Off-Road Incident Response Strategy

If you venture off-road you need a rescue plan. If you are off-road with a vehicle, SxS, bicycles or motorcycles you also need a rescue plan for the vehicle. Don't break down or get injured with no way to get help. I always ride the motorcycle in groups, or with at least one other. I ride the eMTB alone at times but I always have communications and a plan. 

Communications

 I wrote a blog post a few years ago about rider-to-rider communications: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2023/11/rider-to-rider-communication.html . After riding a few years more, both on the motorcycle and the eMTB, I realized that communication when off-road is very important. This includes communication with friends and family, and with emergency services. Too often we have accidents or break something when off-road. When this happens, we need a reliable way to contact people for help. 

Satellite

The best way to communicate with people anywhere when outdoors and out of cellular service is via satellite. Some newer cellular phones have emergency satellite communications, and some even have broader use than emergency. Of course you can get a satellite phone but that is expensive. There are several satellite communicators made for outdoors activities from Garmin, Motorola, and others. I use the Garmin InReach Messenger for its relatively low cost, crazy long battery life, small size, and the InReach SAR rescue plan. It is important to setup and test this to make sure communications get through to the people you need them too. I have seen many with Garmin InReach but they have not set it up to communicate with family and friends. I highly recommend doing this! The InReach is not just for emergencies. 

Garmin InReach has a feature that includes the GMS coordinates in every message. I highly recommend keeping that feature ON. It comes along for free with the messages you send.

I use the tracking feature in the Garmin InReach and I share every ride with my wife. Every 10 minutes it updates my location that she can see on a map. I also share my location with her on Google Maps at all times, which works great until I am in an area with no coverage (which happens often). If I even just stop communication (tracking) she will know my last location within 10 minutes. The blue dots on the Garmin Explore map are those 10-minute updates.

GMRS Radios

Many of us only have messaging over satellite, so it is good to also have a GMRS radio. For this to work, you need multiple people to have them. The radios can be inexpensive and the 10-year FCC license is cheap and does not require a test like HAM. The radio give you a way to have voice conversation with multiple people from a reasonable distance of each other (several miles generally).

Cellular Phones

Cellular phones are great as that is now our primary communication device on a daily basis. However, off-road coverage can be spotty so don't depend on this. Ideally ride with a group that has a variety of carriers so at least one might have service at any given time. Someday (fairly soon) coverage will expand through low-earth orbit satellite systems.

Helmet Intercoms

Helmet intercoms (Cardo, Sena, etc.) are very short range, about a half a mile generally. Some can use cellular networks but that of course has the limitations described above. These devices are generally not for emergencies, unless you happen to have cellular communications at the time. However, the best way to survive a crash is to prevent the crash in the first place. The great thing about helmet intercoms is you can engage in fully hands-free conversation the whole ride. This does not mean you have to spend the whole ride talking. You can easily mute/unmute. The rider in front can warn the other riders of obstacles and vehicles ahead. This helps reduce the chance of accidents. This is very useful in dusty conditions as the riders behind the front have dust to deal with limiting their vision. If a rider does have a problem, they can immediately let the other riders know. This helps prevent a pileup when visibility is limited. You can also communicate navigation to the other riders as you approach forks in the trail. This helps prevent people getting off-route and lost. 

Cardo and Sena have mesh systems which connect all the riders with their system making a daisy chain. This helps extend the communication distance as it hops rider-to-rider between the front and back. Unfortunately these 2 mesh systems are not compatible, but they are bridgeable. Each rider with a mesh intercom can also bridge in another rider with simple Bluetooth. It can be complicated to setup, and unreliable even when you get it setup. The mesh systems are the best so use that if you can. 

I have a Bluetooth GMRS radio that connects to the helmet intercom (Cardo in my case) so I can use the radio while riding. I added a Bluetooth push-to-talk switch on my clutch lever making it easy to talk even while riding.

Starlink

I don't have Starlink so I can't speak to it much but this is another alternative communications mechanism.

Navigation and Maps

Never go off-road without mapping and navigation tools. I have several I keep on my phone including Google Maps, GAIA, OnX, and Trailforks. I also have Garmin Tread and a Zumo XT2 motorcycle navigation device. All of these have the ability to download offline maps which needs to be done before you get out of cellular coverage. When I plan hikes or rides, I always download offline maps before I leave the house.

When planning anything off-road, share the route with family so they know where you planned to go.

Rescue Plan

Think through what you will do when things go bad. It could be you get injured or your bike is unrideable for a variety of potential reasons. What now?

