Overland Adventure East: Part 1

Kicking off the multi-state adventure at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park

- Jered Korfhage

Some came to unplug from their everyday lives, others sought to explore an environment far removed from the one they called home. Either way, the 2019 TireRack.com Overland Adventure East was most importantly about the memories formed along the way. We know many 4x4 enthusiasts enjoy camping while wheeling, and some of us choose to extend those trips over multiple days while covering great distances, relying only on what has been packed into, on top of, or behind our rigs. Whether you call it a sport, your hobby, or way of life, overlanding can be described as self-reliant vehicle-based travel where the journey is the purpose—and from that was born Four Wheeler’s Overland Adventure. From the stacks of applications submitted through fourwheeler.com, we selected 20 overland vehicles of various sizes, makes, and models, each equipped with true four-wheel drive, bearing unique sleeping accommodations, and hailing from all corners of North America to join us on our inaugural expedition into the East.

Call To Adventure

We crafted an adventure you likely would not experience by simply heading off into the backcountry on your own. Our journey not only included a tour of Rausch Creek Off-Road Park but also extended through scenic backroads covering the expansive Appalachian foothills, and concluded at the largest-ever Overland Expo East with a celebration banquet, raffle, and VIP camping on-site at the Expo.

And it got better. At the helm of the expedition was Rich LaRusso, an Off-Road Driving & Recovery Trainer certified by the International 4-Wheel Drive Trainers’ Association who brought with him 10 years of off-road experience, loads of enthusiasm, and Tread Lightly! training. After long trail days came big appetites, so we made sure to appeal to each overlander’s sense of taste each night with a smokin’-hot meal and dessert before everyone retired to the campfire circle.