Wheeling alone.

[Boostpowered]

How many folks here off road alone by choice? and how many offroad alone because they cant get anyone to go with them? Weve been going alone so long i think it would probably be weird to have folks with us. Are you comfortable being alone in the middle of nowhere or is it something you deal with by necessity? Are you the type that needs a whole crew with you to enjoy the outdoors? How do you prefer to overland or offroad?

 

[roots66]

I normally overland alone, but not by choice. I love to share the experience with my family and we all love to explorer the great outdoors and see what this country has to offer in amazing natural beauty. However, my wife gets totally freaked out by being off road and the kids are usually bored (Teens, whatcha gonna do?) So, trips to things like National Parks always mean hiway miles and motels because the park is why they went, not the getting there part. Thus, any actual off roading is left to just me. I'm hoping that by joining OB, I can meet a few like minded souls who live close by and enjoy not only the destination, but the journey there as well.

 

[old_man]

Heres the deal I cross the country all the time in an 80 series sitting on 37s and a 6in lift, I drive to moab and wheel Moab, same in colorado, AZ etc etc BUT I always make sure I know the locals and more specifically the local tow or recovery guys. And make sure they know where Im at. Also I carry all the tools I would need to repair just about any of the usual break down items. And carry spares. wheeling hells revenge or Imogene alone is doable. Just dont hamer it and know your limits. View attachment 93956View attachment 93957View attachment 93958

You are never really alone on those trails.

 

[Boostpowered]

My wife and i try and get lost in oklahoma or arkansas every weekend somewhere in the mountains however anytime i have invited someone with an offroad vehicle to join us i get crazy looks and a no. So ive mostly stopped trying, ive never been very social but i try from time to time. We do alot of fishing and kayaking too and i have yet to have anyone take an offer to do either of those. The majority of my time is either in a tractor or going to the tractor and my wife works in a office an hour away so anytime we have a chance to go do something fun on a weekend we take it. This weekend since my family is unable to get along this year for easter we are going to just go up to broken bow oklahoma and hit some trails

 

[Jim SoG]

Was alone for a long time due to work, I work weekends and my days off the wife and I would head out...BUT I do carry survival gear, med bag, water, food, I can survive for days...... AS for danger all I have to do is run faster than the wife..Oh wait, I mean trip the wife, she is faster now with my medical...LOL

I joined a local 4x4 club and am out with them now since they are retired, and the OB events we are not alone, so I say now I am not alone like before.....

Jim

 

[Boostpowered]

Was alone for a long time due to work, I work weekends and my days off the wife and I would head out...BUT I do carry survival gear, med bag, water, food, I can survive for days...... AS for danger all I have to do is run faster than the wife..Oh wait, I mean trip the wife, she is faster now with my medical...LOL

I joined a local 4x4 club and am out with them now since they are retired, and the OB events we are not alone, so I say now I am not alone like before.....

Jim

I joined a club too, this one

 

[Eric Neal]

I typically go as a "solo vehicle" which typically includes my bride and our dog - but frequently it's just me and my kit. It's by choice. I have gone with groups on a few occasions (7-10 other vehicles) and found it less than delightful since I typically end up having to watch the vehicle in my rear view mirror most of the time. It seems that spacing out isn't what most people want to do so everyone seems to bunch up and that isn't my cup-o-tea. Feels like going to the mall with friends or standing in line to get into the concert!! LOL

Same when I used to backpack a lot (multi day hiking) I'd find that most times everyone else likes to walk as a group so I'm left looking at someone's bum, pack, or shoes versus listening, observing, & appreciating nature or having to maintain some pace I may not choose so the person behind me isn't walking on my heels. So the first hiker or vehicle gets to see the deer, bear, ruffed grouse, butterfly etc. and the rest of the group gets to hear about it at the next stop or campfire. :(

There is a very small number of folks I have wheeled with as a "pair of vehicles" and we almost always space out so that the other vehicle is not in "line-of-sight" all the time. But that is a very small group so I guess I'll have to admit that this communicates to others that I'm generally asocial. Like most (I assume) I carry tools, fluids, essential spare parts and fasteners, H2O, and as needed, spare fuel along with my inReach (just in case).

By participating in this forum I do have more confidence in unfamiliar territory (far removed from my local area) since I typically ID, ahead of time, members local to the places I'm going. So that's a great comfort in case something comes up/goes down that I can't deal with on my own. I've made a note-to-self based on RichiefromBoston's remark about knowing local tow or repair/recovery providers... I need to do a better job of that in the future - thanks Richie.

