Emanuel

Thanks a mil @Luke K P. When are you back?

Thank you so much @Gaurav for sharing this wonderful news! I'm truly grateful for the trust, support, and patience the marshals have extended to me throughout the years—especially during the recent Carnity leadership program and lead drives. Their guidance has been instrumental in shaping my journey, and I've learned so much from their experience, wisdom, and dedication to safe and enjoyable offroad adventures. I'm incredibly excited to now be independently leading convoys and exploring the diverse terrains the UAE has to offer while continuing to learn and develop my skills. Looking forward to creating more memorable moments together in the sand, always with safety and fun at the forefront. Thank you all for your kind likes and comments—can’t wait to see you out there again soon! Thanks @Ishak. I'm very happy to have shared this recent journey with you and @Luke K P. Lots of great memories there for the three of us. Also, and again, happy 100th drive yesterday!

Good afternoon Desert Explorers, Thank you all of a wonderful lead experience this morning. Ten of us were on time and ready for briefing; however, we had heard from two of our convoy that Google maps had thrown them a scenic route and added about 20 mins to their journeys. We had a variety of terrain to experience today and patches of it was challenging terrain due to vegetation and or soft sand. @Davie Smooth_Operator provided us some excellent support as Second Lead. Thanks for the tutorial and examples using Minnie Me of how to properly conduct cross overs and getting onto ridges. Newer Fewbies and the rest of us are well served by reminders on good approach lines, getting up onto a ridge steadily and ensuing weight transfer has stabilised before shifting to the other side. It's also very important to remain in control of your car. As Davie mentioned in both briefings, having wheels off the ground plus the inappropriate speed is a recipe for accidents, which none of us ever want. @Mehmet Volga nice seeing you again and thanks for a super Centre Forward. It allowed me to focus on things up front knowing you were there to support the rest of the convoy. @J-P L thanks for a great Sweep. You provided me with regular updates on convoy movements from the rear and keeping us together. It must have been pretty churned up for you back there though you didn't have any issues dealing with that from the 11 cars in front of you. @Danie @Zahid Sharif and @Ana you all drove really well today through what must have been quite challenging terrain for you. I have see some progress in recent drives and this will continue as you progress as each drives learnings about terrain, your can and it's dynamics will add to your skills and capabilities. @Krinesh glad to hear the tire adjustments have added to your cars capabilities and you were able to gain some new experience from our drive today. @Myrko @Andrei S @Jose Luis Campos and @Marek good to see you guys again and hope you enjoyed the drive. Below is our drive for today. Surprisingly for me was that we covered about 46 kms through that range of terrain over 3 hours and 40 minutes. Have a great rest of your weekend everyone and see you next time.

Please find the convoy numbering below. @Davie Smooth_Operator @Zahid Sharif @Danie @Krinesh @Ana @Mehmet Volga @Myrko @Jose Luis Campos @Marek @Andrei S @J-P L We will use Carnity Channel 4, which is 446.081. Get lots of rest and see you in the morning. Lead Emanuel The White Rhino 2nd Lead Davie Smooth_Operator Red Jeep Rubicon 3 Zahid Sharif 2024 - Prado 250 White 4 Danie 2024 Jeep Wrangler - 2door - Grey 5 Krinesh 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor: Orange 6 Ana 2019 Jeep wrangler -2 doors -Gray CF Mehmet Volga Jeep Wrangler Sahara SWB 2014 JK, Black 8 Myrko Land Rover Defender 110 P400 - 2025 - Green 9 Jose Luis Campos Mitsubishi Pajero, 2020 LWB 3.8L, White&black 10 Marek 4Runner (Storm Trooper) 11 Andrei S Grey FJ 2015 Sweep J-P L 2021 Suzuki Jimny 3 Door Grey

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you are excited for our drive tomorrow morning. Please let me know if your circumstances have changed and you cannot join the drive. I will be posting the convoy order in the next few hours.

