New trail ride for women added to this year's festival
Women are going to rule the road, or rather the off-road, with a new trail riding event at the Bantam Jeep Heritage Festival.
The Babes of Bantam Trail Ride is the only trail ride created by women for women. Female guides and spotters will lead lady Jeepers through a trail with unique obstacles created just for the girls, said organizer Christie Vinson, of Rausch Creek Off-Road Park.
The event, planned for 12 to 3 p.m. June 9, sold out in just a few weeks after it opened in January, said organizer Wendy Callahan. They'll have 100 participants.
Callahan said they noticed over the years at the festival that they were having more and more women come on board with Jeeping.
“We've heard a lot of women who come along and ride with their boyfriends or husbands are a little intimidated on doing it on their own, or don't want their boyfriend or husband to make fun of them,” Callahan said. “This is a safe environment for them to learn.”
So they created the Babes of Bantam Trail Ride, the first fully-instructed trail riding course for the Bantam festival, to introduce ladies to off-roading and build their skills and confidence on the trails and in the mud, Callahan said.
The idea of women's-only trail events is not new for Vinson, who has been running women's wheeling events at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park, located near Pottsville, Pa., for several years. She said it's comforting for women to learn from other women.
“I've been off-roading for 17 years, and I can remember being the only female on the trails with my husband,” Vinson said. “Over the years, more and more women have become involved in it.”
Participants in the Babes of Bantam Trail Ride will drive their own Jeeps and be led by a female guide through the green trail, one of the beginner trails.
Female spotters along the trail will give the drivers instruction and tips on how to make it over and through various obstacles that were created just for the Babes of Bantam trail.The drivers will also learn the technical features of their Jeeps, hand signals used when off-roading with a group and equipment and safety items recommended to have when out in the woods, Callahan said.While the goal is to get the ladies to get over and through everything in their path, if they are not comfortable for any reason they can bypass obstacles, Vinson said. The no-pressure but supportive environment of the trail ride is what makes the Babes of Bantam special.“We're not going to force you do it,” Vinson said. “Never do we want anyone to feel uncomfortable.”Once they complete the trail, they'll be able to explore the Jeep Playground where they'll be guided over even more obstacles.By the end of the day the lady Jeepers should be confident enough to ride off-road in parks like Rausch Creek, Vinson said.They'll also be better at driving on the road, Callahan said.“We also think that by doing these training events that it's going to make women better drivers in all situations,” Callahan said. “Driving in mud is kind of the same thing as driving on snow and ice.”
