Muddy tradition continues
Moyie Mud Bogs men's dream
Kalyn Lovlyn
Issue date: 5/11/09 Section: Sports
Imagine being able to drink as much beer as you can afford for a whole weekend.
Then imagine being able to drive at the same time - through a mud pit deep enough to trap monster trucks with wheels the size of cars and up and down a hill steep enough and slippery enough to flip those same trucks.
That is the essence of the Moyie Mud Bogs just outside Bonners Ferry.
It is a local, North Idaho hick tradition held yearly on Mother's Day weekend.
(I guess it makes sense…somehow, to celebrate the life your mother gave you by getting as close as you can to losing it.)
People come from across the US and Canada and bring their biggest (or weirdest) truck, car, suburban, bronco, hearse, you name it, to take a spin through the famous mud pit.
The festivities begin slowly Thursday night as people begin to set up camp for the weekend, but the true party begins Friday afternoon.
The hiss of beer cans opening begins a never-ending ruckus that spreads across acres of land like sludge flung from the tires of thousands of trucks.
The mud pits are not the only entertainment for the weekend. Drunken brawls are likely to break out any moment over anything from who has the biggest, toughest truck to who that girl actually belongs to (she's probably just standing there and has no idea she started the fight).
It's quite possible for people to get stuck in the bog and kill time with a mud fight, which, of course, always grows to include the innocent bystanders and their suddenly angry friends.
Occasionally someone will get stuck unexpectedly in the pit and be hit from behind by another…another whatever. As long as no one spills their beer everything is forgiven - even if it takes half an hour for the tow truck to pull them both out.
Then there is the hill. Everyone hopes for some traditional North Idaho spring rain just before the weekend, and then they pour thousands of gallons of water down a steep hill not far from the mud pits so that drivers can race up it then either spin broadies or roll back down the way they came. (Rumor has it you can roll a truck down the hill without losing one drop of your drink.)
There is even a trail (if you can call it that) meandering above all the activities. Car sized tires and four-wheel drive are required, as well as several cases of beer for something to do if you get stuck. It is off-roading at its best.
Don't even bother asking if it's dangerous. Of course it is. The minute you walk onto private property you sign a contract stating that you will not hold anyone else responsible for your actions during the weekend. That means you can't sue anyone if you die or are seriously injured.
There are bouncers who are responsible to keep the fights and underage drinking to a minimum, but other than that, anything goes.
Please make sure you have a friend to call your mom if anything should go awry.
Then imagine being able to drive at the same time - through a mud pit deep enough to trap monster trucks with wheels the size of cars and up and down a hill steep enough and slippery enough to flip those same trucks.
That is the essence of the Moyie Mud Bogs just outside Bonners Ferry.
It is a local, North Idaho hick tradition held yearly on Mother's Day weekend.
(I guess it makes sense…somehow, to celebrate the life your mother gave you by getting as close as you can to losing it.)
People come from across the US and Canada and bring their biggest (or weirdest) truck, car, suburban, bronco, hearse, you name it, to take a spin through the famous mud pit.
The festivities begin slowly Thursday night as people begin to set up camp for the weekend, but the true party begins Friday afternoon.
The hiss of beer cans opening begins a never-ending ruckus that spreads across acres of land like sludge flung from the tires of thousands of trucks.
The mud pits are not the only entertainment for the weekend. Drunken brawls are likely to break out any moment over anything from who has the biggest, toughest truck to who that girl actually belongs to (she's probably just standing there and has no idea she started the fight).
It's quite possible for people to get stuck in the bog and kill time with a mud fight, which, of course, always grows to include the innocent bystanders and their suddenly angry friends.
Occasionally someone will get stuck unexpectedly in the pit and be hit from behind by another…another whatever. As long as no one spills their beer everything is forgiven - even if it takes half an hour for the tow truck to pull them both out.
Then there is the hill. Everyone hopes for some traditional North Idaho spring rain just before the weekend, and then they pour thousands of gallons of water down a steep hill not far from the mud pits so that drivers can race up it then either spin broadies or roll back down the way they came. (Rumor has it you can roll a truck down the hill without losing one drop of your drink.)
There is even a trail (if you can call it that) meandering above all the activities. Car sized tires and four-wheel drive are required, as well as several cases of beer for something to do if you get stuck. It is off-roading at its best.
Don't even bother asking if it's dangerous. Of course it is. The minute you walk onto private property you sign a contract stating that you will not hold anyone else responsible for your actions during the weekend. That means you can't sue anyone if you die or are seriously injured.
There are bouncers who are responsible to keep the fights and underage drinking to a minimum, but other than that, anything goes.
Please make sure you have a friend to call your mom if anything should go awry.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Ken McAdams
posted 5/13/09 @ 8:58 AM PST
You did it agian, Good Job!
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