"That was the best trip EVER!" - most commonly heard phrase from the back seat since getting the 80
Bad decisions make great memories...eventually.
- Thread starter MDarius
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Yeah to both
Cruiserdrew
On the way there
So this story will be told around the Christmas table for the next 40 years so you better write down every detail of your side of the story now. It was not your fault. It was your wife's fault. Okay?
So you realize you are not alone making bad decisions:
One spring about 2009 or 2010 I was driving north on Elk Ridge at dark with @beno (I know, what was I thinking?) looking for the turn down into Beef Basin. The road was 80% snow 20% slippery mud. We had friends meeting us in Beef Basin that evening so naturally we wanted to get there before full dark. That turn is normally a breeze to find, but every down hill looked the same-sketchy snow with mud. We turned down a good candidate and immediately had to power over a huge snow bank. Then @beno found a track straight down hill-it turned out to be an ATV or goat track and petered out to nothing. So we turned around, back over the huge snow drift, back up to Elk Ridge. We eventually found our turn, and the first dozen or so sweeping turns, you know the ones with the 1000 foot outside drop, were snow and slush. We were sliding around enough that I just hugged the inside track like glue. Finally after giving up a few thousand feet, the snow was gone and it was just sort of muddy the rest of the way. But for a minute there, I thought we were going to end up rolling sideways all the way down into the basin. ANd I didn't have my kids with me.
I no longer go snow wheeling. It is just too dangerous.
So you realize you are not alone making bad decisions:
One spring about 2009 or 2010 I was driving north on Elk Ridge at dark with @beno (I know, what was I thinking?) looking for the turn down into Beef Basin. The road was 80% snow 20% slippery mud. We had friends meeting us in Beef Basin that evening so naturally we wanted to get there before full dark. That turn is normally a breeze to find, but every down hill looked the same-sketchy snow with mud. We turned down a good candidate and immediately had to power over a huge snow bank. Then @beno found a track straight down hill-it turned out to be an ATV or goat track and petered out to nothing. So we turned around, back over the huge snow drift, back up to Elk Ridge. We eventually found our turn, and the first dozen or so sweeping turns, you know the ones with the 1000 foot outside drop, were snow and slush. We were sliding around enough that I just hugged the inside track like glue. Finally after giving up a few thousand feet, the snow was gone and it was just sort of muddy the rest of the way. But for a minute there, I thought we were going to end up rolling sideways all the way down into the basin. ANd I didn't have my kids with me.
I no longer go snow wheeling. It is just too dangerous.
I go it alone quite often, it's hard to get others to go sometimes and I am a last minute planner. Something like your experience will probably happen to me soon enough.
I have one of the Baofegn radios, a vehicle mounted icom radio (more power) and an antenna adapter to attach my Baofeng to my truck antenna (better antenna) in case the icom fails. Get your Ham Radio, best safety tool short of the first aid kit.
There's nothing wrong with going out without a second vehicle.
As long as you are prepared to stay the night, just in case.
As long as you are prepared to stay the night, just in case.
- Thread starter
- #27
So this story will be told around the Christmas table for the next 40 years so you better write down every detail of your side of the story now. It was not your fault. It was your wife's fault. Okay?
So you realize you are not alone making bad decisions:
One spring about 2009 or 2010 I was driving north on Elk Ridge at dark with @beno (I know, what was I thinking?) looking for the turn down into Beef Basin. The road was 80% snow 20% slippery mud. We had friends meeting us in Beef Basin that evening so naturally we wanted to get there before full dark. That turn is normally a breeze to find, but every down hill looked the same-sketchy snow with mud. We turned down a good candidate and immediately had to power over a huge snow bank. Then @beno found a track straight down hill-it turned out to be an ATV or goat track and petered out to nothing. So we turned around, back over the huge snow drift, back up to Elk Ridge. We eventually found our turn, and the first dozen or so sweeping turns, you know the ones with the 1000 foot outside drop, were snow and slush. We were sliding around enough that I just hugged the inside track like glue. Finally after giving up a few thousand feet, the snow was gone and it was just sort of muddy the rest of the way. But for a minute there, I thought we were going to end up rolling sideways all the way down into the basin. ANd I didn't have my kids with me.
I no longer go snow wheeling. It is just too dangerous.
Yeah, If I had seen those dropoffs in the daylight there is no way I would have headed up that hill in the snow. Coming down was a pucker factor of 10. Glad I'm not alone though!
- Thread starter
- #28
We were prepared for a few nights if we had to. Having to sucks. Calling search and rescue sucks. If I had two vehicles it's likely (with my friends) that the other wouldn't have been as capable and we would have had to turn back sooner. That's not a bad thing. Plus the other guy probably would have had more sense. Maybe that's why nobody will go wheeling with me.....Hmmm....
Its not just about spending the night. There is the risk of walking out if you are unable to self recover or if your rig dies. If you are not set up for a long hike a 30 mi hike can be very dangerous. If you don't have a second vehicle or some long range communication you can end up in big trouble. Just ask any one on SAR and they will tell you who they end up looking for most often.
