On 5/22/04 we attended a one-day 4WD class in Colorado's Pike National Forest, conducted by Bill Burke. Bill and his wife Rachel own and operate 4-Wheeling_America, a business for teaching safe, effective and responsible off-road driving.

Among the topics covered in this class were driving techniques, getting to know your vehicle mechanically, land navigation, recovery gear/techniques and environmental ethics. Bill is a former Eagle Scout, recovery specialist with the US Army special forces (101st Airborne), Camel Trophy competitor ('91) and professional trainer of some 20 years experience, including clients such as the USFS, USGS and BLM. If that's not enough for you, he's also a mechanic and a wilderness EMT! So it's highly unlikely you will encounter a situation on the trail or come up with a question that he can't address.

All that knowlege and experience is great, but most importantly, Bill is a terrific instructor and just a lot of fun. He has a great sense of humor and an infectious enthusiasm for what he does. So we, in return, give him two "very enthusiastic" thumbs up!

Thanks to Jeff Shapiro, a fellow student, for providing these pictures. I had failed to charge the batteries in my camera before leaving home and consequently didn't have it available the day of the class.

Bill (foreground, green sweater) prepares to spot me through the big rocks lining the trail.

Umm...Bill?

These pictures of a hill climb that also required Bill's individual guidance don't convey how steep the grade really was, or how deep those whoops were. The pucker-factor was high for us greenies, but everyone made it through without incident.


In December, Bill led us on a tour of the Utah backcountry
in 4-Wheeling America's Holidays in Moab 2004.