Judith the Jeep

03/10/2025

If you don't follow Colorado SXS Adventures you should! If you take a second to read this, you'll see why I say that.

We’ve Forgotten What It Means to Earn It

(By Doug Russell | Colorado SxS Adventures)

Somewhere between the $40,000 rigs, the Bluetooth speakers, and the Instagram reels — we forgot what this whole thing was supposed to be about.

The trails used to be full of riders. Now they’re full of tourists with gas pedals.

The Difference Between a Rider and a Poser

A rider knows when to back off the throttle.
A rider knows how to read the land, respect it, and leave it better than they found it.
A rider carries tools, not excuses.

But these days?
We’ve got people showing up who can’t change a tire, don’t own a tow strap, and couldn’t find their way out of a paper bag without Google Maps.
They think the “trail life” is about looking cool in the parking lot, not grinding through the dirt and earning the miles.

They don’t ride to feel something — they ride to be seen.

We’ve Gone Soft

Yeah, I said it. We’ve gone soft.
Trail etiquette is fading. Common sense is gone. Respect has turned into a joke.

You used to have to work to get into this lifestyle — wrench your own rig, learn recovery, take your lumps, and gain trail wisdom from those who’d been there before you.

Now it’s plug-and-play adventure. Buy the machine, buy a trailer, follow a GPS pin, and pretend you’re an explorer.

But when something breaks, when the trail turns ugly, or when someone else needs help… these same people vanish faster than a beer at camp.

We’re Better Than This

We were the generation that fixed things instead of throwing them away.
We learned from experience, not YouTube.
We took pride in being self-reliant, prepared, and dependable.

So what the hell happened?
When did “helping each other” turn into “not my problem”?
When did the work ethic that built this country disappear behind LED whips and TikTok reels?

This Lifestyle Isn’t for Show

The SxS world was built by doers — not followers.
By people who found peace in the grind, not attention from the crowd.
By riders who showed up early, stayed late, and didn’t leave anyone behind.

If that sounds old-fashioned to you, then maybe this isn’t your world.
Because this lifestyle isn’t supposed to be easy — it’s supposed to be earned.

You can’t buy respect at the dealership.
You earn it by the way you ride, the way you treat others, and the way you show up when things go sideways.

My Message to the Next Generation

You want to be part of this?
Then stop talking and start doing.
Help the guy who’s broken down.
Pack out your trash.
Put down the phone and pick up a wrench.

We’re not here to look cool.
We’re here to ride hard, help each other, and protect what we love.

Because if we don’t start acting like the stewards this lifestyle needs —
we’re just another group of weekend warriors pretending to be legends.

27/09/2025

This is WILD! Is the Rav4 the new 4runner?

I took my 2025 Rav4 XSE Plug-in Hybrid on Black Bear Pass. I did the whole trail. It was hard on my Rav4. I did it solo and met only one other Jeep on the tr...

26/09/2025

A living Legend! Congratulations Jason Paule!

22/09/2025

Alot of you guys know I enjoy reading about the history of where I get to call home. Not just the old ghost town stuff, but the history of wheeling here as well.

Over the years I have scoured all over the internet searching for more old photos, and stories about wheeling in the Hills. The Black Hills 4Wheelers is the oldest club, with the longest running event.

Recently I stumbled upon this picture here. A guy running what is deemed "Jason's Rock" on Iceman back in 1998. The trail itself has had a history of controversy, from sections and spurs being closed off by FS. The rock itself was closed for the longest time as well. It wasn't until last year that the local groups worked with the FS to push for it to remain opened.

All these years later, Jeeps are still making their way down to Iceman. The trail itself was opened by JP, a local legend here in the offroad community. Using his first gen Bronco. The trail wasnt near as clear as it is today. Iceman was a through trail at the time! With users making their way down an incredibly difficult shelf road named "Hangman". Where they would then continue on to Iceman.

These local 4x4 groups have been actively volunteering, and fighting to keep our local 4x4 routes open even well before the 2005 Travel Manegment closure. Where they saw over 3/4 of the local rock crawling routes closed for good. Today, by doing our part on the trails to Treadlightly, and being active in our community. We can help keep these bad ass places open for the next generation.

A mentor of mine once told "It's your generations turn to pull winch cable". So, lets set it to free spool and get to work.

Drop your favorite Iceman memories below!

Black Hills 4 Wheelers Black Hills Jeeps Tread Lightly!

21/09/2025

Well, another Black Hills gone by. Unfortunately, this year just wasn't my year. From injector issues, power steering issues, and a failed driveshaft. I limped the 'ol YJ home beaten, and bruised.
It's ran great all summer, just to fail when I needed it most.

Time to make a list to get ready for the next summer I suppose. A big thanks goes to for helping me diagnose the injector issues. I'm still beyond Thankful to have the opportunity to guide with my friend Sam each year too.

Next year 🤙

19/09/2025

It's gotta be atleast like 40ft deep.

17/09/2025

Prep List:
Cheap Chinese Armor ✅️
taillights ✅️
oil pan skid✅️
GPS Speedometer✅️
GMRS❌️
Headlight harness ❌️
Spot lights ❌️

I still have a bunch of other small odds and ends to mount. Huge thanks to for always offering his shop to work out of. I couldn't have gotten this far without him!

15/09/2025

I've been using this little 88p compressor for over 10 years now. It has been airing up Judith's tires reliably after every adventure. Not only that, it's been tackling all 4 of the YJ's 37s for the last 3 years as well. This pump has seen better days, and more heat cycles than an retired Arizona Snowbird.

I think it's time to FINALLY upgrade this little guy. I've been eyeing the 450 EF by Viair to finally retire this pump. I know power tanks and all that do it faster. However, sometimes. I really enjoy the 15 minutes of chilling while I air up. It's the little things I guess.

Drop a comment on what you are using to air back up after a day on the trail!

11/09/2025

absolutely killed it with these shots from our trip out around Galena back in August!

Backstory:

Recently announced the upcoming event for 2026 in Sturgis, SD. I was approached by Jeep Freedom during their latest trip to the hills to help make sure the event had their *ducks* in a row regarding Forest Service Event permit information, and to help them get to know the local trail system's laws and guidelines. Moving forward, I'll be coordinating with the Black Hills National Forest, and the Black Hills 4x4 Coalition on a simple mission. To promote the guidelines to the attendees while they are here on their visit. To coordinate volunteer booths across the forest, and to encourage visitors to care for the trails like it's their own backyard.

I am beyond Thankful to be able to have the opportunity to promote this goal during the event. I also can't thank the club members who make up all the clubs in the coalition enough. Without them, we wouldn't be able to have the impact we do together.