Off-roading isn't for the faint of heart. Driving off the beaten track requires skill, patience and courage. And, truth be told, it's an activity that skews heavily toward men. However, a new program – designed to educate and empower women – intends to change all that.
The Babes of Bantam Trail Ride is a Jeep trail rider's event for women only. Offered for the first time at the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival – one of North America's biggest Jeep-only celebrations, located in Butler, Pa., about 55 kilometres north of Pittsburgh, and staged from June 9 to 11 – it sold out fast, reaching its maximum capacity of 50 participants during preregistration.
"We wanted to construct an environment where women can learn how to off-road without the stress of their husbands' [judgment]," Wendy Callahan, manager of the trail ride, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ahead of the event.
Mission accomplished. With a team of mostly female trail guides and the 50 female Jeep drivers plus their passengers – husbands, siblings, friends and children – the atmosphere was relaxed and non-intimidating.
“We’re crazy! Me and my husband were looking for something to do with the Jeep. We found this and decided to drive five-and-a-half hours from Windsor,” said Samantha Daoust.
Sisters Rose and Jennifer Brown drove from Sarnia, Ont., in separate Jeeps – Rose in a blue 2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
, Jennifer in a green
2016 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. "We're into Jeeps and we found this on Facebook and thought why not? It's only a six-hour drive – let's go. Pack it up!" said Rose, 41. "I hope to get some trail experience and I want to get dirty!"
"Everyone wants to get dirty!" added Jennifer, 37. "I think more and more Jeep owners are women. Some, like us, don't have the experience that most people do. We don't have men in our life that will fix up our Jeeps, so we're doing it on our own and we're learning as we go. We're seeing multiple Jeep owners here who are women doing the same thing we're doing. It's amazing."
There are spin-off benefits to off-roading. "What you learn on the trails will make you a better everyday driver. You will be more confident in snow, ice and loose gravel. You'll learn how to use your Jeep in all conditions," Callahan told the participants during a briefing session.
Twenty-five Jeeps began the gruelling 45-minute trail ride, winding through deep forest littered with obstacles, while the other 25 Jeeps headed to the "playground" – a makeshift area with giant mud pits, rock-crawling exercises, hill climbing and log-traversing exercises.
![“We wanted to construct an environment where women can learn how to off-road without the stress of their husbands’ [judgment],” Wendy Callahan, manager of the trail ride, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ahead of the event.](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/ece-images/be5/globe-drive/article35395285.ece/BINARY/w620/gd-jeep0621gd10.JPG)
“We wanted to construct an environment where women can learn how to off-road without the stress of their husbands’ [judgment],” Wendy Callahan, manager of the trail ride, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Hours later, the Brown sisters emerged, Jeeps filthy with mud, grinning ear-to-ear. "That was amazing," Rose said.
Fellow Canadian Samantha Daoust also made the trek, accompanied by her husband in a black and pink 2016 Jeep dubbed the Wrangler Princess.
"We're crazy! Me and my husband were looking for something to do with the Jeep. We found this and decided to drive five-and-a-half hours from Windsor," said Daoust, 31. "My husband wants me to be more confident driving instead of being nervous driving. He has taken the Jeep off-roading before, but I haven't. I've always been the passenger.
"This is a bit more than what we're used to. We're very excited. But we're a little nervous because I'm pregnant, so we can't push it too much."
“Everyone wants to get dirty!” said Jennifer Brown of Sarnia, Ont. “I think more and more Jeep owners are women. Some, like us, don’t have the experience that most people do.”
Karen Sheldon, 52, from nearby Fairview, Pa., also couldn't resist taking a women-only trail drive in the 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport she bought for her 50th birthday.
"I think it's less intimidating being with women than men. It was so much fun. I had a lot of questions – I didn't even know how to get my Jeep into 4-low and they were able to help me," Sheldon said. "I also ride a Harley and it took a long time before I felt comfortable riding with a group of men. So, this is nice. In time, I'm sure I'll be showing these Jeep guys up."
The most challenging part of the trail, Sheldon said, was a deep mud rut. "I was a little scared of that. It looked very intimating, but the coaches were able to assist us through and tell us exactly how to turn our wheels."
Husband Rob Sheldon was impressed with his wife's off-roading skills. "She did good," he said. "She doesn't like my coaching."
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