Help’s not coming

The off-road industry often uses juicy photos of vehicles armed to the teeth with self-recovery gear. Epic trailer runs, high fives and cold beer are what comes to mind. When I got stuck, we were in a borrowed Jeep; didn’t quite mention to friends where we’d be; and it was getting dark.

For many of us, we wheel when we can, where we can and often that’s alone. It would be great if getting stuck always happened in cell phone range but life has shown me otherwise. Sometime, help’s not coming.

So you’re left to figure it out with the tools on hand or what you can creatively come up with. I’ve learned life-saving tips from expert trainers like Bill Burke and Nena Barlow and can’t recommend their trainings enough. The network of certified trainers at International Four Wheel Drive Trainers Association (https://i4wdta.org) are committed to teaching folks the right way to get out there and safely back again.

Having gear, like a winch, is great - knowing how to use it to its fullest is priceless.