When: Saturday, 16 November 2002-11-17
Where: Skirt Mountain
Who:

Mike (Lister) - Grey Jeep XJ

Ibby+Cody - Grey Jeep XJ

Bruce (Silverfish)+Passenger - White Suzuki

Mike (jeepfamily) + Carl and Colin - Green Jeep TJ

Firenx+passenger - Tan Jeep Sahara

Mia (rockdazed), Trevor (Jexter) - Blue Suzuki

Chris - Red YJ

Rosie - Busted Chevy (truck slut)

Buckey (mini-kenny) - Busted Chevy (truck slut)

Unknown+family - Family cruiser

I woke up on Saturday morning to find an ample amount of liquid sunshine pouring down. By the time I was ready to leave, however, the rain had stopped and there were hints of actual sunshine breaking through. We all met at the shell Station at Spencer Road as usual. One unknown wheeler had his family with him in a van, and headed up to the Savory road entrance. They collected at least 8 garbage bags full of crap, which were later, picked up by our group as we exited the mountain.

We ended up with six trucks ready to go at 10:45. Three veterans of Skirt Mountain, two with only a couple runs to Skirt, and one (JeepFamily) on his virgin run with the Rock Monkeys. His jeep did not have the familiar west coast pin stripping we all know and love (yet), but he was sporting some brand new Mickey Thompson's and was raring to go. Once we got to the entrance, Rosie took over and organized the trucks. Two would go up past the second obstacle; two past the first obstacle and two remain at the trailhead to start the cleanup. The approach to the first obstacle was uneven and slick and a couple of the trucks had some difficulty with it. This was mainly due to street tires and/or high tire pressure. Even our own veteran Ibby managed to get himself a little sideways while trying some different lines and needed a little help to straighten up.

The entrance area was the most in need of a cleanup at this point. Lister and Jeepfamily pushed on ahead to help the cleanup go faster. Rosie and Buckey took to walking the trails to look for any stray cans and garbage in the bushes. By this time, the skies had opened up again and most were thoroughly soaked. We decided at this point that the lookout would be a miserable place to be as there would be no shelter from the wind and rain so off to the mud pit for its cleanup and maybe a bit of fun.

I was the last to arrive and was promptly informed by Cody, that they had all taken a vote and decided I should be the first to try out the water filled big pit. I looked around for a bit, took comfort in the fact we had our Ibby with us and decided "I'LL DO IT!", famous last words. I did not really drive into the pit. More like I snuck up to the edge and it swallowed the front of my rig. In the end, Ibby was up to his knees in mud, I was waist deep in the pit seeing if my engine had hydro-locked (it hadn't), and we had many encouraging words helping us out (with a few chuckles all around). I was eventually pulled out, engine started fine after removing the mud soaked air filter, and we were on our way out to the Savory Road entrance picking up garbage along the way.

I drove Rosie back to his truck so he could take Buckey to get the big Chev to load up with junk while the others stayed by the entrance and piled up all the junk to be taken out. From this point others will have to fill in the blanks as I had other plans for the rest of the day. To my knowledge, the lookout still needs a cleanup, and the trashed blue car is still on the trail.

The varying types of garbage up there amazed me. Furniture, car parts, lawn chairs, many different brands of beer cans, and some unidentifiable objects. I could write a long commentary on the despicable way others treat the land around them but will leave that for another time. This report was written to praise those who found the time and effort to keep our recreation areas clean.

Written by Mike Evans aka Lister

Editor's note:

Skirt and Mini-Skirt mountains have been used recreationally by four wheelers as well as mountain bikers (free riders), and hikers for many years now. The area is a mix of private and crown land, which has some beautiful scenery and nice trails (old roads). Since the TLC purchased Harbourview with taxpayer's dollars, and subsequently gated the area and banned four-wheelers, we have been forced to use other areas more often. These two mountains have seen a heavy increase in traffic over the last year. The majority of users have used the area responsibly, but there are always the few that do not. As a result the garbage was starting to pile up, and a few members of the Island4x4 Message Board, decided to have a cleanup day. We as a group are keen to keep the areas we use clean. We know that our use of this particular area may come to an end soon, but we still feel that it is "the right thing to do", keeping the trails clean for the next group of users.

If and when an area is designated a four-wheel drive area, we will be better able to monitor and control the usage of the area. In the meantime, it is a free-for-all, where some irresponsible people (some being 4wheelers, but mostly not) can do whatever they feel like. In my opinion this is the flaw in the thinking of those who are taking our four-wheeling areas away, and are not willing to come to some compromises and understandings with us as a group. The more areas that we are pushed out of, the more areas we are pushed into. We will not go away. I feel it is paramount that groups like the TLC and the CRD listen to us. Not just listen and forget, but really listen to us, try to understand our point of view and try to help us come to an equitable solution to having green space protected, and also allowing our sport to continue on the lower island under responsible management. If this doesn't happen, if there is no order, then there will be chaos and anarchy in the woods surrounding Victoria.

By the way, I didn't make the clean up with the rest of the group, but I did make it there by the time everyone was on their way out. I had just finished putting my Jeep back together after some modifications. I did go up Skirt alone, took it easy as not to get myself stuck out there with no help, and I managed to fill the back of the Jeep up with some discarded metal I found on the backside of the mountain.

Remember to always pack out more than you pack in. Whether you are just going for a day run or going camping for the weekend, bring garbage bags with you and take any garbage you find out with you. Help keep our trails clean!

jo-jo (Island4x4.com's Leader Monkey)