- Thread starter
- #30
I've done some training with SAR groups and I have the utmost respect for them. Pressing that SOS button was a hard thing to do. I know about the gears that have to turn once that message comes in and the last thing I ever wanted to do was be the reason they have to do what they do.
I ignored some of the safety things I knew because I had confidence in what I thought I knew about the area. It's pretty humbling to be on the receiving end of that. I think we all have a responsibility to NOT be "that guy" that sends them out to do their job. I'm glad we got out on our own, and I'm not afraid to call for it if the danger is real. I don't regret calling them after I got into the situation, I do regret not having a better way to communicate when the situation changed.
When we decided to move from our reported location I placed an arrow in the road that could be seen from the air to indicate the direction we went. When I found the logbook at the ruins/beef basin intersection I left a comment the night we were lost and where we were going, then again in the morning when we passed it on our way out. They never got to the log book and I don't know if they saw the arrow and the remnants of our fire. But communication is very important in a SAR situation.
Going forward I'll always prefer to travel with a buddy, but I think I'll get a HAM in the event I do end up alone.
Its really easy now. I have friends who just studied the test questions and answers on an app and passed, no morose code needed. You can get a radio and antenna setup for under $200.
For the same reason as you... we have upgraded to DeLorme. The transmitter is 5 times as powerful as the spot. More $$$, but how much is your families safety worth?
DeLorme has been flawless and worth every penny.
Glad to hear that you made it out OK. It could have been much worse.
DeLorme has been flawless and worth every penny.
Glad to hear that you made it out OK. It could have been much worse.
- Thread starter
- #33
Just ordered. It will be here next week. Thanks!
Having sleeping bags, food and water for a few days shows already good prep skills. Lost of people don't even have those and pay the price. With those in the truck I would definitely hunker down in place rather than to drive risky bits at night.
Plus you can tell always tell the Missus the only way to be warm is to cuddle...
SPOT, though...
Plus you can tell always tell the Missus the only way to be warm is to cuddle...
SPOT, though...
@MDarius, like others have mentioned, I'm glad you and your family are fine.
I wrote an article in the May/June 2016 Toyota Trails sharing my family's experiences on a similarly challenging "adventure" on Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pan in the Kalahari. In retrospect, it amazes me just how much we faced that day and all that could have gone wrong. Plenty of lessons learned. As I mentioned in my article, I credit our LC for seeing us through - the vehicle more than compensated for my inexperience.
You kept your wits about you - that's important and should be recognized. On the Pans in the Kalahari, I was keenly aware of the burden of leadership - it was up to me to make the best possible decisions under the circumstances. Although you admitted to some less than optimal choices, like starting the journey late, when things really counted you made sound decisions.
Staying calm, situationally aware and attentive to the environment are crucial in precarious situations. Congratulations on getting your family safely through.
I appreciated the earlier comments on getting a HAM license. Definitely something I'll be looking into. Many more options via radio in the more remote corners of the world.
Happy 2017 to you and your family.
I wrote an article in the May/June 2016 Toyota Trails sharing my family's experiences on a similarly challenging "adventure" on Botswana's Makgadikgadi Pan in the Kalahari. In retrospect, it amazes me just how much we faced that day and all that could have gone wrong. Plenty of lessons learned. As I mentioned in my article, I credit our LC for seeing us through - the vehicle more than compensated for my inexperience.
You kept your wits about you - that's important and should be recognized. On the Pans in the Kalahari, I was keenly aware of the burden of leadership - it was up to me to make the best possible decisions under the circumstances. Although you admitted to some less than optimal choices, like starting the journey late, when things really counted you made sound decisions.
Staying calm, situationally aware and attentive to the environment are crucial in precarious situations. Congratulations on getting your family safely through.
I appreciated the earlier comments on getting a HAM license. Definitely something I'll be looking into. Many more options via radio in the more remote corners of the world.
Happy 2017 to you and your family.
Airing down gives you WAY better traction by far, you need to learn this before you go out again and get a compressor.
"First tracks" or any snow wheelin is better aired down...12 to 15psi is a good start, but depending on how much weight you have on board and tire size is a factor you need to experiment with.... going up that snowy rd would be a walk in the park with low air....freeway air would be scary.
- Thread starter
- #37
I kept thinking I should air down but I didn't know what I would do when I got back to the road, or if being aired down for the other obstacles was a good idea. My tires were already deforming on the ledges and boulders with freeway air levels. I was worried about breaking the bead on the trail or shredding a tire trying to get to a service station, so I just maintained freeway psi. I definitely need an education in this.
As mentioned, a set of tire chains should be part of the kit carried along. Might make the difference between descending under control and doing a slip slide bang routine.
I am going to look into the HAM thing myself.
I am going to look into the HAM thing myself.
33's and 8psi gets me thru some deep sierra snow