But just last week I was out on a new (to me) track and found a really awesome looking side trail that I wanted to take. No map, no previous knowledge, etc. yet the "jump-in point" was a pretty steep decline on dirt in the forest with a hard 90 degree turn at the bottom and then open track for miles in a deep appalachian mountains bottom... think moonshiner's paradise (LOL). Was going to "make the plunge" but then had second thoughts. I know my rig can handle the climb back out, re: incline, but if the soil won't allow for good traction - and I have no winch - then I'd be stuck for a long while using my recovery straps and Hi-Lift jack trying to rig and pull myself up the entry point drop off. So I just set up camp for the afternoon/night hoping someone else might come along and I could introduce myself & fall in line.

No regrets, just a fact of life when alone and on an adventure - whether that's rock climbing/bouldering, backpacking, 4 wheeling, and so on.

 

[roots66]

There is a very small number of folks I have wheeled with as a "pair of vehicles" and we almost always space out so that the other vehicle is not in "line-of-sight" all the time.

I must agree that a few (2-3) well spaced vehicles is much more enjoyable than a bumper-to-bumper wagon train.

 

[Sarge368]

I have typically done most of my adventuring by myself and enjoy it a lot. I carry self recovery equipment and all the other necessities as well as car mounted and portable Ham radio. I know the repeaters in the area and have them programmed in. I like being out all alone however it does limit what you do. Like @Erik Neal said there are trails that you are 98% sure will be okay but.... You just can't take the chance. More recently I have had the chance to go out with 2-3 others and have found that fun. You can definitely explore some of the side trails without having to over think it so much and sharing the experience is a good thing too. I think it is important to go with people that you believe have a similar outlook on what the experience should be.

I am new to OB and I hope to find others who want to travel and explore in similar ways. But like others said above, the last thing you want is 30-40 rigs piled up with several of them blaring music when you are trying to enjoy where you are at. Probably not well said but hopefully you all understand what I mean.

 

[AZ WANDERING BEAR]

I'd say 60% of my trips are solo, just me and the truck. Another 30% are me and the wife with the remaining 10% in a small group (never more than 3 vehicles).

My job as an airline pilot requires me to be around people and in loud places. Solo trips to very quiet and remote places are the only antidote I have found to counter the effects of 5 PA systems all blaring at full volume in an airport terminal, the lady who brought her pot belly pig in her carry on because she'd be lonely without him, people who can't find baggage claim in spite of the sign directly in front of them pointing the way in letters 4-feet high, etc, etc. So the independence of going alone, the knowledge that I have pretty much only me and my gear on which to depend, a tough canyon scramble to a thousands of years old archaeological ruin, hearing only the sizzle of a steak on my little Weber Q in camp under a star filled night, asked not a single stupid question for days -- yep, that works for me.

Many travelers and adventurers in the Southwest are familiar with the mystery and legend of Everett Ruess. One of my favorite quotations from Ruess maybe best explains why I like solo travel. “There is a splendid freedom in solitude, and after all, it is for solitude that I go to the mountains and the deserts, not for companionship. In solitude I can bare my soul to the mountains unabashed. I can work, or think, act or recline at my whim, and nothing stands between me and the wild.”

Having said all that, my trip to Expo West includes 2 couples we enjoy very much with a lot of time built in for great conversations in camp set against wonderful backdrops. Just like our rigs are all different in many ways but similar in many others, what we get out of, what we want out of, overlanding is individually different and yet somewhat similar. So are our preferences for going solo and going in groups.

 

[TacomaDave]

I'm a loner by nature so it's always just me and my pooch. My rig is my one and only means of transport so I don't take many chances with it. I know what it can do without tearing anything up.

 

[Eric Neal]

I'd say 60% of my trips are solo, just me and the truck. Another 30% are me and the wife with the remaining 10% in a small group (never more than 3 vehicles).

My job as an airline pilot requires me to be around people and in loud places. Solo trips to very quiet and remote places are the only antidote I have found to counter the effects of 5 PA systems all blaring at full volume in an airport terminal, the lady who brought her pot belly pig in her carry on because she'd be lonely without him, people who can't find baggage claim in spite of the sign directly in front of them pointing the way in letters 4-feet high, etc, etc. So the independence of going alone, the knowledge that I have pretty much only me and my gear on which to depend, a tough canyon scramble to a thousands of years old archaeological ruin, hearing only the sizzle of a steak on my little Weber Q in camp under a star filled night, asked not a single stupid question for days -- yep, that works for me.

