High Mountain Driving – part 3

High Mountain Driving – part 3

By Jerry Smith

Director of Environmental Affairs for the United Four Wheel Drive Associations

By now, I hope you are seeing some of the differences of mountain driving from other terrains.  Of course, much of it is the same, but not all.

Animals

In the high country, you may encounter animals you won’t see anywhere else.  Always give them respect by slowing down or stopping to allow them to move off without a huge amount of energy expenditure.  Late winter till late spring and even into early summer is calving season. 

Pregnant females don’t need the stress of running away from you.  They need that energy to grow the life within them and to keep them warm.  Feed in the winter is not always abundant, so they must make the most of what they can find.

Hydration

Stay hydrated.  During the day, you may not notice it, but you will dehydrate in the often-dry air.  This also helps keep you from experiencing altitude sickness which is very unpleasant.

Don’t burn

Use a good sunscreen.  The sun is particularly intense at high altitudes.  That exposed left arm that often has direct sun on it all day is very vulnerable to a nasty sunburn.  The sleeves that many bikers use to protect themselves from the sun while not being too warm to wear are very useful.

Slow Down

Why did you come to the mountains?  Think about it.  Wasn’t some R&R a big part of the reason??  Why bring all that city rush with you??  Take your time to just be in Nature at her pace.  Not everything in Nature is a rushing stream or a wind blowing the trees sideways.  Slowing down to “smell the flowers” or to see more than just the road surface is how you’re going to get that R&R you came in search of.  Otherwise, you may as well have stayed in the city.

When you see something that interests you, you won’t be a half-a-mile past it when you get slowed down.  Stop if it is safe to look.  Distracted driving on a narrow mountain road can leave you “off road” literally.  At speed, things go bad faster.

Air Down

Deflating your tires to a lower air pressure has some great advantages.  Your overall comfort will improve is one you’ll be thankful for.  It causes less fatigue as the day goes by.

Your traction will improve on the loose gravel and rocks.  Stopping power will improve too.

Tire Tracking

Here is one tip that will help your off-pavement driving anywhere, but particularly in the mountains and rougher lower country. 

KNOWING where each tire is at all times is a necessity on narrow trails wherever you go.  So, how do you learn this??

Whenever I go out on a dirt trail, I look for opportunities like a small round rock in the road ahead.  I try to put a tire sidewall within 2” of that rock without sticking my head out the window.  If you look in the mirror soon after passing such a rock, you can usually see your tire track near the rock.  Practice doing this with the inside and outside tire sidewall of all four tires going straight and in cornering at different angles.

When you can do this consistently, your confidence to drive any kind of obstacle or narrow road will go up exponentially.  It will also keep you from having flat tires as often.  In over 50-years of wheeling, I’ve had exactly one flat tire.  This is having driven many difficult trails and obstacles.  I’m not easy on my Jeep!!

That might be the most important thing you can learn in off-roading.

There are other little things I could relate, but experience will be your best professor.  I hope these things will help you enjoy your adventures safely and with pleasure.

There are two last things to remember. Go prepared is the first one.  Last, when you come to a fork in the road… take it.  That is where adventure begins.

Happy Trails.