Well, I see allot of good advice here. However one thing I would like to add is to always think ahead...as in.....If you manage to climb it, you will most likely have to go back down it. climbing the hills are always the easy part. The descent is the more difficult half to tackling hills. From your description of the hill it sounded pretty nasty going up, did you think about having to come back down? I always take a good look at a steep hill before trying to climb it. Large rocks are difficult enough but when you add ruts to the challenge things can get dangerous real quick..... Best advice I could give is to know your limits. Challenges are a good way to increase your riding ability, but not if it kills or paralyzes you. Glad to hear you weren't too seriously hurt. Thank you for sharing your experience, and Welcome to the forums!!!

 

And....you go lashing a few hundred pounds of elk meat to your racks, and "easy" terrain can suddenly become difficult!

 

Good point. You may have to shift more than your own weight around if you have to climb and descend a steep hill. Put it on the front on the way up, the rear on the way down.