|
Still far from the river, we broke off from the main road onto an expanse of mudlike land. The only other vehicles there were ten-wheeler dump trucks. We immediately realized that this was going to be the tricky part. Our path wasn’t just mud or sand; it was soft lahar, as thick and sticky as wet concrete and as treacherous as quicksand. The convoy didn’t have the luxury of pausing for instructions before plunging in but we recalled the earlier briefing. We stayed in 4x4 high mode and kept the throttle halfway to the floor. The key here was to not to follow the tracks of the vehicle ahead. Each truck would carve out a deep channel in the lahar, and going in its tracks would sink your vehicle deeper in. If your own floorpan sinks down to the lahar, the only way out will be at the end of a towrope. Slicing our own path, we felt the lahar clawing at our wheels, slowing down their rotation. When that happens, you’d better not lose your nerve and slow down, as once your wheels stop spinning it’s hard to get them turning again. One Explorer Sport Trac and an Expedition were sunk in, the Expedition buried nearly to its floorpan. The marshals’ Pinatubo-edition Rangers waded over to winch them out. We kept the engine on the boil, thankful that the Ranger had 280 Nm at its disposal, and soon found ourselves on solid ground again. The vehicles that made it through stopped in a single line, everyone taking out their bottled waters and chips. We were spectators waiting for the other vehicles to pull through. That is, until an F150 owner realized that this was a good time to play. The hard lahar with pockets of water in between was the perfect place to stretch the vehicles’ legs. Everyone soon fired up their engines to have a go on the improvised rallycross field. After all the vehicles had made it through, the convoy sped off across another lahar field, this time firmer than the quicksand variety. The vehicles spread out so as not to ride in each other’s tracks. After the short sprint, the group assembled on a plateau for a photo. There was a surreal beauty to this place, a desolate, rocky landscape surrounded by lush mountains. Color everything red and you’d have an excellent set for Mission to Mars 2. The last portion was a drive along a jungle of weeds extending way past the trucks’ roofs. Lara Croft would have felt right at home. We soon arrived at the gate of Clark Special Economic Zone. We parked at the picnic area, and the famished group attacked yet another series of courses—all of them quite appetizing. We ended the day with our vehicles nearly unrecognizable. All of them were now chalky white, the only clear area being the glass swept by the wipers. Yet the trucks were running smoothly, all drivetrains purring and all external panels in place. There weren’t any squeaks or rattles, even after the rough treatment. Apparently, these Fords could take anything that Mt. Pinatubo’s lahar fields could throw at them and still have something in reserve. As for the participants, we were all cool and happy, as if we’d gone for a Sunday drive in Makati. We filed out of Clark Special Economic Zone with a new respect for the truck at our command. We didn't think that Mount Pinatubo would be acting up on our way home, but if she did, we had just the right Ford for the job. |
|
||||||||
