Overlanding

- While some people cling to the notion there's nothing new under the sun, there's a growing subset of adventure seekers who beg to differ.

They venture off-the-grid exploring areas that most people will never see in their lifetime.

That is, until now.

- [Mike] I think the allure to the West for me is the wide open landscapes.

(gentle music) My wife now, but my girlfriend at the time, we took a trip down to Goblin Valley and we had a great time.

We stayed at the campground and it was beautiful.

But I remember we were coming back and there was this car, this truck, it was just bombing down a dirt road and had a big rooster tail of dust.

And I kind of wondered where did that guy go this weekend?

(gentle music) (group chattering) - Voila.

Here we go.

(gentle music) For me overlanding is being able to use that vehicle to access these beautiful remote wild places in Utah.

The key is that you're kind of self-sufficient.

So have all your food, water, shelter, necessary adventure gear, whatever you might be doing.

What I usually do, honestly, is I open up a map.

We're going to point A to point B.

How could we get there that's maybe a little bit off the beaten path.

And then when I discover a route, what are some things that we can do along that route?

That's where I'll look at guidebooks, the internet, and have those experiences along the way.

It's maybe like 40 to 50 feet straight down kinda down this old log (indistinct).

(group chattering) - [Lily] Okay.

- [Hiker 2] Yeah.

I've seen- - [Mike] Man, there is some really cool, cool remote wild places, you know, in the United States and in the world.

If you put a little effort into them, you can experience them.

- [Hiker 2] Scarlet.

- I think the rappelling, the climbing that you might encounter that you're expecting to encounter, it is, for me it's very emotional.

The whole concept of letting go really presents itself when you decide that you're committed to backing over a cliff.

If I didn't have that trust in Mike, I couldn't do it.

We've double-checked the harnesses.

We've done everything right and we're going to go down and we're gonna be okay.

(dramatic music) You go from highs to lows, and I feel like that's part of the adventure because once you get past those really hard points, the next time you go to do it, it like, it becomes easier.

As hard as it is, having a little child bringing them camping is ridiculously impossible.

But somehow between Mike and I we made it happen and we started to realize that Lily could learn the simple ways of being out here and just enjoying being unplugged and just trying to be in the moment.

- After a while of doing it, I kind of just started to love it.

You know, I wouldn't be able to rappel if it wasn't for what people have taught me.

And so it's saved my life at some points.

You know, I have a hard time in school, so, you know, coming out here, it's like a getaway from that and I get to be with the people that I love most in the world.

(gentle music) - [Louise] If women or other girls her age saw her doing this, they'd be like, really?

I can do that too?

Well, yeah, you can do it.

(gentle music) - You know, many of us are connected to a fast paced world.

Taking that time to disconnect and truly disconnect, you realize that you're okay and things are okay and you can have a great time.

(gentle music) When we'll travel with friends and family and they get excited, it kind of rejuvenates us to stop and go, yeah, these are really cool, awesome, beautiful places and we should appreciate them and smile and say, glad we're here too.

You know, the Utah desert is definitely a fragile environment, but there's many things living, plants and animals.

It could be anything from a tarantula that we saw a couple days ago to, you know, a juniper tree that's 200 years old.

When you visit these places, you just kind of have to be more mindful and cautious of what impact you leave on the place after you're gone.

(gentle music) When you're traveling through areas like this and you see the signs of the past, whether it's a Butch Cassidy signature, whether it's a eight, 900 year old ruin, whether it's a rock art that might be 1,000 years old, my mind always wanders back to what was their life like?

(gentle music) - [Louise] Oh, my gosh, I wonder what it was like having kids on this ledge that drops 200 feet and how did they do this?

How did they survive?

- When your daughter brings up an experience and you're laughing because you remember the same experience and the same trip, those memories are really phenomenal.

And as my daughter gets older, I realize before you know it, she'll be off to college and we'll have to try to bug her to come back to do some of these things.

- Yo!

- [Mike] I think it's really important that people in my opinion just go for it and, you know, you want to be as smart as you can.

You wanna be prepared as you can, but don't let having all the equipment or all the necessary gear stop you from going out there and exploring.

- [Hiker 1] A lot.

- I think for me personally it's just kind of what I want to do, kind of simplify things, food, shelter, clothing, and activity for the day.

And that's a pretty good day.

- Society, pressure, technology, all that, when you get out here, you just don't sweat those.

Your mind just kind of clears and the simplicity comes back.

I can just enjoy, I can breathe.

- Okay, Lil.

Oh, go to your left a little bit.

- [Lily] I go camping with these people all the time and they bring out what the desert and overlanding is all about.

They bring out the fun in it so it's not always so serious.

(group chattering) - You know, overlanding has impacted Lily I think in a couple different ways.

I think number one, she's gained a little bit of self-confidence, like, for example, I showed her how to start a fire and cut some wood with an ax and so now that's kind of her little job to do around camp.

Obviously being a 14-year-old with an ax, we still want to be careful and mindful of that, but her confidence of like, "I got this.

I can do it."

- Yeah, I enjoy it.

(ax smacking) - Nice.

That's it, girl.

You're a natural.

- [Hiker 2] Do you want to do one?

- [Lily] Yeah, sure.

(gentle music) - [Louise] If anyone around me even knew where I just was or if they ever had the opportunity to be where I just was is like a gift and I'm so grateful for that final moment when I can sit down and enjoy the view and breathe.

You know, I'm glad we could give it to Lily to find that peace in herself.

(gentle music) (drums beating) (group chattering) (piano music)