Desert wheeling solo on black diamond trail - Dupont Road to Bradshaw Trail

Some folks are adamant that you don’t go off-roading alone. I love wheeling solo….. during the week and off grid so that I see nobody else all day!

My son and his dog hopped in the Jeep on Friday and we did a nice desert black diamond trail and took some drone video of the trip. Check it out

Nice production, good music. I'm kind of surprised that that trail is rated black diamond, looks like regular old back country two track.

Looks like a good time. I just returned from an 8-hour solo desert ride myself. I was at the trailhead and airing down while it was still dark this morning. I even had the chance to use the offroad lighting for the first 15 miles or so.

The Last Cowboy said:

Nice production, good music. I'm kind of surprised that that trail is rated black diamond, looks like regular old back country two track.

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Yea the BLM “black diamond” trails are usually moderate at most….. there is a 2-3 mile section of easy crawling that would be a little challenging for stock vehicles that give this trail the “black diamond” rating. What I love about this loop of Dupont, Bradshaw and Summit road is that it’s about 50 miles of dirt, rocks and sand so it’s a commitment

We solo all the time. How remote is weather limited, not running solo out in the middle of death valley when it's 120⁰ or up in the Sierra's in a snow storm for instance. Most anywhere else we can comfortably walk out 20+ miles worst case. We don't travel without ample water and food to survive days if need be. People will talk "medical emergency" you aren't safe from that on remote roads without cell service or at home or at work or anywhere else. I'd rather die doing what I enjoy than in traffic on the way to work because I chose not to go wheeling that day solo.

I solo in the desert often. You just need to be prepared and adjust your approach accordingly.

Prepared means extra water, food, tools, self recovery gear, backup power generation, shelter and for worst case scenario, radio and emergency satellite communication.

Adjusting your approach means reducing your risk tolerance. Never take a more difficult line for fun if an easier line is available. Every bit of risk you accept should be necessary and not frivolous. Do not let anything impede your ultimate goal of making it out.

People say you should never wheel solo because some people cannot adjust their risk tolerance appropriately or aren't self-sufficient enough. You must be able to do both and have a backup plan in case that fails.

If I didn't go solo, I'd never go. I dislike putting up with other people's lack of planning.
Solo 100% of the time the last few years and I enjoy it. I do go very well prepared, and remote.
Desert in the winter/spring is wonderful.
Nice video OP was just there a couple months back and dropped into Bradshaw from Red Canyon Jeep Trail.

Wheelin Matt said:

Some folks are adamant that you don’t go off-roading alone. I love wheeling solo….. during the week and off grid so that I see nobody else all day!

My son and his dog hopped in the Jeep on Friday and we did a nice desert black diamond trail and took some drone video of the trip. Check it out

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I love it out there, go solo all the time. Have you hit the Hauser Geode Beds? That is where I end up for the night to explore local areas in the morning.

HappyJeeper said:

I love it out there, go solo all the time. Have you hit the Hauser Geode Beds? That is where I end up for the night to explore local areas in the morning.

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I’ve seen them on the map but haven’t made it out that far yet! Sounds like it’s worth it…..

Wheelin Matt said:

I’ve seen them on the map but haven’t made it out that far yet! Sounds like it’s worth it…..

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Great place to hunt for rocks. People have camped out there for more than 100 years, so find a fire pit you like. You will see the places people dig. Here's an older pic at the Geode beds with my old Jeep.

I feel like we live in a nanny society anymore. A lot of trails in PA require two vehicles which drives me nuts. Not that I am against having an extra vehicle if I am taking on a new and challenging area, or for anyone that is new to off-roading. But if you are sticking to familiar areas I really don’t see an issue.

For me, priorities if I go out by myself are recovering gear, extra food, extra water, and making sure someone knows where I went.

Some great pictures by the way.

I wheel solo all the time too. You just got to do it. There’s something about running all the hard trails solo that makes you feel like you’ve really earned it without a spotter. And you went with dependents. That’s even more stressful than solo, lol. Enjoy.

Nice vid. Really well photographed. Good clip pacing. Not too long.

You went solo??!!! I'm assuming someone posted this posthumously for you since you must be dead now.

Not solo but another video my son made of me wheelin recently