My thanks to all who showed up. It was an awesome weekend, thanks to [MENTION=106176]wfo9[/MENTION] for his awesome spotting and [MENTION=141906]PWD4R[/MENTION] for his winch, @vdo for his awesome pics and the uncrustables, and [MENTION=22289]flatspin[/MENTION] for supporting the argument that a T4R Limited can be just as capable as a TE or modded SR5! Here are some lessons for any first timers that head out to Hidden Falls:
1) Go in a group. At least one person should know the trails and be capable in judging the abilities of the vehicles and drivers
2) There should be somebody with a winch. If it had been only stock runners yesterday I think we could have gotten me out of that tricky spot but having winch made it easier
3) Go slow and be aware of your surroundings. Our trucks are very capable but patience is needed if you want to have fun and not leave bits and pieces of your truck at the park
4) Off roading like what we did is physically and mentally challenging. This was apparent when I got home but as I thought about it, all the dips and bumps puts a strain on the body, and making it safely down the trails requires a good amount of thinking and foresight
5) As many have said here, the trails at HF are no longer accurate according to their trail map. Erosion and digging from other vehicles has really torn up a lot of the trails so plan your route. We stepped out of the trucks more than a few times to walk the trail and scout our lines before committing to even some the easy trails