Hameem Road to Milky Way spot exploration Intermediate trip 17 Feb24

[Reji]

Convoy order;

Reji Mathew - lead
Dinto Joseph, Advance - second lead
Pascal Millot, Intermediate - part second lead
Riskallah Nicolas, Intermediate
Steven Mackenzie, Intermediate
Rahul Planchery, Intermediate - Sweeper
Nandakumar Varrier, Advance - part second lead

Advance Support
Razeem I.
Mohammed Ameen

Explores floating support
Tim Whitt
Rob T.

All participants arrived punctually at the Hameem Road ADNOC station. After fuel filling, refreshment and setting the radio frequency the convoy moved to the deflation point at the gatch road. Last year there was a very narrow tar road from Hameem road to the deflation point. But this time around a 4-5 kilometer four line road has been made. Deviation wall in between was not made but yellow lines were marked. Seems to be an emergency air strip. Suitable road for Wheel alignment testing. The convoy entered the desert from gatch road around 11.30 am after a detailed safety briefing. Initially there were nine registered and five waiting lists. Then made a request on the Marshall / Explores forum for support. Tim and Rob graciously joined to accommodate the wait listed participants. Our initial plan was two convoys. But five intermediate drivers canceled at the last minute and only four intermediates remained. So we decided that we would start with a single convoy first and then divide the convoy if it gets difficult. It went so smoothly that it remained a single convoy until the end. In between we changed the second leads for giving experience in the different terrain. Within the first half an hour itself the first stuck call came. While recovering, the other two cars were stuck even stopped at level sand. Then everybody understood the behavior of sand. In addition to that a brief description of safe parking was given. The first break was at an abandoned water tank spot. Tree shades were available there. It was almost one O' clock. After consultation with trip mates we decided to take the lunch break when we see the next tree shade. The main reason for postponing the lunch break is that only twenty percent of the destination point is covered by then. At around three o'clock a tree shade was found and vehicles were parked there for lunch break. That time we covered almost sixty five percent of the distance. So we took around forty five minutes to get enough rest. Our next and last break was just one hour away from the destination point. Reaching the gatch road towards the destination at 5:50 pm, the convoy reached the destination by 6 pm. Some team members returned home while others proceeded to the camping area for relaxation, BBQ dinner, and camaraderie.

The exploration offered a unique experience through untouched sands and diverse terrains. We have covered seventy three kilometers in the sand. The route was almost straight line. Everybody did well, had good coordination and were very friendly. Overall, the trip exemplified the spirit of adventure and camaraderie among desert enthusiasts, making it a memorable and successful exploration!

Many thanks Tim, Rob and all advance level drivers for joining this trip and support.

See you soon in SAND.

Reji - 0505311285

click the link for more pictures - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2016541 ... 040535465/

[Dirtdiver]

Thanks Reji for organizing this trip. It was a nice afternoon with a great group. There may not have been any huge dunes but the soft sand and technical terrain provided challenges for all.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.

[varriernanda]

Much awaited Hameem trip ended in great spirits. Challenging soft sand, but the entire convoy and the pleasant weather made the exploration quiet interesting. Thanx for the trip Mr. Raji.

[Mr Magoo]

Thanks Regi for the enjoyable drive with a lovely group of drivers. Look forward to seeing you all again on future drives.
Rob