I have been wheeling over 15 years and never have I left a rig behind. Before I get ahead of myself let me start at the beginning.
It started out as a sunny day, I had my coffee and breakfast and was off to meet Ken at the brewery. We were going to do a snow run up off Highway 4 on Black Springs road. I figured this would be an easy road with some snow. Little did I know that it would turn out to be a snow ridden Donner Party trip.
After getting to the trail head we aired down the tires and were off. This was my first snow trip in The Moose. After climbing over the small snow bank we were off. The first part of the trail was pretty non eventful. After the first mile the snow was getting deeper. Then The Moose started to bog down and burry itself.
Stuck 1:
I buried my rig but Ken pulled out the strap and with a yank I was out. We ventured about another ¼ mile and it was Kens turn to be strapped. With a yank he was out. This happened one or two more times, but we ventured on.
The big Stuck:
We were in 2.5 miles on Black Springs road; the weather was brisk but sunny and very nice. A deceiving feeling of security was over us. Then it happened; The Moose decided it was time to dig itself into a hole. The snow buried up to the frame and over the doors. Ken took out the handy dandy strap again but this time The Moose had other plan. He did not want to move. With a few more tugs Kens cruiser was stuck in the snow.
We were both buried, and stuck good. There was nobody to tug and now way to move our rigs. After digging and trying tire chains sticks wood rocks under Kens tire we were still stuck. Time was not our friend at this point it was 3:00 and I was not sure how long it would take to get somebody into our spot to pull us out.
The Plan:
I decide before it gets dark I could hike out and maybe call my wife to bring in The Grasshopper to pull us out. Meanwhile Ken his wife and daughter wait at the rigs and attempt to dig themselves out. I hike out about ¼ mile and actually get a choppy signal and call my wife. I explain that we are stuck and I need her to bring in the backup team in the Jeep (The Grasshopper) for a winching to get us out. I would continue to hike out and meet her at the trail head.
I hike the rest of the way out. The road was fairly flat, and being a big guy I enjoyed that fact. It was a nice hike actually; I got to see a few deer, a coon and some other critters. It was actually very pleasant, but looming in my mind was my poor stuck moose. About a tenth of a mile from the road I hear a rig coming behind me. It was Ken his wife and daughter. They had dug themselves out. We continued to the trail head to see if my wife was waiting.
An End of a Long Day:
After we made it to the trail head, Ken explained to me it was very gushy snow and that he thought we should get out in the morning to get to The Moose. My wife drives up in the Grasshopper and does not look happy.
Ken suggests we wait until morning to get it, but me being the stubborn person I am wanted to try to extract The Moose that night. So we decide to venture in alone in the grasshopper.
The Grasshopper is light, locked and winched, I was confidant that we would get The Moose out. I knew it was getting dark, and we only had about an hour of sunlight left. So it was going to have to be a fast extraction. We made it in without any problem. Around the bend was my poor little Moose stuck in the snow. Buried, it was buried alive….
Winching was fruitless; all it did was drag the Grasshopper. My son Brad dug like a mole. We were able to free The Moose. I tried to drive backward but kept getting sucked off the road. I tried to go forward but couldn’t. After about an hour of trying to get her off the road in the dark, I decide to give it one more try and go forward a bit and then make a run at the little hill.
What a dumb thing to do, in my forward progress I get buried again. We sink deep. It’s now about 7:30 and dark. I decide to call it a night and leave The Moose in the snow.
One Long Night:
The drive home was a long cold drive, not much was said and my thoughts were decision of leaving The Moose. When I get home I make some calls to my local guys with fixed up rigs. Now I was getting worried because nobody answered their phones. Then Ken calls and offers to come back out and help me extract The Moose.
My dreams that night were of The Moose being in the snow for months. He was buried up over the doors. Needless to say it was a long night.
The Extraction:
This was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. We wheel in and get to The Moose. It was stuck; my son Brad again starts his digging. We manage to get it free. I try to drive out but it just sticks. With one tug The Moose pops right out. Within minutes we were free. The Moose drove out without any problems. And we were on the road in no time.
Epilog:
My thoughts on this trip are the following.
I love to see team work especially when its families. Kens family worked as a team. Ken and his wife dug out their rig as I hiked for help while his daughter waited patiently in the car. My family went in on Saturday night and tried we dug, pulled and worked as a team. My wife came to my rescue, my oldest dug and dug with me trying to free The Moose. To me the lesson learned from this trip is with team work anything can be accomplished.
