Upper Tellico ORV Area
Trail #11 - Chestnut Mountain
Rick Russell Video Trip

By Flatlander

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After each obstacle I asked the day's trail leader, Fred Perry, how much more difficult the trail was going to get that day.  Each time he assured me that the obstacle I just completed was the worst of the day.  And each time the next obstacle was worse than the last.  Fred's excuse was that it had been a while since he'd been on these trails and he just didn't remember the remaining obstacles being so bad.  But I had to wonder if he was a little worried that this flatlander, on his first 4-wheeling trip east of the Mississippi, might start looking for bypasses if he told me there was anything worse ahead.  If so, he was right!

The "Staircase" obstacle was the first formidable obstacle on Trail #11.   This is a particularly dangerous obstacle since there is a long steep drop off on the left side.  4x4s have rolled off the left side with serious damage and personal injury, but, as far as I know, no one has been killed so far.  There is a section of guard rail that may stop you from going over the drop off if you stay toward the right side of the obstacle and roll toward the bottom.  But if you roll closer to the top or try the more difficult left side of the obstacle (NOT recommended!) there is nothing to keep you from going over the edge.  This is another Tellico obstacle that would be considerably more treacherous wet and/or with mud caked tires.

No one in our group had much trouble taking the dry "Staircase" obstacle toward the right side as this YJ is.

Sam gives the more difficult and MUCH more dangerous left side a few careful tries with his Monster CJ prior to going up the right.

See a Quick Time video with sound of one of the more exciting ascents of the "Staircase" obstacle.

The last obstacle on the approach to the Helicopter pad didn't present as much danger to life and limb, but it was much more difficult and much more likely to result in sheet metal damage.  The photo at the right shows the extreme angle required to attempt the right side of the obstacle.  If you slip you are pulled toward the large rock sticky out of the side in the lower right of the photo.   There is too much angle to attempt the obstacle in the bottom closer to the threatening rock with the rainbow of paint scrapes on it.

There is a bypass around this obstacle.  I remember commenting that drivers with good judgement would use the bypass.  But not me.  I pointed the 4X4NOW TJ up the right side and gave it some gas.  It seemed to be going up nicely as I stared at the sky but when the front tires hit something that forced it to an even steeper angle I took my foot off the gas and nailed the brake.  I never knew at Jeep could be pointed up at such an angle without falling backwards on its top.  I recall hearing clink..., clink...., clink sounds.  I noticed something bright flashing out of the lower right corner of my vision.  The sight and sound made me think of ice cubes falling.   But it was coins falling out of the change tray on the transmission tunnel in front of the shifter, one coin at a time, and hitting the inside of the rear tail gate.   Well I gave it a couple more tries based on directions from outside the cab (all I could see was sky and the rain drops that were accumulating on my windshield).  The 4X4NOW TJ still wanted to climb, but every time the front end started to raise even higher and threaten to come over, I'd hit the brakes and back off.  Finally, like many of the others (who like me didn't seem to have enough sense to take the bypass) I took the winch.  The Ramsey Pro Plus 9000 made easy work of pulling the TJ up the steep incline and I was much more comfortable going up as the winch kept the front end pulled down.

Kenneth Shupe (who was also one of the few to successfully negotiate the right side of the previous obstacle) showed us a different and much more challenging way to climb on to the flat Helicopter Pad.

We finished trail 11 by negotiating some tight, steep downhill turns around some huge boulders and then worked our way out of Tellico on easier trails.

I had to head back home but Rick did one more day of videoing with the group before he left.  The MOST DIFFICULT, very steep and rocky trail 12 seemed to be a candidate.   Rick was hoping for rain so he could show some more typical (muddy) conditions in Tellico.  When I drove through Nashville the next morning it was raining "cats and dogs" so he may have gotten his wish.

The Upper Tellico ORV Area is a superb area to go 4-wheeling in.  Wish I lived closer!  Count yourself very fortunate if you live within 500 miles.

Upper Tellico ORV Home Page
Trail #9 - Mistletoe Connector | Trail #2 - Tipton Knob | Trail #11 - Chestnut Mountain

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