This Saturday, we’re heading into the heart of the Al Ajban desert for a thrilling morning drive that promises a mix of technical challenges, scenic dunes, and fast-flowing tracks. Our route winds through a diverse desert landscape, starting with firm sabkha flats perfect for our initial briefing and warming up the convoy. As we progress, the terrain shifts into medium to large rolling dunes, offering plenty of opportunities for side sloping, ridge riding, and bowl play. Looking forward to seeing you out there for a safe and thrilling desert adventure! We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 9 August 2025, Saturday Meeting time: 5:30 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/JD5TjuvAgpYjHCJBA Action Plan: Starting from the Al Faqa Road we'll make our way southeast and then southwest into the heart of Al Ajban before heading west to our exit point. Approximate finish time: 9:30AM Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Recommended off-road gears: Walkie-talkie radio and off-road flag (MANDATORY), plus tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Thanks @Jose Luis Campos for the inspiration to finally figure this out once an for all... and I did find a workflow that worked. Using GPX Studio didn't work quite well merging the tracks where all the stats were collectively visible back in Gaia app. Garmin Basecamp can't be installed on my work computer without admin permissions (my personal computer died and I don't really have a need for another one at the moment). The Text Editor process worked perfectly. I downloaded the two GPX tracks from Gaia, opened the first segment in Notepad and then the second one. I copied the track points from the second segment and pasted it after the last track point in the first segment. Click save and import back into Gaia. The combined track and stats result are below. Now, I can do this easily for all those broken up track segments I've collected over the years. Again, for some reason Gaia stops recording. Sometimes when the phone gets too hot or the screen goes to sleep and some other causes like using other apps while on a drive. Nonetheless, if I caught them soon enough to start recording again right where the other track stopped then it's all good. This process can be found in this link or Google "how to combine two gpx files using a text editor". https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+combine+two+gpx+files+using+a+text+editor&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB1027GB1027&oq=how+to+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCAgAEEUYJxg7MggIABBFGCcYOzIGCAEQRRhAMgYIAhBFGDsyBggDEEUYOTIGCAQQRRg7MgYIBRBFGEEyBggGEEUYQTIGCAcQRRhB0gEIMjc4MWowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Drive stats for today. Total drive was 55 kms in 3 hours and 47 minutes, which is pretty darn impressive gentlemen! I haven't quite figured out how to combine two tracks and have some sort of combined stats. The stats I was getting for a the two tracks in a folder was giving me double the distance and time for some reason. If you know the fix please let me know. For now, I'll post below both drive tracks. I've found sometimes Gaia GPS stops recording when I switch to another app, in this case Whatsapp to give Gaurav an update, and when I come back to Gaia the track stopped recording.

Good afternoon Desert Explorers, First and foremost, thank you to all of you for showing up on time, deflated and ready for briefing. We had a very unexpected surprise with our SL having slept in. Having consulted leadership we decided to proceed with the drive with certain adjustments to the drive plan and supports nearby if needed. Everyone drove really well through super technical dune patches, mixed patches and some cleaner and fun dunes to play around on. We had very few refusals and reattempts with only one stuck which was quickly resolved. As my first independent drive, you all are permanently locked into my memory of this challenging drive that required skill and focused concentration throughout. Well done! Thank you for our Second Lead @Michael asir and @Mahesh_ for a strong Sweep and Support. You made this an easier day for me. Thank you. I'll post the drive stats later. Though as a teaser... we covered an amazing 52 kms.

Please find the convoy numbering below. We will used Radio Channel 4: 446.081. @Diego @Danie @Arvindraj @JC_E @Michael asir @nithish468 @Mahesh_ Lead Emanuel The White Rhino SL Michael asir Silver SWB 3.8 V6 PAJERO 3 Diego 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor - 4 door - Blue 4 Danie 2024 Jeep Wrangler - 2door - Grey 5 Arvindraj 2023, Nissan super safari, LwB, brown 6 JC_E Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 250 7 nithish468 2011 Toyota fj cruiser - 2 door - white SW Mahesh_ 2023 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon - 4 door - Green

@Mahesh_ I've moved you into the Manage tab for this drive.

Good afternoon everyone! Hope you are excited for our drive tomorrow morning. Please let me know if your circumstances have changed and you cannot join the drive. I will be posting the convoy order in the next few hours.

