Approaching a HillWhen you approach a hill, you need to decide if it isone of those hills that is just too steep to climb, descend,or cross. Steepness can be hard to judge. On a verysmall hill, for example, there may be a smooth, constantincline with only a small change in elevation whereyou can easily see all the way to the top. On a large hill,the incline may get steeper as you near the top, butyou may not see this because the crest of the hillis hidden by bushes, grass, or shrubs.Here are some other things to consider as youapproach a hill.• Is there a constant incline, or does the hill getsharply steeper in places?• Is there good traction on the hillside, or will thesurface cause tire slipping?• Is there a straight path up or down the hill so youwill not have to make turning maneuvers?• Are there obstructions on the hill that can block yourpath, such as boulders, trees, logs, or ruts?• What is beyond the hill? Is there a cliff, anembankment, a drop-off, a fence? Get out andwalk the hill if you do not know. It is the smart wayto find out.• Is the hill simply too rough? Steep hills often haveruts, gullies, troughs, and exposed rocks becausethey are more susceptible to the effects of erosion.Driving UphillOnce you decide you can safely drive up the hill,you need to take some special steps.• Use a low gear and get a firm grip on thesteering wheel.• Get a smooth start up the hill and try to maintainyour speed. Do not use more power than youneed, because you do not want your wheels tostart spinning or sliding.• Try to drive straight up the hill if at all possible.If the path twists and turns, you might want tofind another route.{CAUTION:Turning or driving across steep hills can bedangerous. You could lose traction, slidesideways, and possibly roll over. You could beseriously injured or killed. When driving uphills, always try to go straight up.4-22
