Off-Road Rescues in Colorado Are Getting Out of Hand

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

Came across this article posted by Outside Magazine.

Guess it could be a general discussion couldn’t it?

Off-Road Rescues in Colorado Are Getting Out of Hand

Why do so many cars and trucks get stuck on sketchy passes in the Rockies? We asked state officials, tow truck drivers, and even college professors to weigh in.

www.outsideonline.com

 

[Ethan N]

I made it about halfway through the article, education is what we most need here. That one guy they said drove a full-size pickup up a hiking trail...

There's a lot of land and it's impossible to watch it all, post proper signage or gates, etc. Not really sure how to combat huge swathes of idiots, but we need to get on top of something before more trails get closed.

 

[Kent R]

The problem is way bigger than we think, towns around the Alpine Loop are really pissed off at all the rescues that are happening due to stupid people mostly renting vehicles/side by sides and getting into trouble.

 

[MidOH]

This problem should go away now that CO legalized drugs.

 

[smritte]

I read a similar article about Utah. Most of the rescues were rental vehicles. Over the years, I've watched this happen all over. The environmental groups use this as ammunition to push closures. Look at Utah right now. I saw this in the Mojave, in my local mountains, the sand dunes south of me and north of me.

The problem is not education. How do you educate someone who doesn't care? You cant. I've spent decades trying to counter this crap. All one needs to do is try to talk to these idiots and you find out quick, they just don't care. Each time I watch a fad take off, this happens. ATV's, boats, high power sand buggies, Side by Sides, Jeep Rubicon (TJ), Overlanding, as well as a bunch of non related things.

I just wish it was as easy as education. The only people who are willing to take part in being educated, are not the ones who cause these problems.

Some of you may remember two issues that happened in death valley several years ago, one happens often.
People going out to devils race track and tearing it up when its wet. Then my favorite. A couple of guys urinating in the pond with the almost extinct fish not far from there.
I doubt any amount of education would have prevented these.

 

[Tundracamper]

I’m sure this has nothing to do with folks seeing videos on social media and YouTube and thinking “hey, that looks fun, let’s do that,” having no idea how hard those drives really are. Nah, couldn’t be…

 

[zgfiredude]

One word, ACCOUNTABILITY.

As soon as they are held accountable (to the fullest extent possible) then you may see some behavioral change. Until then, meh......

 

[K12]

One word, ACCOUNTABILITY.

As soon as they are held accountable (to the fullest extent possible) then you may see some behavioral change. Until then, meh......

they do hold them accountable... by shutting down those trails and punishing everyone.

 

[Gilalobo]

I believe many of these overlanding types are similar to those that want to pet the buffalo or take a selfie with a bear or moose. A majority of people cannot handle or mentally equipped to handle wilderness more than 400 yards from the parking lot. I recall doing a hike around Bandolier National Monument with a friend many years ago where a general warning sign was posted regarding bears and mountain lions. Every time a branch or pine cone, something fell from a tree, he would snap his head around and survey the surroundings. I cannot begin to tell you how many people I encountered when hiking back in the day, miles from the trailhead and all they would be carrying is a one liter bottle of water. This representative of what we encounter on the trails.

 

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

I read a similar article about Utah. Most of the rescues were rental vehicles. Over the years, I've watched this happen all over. The environmental groups use this as ammunition to push closures. Look at Utah right now. I saw this in the Mojave, in my local mountains, the sand dunes south of me and north of me.

The problem is not education. How do you educate someone who doesn't care? You cant. I've spent decades trying to counter this crap. All one needs to do is try to talk to these idiots and you find out quick, they just don't care. Each time I watch a fad take off, this happens. ATV's, boats, high power sand buggies, Side by Sides, Jeep Rubicon (TJ), Overlanding, as well as a bunch of non related things.

I just wish it was as easy as education. The only people who are willing to take part in being educated, are not the ones who cause these problems.

Some of you may remember two issues that happened in death valley several years ago, one happens often.
People going out to devils race track and tearing it up when its wet. Then my favorite. A couple of guys urinating in the pond with the almost extinct fish not far from there.
I doubt any amount of education would have prevented these.

Very good points. Guess that’s exactly the issue. Some people just don’t care (anymore). Not their monkey - not their circus. But that’s so sad because others do care.

 

[smritte]

As soon as they are held accountable (to the fullest extent possible) then you may see some behavioral change. Until then, meh......

^^^This^^^
The problem is catching them on film. Working my Adapt a Trail, we only caught 1 person in 25 years. Fortunately, they made an example out of the guy. Unfortunately it didn't lessen the damage we dealt with from others.

