Before I drove into this hole I asked our trail leader Shawn if he minded pulling me out. As you can see he said no problem – so I threw the H3 into the hole.

Written/Photography by Albert V

The 3rd Annual Northern Lights Charity Trailfest (CampNL3): August 19th-21st, 2005
Hosted by: Northern Lights the Ontario Federation of 4WD Recreationists

CampNL is the yearly signature event for Northern Lights the Ontario Federation of 4WD Recreationists. The 2005 event, staged in Minden Ontario, proved to be the biggest CampNL yet, with the most prizes, the most people, and the most money raised for charity ever. From its beginnings, the OF4WD has chosen to donate funds raised from CampNL to charities local to the event itself. The charity of choice for the event has been the Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation (HHHSF) with donations from the event in excess of $10,000 to date. These funds are badly needed in under-serviced regions like Haliburton and donations from the event go a long way to improve the image of the 4WD community for the people who live near the places we 4-wheel.

Since its creation in 1998, one of the principle foci of the OF4WD has been to educate its members on how to improve their own image and how that serves to ensure the sustainability of 4WD-based recreation in the province and beyond.

CampNL is a unique event in many respects. First, it is the only large-scale 4WD event in Ontario that is held completely on public lands. The OF4WD works with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to select trails that are environmentally stable taking into account recent weather conditions. The MNR also inspects the trails prior to and following the event to ensure that they are in good repair. The program has proved successful with no complaints registered against the trails to date.

Second, CampNL uses a rotating trail system which sees no trail used more than twice during the course of the 3-day event. Combine this with an 8 truck per trail limit and the impact can be kept minimal.

Third, CampNL is the only large-scale 4WD event in the province that allows all vehicle makes, all driver experiences, donates all it's proceeds to charity, and has a full 3 days of trailriding included.

Not far into the first trail the mud started to suck the trucks in. While this spot didn't look very deep, it swallowed all but the best-equipped of our group. Not to worry though, there were plenty of helping hands to extract those who got beyond their axle clearance!

Lastly, the OF4WD encourages the use of GPS technology by participants of CampNL. The trails we use are available for use to the public (see forums.of4wd.com for trail closure info) and have been approved by the MNR. By learning where appropriate 4WD trails are located, participants minimize the chances of straying onto private or protected lands. GPS technology is also an important safety addition to any 4WD vehicle; as such the OF4WD encourages participants to learn proper technique in its use.

CampNL3, presented by Just Jeeps, did not only prove to be the biggest CampNL to date, but was also the largest single-weekend event in Ontario, with 128 vehicles in attendance and well over 200 participants. All were treated to 4 meals catered by the Rubicon Grill and to 3 days of trailriding, if they (and their trucks) lasted that long! People began arriving at South Lake Park already at the beginning of the week prior to the event. They came from as far away as New Jersey, New York City and from all over Ontario and Quebec.  

Registrations began Thursday afternoon with people and guides flooding in from everywhere. Friday would be the first day of trailriding and all the participants were eager to secure a spot on their favourite trail. 15 trails were available to choose from, and ranged from beginner to extreme.  

I felt better about getting the Hummer stuck when this Land Cruiser on 35-inch tires and dual lockers got stuck right after I did.

Friday saw people choosing conservative trails with the intention of lasting the full three days. Broken tie-rods, broken centring pins, various electrical problems, and broken shock mounts (to name a few) proved that some people did not choose conservatively enough!   However, under the watch of over 30 trail guides from many of the OF4WD members clubs, including the New Frontier 4WD Club, TriCity Jeep Club, North Hastings 4WD Club, Just Jeeps, plus a few individual members, all the rigs returned home to camp in time for dinner.  

