Note: An Adventure Pass may be required.

I took my girlfriend Jan off-roading in the Sammy. It was a beautiful warm spring day, and I figured we'd have some fun. Jan hadn't had the pleasure before of taking the off-road route around the mountains.

The object was to traverse some trails in the San Bernardino National Forest from the Lake Arrowhead area over to the north side of Big Bear Lake. We had intended to take a leisurely drive, on easy trails, from the Hook Creek Road Trailhead for 2N26Y via 3N34 to Deep Creek Wild Trout Area and then Crab Flats, pick up 3N16 and then 3N17 which would place us in Holcomb Valley late in the afternoon. Deep Creek is a nice spot, and suitable for a quick dip on hot days. Crab Flats is a designated camping area and Holcomb Valley is part of the old gold mining district.

This is supposed to be an "easy" set of trails. The Forest Service trail markers even say that.

It just didn't happen that way. The reality was that we had a bit of an adventure.

I'd been over this route before, about two years ago. It's relatively scenic, and was always a reasonably simple drive. There was only one place that used to be more difficult, and that was the climb up the mountainside just after having traversed Deep Creek.

Things change.

The drive from California 18, to California 173, through Lake Arrowhead to Cedar Glen and Hook Creek Road is no big deal. Eventually the pavement ends on Hook Creek Road, becoming 2N26Y.

About nine-tenths of a mile further on, the dirt road forks. If you bear left, you continue on via 3N34C to Splinter's Cabin on Deep Creek. Bear right and you reach Deep Creek T-6 Crossing, where you'll have to ford the creek to continue on 3N34.

Seven-tenths of a mile further on, I stopped short of the creek crossing and hopped out to have a look. The creek didn't appear too deep, the bottom sandy with a few rounded rocks. The climb-out was easy, and there were some largish rocks to cross, but it wasn't looking too bad.

The creek proved to be about bumper deep, and fording it wasn't a problem in 4WD low. The climb out of the creek wasn't a problem, either. It was those damn boulders?

My Samurai's still stock, except for what are basically "snow tires" all around, and a set of Rancho 5000 shocks. No added clearance as of yet. I picked my line, and started on what looked to be a path that would allow the Sam's wheels to ride on some good-sized rocks. Said rocks proved to be quite a bit slicker than they looked. We sort of did this little scoot off to one side, and next thing you knew it, were high-centered on the left side frame.

Out I get, place some rocks in strategic locations, and? No Luck.

I get out the jack, raise the Sam, and place more rocks. We move a few inches? I'm noticing it's suddenly become a hot spring day. More jacking, more rock placement. A really hot spring day. A few more inches?

Things, however, are a bit worse, because now I've got a couple of amused on-lookers (a couple of guys who arrived in a Jeep) and proclaimed loudly, "We sure are glad you went first, or that would probably be us stuck now!" Gee, thanks. (Frankly, about then I was beginning to wish I didn't have that big ORC decal on the front window. How embarrassing.)

After a while and with some help in spotting from the on-lookers, I get the Samurai off the rock, and we're set to continue on.

(Jan has by now remarked, "I didn't know off-roading consisted primarily of jacking up the truck and hauling a lot of rocks around." Having one's S.O. along is always helpful, 'specially when you figure it was me that did all the jacking and rock-moving as she sat on a rock and looked on, while sipping a nice cold Coke.)

A lifted bright red 4-Runner has by now come along, and much to my amazement (the guy's got 5 inches of lift front and 6 rear) also manages to get hung up briefly. At least he got off without resorting to a jack. He takes the lead, and Jan and I follow his line of travel up what used to be the hardest part of 3N34, climbing away from the creek.

It's much harder now. The road has washed out pretty badly, and you're on bare rock, and it's off-camber like you wouldn't believe. At one point I felt the passenger side front wheel begin to lift off the ground, and that was enough for me. (Jan met this obstacle in white-knuckled silence, gripping the grab bar. So much for all the help.) We backed it on down, turned it around, and with much less trouble (due to all my well placed rocks!) re-crossed the creek and gave it up for the day.

P.S. The Jeep didn't even attempt it. I feel better now.