Christmas Tree Cutting Patrol Day 1, Saturday, November 30th

[LCPilot]

This event will be done a little bit different since the Forest Service has had a budget cut on many activities this year. At the time of this post I do not have a grasp of how much involvement the Forest Service will have. I could range from none to a couple of them independently driving through the area. As such we will organize our club to provide coverage to the tree cutting area depending upon numbers of members who participate.

Meet at the Divide Philips 66 at 7:45 am. Leave at 8:15 and go to the Rule Ridge parking lot at 8:30. That is where we air down and get a briefing on the latest conditions, areas to patrol, maps etc.

Remember to bring a GMRS radio (we use channel 5-0), recovery gear, winter clothes, tire chains, coffee and lunch.

We do a debrief at 3:00 pm back at Rule Ridge, air up and go home.

Please reply to this thread if you plan on going on this day.

Here is the link for Tree permits. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/psicc/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1215755
Attached is a PDF of the Tree cutting area and the FS roads that we patrol.

Man hours worked: 50

 

[Goslow]

I plan on going on this day.

 

[LCPilot]

I'll be there. Looking forward to a good time as always.

 

[Maldavid]

I’ll be there!!
Malcolm

 

[COS80]

I'm coming tomorrow.

 

[COS80]

This was the best Christmas tree run yet, from my point of view! Two agents did show up after all, so all was as typical. We had four rigs - LCPilot, Maldavid, Goslow, and me. We split into two group - Maldavid and LCPilot, and Goslow and me. My group made two rescues - a Tesla, which just needed Goslow's famous blue traction boards to get back on the road and then drove out, and a full size pickup, which slid off the side of an uphill. I made my first-ever rope pull to get him back on the trail. Other than it being a first, this was amusing because his friend was telling Vic that I had no chance of pulling this truck uphill with such a "little" vehicle; meanwhile, I pulled him up the hill without ever even feeling the load, or in fact even feeling the rope pull tight.

After lunch, we switched up, and I rode with LCPilot. We made one more rescue - a Subaru - which was just stuck in some deep snow at the side of the trail. He was weirdly insistent on being winched, so I obliged and winched him out, easy-peasy. Goslow's goal for the day was to pull out a Subaru, and he's so upset about losing the opportunity (wrong place, wrong time) that he actually told on me!

It was the best tree run yet because of all the action. This was actually the first tree run I've been on that actually required a rescue.

 

[TK470]

This was the best Christmas tree run yet, from my point of view! Two agents did show up after all, so all was as typical. We had four rigs - LCPilot, Maldavid, Goslow, and me. We split into two group - Maldavid and LCPilot, and Goslow and me. My group made two rescues - a Tesla, which just needed Goslow's famous blue traction boards to get back on the road and then drove out, and a full size pickup, which slid off the side of an uphill. I made my first-ever rope pull to get him back on the trail. Other than it being a first, this was amusing because his friend was telling Vic that I had no chance of pulling this truck uphill with such a "little" vehicle; meanwhile, I pulled him up the hill without ever even feeling the load, or in fact even feeling the rope pull tight.

After lunch, we switched up, and I rode with LCPilot. We made one more rescue - a Subaru - which was just stuck in some deep snow at the side of the trail. He was weirdly insistent on being winched, so I obliged and winched him out, easy-peasy. Goslow's goal for the day was to pull out a Subaru, and he's so upset about losing the opportunity (wrong place, wrong time) that he actually told on me!

It was the best tree run yet because of all the action. This was actually the first tree run I've been on that actually required a rescue.

Great write up and what an action packed day! So cool you got to help so many people out.

 

[COS80]

Great write up and what an action packed day! So cool you got to help so many people out.

Tomorrow should be a carbon copy of today, weather-wise... I think you're in for a real treat for your first tree run!

 

[TK470]

Tomorrow should be a carbon copy of today, weather-wise... I think you're in for a real treat for your first tree run!

I’m stoked and hopefully prepared! I have ok recovery gear (ropes and shackles) and didn’t get a chance to fully stock up. I did get some traction boards that I’ll hopefully get to use.

 

[Goslow]

Let’s clarify some facts . I ratted out COS80 to his wife because he poached my Subaru extraction and I thought his wife should know what kind of a person she’s married to.
Back on road 357, MalDavid and I came upon a Silverado that was floundering well off the road in deep snow. We strapped him out to get him back on the road. And it was a nice test for my new bumper’s hard points Because he was well embedded in deep snow.

 

[COS80]

Absolutely no "clarification" has taken place here.

 

[LCPilot]

My partner for the morning was Maldavid and it started with passing out stickers to kids, We did pass out a map to some Army guys getting a tree for their barracks room. The FS ranger had us go to the intersection of 363 and 364 to help a stuck Jeep. It was a Cherokee that tried to go through the water crossing and died in the middle of Phantom Creek. They had gotten some water mist into the engine and fowled the plugs and the Cherokee would not run to help back out. They had to climb a 18 inch wasll of ice that was underwater. When we got there a Jeep Wrangler was hooked up to do a single line pull off the trailer hitch of the Cherokee. They were receptive of advice to move to the aftermarket bumper. The Wrangler was then starting to bend his winch plate, so we setup a double line pull that just got him to skid along the snow. We hooked up a Cherokee to the rear of the Wrangler and pulled both of them toward the stuck Cherokee. I hooked my winch to the stuck Cherokee using a winch ring running the winch cable to Maldavid's front bumper. Amazing that we didn't rip the bumper off the Cherokee. It did come out of the water and after a couple of minutes cleared the water off of the plugs. We met up with the others for lunch. After the stuck Cherokee and his buddies left we found out that they left a shovel behind. I now have a not Gold but Platinum shovel in my possession.

 

[Goslow]

That’s a great extraction! And I stand humbled. My shovel is merely gold, not platinum.

 

[COS80]

I forgot I was supposed to mention what a pleasure it was to follow LCPilot without choking on the stench of burnt oil.