With prizes in excess of $25,000 the High Lifter competitions are taken very seriously. Factory sponsored teams as well as free agents take to the mud on purpose built extreme machines to see who can battle their way to the front emerging as victor. Many competitors' build and race multiple machines ranging from lightly modified to Nitrous breathing monsters for the ability to compete in multiple classes. These same machines are also used in both the Mudda-Cross and the Mud Bog on separate days. This allows adequate time to make necessary adjustments and repairs between events. The races are held in an elimination fashion therefore rider skill, consistency, and reliability of equipment determine who leaves wet and muddy and whom leaves with their pockets filled with cash.
Racing only plays a small roll during Mud National events and this is the way High Lifter intends to keep it. The host of these events is required to have a maze of trails and low-lying wetlands for everyone to enjoy. The Creek Bottom ATV Trails is just as the name implies and has a winding creek bottom surrounded by marsh for riders of all ability levels. I stumbled across a young Polaris rider by the name of Sabreena Cary showing off her mad skills in one of the many water filled bottom lands as her family watched in amazement. Unlike the others sharing the pit, Sebreena had a secret weapon that she calls dad that would jump in and push anytime she found herself stuck in any deep ruts created by the larger machines. This feature is unique to Sebreena's machine and isn't available through your local Polaris dealer. The actual creek that gives the ATV Park its name resembles a slow flowing swamp that provides endless challenges for even the largest of machines. Trains of ATV's and UTV's would slowly creep and crawl through this labyrinth providing quite a spectacle that intensified ten fold as night set in. The sight of submerged glowing lights and laughter echoed through the low lands throughout the four-day event. It's the amazing ability to entertain everyone that passes through the gate that makes the Mud Nationals a truly spectacular event.
It's inevitable that your machine will eventually be covered with mud and unrecognizable to the untrained eye. High Lifter's many wash stations offer a solution for this problem and your paid event entry entitles you to one free wash. In the heat of the day the cold clean water station always seemed to have an awfully long wait but there were plenty of bikinis on hand to make the wait worthwhile.
As the sun settles and each day draws to a close, the smell of charcoal fills the air. This is when the real excitement begins. Enthusiasts from around the country descend on Doles, GA and bring the best of their culture along. This ensures that you will find everything from Alligator to corn on the cob being grilled in the pits. I enjoy cruzing around the camps checking out all the late night festivities. For some this is an all night wrench fest to make sure their machines are up to the challenge of the following mornings events while others have a few drinks and pitch horse shoes. My personal favorite detail of the night scene is that the gnats retreat until morning.
Its not everyday that an ATV freestyle show rolls through town and the presence of H-Bomb Films elite Bomb Squad on Saturday afternoon had the undivided attention of every individual in the park. I've seen these guys in action on DVD countless times but standing at the base of their landing ramp with my camera was a truly unforgettable experience. These high flying acrobats make even the most difficult of freestyle tricks appear effortless. After an all out assault on the afternoon sky by the entire squad, Caleb Moore pulled off an unbelievable Tsunami that had the entire crowd in disbelief. This incredible moment was captured by my trusty Canon and can be seen on the cover of this issue of ATV Rider. This incredible moment was captured by my trusty Canon and is present in this feature. Moore again wowed the crowd as he performed the Grand Finale of the freestyle exhibition. With no hesitation he miraculously launched his Polaris RZR from the freestyle ramp an incredible 65 feet through the air before touching down safely on the landing pad. One lucky spectator was chosen to accompany Moore during this feat and even though I had my fingers crossed on both hands Wayne Anderson had the luck of the draw. Afterwards, I caught up with Wayne and all he had to say is that the jump looked higher from the air. I love working for an ATV publication and it's the perks that come along with the job that really make it worthwhile. This day really paid off as the job gained me access into the passenger seat of Moore's RZR for an overhead view of the freestyle exhibit. Until this day I had never jumped a freestyle ramp but had always wondered what it would be like. Moore granted me access into his world and this mind-blowing moment has to be one of the highlights of my career. A special thanks goes out to the entire Bomb Squad for an outstanding performance and the opportunity of a lifetime. And I can't forget to give two thumbs up to both the High Lifter crew and Creek Bottom staff for putting together such a killer event. We'll see you guys next year for sure!