Easter Jeep Safari 2024: 2nd Annual Trailblazers Run

Today, the Jessi Combs Foundation, led by her friend Dana Wilke, is a testament to the mantra that the fastest woman on the planet championed: Educate, Inspire, and Empower. Pushing women to break stereotypes and giving real opportunities via scholarships to trailblazing young women who want to pursue and succeed in a trade career, a space historically dominated by men. At the driver's meeting, Dana mentioned that the JCF had sponsored an upcoming welding class for women taught by scholarship recipients. By the event's end, she learned that it had already sold out, showing the true power of their mission and credo.

To help celebrate Jessi and bring awareness to the cause of her foundation, her friends and closest family members put together an awesome, day-long ride in one of her favorite locations: Moab, Utah. 

Taking place during the annual Easter Jeep Safari, the Trailblazers Run is an awesome event that is as much about spreading the message of female empowerment as it is about celebrating the life and light of Jessi Combs. 

Hitting The Trail

As we gathered for the driver's meeting, I was struck by the gravity of her loss but inspired by the camaraderie and positivity of the occasion. 

Attendees included first-year scholarship recipients like Hannah Stout and some of Jessi’s closest friends and family members. Even her mom, Nina, was along for the ride, driving none other than a highly modified Toyota Tundra owned by Jessi herself up the trail. 

Though her untimely departure carries a heavy weight, her friends and family were ready to celebrate her life and, more importantly, her undefeatable spirit by doing something she truly loved to do. They were ready to hit the trail and spend the day pushing their machines and their nerve to the limit.

I was a passenger on my first journey into the Utah backcountry, guided by the legendary Nena Barlow of Barlow Adventures, a skilled wheeler with 30 years of experience in the four-wheeling paradises of Utah, Arizona, and the entire West Coast. Her rig of choice is a 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe, modified with massive Falken Wildpeak R/T tires, heavy-duty springs, a 3-inch lift, and a winch bumper complete with a heavy-duty winch. The rest of the rig was bone stock thanks to the immensely capable Rubicon trim provided right from the factory by Jeep. 

Along with Jessi’s Toyota Tundra, her race-winning Jeep “Goldie Rocks” was also on the roster, driven by none other than two Jessi Combs Foundation scholarship recipients. There were 21 stunning vehicles in the lineup, including monster, purpose-built rigs, some fresh off being pushed to their limits at King of the Hammers. Not every vehicle was a Jeep, with a Ford Bronco and a highly-modified Suzuki Samurai joining the ranks, but no one batted an eye. 

Everyone was welcome.

Behind The Rocks

It’s nearly impossible not to be taken in by the staggering beauty of Moab. 

Red rocks and buttes scour the sky, dotted by flecks of Juniper and Pinon pine trees. Massive sandstone hills are interlaced with delicate caves and arches as transient as the day is long. Surface, texture, and smell assault the senses, and it is nearly impossible to describe just how magical and ethereal this slice of the Southwest is. 

Frankly, you just need to come here and experience this place's majesty for yourself. 

As we turned off the highway onto the Behind The Rocks trail road, it was immediately apparent that this would be an exhilarating ride. Nena powered the 4xe precisely down the initial stretch of sandy, freshly bladed road and onto the first series of rocks. Thanks to the capability of the Jeep, massive ledges and steep declines were almost no trouble. After waiting for the group to up and gather, Nena threw the Jeep into four-wheel low, disconnected the sway bars, and climbed the first of several obstacles.

The feeling of sitting in a vehicle and looking through the windshield to see nothing but the bright, blue sky as you scramble over rocks is hard to describe. At first, it’s a bit unnerving, but once you realize these vehicles are made to do this, the initial worry becomes exhilaration. Nena made it look easy, but those new to the game may find the steep angles and drop-offs unnerving. I can assure you, it’s all part of the fun. 

As we progressed along the trail, we were greeted with more obstacles and more stunning vistas, culminating in the incredible spectacle of ‘Hammer Hill,’ a preposterously steep stretch of rocks that forced every driver to navigate with nerves of steel. Once every driver made it through, we moved on to increasingly rougher and more complicated obstacles, including ‘The Rollercoaster,’ which caused the Samurai to break an axle and others to take a few runs to get up the hill. 

Jessi’s mom was the highlight of ‘The Rollercoaster’, sending Jessi’s giant, race-prepped Tundra up the hill with absolute abandon.

During the entire ride, Nena led point as the tail of Jeeps and other off-road machines trailed back, snaking their way through the Moab landscape. 

Beyond providing guide duties, she also called out facts about the area over the radios, teaching the group about everything from Moab’s unique biological soil crust that allows trees and other organisms to thrive to information about how the rocks we were scrambling over were formed over millions of years. Her working knowledge of the area is staggering and helped an amateur like me appreciate the landscape and consider the delicate balance that visitors like us must achieve to keep enjoying it for years to come.

Community and Camaraderie

As we stopped for lunch at the top of ‘The Rollercoaster,’ enjoying a meal in the shadow of the La Sal Mountains among new friends and off-road compatriots, it floored me how friendly and welcoming everyone was. 

Remember that stricken Samurai? As soon as it came to a halt, nearly a dozen people hopped in to try and figure out what was wrong, and even more people gathered around when it came time to fix the axle. Since wheeling is all about self-sufficiency, within a few minutes, another Jeep was pulled up, a welder was firing, and the issue was being repaired right before my eyes. 

Nobody made a big deal– they just hopped in to help.

Every person I talked to, from Instagram influencers and racers to CEOs and marketing managers, offered the same laid-back, casual kindness that leaves you feeling like you’re actually part of something special. As someone new to this world, I find this camaraderie and community perhaps the biggest draw of heading off the beaten path. As one driver told me, “Only an idiot would break their vehicle on purpose and come back for more, but I guess we’re all idiots, aren’t we?” 

This level of community, this gathering of great and intrepid minds who demand adventure, is precisely what Jessi stood for. I didn’t know her personally, but I’d like to think that seeing all of those who did know her and love her gathered together, breaking stereotypes and kicking butt, was a shining moment for her legacy and her spirit. 

An Incredible Day

As we wound out the day, we found our way over to a giant sand pit devoid of trees and full of conveniently placed dunes. 

The kind of thing perfect for shredding a prepped wheeler, which is precisely what everyone did. Once again, Nena held school, running demos on how to run a winch for recovery, use a long ram jack, and use a kinetic rope for hauling out a stuck buddy. These little nuggets of information, delivered by a pro, are the teaching moments you can’t read about or watch on YouTube– you just need to be there.

It was a perfect end to an epic day, and as we rode back into town, bouncing along the Behind The Rocks trail, I realized I couldn’t wait to get out there and do this again. 

Thanks, Jessi.

Video: Easter Jeep Safari Teaser Reel

Photography by Daniel Russo and Josh Walker