Though sparse on attendance, there was an abundance of fun. The adventure was planned to begin in Randle, but actually started in Mossyrock. With the intense winter storm, Highway 12 was snow packed all the way. The drive was slow and I arrived about an hour later than I had promised.

We finally left the Randle Chevron around 11:00 after airing down the tires and refilling the coffee. We had four rigs and six people for the adventure.

I was leading the pack in my Tacoma, followed by Larry who was affectionately referred to as "Random Jeep Guy" until we got to know him and learned his real name. I connected with via Meetup and had never met him in person before this trip. Next was Kevin in his new Bronco, and Paul taking up the rear in his freshly rebuilt Explorer Sport.

I know it as "the road to CISPUS" but I the proper name is Pinto Road or FSR 28 through Gifford Pinchot National Forest. As soon as we hit the trail, there were some branches to clear. Kevin with his battery powered DeWalt, and me with an old cold-blooded echo got the job done in quick order.

Random Jeep Guy was the first in the ditch trying to drive around some small branches to avoid scratching a brand new rig. With a quick tug from the Taco, it came right out and off we went.

Random Jeep Guy turns out to be a retired teacher making sure he lives life to the fullest. I hope I'm half as adventurous at his age. He let his daughter drive for a lot of the day and she proved to be just as venturesome as her dad.

I appreciate the stops for conversation as much as the driving, exploration, and photography.

Our next stop was at a waterfall we couldn't quite get to. Kevin marked it on his GPS to come back in the spring.

It wouldn't be long before we made it to the next waterfall stop...

I think it was around here that the snow fight shenanigans began. Lets just say some snowballs were thrown and several tree branches were shaken, but all in good fun.

We made it as far as the bridge across Yellowjacket Creek. The Taco just couldn't find any more traction. I'll be experimenting with lower tire pressure next time.

Perhaps I need some training with MaxxTrax, but so far, not impressed.

After a couple attempts and rescues, we gave up at the bridge. We retraced our steps to a campsite along the creek I found two summers ago.

We broke out the food, and played with some new Christmas gifts. Having a chance to stand around a camp fire was really nice. The toys were fun, but not gonna lie, there's no substitute for a real wood fire.

As it began to snow, we decided it was time to call it and make our way back to civilization.