Helping on The Tail

I love that the off road community helps each other out. I have received help in the past and have given it.

Today while taking a break , two motorcyclist past us. Nothing unusual there we are in an OHV park after all.  A few minutes later a loan rider returned. He asked if we had any tools with us. His friend had popped the bead on his rear tire.  After a bit of talking, and trying to figure out what tools he would need we decided just to drive up to where he was.

We had what he needed to get his tire back on and re-inflated. They both where thankful as they where on the opposite side of the park as their camp and tools. Would have been a long walk.  Their thank yous where more than enough payment for our help. I was glad to be able to pay it forward so to speak.

As I was putting stuff away in the back of my rig and Dad was in the back of his, one of the kids yelled  from where he was something about my drink. I figured he was telling me not to forget it as it was on the fender of  Dad's Jeep. When I walked up there, they had placed a $5 bill under my cup. I grabbed it and said Oh no you don't need to pay us. As I walked forward to hand it back they both speed off so I could not give it back.  Those little stinkers!!!

When I stopped to think about it, that is a testament to the fine young men they must be, and to their parents for raising such thoughtful children.  The thought of payment for our help NEVER crossed my mind, If they had asked I would have told them to pay it forward to someone else on the trails. I don't help others for payment of any kind, well ok a thank you is nice to hear :-) but I do it because it's the right thing to do, and I know I appreciate it so much with others help us.

I just had to share this story of these 2 young men so if they ever see this, I want to thank them for being so thoughtful and appreciative of our help.




Play Safe and Tread Lightly
A 4 Wheeling Mom

Off Roading Ethically

We all started out as a newbie at some point in our wheeling careers and had to learn things as we went. Even those who have been around a while learn new things from time to time. Not to mention a lot of things have changed over the years. What was “O.K.” for our fathers, may not be considered ethical today. Another thing that has an impact on what is considered appropriate or not is the area you live in. Wheeling in the South is way different than wheeling in the Dessert regions and that again is different than wheeling in The Pacific Northwest. Culture can have a lot to do with the ethics of wheeling in your area. With that being said I’m going to focus on the Pacific Northwest as this is my stomping grounds. So what I say may or may not be true for you area, but no matter what, always wheel safely and ethically.


If you don’t know what Tread Lightly! is I encourage you to follow the link and educate yourself. There are other site out there as well like, The Blue Ribbon Coalition, and Leave No Trace. By following the guidelines set forth by places like these we will help to insure the recreational area’s we play in will remain open. People that don’t respected our environment or laws only make it harder for those of use that do. Off road parks and forest service roads get closed down all the time because people have chosen to ignore road closure signs, go around gates, go around road blocks, or  “trail blaze” a.k.a make their own trail.

This is not even close to a full list of things that should be considered, but these are some of the things I see the most often when it comes to some wheelers giving a bad name to the rest of us.

* means this action could lead to fines and/or jail time.

1) Off Road Ethically and Legally

a) Stay on Marked trails, NO Trail Blazing *

b) If  you are unsure if a trail is OK, go to the office of whoever manages the land and get a current Vehicle use maps. You should have one anyway. Never rely 100% on GPS or Internet based maps.
           A few web sites to help you find maps
           The Bureau of Land Management                 Oregon State Forest 
           Us Forest Service ( National Forest)             Washington State DNR
         


c) If it is not a clearly marked trail don’t go, if there is a road block has been placed in the way i.e. boulders, gates or it is obvious that a tree did not fall there, but was placed there don’t go.*

d) If you become stuck, assess the situation then determine what would be the easiest way to get out with the least amount of damage to your rig and the environment.

e) When doing a recovery, be sure to use tree savers and fill in any holes you may have to dig. Don’t spin tires so long you dig big holes.

f) No water crossing if there is a bridge available to use. If you have to cross a stream, river, or creek do it with care and as slow as possible to protect what is living in the body of water and to prevent as much erosion on the banks as possible.

g) Be sure to have any or all passes for the area you are in.*

h) Be sure to know what you need to carry for what area you are in i.e. Fire extinguisher, water, shovel ( all things you should have anyway) *

i) Don’t drive through meadows, wetlands and the like just for the hell of it stay on the road/trails. *

j) Before crossing private land you should always get permission. If you have to open any gates close them behind you! Again they are there for a reason. Being respectful of private land keeps the land owner happy and willing to say yes the next time someone asks for permission.

k) Pack out what you pack in. DO NOT LITTER! *



2) Stop and think before posting photos and video on line. How do they make you look as an off roader?

a) Could someone mistake what you are doing as unethical or illegal?

b) Does it look like you are tearing up the environment? Driving up hills that are not part of the road or trail? Disturbing the plant life by driving over it? Yes this includes grass.

c) Are you in a body of water that you didn’t need to go in to or through to get down the trail? I’m not talking mud puddles here, I’m talking lakes, streams, ponds, rivers ect.

If you answered yes to any of these questions you may want to think about your approach to wheeling.


I know this all sounds redundant and probably over the top, but keep in mind because of people doing just these things many places have been closed to off road use. As well as making it extremely difficult to get new places opened up. When in doubt DON’T do it!

Please post up Ethics you may think of I have missed. :-)

Click Here

Play Safe and Tread Lightly

A 4 Wheeling Mom

4 Wheel To Heal: Giving Back to Those That Gave Their All!

I'm excited to have had the opportunity to talk with 4 Wheel To Heal. As the daughter of a father who retired from the military, I support our troops 100% and love that groups like this are popping up all over the place. These men and women give all they have to serve our country. Some ( far to many) come home damaged in one way or another. People like these fine young men, are doing what they can to help our Wounded Hero's heal from their battle scares. Please take the time to show them a little love. You can make donation directly to the cause, or you can buy some pretty cool merchandise to help support what they are doing.  http://www.4w2h.org/ 

4 Wheel to Heal's Mission statement 

4 Wheel to Heal (4W2H) is dedicated to taking Wounded Veterans from all branches of service to off-roading events. These events involve four wheeling, rock crawling, mud bogging, and camping. Our mission is to boost moral for these veterans and give them an experience they will never forget.