Many travelers and adventurers in the Southwest are familiar with the mystery and legend of Everett Ruess. One of my favorite quotations from Ruess maybe best explains why I like solo travel. “There is a splendid freedom in solitude, and after all, it is for solitude that I go to the mountains and the deserts, not for companionship. In solitude I can bare my soul to the mountains unabashed. I can work, or think, act or recline at my whim, and nothing stands between me and the wild.”

Having said all that, my trip to Expo West includes 2 couples we enjoy very much with a lot of time built in for great conversations in camp set against wonderful backdrops. Just like our rigs are all different in many ways but similar in many others, what we get out of, what we want out of, overlanding is individually different and yet somewhat similar. So are our preferences for going solo and going in groups.

AZ Wandering Bear, sincere thanks sent to you for turning me on to Everett Ruess.

I've never really enjoyed poetry - okay well a few pieces but very limited. Prob due more to my lack of effort, etc. BUT... after your remarks I checked out ER's website and scanned his poetry. Then I had to re-read them more slowly in reverse order. Then... I'm sure you get the point.

I'm a brand new yet huge fan - again thank you for opening a new doorway to the beauty of solitude and adventure via Everett Ruess's works.

 

[Todd & Meg]

I alway go with my best friend which happens to be my wife. We really don't know anyone else in our area to go with. We have only lived here for 4 years so don't have many friends. We did do one trip with an OB member we meet here and had a great time. I have no interest in the 4X4 or Jeep clubs, I don't want to do a day trip that takes 8 hours that we can do in 2 hours by ourself. Or listen to people who rip on rig B because rig A is the best. We have no interest in rock crawling. We like site seeing and stoping to take picture of stuff that interest us. I will get up at 3:00 AM just to take photos, or pack up camp at 4:30 so we can be at a certain spot for sunrise. It's probably hard to find people that want to do that.

We do like the quite we have by ourselves, but that is what we are used to. I'm having a hard time deciding on if we should go to Expo West because of the crowds. I hear it is a great time but the crowds, don't like that.

We would like to find a few couples to camp and explore with, we want to head down south in some areas close to the boarder and would like to be with some other people just for the added safety with more people.

Todd

 

[Vandy]

My wife and i try and get lost in oklahoma or arkansas every weekend somewhere in the mountains however anytime i have invited someone with an offroad vehicle to join us i get crazy looks and a no. So ive mostly stopped trying, ive never been very social but i try from time to time. We do alot of fishing and kayaking too and i have yet to have anyone take an offer to do either of those. The majority of my time is either in a tractor or going to the tractor and my wife works in a office an hour away so anytime we have a chance to go do something fun on a weekend we take it. This weekend since my family is unable to get along this year for easter we are going to just go up to broken bow oklahoma and hit some trails

Where are you located. Im in okc. If I can get away I'm always down to go. We also have some local groups that go.

To your topic. I go alone if need be. But I tend to be super cautious if I'm solo.

 

[Boostpowered]

Im between wolfe city and paris tx

 

[kingofthehill29]

I went on my 1st solo offroad trip. I took a day trip to the Broken Bow area with my dog. I wish I had some company though it was kind of boring without anyone to talk to and hang out with.

 

[Walt]

Am fine alone on more open areas, but prefer to share with family or friends that would otherwise not get the chance.
When traveling the rough country of the Ozarks however, I won't go to deep, alone.

 

[Boostpowered]

Well let me know if yall need someone to wheel with, my wife and i are down for just about every weekend. By wheeling alone i suppose i mean going at it in a single vehicle since im rarely alone in my vehicle.

 

[SandStorm87]

I definitely don't like going out alone, been stuck alone before. I like small groups though, 2-5 vehicles and I am kinda picky about who I go with

 

[Boostpowered]

Elaborate on what your picky about? Certain types of vehicles, skin color? Gender? Political views? I at least give folks a chance to prove to me they suck. The great thing about meeting up and wheeling with folks you dont know is it can be a one time only deal or you can just leave if you dont like whats happening, and if you happen to get along then exchange contact info and you've got a new friend.