I made a Google Doc of my emergency plan and shared it with my family. It explains how to contact me with InReach and GMRS. It explains how to find me as well. I bought a pickup with off-road capabilities and equipped it with everything I would need to recover a motorcycle or bike off-road. I have 2 loading ramps, a winch, and plenty of tie-downs to secure the load well enough to haul it on rugged off-road trails.

If you get injured in an area unreachable by ambulance (pretty much all off-road) things can get crazy expensive fast. Medivac can run well over $50k and may not be covered by insurance. I have the Garmin SAR plan for this. I personally have never used it but I have heard of many who have. It is $40/year. 

Rescuing

If you ever get that call or message that a friend is in trouble and needs a rescue, go prepared. Take the 10 minutes to clearly see where they are on a map and download any offline maps you will need (see "navigation and maps" above). Google Maps has some off-road navigation capability but it is not really good at it. I use OnX primarily for off-road navigation since it has much better coverage, and trail ratings. Next, get a clear communication plan with the person, including what GMRS channel they will be on and InReach address you can contact them on. Make a test InReach message to ensure you can communicate when you are offline. Have them share their GPS coordinates so you can navigate directly to them. Make the communication plan clear while you are in contact with them. Share this information with others before you go. Have a rescue plan for yourself as well in case you run into trouble yourself. Bring food and water for both yourself and the people you are rescuing. Also bring any necessary tools, parts, and first-aid supplies. Go prepared as you would when heading off-road. 

Ideally the group needing a rescue would have shared their route plan before the ride. We generally do this with a Facebook event, sharing the OnX or GPX route, or both. It is best to follow their route to navigate to them and tell them the route you plan to take before leaving home.

I got that call from a friend who was on a group ride where one of the riders broke their leg. I was about 3 hours away. In my haste to get their quickly I did not properly prepare. He had shared the route but I did not download it, not did I download the offline maps of the area. Instead I just navigated to the GPS pin he shared using Google Maps. I quickly glanced at the route and it seemed correct (when zoomed out). I had ridden in that area a few times before but the area does have a bit of a maze of roads and trails. Luckily I brought my Garmin InReach and I always carry 2 GMRS radios in my truck. Google Maps took me off the more main roads, onto a rugged trail that became impassable (red detour road to the East of the main blue route in the map below).

This wasted precious daylight and time. Lesson learned: Make the communication channels clear. Make your rescue plan clear. Give updates along the way if/when you can. Follow the proper route and clearly explain the route you are taking. Download offline maps and use the right navigation app for the route you are taking. In my case I should have switched from Google Maps to OnX once I got off maintained roads. I should have used the Garmin Zumo XT2 to navigate the route since it has a larger, brighter screen than the phone. I also lacked a phone holder. 

A rescue is bad enough, don't make it a double rescue! Leaving someone waiting with little to no communication is a big problem. At what point do they need to get out before dark? How long do they wait? They are left wondering if you are still coming at all. Ideally have at least 2 people at the location where the rescue is needed. Don't leave a person waiting there alone. 

Planning Dual Sport & Adventure motorcycle rides

There are many things to consider when planning a group motorcycle ride that includes off-road sections, or is all off-road. These rides are a great way to meet people, and group rides improve safety for all. I began organizing group motorcycle rides about a year and a half ago. I created this post to share my lessons learned over that time, and after many great rides. 

Weather

While many don't consider season or weather before planning rides, I do take these things into account. At some point it goes beyond just comfort and enjoyment, and becomes an important safety consideration. For instance, I live in an area where flash floods can be deadly. Many rides include wash crossings, or even long section riding the wash itself. Often these washes are in deep canyons or even slot canyons. A slot canyon is a complete trap, where there is no exit on either side. 

Safety

The most important weather consideration is safety. The weather related safety risks vary by region and season. Here in the Southwest flash floods are the most dangerous, followed by lighting and fire. The biggest flash flood risk is in Monsoon season. The challenge here is that the probability of heavy rains during Monsoon season can be very low, yet end up producing deadly flash floods. The situation can be very dynamic and hard to predict as well. Lightening and fire risk follow the flash flood risk and the thunderstorms are responsible for lightning which causes most of the fires as well. OnX has a feature that shows current fires on the map.

Comfort and fun

We all have different tolerances to things like temperature and humidity. Personally I prefer cooler weather in general. I would rather ride in 40F temperatures than 100F temperatures (presuming low humidity). Wind also plays a role. It is not much fun to ride in strong wind. Wind also drives the direction of dust. 