Mom:  Tells us a little about each of the board members. (I am only giving a short bio on each of these Awesome People to save space for the meat of the post, but PLEASE take the time to visit the bio page on 4w2h.org's website to learn more.) 

John Purser – President / Co-Founder

John Purser is a Staff Sergeant in the Air National Guard. He served as a crew chief on A-10 Warthogs for six years for the United States Air Force. He joined the guard after leaving active duty and cross-trained to become a Command Post Controller.

John Griffin – Vice President / Co-Founder

John “Hannah” Griffin entered the Air Force in 1997 right out of high school. Originally from a small town in North Carolina, he has traveled a good part of the world and has deployed several time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He currently works as a maintainer on fighter aircraft at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. 

Nathan Ramos – Executive Director / Co-Founder

Nathan “Nate” Ramos entered the Air Force in Jan of 2000. After graduating from Tech School, he was assigned to the 23rd Maintenance Squadron/23rd Fighter Group at Pope Air Force Base, NC, a 4th Fighter Wing Tenant Group.  

Mark Schultz – Treasurer / Communications Director / Co-Founder

Mass Communications Specialist Chief Petty Officer Mark Schultz joined the United States Navy in 1999 and has served at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla.; aboard USS Wasp (LHD 1) out of Norfolk, Va.; Defense Media Activity in Washington DC; and is currently serving at Fleet Combat Camera Group Pacific in San Diego, Calif


- Nathan and John P. live here in the local DC area (Annapolis / Crofton). Mark is currently deployed and has just moved out to San Diego after being stationed there for the Navy. John Griffin just moved to Florida after being stationed at Homestead AFB with the Air Force Reserve.



Mom:  How did this idea come about?

4W2H:  We started as 4 Wheel enthusiasts and wanted to start our own Four Wheeling Club. We did not like the idea of paying club dues and had a good group of people that really loved four wheeling together. So we formed Country Boy Crawlers as a four wheeling club. We had the desire as a club once we became big enough to give back to the community.

Mom:  What prompted you guys to create this group to get Wounded Warriors out wheeling, camping and having a good time outdoors?

4W2H: Through our work in the Air National Guard we were put in contact with Operation Ward 57 and made a trip to Walter Reed Military Hospital. We met several warriors and were touched by what positive attitudes they had and wanted to do anything we could to help them. From there we made the decision to form 4 Wheel to Heal and start as a Non-Profit Organization. We did not want to obligate our club members and knew we would not be able to raise funds unless we went Non-Profit.

 Four Wheeling is what we love. It centers on getting out in the elements in a competitive environment that is full of camaraderie. It presents challenges and obstacles that are fun to tackle. This reminds us a lot of our time spent in the military and being part of a team. We always have smiles on our faces when doing it and wanted to introduce these Warriors to our sport.


Mom: Organizations like yours survive on the hard work and dedication of volunteers. The easiest way for those of us that can’t volunteer, to help is by donations or purchasing of your merchandise at 4W2H.org. For those that have the time to with your volunteer organization, what type of person are you looking for?

4W2H:  We are looking for emotionally strong individuals who have integrity, and are compassionate towards our cause. The individual should be able to work as a team, and in team environments. Having prior experience in customer service is also important in working events and being able to hold a conversation with customers.


Mom:  Do they need any specific set of skills?

4W2H:  Particular skills could involve handling money, event setup and tear downs, and hospitality.
 Four Wheeling experience is highly encouraged, as well as knowledge of the sport.


Mom: Do they need a back ground in working with Wounded Warriors?

4W2H: With every outing and visit to the ward we learn something new. We would expect this from any volunteer that we bring on. They just need to be able to learn and be respectful of the Warriors needs.


Mom: I know passion would be a must. Tell us what your ideal volunteer would be.

4W2H: Passion is what keeps us going! Being passionate about the Warriors and four wheeling is the most important thing to us. Passion is infectious and we hope that our volunteers can make an impact and touch others’ lives. Integrity and values are also desired. Someone who can embrace these ideals would be considered our perfect volunteer.


Mom:  Right now you are located in MD. Do you have any future plans to open chapters in other areas?

4W2H:  In theory if we can get some solid donations under our organizations belt and have the opportunity to expand we will. We have some awesome ideas for the future and are holding those ideas pretty close to the hilt. There will be great things to come and the name 4 Wheel to Heal is so broad that later down the road we can move into more areas of support. Cancer, make a wish, and a number of other things that we could push into in the future.


Mom: Is there anything you want to say to the readers?

4W2H:  Our hats are off to those who gave all. Remembering the fallen and working with the Wounded is what drives us. We just ask for support anyway someone can give it. Whether that be a donation, purchase of merchandise, word of mouth, or volunteering it is all important. We cannot thank all of you enough for your support for 4 Wheel to Heal.

I talked briefly with a Wounded Warrior about his experience with the Organization. I would have loved to spent more time getting stories from these Warriors. 

Mom: Can you tell me a bit about your experience with 4W2H?

John: I went to ice breakers at Big Dogs. The best part was spending the entire day on the trails. 4W2H is an excellent organization that helped me to relax and get out of the normal routine of recovery.

Here are a few Photo's from the Ice Breakers event.

I want to thank all the men and women that have served in our military and for those that are working hard to support them! THANK  YOU!

Play Safe and Tread Lightly

A 4 Wheeling Mom