Adventures

What to do when life pushes trees in your way.

This past weekend, I took a bunch of Jeeps on a trip up to Hoffman, North Carolina, for a day off-roading in the Sandhills. I had a nearly 40-mile route mapped out, and five Jeeps to lead. It was a smaller group this time, but I was fine with that. I wasn’t sure how dry the trails were going to be, and when the trails are dry, they kick up a lot of dust, which makes it hard for those following to see the path in front of them.

Thankfully, it was barely dusty at all when we were out there, thanks to the rain we had been receiving on and off for the past several weeks. The trails were fun, with a few minor hills and some light terrain to help ease people into tackling some more challenging obstacles on my future rides.

We were maybe a quarter of the way done with the first half of our ride when, at the top of a hill, there was a tree laying across the road. Fortunately, we Jeeple always come prepared for just about any situation we might find ourselves in, and one of our people had a chainsaw in the back of his Jeep. We made quick work of the tree and cleared the trail.

We stopped for lunch at the lake, and were quickly back out on the trails, where we encountered a few more downed trees. This time, there were clear roundabout trails for us to take, so there was no need to dig out the chainsaw again, even though we were itching for another opportunity to have some fun clearing the trails.

All-in-all, the ride went off without a hitch, and everyone had a great time! We made some new friends, enjoyed our time on the trails, and learned that when life pushes trees in your way, grab a chainsaw and keep going.

What have y’all been up to lately?

—Carissa