Outside of comfortable urbanization, the world can demand the best from a team, and if you aren’t fully prepared for the task at hand, the wilderness can send you packing for the nearest hotel. The luxuries of civilization make us take for granted the safety of a society that has largely forgotten what perils remoteness can bring. The Expedition Overland team thrives on facing obstacles, weather, and the unknown, but sometimes nothing but experience can properly prepare you for the task at hand. When an initial trip to the Alexander Mackenzie Trail went awry for the Expedition Overland team, there was nothing that could keep them from planning a second attempt later in the year.
Clay Croft of Expedition Overland recounts in his own words:
“Starting in March, Expedition Overland began the testing and filming of the new General Grabber X3 to be released this fall for their upcoming expeditions. The tire has taken us all over the west,” stated Croft.
“Outfitted with the Grabber X3 tire, Expedition Overland is now focusing on a return expedition into British Columbia. The ‘Return to the Mackenzie expedition.’ The Alexander Mackenzie trail of British Columbia is one of the oldest trails in the country. Also known as the Grease trail, it was used by Native Americans to transport fish oils and trading supplies inland from the coast for trade with other tribes and Western explorers. Alexander Mackenzie, lead by local guides, used the trail to find the overland passage to the coastline. In 1793 he was successful and returned to England with a new route across Canada. Today it remains one of the hardest trails in British Columbia to overland by vehicle. It takes an average of six days to complete, but there is now resupply points due to its extreme remoteness and 120-mile off-road section. We failed on our last attempt due to being underprepared for the trail’s disrepair,” admitted Croft.
“After running out of water, fuel, and time, our crew was forced off the trail. Until now. Our team of 7 will be returning this summer to complete the Mackenzie and map it in its entirety. They will be equipped with the all new Grabber X3—a tire we’ll deem as one ‘made for the Mackenzie.’ Expedition Overland will also be traveling across the country on several smaller expeditions including the ‘Drive to the Summit’ expedition for the 10th annual FJ Summit in Ouray, Colorado. This coming winter, Expedition Overland will ship our outfitted vehicles to Cartagena, Columbia, to complete the Greater Pan American expedition as we travel to the southern end of South America in our third 12-part series coming next year. Upon completion of this expedition, we’ll have put GT’s new X3 through a 12,000 mile stretch of South America from Columbia to Patagonia (coming 2017).”
You can follow Expedition Overland’s adventures and stories through their YouTube channel.