 

[zgfiredude]

Let's make them do a couple of hundred hours of supervised work in the field repairing trail damage caused by themselves and others.......and then we can have them speak to every new purchaser of an ATV or Side by Side for another couple of years! And if caught badmouthing their punishment on social media, the time commitments double.

For starters,

This is why I carry a dash cam and am ready to use it.

 

[mep1811]

Many of these recoveries are the result of people following the GPS without any awareness of the terrain and a lack of critical thinking skills.

 

[KD7WCD]

The problem is way bigger than we think, towns around the Alpine Loop are really pissed off at all the rescues that are happening due to stupid people mostly renting vehicles/side by sides and getting into trouble.

Maybe those communities should start holding accountable companies that are renting out the vehicle you mentioned.

 

[K12]

The problem is way bigger than we think, towns around the Alpine Loop are really pissed off at all the rescues that are happening due to stupid people mostly renting vehicles/side by sides and getting into trouble.

Maybe those communities should start holding accountable companies that are renting out the vehicle you mentioned.

Its not the compabies fault people are stupid. Should we blame Jeeo for people who buy Jeeps and get stuck, or toyota for the 4runner folk? This route makes no sense.

 

[Tundracamper]

Maybe those communities should start holding accountable companies that are renting out the vehicle you mentioned.

How’s that any different than blaming a knife or gun company for a murder?

What they need to do is put up a simple sign at the trail entrance listing the average cost of a simple recovery and noting that rental car insurance is not valid past that sign. For example:

Notice! Rental Car Insurance is not valid past this sign!
Average Rental car = $350
Average Recovery = $3,500
Average Rental Car Damage = $5,500.
Driver’s are responsible for any costs.

Then perhaps people will think twice. Yeah, it’s a pipe dream.

 

[MidOH]

Put a rock crawler course and an overhead gate to limit vehicle size at every trail head.

Put up a simple sign, if you can't get through here cleanly, you can't complete this trail.

Noobs can't clog trails if they can't make it past the first 1/4 mile.

CO went way out of their way to attract brainwashed yuppie morons that insist the world must work the way they say, because they're wealthy. So CO gets no sympathy from me. Deal with it. You created an outdoor theme park for dingbat transplants, now sleep in it.

Also, if you don't want 4wheelers and side by sides on hiking and horse trails, quit using 4wheelers to service those trails. People follow tracks.

 

[Kent R]

Its not the compabies fault people are stupid. Should we blame Jeeo for people who buy Jeeps and get stuck, or toyota for the 4runner folk? This route makes no sense.

You are so right, this year we ran into all sorts of idiots, rentals and owened vehicles. On one of the incidents that happened the day after we went over Engineer 90 SAR volunteers worked for over 24 hrs to get a family off the mountain after a accident.
Most of the noise we heard was from Lake City residents complaining about Engineer pass incidents.

All in all there is a problem

 

[smritte]

Put a rock crawler course and an overhead gate to limit vehicle size at every trail head.

We call those gate keepers. No overhead but mostly rock piles limiting by clearance width and skill. Most trails have ratings with signs stating the minimum requirements for vehicles. The trail I mostly maintained was 33" tires and a single locker. The gate keeper must be as difficult as the most difficult obstacle in the trail. With all that we would still find over qualified vehicles stuck or broken due to no skill.

My group would spend sometimes days repairing the gate keepers. Three weeks later everything is moved or bypassed. Meanwhile in the middle of the trail where we cant physically make it easier, you see the carnage on the hard areas. If someone is severely injured or killed, they close the route.

While were repairing the trail people would stop and complain about the gate keepers and having to stay on the route. Even today, if I mention gate keepers people give me crap for it. As a community we can only do our best. I still try to educate as best as I can and wish there was more I could do before we cant go anywhere anymore.

I honestly blame Jeep for the issues I saw out there. In the beginning, people would buy vehicles and be stopped by the gate keepers. When the Rubicon came out, people now had lockers and gears. Now you have a capable vehicle but no experience. All you have to do is watch U-Tube and you see what I mean.

 

[Speric]

Holding people accountable happens after the fact and doesn't prevent the damage done, the intervention needs to happen before the damage is done. Education will only help those that care but don't know. Rental companies easily supply those folks with access. So I think some of the responsibility falls to them if they want to provide that service. As for those that don't care, I don't think there isn't much you can do about that. They are the same folks to leave trash at a campsite, do donuts in the meadows, and pee in ponds with endangered wildlife.