Here in the Southwest, I plan around weather. In the summer, I plan very early morning rides, and go to high altitude. NOAA has some great maps views for this. The weather map below is an example showing apparent temperature in the region. Apparent temperature takes wind chill and humidity impacts into account.

The color shows the various temperatures. In the summer, head for green areas. In general for each 1,000 feet of elevation gain, the temperature drops about 3F to 5F. In the winter, ride the lower altitudes and start later in the day. They also have maps for storms, wind, precipitation, etc. 

Ride Planning

Ride difficulty level

As all riders have different skill levels, train preferences, and motorcycles, it is important to communicate as much as you can about the nature of the ride and the difficulty levels. It is less about the bike and really about the combination of bike and rider, and this is very subjective. The term "big bike friendly" comes up often. However, Chris Birch could ride a Goldwing in places others would struggle with a TW200. I tend to think it is about 70% rider, 30% bike and tires. Because of this I find the best way to share what the trail looks like is with a video. I record all the new trails I ride and post them as playlists on my YouTube channel. I created this https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure/home website where I have information about the various trails with links to the related YouTube playlists. The goal is for people interested in the event to preview the trails and determine if the ride fits there skills, bike, and desires. I post a link to the playlist showing the trails we will ride for the event (if available). If I have not yet recorded the trail, I try to find a video from someone who has. I have had mixed success with this but it seems to be the best approach. Too many will ignore the video but at least I have provided them with this information ahead of time. If they chose not to use it, that is up to them. Some off-road mapping applications such as OnX have difficulty levels for most major trails but most are 4 wheeled vehicle based. They are also subjective. If the trails are in one of these mapping application, and that application can share deep links to the trail(s), share those links in the posting. OnX also allows sharing your planned route as a link. Since I post the rides as events in Facebook, people in the group can ask questions and get replies from others. This is another way riders can ask about difficulty and crowdsource responses from other riders. 

Ride details

It is very important that you post a map link and details of the starting location. People need to know exactly when and where to meet. I use a Google Maps link as well as a good description in the event post for this. The time should reflect the design ride start time. I found it is best to have at least a 15 minute buffer for this. If you want the ride to start at 8am, post the meeting time at 7:30am or 7:45am. Or, post the start time at 8am but don't leave until at least 8:15am. 

Different bikes have different fuel ranges. Fuel economy is somewhat hard to predict since the terrain causes big changes. My Husky 701 can get as good as 65mpg or as bad as 35mpg for instance. Adding to that many off-road focused dual sport bikes can have rather small fuel tanks. Some (like my 701) has no way to know how much fuel is in the tank until the low fuel light comes on. This creates range anxiety. I post the longest distance between gas for the route we plan to ride. I use a mapping application such as GAIA or OnX for this. I have this post: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/off-road-trails-in-southern-nevada.html describing those apps. After ring my motorcycle for a couple years now, and tracking the fuel economy, I have a good idea of my range. If there is a risk of not having enough fuel, I have a 1.3 gallon add-on gas can I can attach to the bike. I prefer to plan rides with less than 100 miles between fuel stops when possible.

I like to create the route in OnX or GAIA and share the link with the group. Ideally also create a GPX file of the route and share that for download. This is tricky since I use Facebook to post the events and they do not allow attaching GPX files. I use a Google Drive public folder to host the GPX files, and share the Drive link in the event details. This way people can download the route into their favorite GPS navigation device. I use a Garmin Zumo XT2 for this myself. Some use phone apps, some of which allow downloading maps for offline use. I use both. If I am unfamiliar with the area, I download offline maps on Garmin, Google Maps, GAIA, and OnX. Never get lost!

Some riders have tire/tube combinations that are not good on pavement, or just avoid pavement. These folks will want to haul and meet to minimize road riding. Some rides can facilitate that, others less so. Ideally consider this when planning rides. This is a tough one as suggesting a place to park is risky. I avoid this instead pointing out the route and where we start, and let them decide where they want to haul to and meet us. 

Some people don't have street licensed motorcycles. Generally all the rides I plan include roads and trails that require a street license. Mention this in the event post. While the roads may be obvious, many trails are not.

