Lately, I’ve noticed a pretty sizable disconnect between the kind of off-roading I was a part of growing up and what I’ve been featuring over the last couple of years. Anymore and it’s all about mega trucks, pits so deep you need to have scuba gear on to go attach the tow rope, and a very tiny percentage of the vehicles shown would ever be considered street legal. I remember the Ramcharger, the K20, and the Blazer all returning home absolutely and utterly covered in a layer of the finest slop that Kitsap County and the surrounding areas had to offer, plates on and all, and spending the whole of the next day hosing off mud by the bucketful. These weren’t mega trucks, these were just lifted four-wheel-drives on 35″ TSL Super Swampers, with stout but basic powertrains. There were no blowers or nitrous, just a 440, a 327 and a 400 SBC. Yet here I am, putting up videos of these radical overkill trucks by the dozens showing up and showing off when they are more of a niche build than anything else.

This footage from the 2020 Hangover Run is more like what I picture mudding to be: wet Oregon slop, blackberry bushes everywhere, and rigs that could easily be street vehicles taking a crack at some nasty sections of trail. I can feel the cold dampness, I can smell the forest, and I remember just how tight the boots needed to be to make sure that I didn’t lose on while walking around. Mega trucks have their place, but if you really want to see me light up, this is more my speed.