him. Besides, we had to find out what it was like to run out of gas miles from any house.
Believe it or not? Never got hurt bad enough to go to a hospital, and I was a nut!!! My Brother? He wasn't so lucky and passed away from Brain stem injury from one in 2003 Actually tomorrow is his birthday.. After that I slowed way down. I learned that we aren't invincible.
