Here's the scene:
"The most difficult part of the route was now being negotiated. All four
tires were wet and churning, the front axle started pulling the Jeep to the
left, sliding slowly down into a monolith of granite. There was a crunching
sound followed by a slow screeching of sheet metal. "A little more to the
right!", yelled an onlooker. Four other people were also yelling at the
hapless driver, cajolling him in an overlapping cacophony of shouted directions.
"Doesn't look good over here", "Oh no, that beautiful paint
job!"; and, "too fast". "Maybe a little lower tire
pressure", yells another. The frustrated Jeeper, who had just sustained
some major front fender re-adjusting, turned off the key and threw down his
hands on the top of the steering wheel in disgust. "I can't listen to
everyone at once!" If this sounds too
familiar, it may be time for a little lesson in "Spotting Etiquette".
In the scene described above, everyone was trying to help, but the unorganized
cacophony and sometimes unwanted advice just got in the way and sank of its own
weight. This helps no one. What to do? Crawling
on the edge In most situations, an
jeeper need only follow the trail, and sees what's coming up just ahead. An
occasional rock, or other impediment are no brainers. But, the fun is only
begining. It leads to the maximum pleasure of the sport: overcoming obstacles
and routes that seem impassible. Many of us call this a major attraction of the
sport; motoring right on the edge.  | No,
No, I mean my right,
MY RIGHT!! |
The first thing to do as
an interested observer is to ask the driver if he or she wants to be spotted.
You need to ask if they WANT help. Many overlook this obvious piece of
etiquette. The great tendency is to start shouting advice from your vantage
point. Some jeepers have such a high degree of ability on the trail, they do not
want or need a spotter and rely on memorizing the trail just before they go over
it, taking mental snap shots of the route. If you encounter one of these
talented and highly developed jeepers, just sit back and watch the show. Alas,
most of us are not of that caliber, and rely on someone to spot us over the
really onerous areas. These may be where there is a good chance of getting out
of control by sliding or rolling over, or a high degree of exposure, where you
might actually go over a cliff, endo, or sustain vehicle damage or personal
physical harm. Sometimes inches make a great deal of difference when driving on
perilous terrain. This is where you DO need a spotter. Ground
rules Once the driver has said
he/she will accept your advice and directions, here's what to do: One spotter at a time
is preferred. The spotter usually stands in front facing the vehicle from
the side of the route where the driver can see his/her hand signals. Sometimes it is
important to have an additional spotter at the rear, or where ever there is
a problem area. This spotter only yells, "Hoap", "Stop",
or "Wait", before the going gets to the damage stage. The second
spotter only stops the proceedings and does not direct the driver in any
other way. Hand signals are the
best. Both driver and spotter must clearly understand any hand signals
before starting. My favorite hand signals are with one hand that the driver
can easily see.
FORWARD: Using the "thumb up" in the vertical position with one hand
means, "move forward slowly". Slowly pivot your thumb fore to
aft signaling the speed at which to move. TURN RIGHT
OR LEFT: Leaning your thumb a little or a lot to the right or
left, indicates the degree to which you would like the driver to change
direction of the steering wheels. To be more insistent, you can jab your
thumb more vociferously to obtain a quicker response. STOP: A flat hand held in the vertical "Stop" mode, means just that. REVERSE: If
you need to have them back up and try again on another line, signal your
intentions by waving them off and motioning for them to go back by
swinging your hand toward them. Most of the time it is best to walk up and
tell them this, as they will already be at a stop. This is a good time for
the spotter to go to the rear of the Jeep and give "verbals" to
get back to a place where the driver can try again.
Getting
Religion Now we come to the
religious part. The driver must TRUST the spotter. It's like believing in God.
If you don't, you may make some big mistakes. I have made these mistakes, but I
have learned to trust a few spotters. My son Matt and my brother John are my
favorite spotters. We communicate. We know each other's signs. NO SIGNAL-NO
MOVE, They signal-I move, and I just keep looking at one of them, not the trail,
because I can't see the trail like they can. "Trust, my brothers and
sisters, trust". This puts a lot of pressure on the spotter. If you don't
trust the spotter, you're on your own, and unless you can remember "where
you are" on the trail, then you may not need a spotter. Sooner or later if
you're distracted by people yelling instructions, you may forget where you are. So, next time you start
yelling at someone creeping over some noxious real estate, thinking you're
helping them out; think again. Try some of these spotting techniques yourself.
You'll find a pleasant reduction in everyone's blood pressure, and hopefully a
diminishing of those ugly grating metal sounds associated with a truly tough
trail. Regards,
as always, Jefe
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