Ok, enough with the suspense, it is off roading. You may not even know what that is, so let me tell you about it. First, my wife and I love the outdoors. We enjoy extreme hiking. If you do not know what that is, it is hiking where there are no trails or only barely trails, but lots of cliffs, thorny vines, water crossings and terrain that can kill you if you make a misstep. And we are runners. We have run many marathons and go on runs with friends several days a week. We both play tennis and are very competitive for our age. Our favorite vacations, whether in the US or overseas involve hiking outdoors. We are skiers, though she stays within her skills and I push the envelope some on the slopes. Basically we are outdoors and fitness types. So how did driving a high powered side by side ATV become a favorite hobby? Above is a picture of our RZR still on the trailer in our driveway, just back from having gone off roading in north eastern Tennessee.
It happened kind of by accident. As a former hunter I had owned a few four wheelers in my life, the kind of ATV you ride like a four wheeled motor cycle. And on a trip back from hiking the high desserts in Utah we stopped in Moab and rented a side by side all terrain vehicle and drove in the world famous off road park there. It looked like a Jeep but was much smaller and had no windows or roof, totally open to the weather. It was a huge kick! It felt terrifying but the machine could scale rock slopes like a mountain goat and it was actually quite safe and just a whole lot of fun. We were strapped in with shoulder harnesses and protected by an elaborate roll bar cage. It combined the speed of downhill skiing with the terrain of extreme hiking and we enjoyed it a lot. It isn’t totally unlike riding on horseback as far as being able to go where there are no roads but without the extreme burden of care that comes with a owning a horse.
Since we were close to early retirement and had quite a bit of excess funding above what we needed we bought our own Polaris RZR about a year before I retired, a very sporty off road vehicle. Power steering, bucket seats and shoulder harnesses so that even if you run into something or off of something you are not likely to get hurt. It cost us about $15,000 with a trailer to pull it on and we’ve been riding off road several times a year ever since. We ride alone and with others we’ve met who enjoy the sport. Arkansas has some of the premier places to ride in the country but we’ve been as far west as Colorado and just got back from riding (and hiking) in eastern Tennessee.
I know some natural purists do not appreciate the noise and dust associated with off road vehicles but their use is strictly limited to areas that are maintained and groomed for off roading, almost like ski resorts, and the negative impact on wildlife is not significant since vehicle use is restricted to marked trails just as is other traffic. In Tennessee the elk barely even bothered to look at us when we stopped on the trail to take photos of them. The vast majority of woods and forests are exempted from vehicular traffic and the amount open for off road use is relatively insignificant and is not in areas containing endangered species. While I love long hikes in pristine and silent woodlands I also love driving technically challenging trails in our ATV. It is just a different sport, and we enjoy them both. I do not see a conflict, personally. But then, back in my hunting days, I saw no conflict between being a hunter and also an avid nature observer. There are plenty of people who cannot reconcile those two hobbies either and I wouldn’t try to change anyone’s mind on how they view humans and outdoor wilderness recreation.
That said, it is an exciting sport that combines both speed and skill, offering many chances to stop and hike to waterfalls, overlooks and even elk viewing towers. You can carry more gear than you can hiking and noon time stops by rushing creeks or mountain overlooks for a picnic lunch are mandatory. Another advantage is that after a few days of extreme hiking our “senior” legs are begging for a little less strenuous activity and while it has plenty of thrills, the work required to drive off road is mostly mental. With power steering and an engine there isn’t much physical effort unless you get stuck and have to winch your way out.
Is it for everybody? Heavens no. It absolutely terrifies many and others just don’t like noisy or gasoline powered sports. Plus you have to have a high tolerance for getting muddy and dusty. And I mean muddier and dustier than you’ve ever thought about. But if you think it might be something you’d like to try then the best way to do that is to rent a Polaris RZR or a Can-Am or an Arctic Cat or Honda or Kawasaki or any of the other side by side sports off road vehicles. Most areas that have trails that are legal for ATV’s have rental shops nearby and there isn’t much of a learning curve to driving a rig. If you can drive a car you are more than capable of driving off road. Just go slow and be careful while you are getting a feel for things and obey all trail traffic rules. Helmets are advisable, but not always required. Who knows, you might really like it. Used rigs can be bought for a fraction of what we paid for ours new, but even done as inexpensively as possible it probably doesn’t meet anybody’s idea of a frugal hobby. We only took it up once we were well past financial independence and it represents an insignificant part of our annual expenses. But international travel, another hobby of ours, is also quite expensive, but worth it in our opinion.
It is also a very social sport with many people meeting on the trails and campgrounds forming friendships for life and joining up to ride together year after year. We have met some great people that way. And if we ever do have grandkids we’ll be trading our two seater in for a four or six seat model because the trails are full of extended families camping and riding together.
So have you ever ridden off road?
Do you think it is possible to reconcile hiking and off roading as mutually enjoyable sports?
As always, please comment in the comment box or, if you don’t see one just click on the title of the post and it should take you there.
we had snowmobiles growing up. it’s essentially the same thing with all the social aspects too. my best friend and his brother had a couple of those 3 wheeler death traps growing up but i never rode them. it’s just part of living in the country as far as i’m concerned. sounds like a fun hobby, steve. i wouldn’t try to change anyone’s mind with how i spend my free time or extra fun dollars. you happen to value this and we would rather tear up the french quarter for 4-5 days. different interests keeps it all interesting.
That brings back a memory. My first three wheeler was used and had a sticky carburetor so that when you hit the gas there was a delay, then a surge of power that continued even after you let off the throttle. On my very first long ride with a friend I had to go up a steep bank after crossing a creek. I gave it some gas and nothing happened, then it took off like a rocket. As those used to do it reared up on the back wheels going up the bank and I jumped off just as it started to fall back. I landed with my feet sinking up to my ankles in thick mud and could not move as the 500 pound machine fell back down the hill on me. It hit me hard on my head and I ended up with nine stitches in my scalp, very lucky it wasn’t worse. Death trap would have been a great nickname for that vile machine. Our new rig is massively more safe and I’m a little less stupid than my twenty something self was! Hey, Nawlins food is the absolute best, though I have heard that French Quarter can get a country boy in trouble.
Oh and my wife and I love renting snowmobiles and riding them when we are out west. They are very much the same kind of experience though the riding techniques are more complicated with the body weight shifts. But still a lot of fun!