Creating a route

I start with some of the ride mapping and routing tools available. This post https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2024/02/off-road-trails-in-southern-nevada.html covers that topic. Finding and connecting trails with gas stops takes some time. Understanding what each trail segment is like can be the hardest part. I use web searches and YouTube searches as much as I can. OnX and some others offer good reviews and explanations of many trails, but not all. I find GAIA to be a good choice in some cases as it is very crowd sourced and detailed as far as trails but it does not have difficulty ratings. For the most part, OnX and GAIA have trails mapped and you can simply create routes by mapping through and between them. This uses a snap to map feature that tries to route you between points by following defined trails. At times, none of these apps have certain trails covered and you may need to improvise. OnX and GAIA for instance, offer custom routing/mapping tools. In this case you turn off the snap feature and instead draw point-to-point yourself. Often I will build a route mostly with the snap feature ON, and switch to the point-to-point approach only for small segments between defined trails. I use a satellite view while doing this to validate the route appears good. This is of course risky. Watch out for things like gates and fences, large deep washes, etc. I use Google Earth at times to show the profile of the terrain as well as view the satellite imagery. OnX and GAIA both have similar profile features. If you try to add points too far apart, most of these might reroute you to highways and paved roads. To avoid this, add a close point instead to ensure the route stays where you want it.

Here is an example of a powerline service road that does not show up in any off-road mapping tool I have found.

See the "elevation profile" showing how this route follows the terrain. Here is more details about this route: https://sites.google.com/view/las-vegas-dual-sport-adventure/home#h.7ghyi74fpgfg with video. This is a great connector route I often use to make a loop through Goodsprings and Potosi. Powerline service roads can be great trails and too often they are not mapped. 

This video shows basic route creation with GAIA.

and route building in OnX.

There are many others but these 2 have been the best for my uses.

Once you have the route planned, I take a screenshot of it to use as the image in the Facebook event (as shown above in this post). This way people can see the overview of the ride. 

Creating an event in Facebook

I am no Facebook fanboy but it seems to be the best one for rider groups and creating events within the group. Here is a tutorial on creating the event in Facebook. One tip here: don't use any web links in the event description! Facebook often hold these awaiting the group admin approval. Instead, create the event using just text. Make sure it posts and is not stuck at "pending". Then put links in the event "discussion" tab. I often want to share the OnX trail link (obviously) and Facebook seems to think these are nefarious or something. I also share links to a Google Drive with the GPX files, and YouTube playlists. These all work better as individual posts in the "discussion" tab and not on the event description. 

Rider Communication

Rider-to-Rider

I posted a separate blog post on this here: https://jimroal.blogspot.com/2023/11/rider-to-rider-communication.html . Rider-to-rider communication can help safety and fun. Off-road riding in the Southwest almost always includes dust. Heavy dust can be a safety risk since it impedes visibility similar to fog. It can be worse than fog since the dust coats everything between your eyes and the trail. When riders can communicate, the group can stretch out to provide bigger gaps, helping to reduce the dust issues. This also reduces the likelihood of a rider hitting another rider who has an accident. If a ride at the back of the group has an issue, they can inform the riders ahead. If a rider at the back has a minor issue and has to stop, they can let the other riders know so they don't have to worry or ride back. See my blog post for details, but at a high level I recommend using both Cardo PackTalk (or similar) helmet intercom along with a GMRS radio for longer distances. I have a GMRS radio I keep on my bike, and I carry a spare that I often give to the last rider in the group in case they don't have their own. There are 3 major brands of helmet intercom: Cardo, Sena, and all the rest. Cardo PackTalk is currently the biggest and best choice in my opinion. Sena is a strong competitor and functionally very similar. Both have mesh communication in their higher end units (PackTalk for Cardo, DMC for Sena). You can even bridge between them with Cardo PackTalk. Both also can pair with all the rest and each other via standard Bluetooth intercom mode. Each rider can bridge one rider outside their brand as well. Theoretically 6 riders can have either Cardo PackTalk or Sena DMC can each bridge in one additional rider so 12 rides can all talk. In reality setting that up is difficult and time consuming.  

Emergency Communication

In case of emergency, you need a way to call for help. While cellular phones may work in many places, there are far too many places where they don't. Cellular providers and device makers are adding satellite services for SOS which can help. I prefer Garmin InReach as it has an industry leading rescue service and even an insurance plan. I use the simplest Garmin InReach Messenger for this. I also have a Garmin fenix watch that integrates with InReach so I can trigger an SOS even if I can't reach the InReach device. The InReach also lets you message people via SMS for emergencies and non-emergencies. The messages can include your GPS coordinates by default too. I find it handy for non-emergency messaging. InReach can also be setup to track you on rides. You can share this location with a person or group of people, such as a spouse. They can track you on a map so they know where to find you if things go badly. 

The GMRS radio mentioned in rider-to-rider communication can also be used for emergencies and to help coordinate rescue. However, I would not depend on this.