s*** happens. Most of us have been involved in incidents where better preparedness would have made extraction easier and/or safer. You can always have been better prepared to get out of a given "situation". I've been seriously on my side in my own truck and several others over the years. In none of those incidents was there any panic just good thoughtful assessment of the situation and safe recovery. Yes, avoiding getting stuck in the first place is the best option but then again, s*** happens.
Earlier this year I rode with Crusha and Pacer on a cold very wet day at Anthracite. We tried some new trails and Pacer got his 80 stuck in a s***hole where you'd never have expected it. We were woefully unprepared regarding recovery gear. Had a winch but no controller. Short on shackles and straps but had enough to make the recovery. Not having the right equipment made the recovery more difficult and i believe all involved figured we wouldn't want to be in that situation again. I'm betting Greg had pretty much everything he needed this past Saturday.
Sounds to me like you guys did indeed have what you needed Saturday, at least it turned out well, everybody got unstuck, and there's good stories and pictures to share about it! Frankly you can't ask for more than that.
On our trip to Colorado this year we communicated with each other as a small group to see what each truck was going to carry as far as recovery gear was concerned. I didn't have a winch on my 81 but Crusha and Jeff did. All of us carried straps, shackles, tree straps, and a snatch block. We had first aid kits and fire extinguishers as well as spare fuel cans and onboard air. I thought we were very well prepared and thankfully hardly needed any of that stuff.
My 40, while used for everyday purposes is built primarily as a wheeling machine. yeah i know I'm a passenger with someone else more often than I'm wheeling the 40 but when I do wheel it I'd like to think I'm well prepared. My winch works fine and the controller is stored safely in the console. There are several straps, a snatch block, various size shackles in the back. I carry a lot of spare parts, fluids, and a good selection of tools, and also a complete change of clothes including dry sneakers. Truck has an air tank onboard as well as a functional fire extinguisher.
I don't carry a bow-saw but maybe I should- check out the pictures of a substantial tree that blocked our trail at GSMTR this year! None of the trucks would fit under it and we were a few hours into the trail and turning back wasn't a popular alternative. With two saws in hand some of the guys hacked away at the tree, made two cuts through it till it broke and then it got dragged to the side of the trail using one of the trucks' winch. Worked out well but without the saws we would have had to turn back.
Bottom line is you can never be overprepared. A short talk among the group before you head out on the trail may be helpful but then again may not be the best time to find out that nobody has a tree saver or a snatch block. Not sure how best to avoid those situations in our club as a group other than suggesting that anybody who comes wheeling would have the barest minimum of recovery gear. A separate discussion of "barest minimum recovery gear" might best be started. Glad that Greg and Blair got out of their predicaments safe and sound this past weekend, that's the bottom line.
And sorry for the double images I can't seem to get then off. That's Matt Reed on the side of my old piggy many years ago at Rausch Creek, the 40 is my friend Eric from Massachusetts at this year's Fall gathering in new Hampshire as is the photo of Chris Stearns buggy taking a short rest...............
Earlier this year I rode with Crusha and Pacer on a cold very wet day at Anthracite. We tried some new trails and Pacer got his 80 stuck in a s***hole where you'd never have expected it. We were woefully unprepared regarding recovery gear. Had a winch but no controller. Short on shackles and straps but had enough to make the recovery. Not having the right equipment made the recovery more difficult and i believe all involved figured we wouldn't want to be in that situation again. I'm betting Greg had pretty much everything he needed this past Saturday.
Sounds to me like you guys did indeed have what you needed Saturday, at least it turned out well, everybody got unstuck, and there's good stories and pictures to share about it! Frankly you can't ask for more than that.
On our trip to Colorado this year we communicated with each other as a small group to see what each truck was going to carry as far as recovery gear was concerned. I didn't have a winch on my 81 but Crusha and Jeff did. All of us carried straps, shackles, tree straps, and a snatch block. We had first aid kits and fire extinguishers as well as spare fuel cans and onboard air. I thought we were very well prepared and thankfully hardly needed any of that stuff.
My 40, while used for everyday purposes is built primarily as a wheeling machine. yeah i know I'm a passenger with someone else more often than I'm wheeling the 40 but when I do wheel it I'd like to think I'm well prepared. My winch works fine and the controller is stored safely in the console. There are several straps, a snatch block, various size shackles in the back. I carry a lot of spare parts, fluids, and a good selection of tools, and also a complete change of clothes including dry sneakers. Truck has an air tank onboard as well as a functional fire extinguisher.
I don't carry a bow-saw but maybe I should- check out the pictures of a substantial tree that blocked our trail at GSMTR this year! None of the trucks would fit under it and we were a few hours into the trail and turning back wasn't a popular alternative. With two saws in hand some of the guys hacked away at the tree, made two cuts through it till it broke and then it got dragged to the side of the trail using one of the trucks' winch. Worked out well but without the saws we would have had to turn back.
Bottom line is you can never be overprepared. A short talk among the group before you head out on the trail may be helpful but then again may not be the best time to find out that nobody has a tree saver or a snatch block. Not sure how best to avoid those situations in our club as a group other than suggesting that anybody who comes wheeling would have the barest minimum of recovery gear. A separate discussion of "barest minimum recovery gear" might best be started. Glad that Greg and Blair got out of their predicaments safe and sound this past weekend, that's the bottom line.
And sorry for the double images I can't seem to get then off. That's Matt Reed on the side of my old piggy many years ago at Rausch Creek, the 40 is my friend Eric from Massachusetts at this year's Fall gathering in new Hampshire as is the photo of Chris Stearns buggy taking a short rest...............
