One of the things my husband Brad has always liked most about overlanding is the community. He loves the people he’s come to know over the years, whether they’ve shared in his adventures or helped him out along the way.
On the surface, I understood what he was saying. He liked the people he met out on the trail, at various events, and through friends. That’s awesome.
But I didn’t really understand what he meant.
You see, even though Brad has been overlanding for years, I haven’t. As far as I was concerned, when he went out on the trail on his adventures, that was “guy time” and I was glad he had some great friends to enjoy it with. Because while he went off to explore, I stayed home, holding down the fort and working fulltime.
After finally realizing that I was missing out on some amazing experiences, I said goodbye to my job last August and traded in my business casual for jeans and hiking boots to join Brad fulltime on his E3 Overland and TrailRecon adventures.
And the more I get out there, the more I’m beginning to understand why he loves the overlanding community so much.
A few months ago, at the end of October, I joined Brad for the second annual E3 Overland event, “Canyon Without the Crowds,” at Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. This five-day affair provided E3 members with overlanding information and tips, recreational outdoor activities, and plenty of opportunities to get to know each other.
I was not only excited to spend time in this beautiful corner of the Southwest, but I was also looking forward to finding out for myself what is so special about the overlanding community.
Convoy to the Rim
We got off to an interesting start as we met up with 25 other vehicles at the trailhead near St. George, Utah, to begin our 80-mile journey to the Whitmore Canyon Overlook on the Grand Canyon’s north rim, a remote spot where we’d be spending the night.
As you might expect with so many different vehicles and drivers not used to traveling together, it took our convoy a little while to find a rhythm as we moved across the desert terrain. Due to the size of our group, we were spread out across several miles and we needed to make a few stops along the way to ensure we stayed together.
It reminded me of how an inchworm moves, head forward, then the middle, and finally the tail catching up. But we eventually found our cadence and everyone made it safely and happily to the rim.
It was late afternoon when we arrived at Whitmore Canyon and everyone got busy setting up their camps. While the panorama of the canyon and the Colorado River was breathtaking, they weren't the only riveting things to see—camp itself was a sight to behold. From Jeeps to full-sized trucks, no two rigs were alike. And the camp set-ups were just as varied with off-road trailers, rooftop tents, ground tents, and our four-wheel camper.
That’s one of the coolest things about overlanding—there are just as many ways to do it as there are people doing it. It’s all about what fits your individual needs and wants.
I say “wants” because really, you only need the basics for overlanding—shelter, a way to keep warm while sleeping, a simple way to cook, and a shovel for taking care of business. I’ve done my fair share of roughing it but, at this point in my life, I’m all about finding ways to be comfortable while I’m out enjoying nature.
Building Bonds
Overlanders are a curious bunch, and it didn’t take long for members of the group to start checking out each other’s campsites and discussing how they outfitted their rigs and what gear and equipment they brought.
I really enjoyed the mix of people too because this group was every bit as unique as their vehicles. Some came as couples, some with families, and others on their own. There were nearly as many women as there were men, and I was glad to realize that trail time could be just as much “girl time” as it was “guy time.” And just about every generation was represented too, including boomers, so don’t ever think you’re too old to overland. There were also several dogs and an overlanding cat!
That evening, under a star-filled sky, we gathered around our fire pit (it was BYOC—bring your own chair) to talk and hang out—sharing information, swapping stories, asking questions, and just getting to know each other.
The next morning, our group headed back down the trail to the Bar 10 Ranch where we were joined by more E3 Overland members and the initial bonds that were started the night before expanded to the new arrivals. Everyone continued forming friendships and the sense of community that was sparked around the campfire on that first night kept growing.
Over the next few days, we continued the nightly tradition of gathering around a campfire and getting to know each other better and better by talking about everything from photography and the trials and tribulations experienced on the trail, to the possibility of a world-wide bacon shortage!
The team at Bar 10 provided plenty of activities that gave E3 members a chance for more fun and camaraderie, including skeet shooting, horseback riding, and ATV riding. When not participating in these activities, several people formed smaller groups and went out adventuring together and exploring nearby trails.
Throughout the five-day trip, everyone came together at the Bar 10 lodge for communal meals provided by the ranch hands (the Navajo tacos were delicious!) and the talks organized by the E3 team, which included great information about the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument given by rangers from both the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service.
Every day, there were so many different opportunities to make new friends and learn more about overlanding. And everyone was taking full advantage of them.
By day five, what really stood out to me was that people had formed genuine friendships with one another. They were hanging out and relaxing with each other at camp, they were making plans for future meetups, and everyone was looking forward to doing this again next year, me included.
I am already excited to reconnect with the everyone again, get to know others even better, and see how much the kids in the group have grown.
(Rangers from the Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service.)
A Community of Overlanders
This passion for getting outside, for exploration and adventure, that we all have in common gave us a foundation on which to build friendships and community. From a disparate group of travelers who moved along the trail with all the grace of an overgrown inchworm to a cohesive community of overlanders, our group had come a long way in just five days.
How did this happen? The magic of overlanding.
Even though everyone may have their own definition of overlanding, this trip has helped refine what it means to me.
Overlanding isn’t about the ruggedness of the road you take; it’s about your journey.
Overlanding isn’t about having an expensive vehicle or fancy gear; it’s about exploration and experiences.
Overlanding is about adventure and those who go along for the ride to share it all with you—your own personal community of overlanding friends.
I’d always thought the point of overlanding was getting away from it all. And, while overlanding is about taking the road less traveled and getting away from the crowds, it’s not about getting away from people because the best adventures are those that are shared.
Getting to spend five days enjoying the stark beauty of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, with its rugged canyons, serene desert vistas, lava flows, and star-filled night skies was an incredible experience.
But what was even better was getting to spend five days surrounded by a community of overlanders, because it was this special group of people who shared the adventure with me that truly brought joy to my journey.