OVERLAND ADVENTURE 2021: PART 1

CLIMBING UTAH’S GRAND STAIRCASE

Jered Korfhage

The 2021 Overland Adventure Presented by Jeep was more than just three days on the trail. We gathered adventure enthusiasts from all corners of the U.S. and different walks of life who were joined by their shared passion for exploring what lies beyond the paved road. As we led the way through the lesser-known parts of Utah, we carved out as many memories as we logged miles on our odometers. Friendships were made, photographs were taken, and we shared stories, meals, and even the spare seats in our vehicles. This was the 2021 Four Wheeler Overland Adventure Presented by Jeep.

It Began With a Call to Adventure

Show us how you get off the grid, into the wild, and away from it all. Show us the tools you use and the machines that make it all possible. We asked, and you answered in a big way. We sounded the call to adventure across fourwheeler.com and our social media platforms—and your response was overwhelming. After receiving a staggering volume of applications during the limited application period, we carefully selected 20 of you, the Four Wheeler readers, to join us on Overland Adventure. The range of vehicles was broad with numerous Jeeps as well as many other makes and models of 4x4s. Some pulled trailers, others were old iron, they ran on diesel or gasoline, and nothing was even close to ordinary. There was no formula, rhyme, or reason to outfitting your overland vehicle. However, all were required to have four-wheel drive and be fit with unique sleeping accommodations, among other requirements.

This year, Overland Adventure participants were guided deep into the backcountry of southern Utah by lifelong off-road enthusiast, world-renowned 4x4 instructor, and distributor of jolly Midland GMRS radio banter Nena Barlow. Nena is recognized as an International 4-Wheel Drive Trainers’ Association Master Trainer and her unfaltering enthusiasm, extensive knowledge of the American Southwest, and acclaimed 4x4 acumen are only a handful of the reasons we selected her to lead the 2021 Overland Adventure. Alongside handling many of the nuances of the expedition, Nena kept the group engaged and informed using her Midland GMRS radio as we traveled while also moderating the flow of dad jokes, pointing out geological and historical oddities, and stopping traffic for tarantulas crossing the road.