I was at the Vermont Overland Rally 2016 this weekend. I went tired and came back tired. Nice event, friendly people, gorgeous country. And...
I was a trail guide for the first time ever. Stress! Excitement! Success!
Will update later when I have had time to recover.
Update!
So the tent has finally dried out, and I’ve gotten some sleep so I have some energy to write... Not a full trip report, just a handful of observations:
* I arrived the first evening later than expected, tired, and to be honest - not at all in the mood. I almost didn’t bother going. In the end, I needed to get away, so I did, and it turned out alright. Because of my mood, however, I literally took 5 pictures the whole weekend. I’ll maybe upload one or two eventually.
* I don’t like camping enough to spend 3 chilly nights in the woods with a walk across a brook to get to the facilities. Our campsite was nicely carved out of the bush and comfortable enough nonetheless. I was a bit unprepared as well, being accustomed to camping in VT state parks with a picnic table and a lean-to. Next year, I’m renting a travel trailer with a heater and a bathroom.
* It was stressful being with a 5 year-old who would wander off without notice from the aforementioned campsite. He would even go as far as to cross the road to the main event site without permission. A lot of time was spent chasing him down! Next year, I come alone or with 2 kids.
* There were tons of people of all kinds there, with all manner of trucks from ratty Defender 90s to a 6WD Pinzgauer. Everyone was super friendly and willing to talk, but I found it surprisingly hard to actually get into a group for the trail portion of the event.
Since there were no organised trails this year, it was important to get into groups and self-organize. In the end, I spent the first day doing some short and easy trails with Jim and Dennis in their VW Syncros. The second day, it was just Dennis and I. We had a great trail run on Saturday, but I would have liked to have shared it with more people.
* Most importantly of all: I ended up being a guide! First time, on a trail I barely knew, in a remote corner of Vermont. It was a good trail for a stock 4Runner and a lifted Syncro, just enough challenge to get us out and thinking a bit. It was such a stressful experience, being responsible for someone else’s safety - and there were a few moments where I though we might turn back - but in the end we conquered our trail and had a blast! I can’t wait to be trail boss again.
* One more thing: A fully-locked Syncro with a 2" lift can easily go everywhere a stock 4Runner can go. It was humbling to watch that little machine crawl around on the trail with 90 HP and no proper low range!