Rahimdad

Trip Report

The enthusiasm the trip was going to be blessed with was evident with everybody being on time and deflating, getting ready for a tough day in the desert besides zero visibility in some very dense fog. I was hoping the fog would lift to some extent as I tried to brief and advise everyone regarding what to expect from the sands in foggy conditions. But no matter how much warning you give, somethings are still better with experience and that is exactly what the day had in store for us. I was so impressed with this convoy from the start as it seemed they all wanted to learn and experience the drive and feel it. As we started to move around 7:15 am the fog was still thick but a ray of sun light had my hopes high, however the visibility was playing tricks and I ended up entering at a very wrong time which resulted in 4 cars stuck within 50 meters of entrance. At this point I decided to clear the refusals and move them all back out on the track. My second attempt to enter was much more successful, but the first part itself gave away the things in store for the rest of the day.

With hard sand on top as the first few cars went over would expose the softer sand inside which made me fear the result if we tried to do some sideys and thus controlled myself with some small doable ones. The promise was to prepare everyone not on for the things to unfold at the fewbie level, but with a taste of a few things to come at the intermediate level as well. I think we managed it pretty well,  We did small sideys, to some ridge riding to some very easy criss crossing while riding the top of the ridge. At the same time we were treated to all variety of challenges that this terrain had to offer us, from refusals, to stucks, to partial pop-outs from which we had to jack a car for one of those, to having to use a winch. I think this variety of experiences kept everyone engaged throughout the drive and was an amazing learning experience even for me. My heartfelt thank you to all my brothers who kept their patience levels at the highest, enthusiasm even higher and the spirit of helping and moving as a group united at the peak of all the action.

I cannot thank each and everyone enough on this journey of ours, my first thanks would go out to @Ashy whom I have seen after a long time. He was my second lead and I am totally impressed with his development since I have last seen him. Not only was he handling this terrain well and responding well to all instructions given to him, but also was very intuitive while driving behind me. I say this because at one point I took a wrong line and had a bad bump, but as soon as I was reaching my radio I saw him drive around the danger. Very nicely done and the best support I could have asked for in that second lead position.

@andy_macdxb who made it to the drive even with a bad back and with full enthusiasm, patience and without a simple complaint. I did not see him get into any kind of trouble throughout the drive. Although he was very quiet and patient with the numerous situations we had to deal with, whenever I approached him he was always carrying a smile and injecting me with more positive energy.

@Danish Mohammad showed us that he had absorbed all the information during his previous drives and putting it well in practice. Besides driving well he has this inquisitive approach to learn and help in any way he can which was highly appreciated. Remember 10 hands are better than 2. He lend a hand in digging and I feel has a very good reasoning and understanding to the concepts of off-roading. When your pillars are strong what ever you build on these pillars will stand firm for a very long time to come.

@Abdul Rahman Abdul Kader was another participant who was fully engaged and always at hand when required to do the additional digging and efforts to help the convoy move. Without his help we would have been more stressed so it was amazing to have him as part of the convoy as he too rolled his sleeves and got into the thick of things.

@Mohamed Abo ElKomsan brought with him tons of positive energy with a funny side to lighten things up. Really enjoyed his company and the odd remarks to keep us laughing and enjoy the digging. Although he was already far from my sight, but whenever I got a glimpse of him he was doing amazingly well and the lack of him falling into trouble tells me that he doing really well at this level.

@Shaaz Sha made my day wonderful even before my day started by volunteering to help during this drive, thus I gave him the most difficult position, the Center Forward. In this position he did well to keep me aware of the challenges around him and waited for me to come back so that I could guide him through the recoveries. It helped that he had most of the equipment on board and gave me confidence to throw challenges at the convoy to learn and grow within this healthy environment. At times we could fall short of experienced support, and help from such enthusiastic members is always been our strength.

@Ranjan Das was amazing throughout the drive and carried a contagious smile which was difficult to contain. We even had a @Ahab Shamaa moment in Liwa as after digging for almost an hour in a soft patch that made it difficult for recoveries, @Ranjan Das offered us the help with his winch. It was a hilarious moment for me and a relief from the digging as well as @Ranjan Das lined up his Jeep perfectly for that amazing recovery. Thank you sir as you saved us some valuable time and energy to continue digging when I got stuck. This time we were more careful though when making sure the winch cable went in properly not to destroy the cable. Sorry for your cable @Ahab Shamaa, hope you had that sorted out.

@Aus Alzubaidi was the first to reach the meeting point and confused when he called me, I was only 5 minutes away at that point and I guess that confusion was soon sorted out as when I arrived most of the drivers were already there and deflating. He carried an amazingly relaxed way of driving with a very calm demeanor which brought a sense of calm to the drive. This is a welcome trait to balance the drive and I really enjoyed your company as I see a very different way of you showing your excitement with calm and relaxed way.

@Niki Patel was just amazing. We met earlier on one of the drives but were on different drives, we got to finish on the same spot which we had met on earlier which was a nice note to end the drive on. He managed well and quietly but surely picked up lot of pointers during the drive. I must compliment the people who have led him earlier as he has been taught well and I had no trouble throughout the drive. After seeing his photography skills I must say I was blessed to have him as part of our convoy as he not only drives well, but has posted some wonderful shots as well.

@Nihal17 was an amazing person to have as part of the convoy as well, but did not get to hear his voice much. At times I saw him struggling and he still needs some time to understand his vehicle better and trust his vehicle and himself more with certain maneuvers. Hope to catch you again soon to further coach you to learn how to trust your vehicle and yourself better. It would not be a bad idea to join a few newbie drives to gain more confidence.

@N@ved was my pick to be the sweep for our convoy for a few reasons and delivered beyond my expectations. For one his Wrangler is more than capable to handle any terrain which I have seen in our previous Newbie drive. Another reason is his handling of his vehicle is very precise. He is very clear in his communication and thus the best candidate to keep me aware regarding the tail of my convoy. Finally his attention to details has even captivated me on the forum how he reads the articles with detail. He did not prove me wrong on this trip and was not only there to make sure the tail was wagging, but keep me informed at all times and always ready to help with recoveries.

My first fewbie drive in 2 months and my fellow brothers on this drive really made this drive worth it for a long time to come. Keep these spirits high as we move forward together as a team which is beyond comparison to any. It was amazing driving with an amazing bunch like you and very proud of our community and the way it is shaping up to take off-roading to an absolutely top position in our near future.