Adventure Vermont. Ready?
Adventure Vermont. Ready.
written by Jason S.
photos by Jonathan Rutherford Photography
My adventures in Vermont started on the slopes in Stowe and Killington in the late 90s. I didn’t return to the Green Mountain State until attending the Vermont Overland Rally (VOR) in 2015. What I had previously seen on sticks would be completely different on 4 wheels.
Leading into 2016 we wanted to film an adventure series in the VT backcountry. We asked Peter V. (Vermont Overland) about the idea and concluded Vermont just wasn’t ready. By the close of 2016, I was back on Peter’s heels and he said, “let’s do it, I’m in!”
It was an easy decision bringing Peter on the show. He knows Vermont and he loves Vermont. I worked with Peter to storyboard the show and the decision was made to tackle portions of his Vermont Overland Challenge (VOC) course, showcase Vermont's culture/history and just be real. VOC is private event where people work their equipment to their limits 5 days in a row while enjoying evening parties, local foods and maple creamies. Since filming limited our time on the road, we mapped the best of both worlds ensuring we could capture 1) scenic and 2) challenge.
We made the most of winter dialing the trucks in at OK4WD. Here’s how the builds shaped up over 4 weekends – “
Built 4 Adventure: Season 4”
Leading into Day 1 of an extended trip with strangers triggers personality screening. There were some returning faces and there were some new ones as well. One thing was certain however – the entire team’s headspace was focused on what Peter had in store for us.
The first stretch was a warm up, mild terrain, some swimming holes, food provisions and a bit of history. Yes, it was an easy day – more relaxing than most until we approached camp. At dark, the road surface diminished and quickly kicked us off camber in spots. I’m not sure any of us were in the right mindset, but we had no choice and started living under offroad lights.
We made camp in a tight spot by a creek and the last truck to arrive was Gaby and Rachel. Uncertain of where the road was, he dropped in off the hillside and the 4Runner took a sharp dive on the driver side. We stopped Gaby and assessed the scene. Within minutes we had run rig to guide the 4Runner into camp.
Did we play it safe? Yes. Could we have not taken the precaution? Yes. Either way, the thought process supported not chancing a rollover on Day 1 of a 10 day trip.
