JOSEPH ZUMWALT
Defense Contract Management Agency
San Ramon, California
I was a young buck sergeant at Fort Irwin, California, in 2004 when I purchased my first four-wheel-drive vehicle, a 1986 Chevy Blazer. The Blazer had a 10-inch lift kit and I was running 39-inch mud tires. I thought it was the greatest truck in the world and felt invincible behind the wheel. After all, I now owned a monster truck that could go anywhere.
Three weeks after I bought the Blazer, I decided to take it rock crawling in the hills just outside the installation. I didn’t do any planning or coordination — I just hopped into my truck and headed out. I turned onto the first dirt road I found because it looked like a good place to start. At first, it was easy — just small rocks and flat terrain. As I got farther down the road, the rocks got bigger and I encountered some challenging hills.
I was having a great time when I came upon a washed-out creek bed full of large boulders and loose rocks. While the climb was steep and scary, I decided nothing was going to stop me. I hit the gas and made it about two-thirds of the way up before I had to slow down for a big rock. My experience was limited to what I had seen on TV. That told me I’d need to give the engine plenty of gas to get over the rock, so I floored the pedal.
Upon contact, my truck’s front end jumped up and cleared the rock. Unfortunately, when it came down, my truck’s driveline slammed onto the rock and, in a split second, my transmission and transfer case exploded into pieces! I shut down the truck immediately as a thousand “what-do-I-do-now?” thoughts went through my head. I was alone in the mountains, unsure how I was going to get out of the mess I was in, but, ultimately, I did.
It’s now six years later and I often think of my accident when I see young Soldiers driving lifted Jeeps and trucks. I wonder if anybody has taught them the do’s and don’ts of off-roading. I wonder if their trucks are up to the challenge and pray they won’t get stuck like I did. I did many things wrong that day and had to learn the hard way. So you can save yourself the grief I went through, here’s a list of things to consider before you go off-roading.
Don’t
- Go off-roading alone. Always go with a group, preferably accompanied by as many trucks as possible. If you get stuck, you’ll have someone to help you.
- Assume your truck is indestructible. What you don’t see on TV are the pit crews standing by in case anything breaks.
- Head into the hills without a map or planning where you are going. Exploring is fun, but doing it blindly is stupid.
- Make vehicle modifications unless you are qualified and know you can do them safely.
Do
- As a minimum, carry water, food and a first aid kit along with a sleeping bag and emergency flares.
- Carry tools and spare parts for things that commonly break.
- Carry a GPS navigation aid along with maps and a reliable way to communicate. In the hills, cellphones often don’t work, so a CB radio can be a great backup.
- Join a local off-roading club and learn from other member’s experiences. Chances are they have done everything you want to do and can help you learn safely.
- Tell somebody where you are going. Show them on a map and let them know when you expect to be back.
- Ensure you have safety equipment such as a fire extinguisher, roll cage and functional seat belts.
- Assume something could go wrong and have a plan in place to work through it.
In my case, everything worked out well in the end. I was lucky and made it out with a bruised ego and an expensive repair bill. However, it could have been much worse. I could have rolled down that hill, gotten lost in the back country or succumbed to a heat-related injury or other hazard I hadn’t considered. Worst of all, I went out alone without letting anyone know where I was going. Had something bad happened, it might have been days — if ever — before anybody found me.
Off-roading should be fun, not fatal. If you apply the do’s and don’ts I listed, you’ll be laying a good foundation for safely enjoying your sport.