OFF ROADING: HIKING FOR THE MODERN INDIVIDUAL

Recently while visiting home in TX, I had gone off-roading with four friends of mine. I had never gone offroading despite me having owned a Jeep Wrangler for about a year. There are only a few trails we could choose from that were located in the greater (greater) Austin area we could choose from, and the biggest one was closed. We took it upon ourselves to explore a trail close to Llano, TX that was about an hour and a half out. This trail was technically a through route that was sandwiched between two other private properties. While we were out exploring, I couldn't help but admire the rolling hills and beautiful greenery of central Texas. I was internally beating myself for letting so much time go by when I had never experienced the joys of going off-roading. Upon my experience on these trails, I began to see off-roading as a game. I was constantly faced with the challenges of figuring out whether or not the Jeep would fit through the clearing or if the path was too steep to climb or drive down. There was even a moment when my friends had to get out of the car to hold a bush down so it didn't destroy the bottom of my car. By the end of our adventures, it had occurred to me that offroading was just a strange modernized way of hiking. I found off-roading is the perfect solution for someone like me who enjoys being outside and exploring but can overheat easily or is afraid of snakes. I got the experience and joy of being outside and seeing nature up close while still being in the comfort of a motor vehicle. The only con was gas. I was living and sightseeing from my own car, experiencing the world like how the creators of Jeep intended.