Views of the Tail Gunner

Hello fellow off-roaders and welcome to another tale of adventure, romance, intrigue and suspense… ok, not really, but now that I have your attention, let’s talk about the Tail Gunner position in an off-road outing.  This is the last vehicle in the line, which, if there are 2-5 vehicles, one usually can see what the lead is doing depending on the trail.  However, there is a saying amongst dog-mushers (a sport in Alaska, google the Iditarod): “Unless you’re the lead dog, the view never changes.”What that means is you’re staring at the rear end of the same vehicle for pretty much the entire trip.  Unless there is position changes, but highly unlikely.  That doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibilities as Tail Gunner. Oh, you’re the vehicle that makes sure everyone stays in front of you.  You also get to see the angles of approach to obstacles completed by the multiple vehicles in front of you.On occasion you may be called up to an obstacle to be a spotter and keep the group moving forward while lead resumes continuing down the trail. You may have to assist a broken down vehicle.  Check the by-passes for ‘lost’ drivers.  You are driving the herd forward but at the leads pace.As I’ve stated previously in other writings (ramblings), a good radio is a must while out on the trails.  You can stop or slow forward progress, so you and a straggler or two can catch-up to the main body.  When you clear an obstacle, you can let the lead and other drivers know that you are the last one through a certain area. Usually something that is obvious, like an old abandoned vehicle, cattle crossing, the last rock steps you had to climb.Sometimes there are more than one Tail Gunner, and that’s for the by-passes, especially if they divert from the main trail and converge a little further down.  Still have the same responsibilities, herding the cats and making sure you have everyone when the two groups remerge.Being Tail Gunner has it’s ups and downs, one up is you can watch everyone attempt a difficult obstacle and choose the best line for your rig.  The down, although minor, is that if you have to answer the call of bladder, the group isn’t stopping, so hopefully you know the trail or were at least on the recon, if there was one.Until next time,Alaska.