Importance of Expos/Rallies
Most of us in the overlanding community have attended an overland themed expo or rally. They are great way to catch up with the latest and greatest, mostly overpriced, gear and gadgets. These gatherings are also a great source of ideas for modifying your current set up. For me, as important as seeing the latest doodad or mod, is being around a bunch of like minded people. Hanging out and talking to fellow overlanders, who aren’t trying to hawk a product, can be a lot of fun. Little tricks and diy projects that can be gleaned from these gatherings are invaluable. I say all this to say, these types of gatherings are important and I look forward to attending many more in the future!
Organized Trail Rides: Size Matters
I will be the first to admit I have participated in organized trail rides both as a participant and as the ride leader/organizer. Most, if not all of these rides, were awesome experiences. I have led rides with as few as 3 rigs and as many as 6 or 7 rigs. As a rule I try to limit any group I lead to 3-5 rigs. Any number of rigs over 3-5 brings a whole list of issues from finding a big enough campsite to accommodate all rigs, communication and being slower on the trail which makes it hard for people outside my party to pass. I have participated in rides led by others where there had been as many as 25 rigs. That’s just too many people on a trail in one group. Had I known the size of the group when I signed up I probably would have opted not to go. Which brings me to the point of this blog, impact on the trails.
Explore Trails Responsibly
When I attend an overland event such as Expo East, BROG RTT Rally, Rendezvous In The Ozarks (RITO), etc I am going to opt out of the trail rides. I can ride the trails most any weekend and not riding one weekend is not that big of a deal to me. These gatherings draw A LOT of people. I don’t agree with exposing the trails to a steady train of rigs all concentrated in one weekend. These trails probably do not see the traffic one of these events brings in a weekend for the rest of the year combined. Add in bad weather and damage to the trails becomes exponentially worse. I will hand it to the organizers of RITO this year for canceling the organized trail rides due to the heavy rainfall before and during the event. Great decision! Even with special permission from the U.S. Forest Service, which some responsible organizers have done in the past, it’s just not something I care to do. I am not passing judgement to anyone who wheels the trails at every opportunity.
Always Use Your Best Judgement
Every situation is different. Some trails can handle heavy use because of the makeup of these trails. Hard pack, gravel or rock can take hell of a lot more traffic in horrible weather conditions than say dirt and clay trails can in IDEAL weather. Try to think of impact of your ride over everything else. By all means stay on the trail and only ride legal trails, meaning OPEN trails. Always practice Tread-Lightly principles. Know what those principles are and pass those along to your fellow riders! If we all do our part we will all have our favorite trails to enjoy for years to come.
-Overland Curmudgeon