When people think about off-roading, they typically think of Jeeps as far as the eye can see, mud holes, giant rocks, the (off)road less traveled, camo-gear, boots, coolers full of Miller Lite, and big beards. Well, I can confirm that most of that is accurate, however, the typical off-road park also holds quite a few things you wouldn’t expect.
This past weekend Harry B and I embarked on a beginner’s off-road course hosted by Offroad Consulting at Rausch Creek Offroad Park in Pine Grove, PA. Offroad Consulting has been holding this course for about 25+ years and have been at Rausch Creek for about 10 years. They offer three different courses depending on your skills and goals. The 101 course was full of mostly stock vehicles (all JK and newer Jeeps except for Harry’s 99 ‘Yota 4Runner) and is designed to show the novice drivers what their “stock” vehicles were actually capable of. The 201 course is more driver focused and is geared towards those with some experience, focusing on advanced techniques as well as spotting and recovery. Lastly they offer a 301 course that is extremely driver focused and teaches much more advanced techniques on a more personal level. On top of these courses they also offer one-on-one instruction and consulting to help you become a better off-roader. We took the “101 course” because Harry B wanted to prepare himself for his trip to MOAB later this fall and I was just along for the ride.
For those of you that have attended a track day before, you might find some of this interesting because this particular off-road adventure was very much like a day at the track. We arrived around 8:30 am and registered with the park admins. We signed their waivers (as well as the waivers for the club) and paid our registration fees. At the registration desk they told us to line up behind a blue jeep where the rest of the class members were already parked. After loading up our gear (cooler full of water and lunch foods, shovel, tow strap, high lift jack, phones and chargers, and 5 minutes to look for Harry’s keys) we got in line with the other participants.
You might recall that the cars in the beginner group at a track day are definitely newer and much nicer than the cars in the higher level run groups. That’s because as people get more serious about the sport and their skills improve, their cars either change to something more cost effective or they make modifications to make them faster and safer for track use. Well, the off-roading community is no different. All of the vehicles in our group were 2007+ Jeep wranglers, some stock, some with lifts and tires, but all of them for the most part looked like normal mall crawlers. However, as you looked around the parking lot, you definitely saw that the more experienced people had tons of money and modifications invested in their rigs to get the most performance. You could tell the skill level and experience of the drivers based on the rigs they were piloting. The paddock was full of trailers and off-road use only vehicles.
While we sat there waiting, the instructor came over and talked to us a little bit about our vehicle (being the only non-Jeep, we turned a few heads). He asked a couple questions about traction control and the 4WD system and handed us a walkie-talkie. This was going to be a lead / follow with 2 instructors and about 15 students. Again, not much different than lead / follow track instruction (although the ratio of beginners:instructors here was much greater). Once he looked over everyone’s truck and handed out radios, he gave a 5 minute introduction and explained the day’s schedule and gave a general overview of what we were about to accomplish. After our “driver’s meeting” we set off.
Rausch Creek is broken down much like a ski resort. There are green trails for beginners and as the trails increase in difficulty the colors associated with them change (green, blue, black, red). The day consisted of trail driving and overcoming various obstacles picked out by our instructor that were designed to show exactly what the vehicles were capable of (95% green trails and 5% blue). Similar to track driving, some obstacles were less about the vehicle’s capabilities and more about the drivers willingness to take risks. Sometimes it’s all psychological. For example, one obstacle had us climb a steep hill, turn around, and crawl back down it. All of the vehicles were able to do it but some people took 4-5 tries and others got it on their first go, like our ‘Yota!.
In addition to the hill climb obstacle, we also waded through a pond, drove through mud puddles, attacked gravel mounds, avoided huge rocks that would cause major damage, and just generally took a nice drive through the woods. We encountered a couple other groups on the trail but for the most part we were alone (with thousands of acres of land, there’s plenty of space to spread out). After the class was done, we all headed back to the “paddock” to pack up our things and “air up” our tires.
Harry B, who is a track day junkie and instructor with various groups, on the differences and similarities of off-roading and track driving: “I think the track is more fun from a driving perspective. It’s not even close! But I think 3-4 cars of friends and going off-roading with some car-to-car comms might be a more fun day. It’s much more relaxing, and you get to set the tone yourself. It’s much more a self-directed fun, like choose your own adventure. You make the events instead of just reacting to them.”
In our Motorsport community, we are constantly looking for new ways to grow our sport and bring in new blood. We are also trying to bring a more diverse crowd to our events because the more people and the more variety of people, the more fun you have! Somehow, off-roading has been able to crack one particular secret that HPDE hasn’t; inviting more women. Even though a majority of the people off-roading were Caucasian males in their 20s-40s, there was definitely an abundance of women drivers with their own Jeeps. In our 101 class alone I would say half were women. In comparison, at an HPDE I think the percentage is more like 5% women and 95% men. Harry and I theorized on this a bit and we came to the conclusion that Jeeps and 4×4 vehicles are more accessible to more types of people because of their versatility and ability to do more. A Jeep wrangler is offered with 4 doors now, which means families can own them as an only vehicle. Where as with HPDE, most people don’t think about bringing their Dodge Dart or their Camry, to the track. An HPDE car is a much more focused and limited vehicle.
Once the off-roading was finished, Harry B. and I headed to Lititz PA to enjoy pub food with newlywed members Brian S. and Leslie S. (Congratulations!!!). If you haven’t been before, Bulls Head Public House is a must-visit! I also made a stop at Wilbur Chocolate shop for some premium chocolate treats to take home to my fiance.
Harry B is planning another off-road adventure some time this fall so if you are interested, let us know and we will add you to the invite list!
Merry Motoring!
