GLFWDA Smoke Mountain Trek. When was it?

[cannaert]

I am trying to find out Info on this.
Like when did it happen? If any one happens to know of any one that went on it?
I know it took place sometime ago I just wonder when.
My reason is that I just pick up a 68 Bronco that has a few window stickers in from this event and very old GLFWDA sticking in the rear window.

Kind of hoping I could find out some history on this thing. Plan is to fix it up a bit and just have some fun. I will post some pics tomorrow of it.


Thanks Chris

[DDS4X4]

Well, I was there in 1982 with Clyde Christmas as the GLFWDA Trailmaster.

I recall because we also went to the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN on the trip down. Took the family and my youngest daughter, who is now 33, was selected to be on stage with one of the singer entertainers. She was like 6 then!

Not sure how many years after, the event continued?
I'll have to search my Boondocker archive for any trace of an answer.

WELCOME aboard, looking forward to seeing the old Bronco back on the trails.
My IH Scout (we drove down to the Smokies) is long gone ... but not forgotten!

[Renegade II]

Wow, been a few years since I've heard of that run. Too bad it and the TQ Swamp Rat run are no longer, both were a load of fun.

[Creative Fab]

I attended a few, but only after it was no longer a GLFWDA event. It ended on a very sour note! Too bad, it was a great event at one time.

[shaker]

I attended a few, but only after it was no longer a GLFWDA event. It ended on a very sour note! Too bad, it was a great event at one time.

Seems all to many events fall to the same fate.

[oz97tj]

So, for those of you there, what was the event exactly?


Maybe you could enlighten us youngins.

[T-way]

Wasn't that referred to as the Smokey Mountain Venture? And didn't it take place around Tellico??

[Bronco4-Play]

My first one was in 87, it was the 13th anual. It was a GLFWDA event called the Smoky Mountian Trek. It was run by Rick Taepke and Tom Hoskins, they had taken it over from whoever ran it before (I don't remember the name). It was based out of the Spivey Cove campground on the Tennessee side of what is now the Tellico ohv area. It was a 10 day event with a catered steak dinner on both saturday nights. There was organized trail rides every day with one of the weekdays set aside for trail maintenance day.

Membership in GLFWDA was required to attend, so those who were not already members Of GLFWDA became members of the Smoky Mountian Explorers club, which was a GLFWDA club.

Around 1990 it had out grown the Spivey Cove facility and was moved to the Hanging Dog Camping area near Murphy NC, about 8 miles south (ish) of the OHV area. It was about this same time that Rick and Tom had a falling out with great lakes and changed the name to the Smoky Mountian Venture. It was still held the last weekend in April through the first weekend in May as in the past but without the GLFWDA afilliation.

1999 was the 25th aniversery run (I've still got the jacket), but it fell apart not long after that due to not enough participation to cover the event ins.

[cannaert]

Wow I didnt know it was that long ago it ended. The stickers are all sun faded but it looks like a newer LOGO on it and the one in the rear windowe is much older.

Man I wish I was older so I could have fun on some of these old events that were put on.

[Bronco4-Play]

What do the stickers look like? There was white window decals about 3 feet long that said Smoky mountian Trek and there was also a yellow bumper sticker with red letters.

There was also a 2"x3" dash plack with the name and year and a cartoon Jeep perched on top of a mountian. In 87 I also got a sew on patch with a year bar.

[oz97tj]

That does sound like a very cool event.

[Greenway]

There are still a lot of great events going on. You just missed the Northern Migration.

[cannaert]

What do the stickers look like? There was white window decals about 3 feet long that said Smoky mountian Trek and there was also a yellow bumper sticker with red letters.

There was also a 2"x3" dash plack with the name and year and a cartoon Jeep perched on top of a mountian. In 87 I also got a sew on patch with a year bar.

There are two 3 foot long stickers on the topper on it. They are all sun faded. Also I the bronco was either Red or a Sea foam Green color at the time.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c148/cannaert/Bronco/Picture130.jpg
Not best pic but its the best that can do right now.

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c148/cannaert/Bronco/Picture131.jpg
OLD GLFWDA sticker (says its a Permit)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c148/cannaert/Bronco/Picture132.jpg
Now it looks like this.

[cannaert]

Thats what I have pic wise of it

[Bronco4-Play]

The window decals are pre-87 because the ones I got are white letters on a clear background.

The round one is a property use permit for the land that GLFWDA used to lease for wheelin and camping. It was open to all GLFWDA members but you had to display that sticker to use it.

Our clubs older members tell me that in the mid 80's GLFWDA turned it's interest more to mud bog and sand drag competition and away from trailriding. That's when they dropped the lease on the property and the Sundowners droppped their affiliation with GLFWDA. What ever took place left such a bad opinion that, of the five members left from that era only one has been willing to return to GLFWDA.

It looks like the EB faired the ages well. I don't remember seeing it down there, but it was a long time ago and there were a lot of vehicles there. Judging by the stickers it was before my first trip in 87.

[Bronco4-Play]

I'm off to Ohio to watch them film a "Trucks Gone Wild" video this weekend. TV cameras, 4x4's, and alchohol, good place to see people do dumb stuff but I definitely won't be wearig any club or association apparel.

[cannaert]

Cool thanks every one. I hope its ok that I keep the sticker on the back and also i plan to have a local guy re-make the two stickers on the side as well.

[oz97tj]

Cool thanks every one. I hope its ok that I keep the sticker on the back and also i plan to have a local guy re-make the two stickers on the side as well.

You could always add a current GLFWDA sticker too...