We’re organising a scenic and moderately challenging off-road drive from Murquab to Faqa, starting westward before looping south. This route offers a great mix of terrain—perfect for those looking to build confidence in the dunes while still enjoying a bit of variety. We’ll begin with soft, rolling dunes that are ideal for warming up and getting into the rhythm. As we progress west, the dunes gradually increase in size and complexity, offering a fun challenge without being too technical. Around the midway point, we may encounter some sabkha flats—potentially useful spots to regroup and take a breather, depending on the conditions. As we head south toward Faqa, expect more varied terrain with scattered bushes and camel grass, adding a bit of spice to the drive. Looking forward to seeing you out there for a safe and thrilling desert adventure! We request every member that joins this drive to go through the below information and strictly follow these guidelines, etiquettes and responsibilities. MUST READ AND COMPLY Environmental Policy Offroad Flag Guideline Two Way Radio Guideline Off road Driving Etiquette's Emergency details for all off-roaders Off Road Driving - Roles & Responsibilities DRIVE DETAILS Level: Fewbie and above When: 26 July 2025, Saturday Meeting time: 5:30 AM - Sharp (Without any exceptions) Meeting Point: https://maps.app.goo.gl/vgmQVN1suNhcVRQ57 Action Plan: Starting in Murquab, making our way South towards Faqa Approximate finish time: 9:30AM Type of Car: Any proper 4x4 with front and back tow hooks and 8-10 inches of ground clearance. What to bring along: Loads of water, snacks (for yourself), smiles, enthusiasm and willingness to learn. Recommended off-road gears: Walkie-talkie radio and off-road flag (MANDATORY), plus tire deflator, tire pressure gauge, compressor, walkie-talkie radio, off-road flag, shovel, first-aid kit and fire extinguisher. LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE This drive is limited to 10 cars only. RSVP will close on Friday - 12 PM. If the RSVP is full, you can add your name to the waitlist, once anyone drops, you will be moved to the RSVP list. RSVP will close a day prior to preparing a convoy list. Latecomers will be returned back - Without any exceptions. Members without RSVP will be returned back - Without any exceptions. Please withdraw your RSVP, if you aren't joining, so your spot can be taken by others. Repeated no-show members after RSVP will have their account suspended for a month. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR

Desert Explorers, Thank you for for joining today's drive and arriving on time. After our briefing we were guided into the desert and through a nice technical patch by @Gaurav. Much focus and patience was needed to navigate the bushes and other obstacles. After about 20 minutes I took over lead and we made our way westwards along a mixture of technical dunes until we reached some longitudinal dunes, which we rode on top of to have a rest from the technical patch and bushes. We had some great views didn't we! We had a break once we reached the Sabkha. From there we travelled along the edge of the Sabkha in a southwest direction and re-entered our next patch of dunes. Here we found some nice hill climbs to play on. I think we all deserved more time here after the first part of the drive; however, we needed to start making our way to the exit point. We were a bit too far still from my planned exit point so we made our way to my back-up exit for today's drive, and we were only about 5-10 past the scheduled exit time. Even though our new exit was closer, we still made about 7 kilometers more desert driving than my original planned route, which meant we had more time in the desert than to our original exit. You all drove really well. You all either self-recovered yourselves or with minimal guidance in most cases. Pat yourselves on the back! Special mention to @Ana as it was her first drive as FB. Well done on your next set of experiences and learnings. Thank you Gaurav for allowing me to partial lead on your drive. Your support and feedback are important to me and very much appreciated. Thank you to @J-P L for being our Centre Forward today and assisting other drivers in the middle. Thank you @Gaurav Soni for being our Rear Forward (not sure if there is such at thing though it is now) and helping out back there. Thank you @Zulfikhar Naiyar for Sweeping today and keeping me updated as to the convoy movements and progress from the back along our route. We travelled almost 38 kms and this is a respectable amount of distance for a FB drive, even more so considering the terrain and challenges we had. Have an amazing rest of your weekend ahead and see you next time.

Good evening Desert Explorers! The convoy order will be Gaurav leading with me in partial lead under his guidance and support. This is my fourth partial lead and I'm excited to be leading this drive and with many familiar faces and experienced FB/+ and Intermediate drivers. We have increasing levels of total number of drives and rank towards the back where we have a lot of talented drivers and with the JP in Centre Forward and Zulfikhar in Sweep. We will use Carnity Channel 4, which is 446.081. Get lots of rest and see you in the morning. @Gaurav in Lead @Emanuel in Second Lead/Partial Lead @Soap in spot 3 @Danie in spot 4 @Ana in spot 5 @B.K. in spot 6 @J-P L in Center Forward @Jose Luis Campos in spot 8 @Sam Selim in spot 9 @Andrei S in spot 10 @Gaurav Soni in spot 11 @Zulfikhar Naiyar in Sweep

Well done @Mahesh_. Amazing achievement. I remember my promotion to support very well and this marks a new turning point in your learning and experience. Savor the experience!

Congrats on the promotion @Alex K

Congrats @B.K.. Enjoy the new level and good to see your progress.

Congrat's @Warbs. Enjoy the new level.

Thank you for the feedback. It is appreciated. Safe travels and see you next time.

Congrats Martin. Well deserved promotion. Looking forward to seeing you again soon.

Here are our drive stats and route. Completing 34 kms over 3 hours in at times challenging terrain with three new Fewbie's is pretty respectable. Once again, well done.