One of the best parts of CampNL is that almost all of the participants camp at the event site and get the chance to relax around the campfire and talk with other wheelers about their day, their trucks, and the trails they will attempt in the coming days. This sense of community and friendship makes CampNL different than other events and makes it feel much smaller than it actually is. The, now infamous, campfire is held in "the bowl" (a secluded camp area for those who have the ability to "shake-it-off" in the morning) where the New Frontier 4WD club has taken to burning well over a bush-cord of wood each evening. When you have 200+ people to sit around a fire, it had better be big! With music and stories lasting into the early morning, stragglers would be plentiful for breakfast. Friday night also brought Al from Can4WD (complete with a shiny new Hummer H3 to test) and rain. Interestingly, in the history of CampNL, natural disasters seem to be common! In 2003, CampNL fell on the weekend of the blackout (although we had power the whole weekend!). In 2005, rain falling south of Minden flooded much of southern Ontario and forced some to return home early.

Saturday morning brought breakfast, and a new set of wet trails, the difficulty had increased substantially... Participants were more adventuresome in their choices for trails, which would bring more carnage on day two. Of particular note was Cormac, a volunteer fire fighter from New York City in his Hummer H1, who nearly tore off the side of his truck on Greens Mountain shortly before destroying his front-end. Cormac would be acknowledged for his efforts later. Al would take the Hummer H3 out for a spin on one of the easier trails to get a feel for the capabilities of the truck. After returning to camp unscathed/unscratched, we decided to up the ante for the H3 the following day. Other trails saw more of the usual, with breakage occurring across the board, to both guides and participants.

Not far into the first trail the mud started to suck the trucks in. While this spot didn't look very deep, it swallowed all but the best-equipped of our group. Not to worry though, there were plenty of helping hands to extract those who got beyond their axle clearance!

Again, by the end of the day, all limped back to camp for a BBQ dinner and the awards ceremony. More stories were told, and the raffle tickets began to sell! This years prize table was worth over $14,000 and had been donated by a number of sponsors including; a Pro-Comp lift-kit from our headline sponsor Just Jeeps, Tires from Clarence Tire, Shop credit from Hol's Offroad, National 4WD, Overdrive Automotive, product from Top-Five Racks, Hi-Lift, ARB, Poulan, HVS, Teknion, Fun For Life Club and Toll Free Telecom. The quality of the prizes showed when we sold-out of raffle tickets and had to raid the local legion for more! All of those raffle tickets would raise over $4,300 for the HHHSF. Their executive director Dale Walker would later address the participants and tell them where that money would go and how appreciative the community was of their generosity.

At the awards banquet, participants and guides were recognized for their outstanding efforts and their outstanding mistakes with Cormac having to drive home (to New York City) without a driver-side door but taking home the hard-luck award as a result. Following the awards, the table full of prizes was raffled off. When the table was empty, the OF4WD told the participants how their support of CampNL3 was helping the association keep the trails open to 4WD traffic and thanked them for their support. Tony from the Rubicon Grill, promptly packed one of his grilles and all the food he had left, and took the show to the bowl where the biggest party of the weekend took place. Another couple cords of wood, the grilles running full-bore, another 200+ people enjoying a perfect summer evening, and another CampNL was coming to a close.

Sunday morning started later than the previous days (extra recovery time!), participants had breakfast before choosing their trails for the day. Some chose to remain at camp and relax, some chose to partake in the optional Geocaching seminar and the others headed out on the trails for a shortened day. Most of the trips were uneventful with the exception of the trip to the rock trail that saw Al break a tie-rod on the H3 and require some on-trail welding artistry courtesy of Jim McDonald from Just Jeeps.

At the end of the event, there were some bruised trucks, but all smiling faces as most took their lumps as a badge of honour. More money had been raised for the HHHSF, more prizes had been given away, and more people had come to CampNL than ever before. A massive success for the OF4WD and the volunteers who work so hard to put it on. Without them, an event of this quality and spirit would be impossible. Also, a big thanks to Just Jeeps and the other sponsors who generated an amazing donation for the HHHSF through their donation of product and support of CampNL and the OF4WD.

CampNL4 will be held in Minden, ON. on the weekend of August 18th - 20th, 2006. All are welcome to register! The event has a registration cap so register early to ensure your spot in this Ontario tradition. The OF4WD offers instructional courses for those who have never been 4-wheeling and offers educational seminars that instruct on various aspects of 4WD-based recreation. For more information regarding CampNL or the OF4WD and its programmes, visit www.of4wd.com or email us at info@of4wd.com.

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