Rip Mark Smith

[johnny quest]

I don't know many details, but Mark Smith, arguably the grandfather of the rockcrawling and 4x4 culture has passed. He was the first to drive places many only dream of. He crossed the Dariem Gap in a CJ on 33's, a feat that still stands as one of the hardest and untameable areas to drive. Without Mark, the 4x4 world would be a far different place, if it even existed at all. Rest in Peace, and may your trails be endless.

 

 

his Bio from the Jeep Jamboree page:

 

Mark A. Smith Founder

In 1953 Mark A. Smith and a small group of Rotarians and friends figured out a way to boost the economy of Georgetown, California: stage an annual Jeep® vehicle trek across the Sierra Nevada Mountains by way of the old Rubicon Trail. The first Jeep Jamboree saw 155 people take on the Rubicon Trail. And in 1954, Willys Motors – then manufacturer of Jeep vehicles – became involved with the adventure.

A member of the Off-Road Hall of Fame and the Explorers Club of New York, Mark A. Smith led the 1978-79 Expedicion de las Americas – a 20,000-mile, 120-day odyssey from the bottom of South America to the top of North America, crossing the infamous Darien Gap – and headed the 1987 Camel Trophy in Madagascar. Since founding Jeep Jamboree USA (JJUSA) in 1982, he’s become a Jeep brand consultant and conducts intensive training for U.S. Army Special Forces and other agencies.

 

[ComancheKid45]

God speed  :USAflag:

[jeepdoggydogB]

RIP, I knew his health must not have been great when he sold off a big part of his Jeep Collection recently.