SO, when our off-roading friends are next talking about their trail mishaps, we now FINALLY have a story to share. :-)
First of all, know we were not being reckless. We were on a road that had an official road sign at the entrance. At a certain point, the road ended but the sign saying so had been removed. There is no way we could have known that. Until we got over the hill, there was no change in the appearance of the road to make us question anything. GPS does not work in these areas, but we did have an app that showed a road where we were heading. There were also a few recently used campsites along the way making us think we were still on a good trail.
With young people reading and the danger involved, we don't feel comfortable sharing where we were, and hope you can understand. There are also people poaching in this area right now which adds a whole other factor of danger.
Clint and I have been with each other since 1985 and we have always loved getting away from the hustle and bustle. I never heard the terms off-roading back then, but that's what we were doing as teens together. We'd explore undeveloped areas with trails and just pitiful roads and had great fun doing it! We bonded closely with each other while talking to each other as we rode around. From then to now, no problems at all. Until...
The hill in the picture had a steep descent, and the road was narrow and off-camber. The tire track depressions you can make out in this photo made us think others had come through here. We now think poachers parked at the top of the hill.
We had walked to check the conditions of a previous hill we couldn't see over JUST before this hill. I took a picture of Clint looking at it. We should have walked this one too. Not doing so is what caused us to get stuck on a sheer cliff. If we had known what was ahead, we wouldn't have gone any further. That's where we messed up. We should have scouted to know what we were getting ourselves into before going ahead.
Monday night quarterbacking: A winch might have been helpful in this case if we had used it as an anchor BEFORE we started our turnaround to keep us from sliding. I don't think we would have put the winch on it at that point. Using a winch would not have helped after we became hung up on the stump unless we also used a jack. The ground was so muddy, I don't know if that would have been safe to do. We have a friend whose husband used jacks multiple times daily for a living. He was seriously and permanently injured (actually died and was revived) using a jack in muddy conditions. However, neither a jack nor a winch was what we really needed. You'll see why...
We actually had the plan to buy a winch, but we agreed to wait to do it after we accomplished a certain goal. We have not accomplished that goal yet, but we have a winch now.
No going forward: Emily and Hannah later scouted the rest of the road to learn if there was a way out, a nearby home, resources we could use, if they could get cell reception with any of our phones, etc. They reported the road narrowed more and became more off-camber and ended at a big boulder with nowhere to turn around. They could not get reception on any of our phones. They also found corn that had been spread around indicating poachers. We heard a gunshot very early the next morning fairly close to us. We weren't the only ones out there in the dark. And yes, we were prepared for meeting an unfriendly too.
I considered the upslope fog a positive because it helped us not see how deep the drop was.
The day before we left on this excursion, some of our Appalachian Trail friends warned us they were almost seriously injured and others in their party were injured due to the heavy leaf litter and wet conditions. We knew we'd not do a lot of hiking, but we didn't think about how it could affect driving.
We could not back up the steep hill either. Too slick. There was only one choice for turning around, and it was not optimal. As soon as we pulled forward into the small cliff that had a steep drop-off to the front and passenger side, we felt the truck both sink into the mud/leaf litter and slide towards the passenger's side. Ugh! We were still thinking we'd get out of there though.
As we tried to back up, gravity wanted a part in the fun and caused us to slide sideways into the first of the two small trees. We were so firmly against the first tree that the truck could not make any backward progress. We couldn't pull forward either. With the slope and drop-off, not a single one of us wanted to pull forward either. We were still thinking we could drive ourselves out. Clint even broke off the passenger side mirror with only his bare hands to give less resistance to the tree. Even folded in, it was sticking too far out.
from passenger window
from behind truck
We were about 10-12 foot from the drop-off.
Right around that log was a thin layer of leaves on top of small loose boulders. I learned this when I walked it and poked it with my hiking stick. I am very thankful for those trees that kept us from sliding further.
Situation: stuck, sheer drop off in the front, sheer drop off on the passenger side...suddenly, I wasn't enjoying the view as much. :-)
The license plate was edited out.
So, we cut down the first small tree. As soon as we started trying to move backward, we slid sideways and forward onto the second small tree which you can see against the suburban in the picture above. The area right in front of the truck is sloped with another drop off even though you can't tell it from the picture angle. Clint could not get the suburban to move backward. The angle of the truck made it so you had to brace yourself while inside. I needed a break from that, so I climbed out through the driver's side. Emily and Hannah wanted out too.
Emily and Hannah got bored and started throwing sticks and rocks off the cliff. Waiting for the crash and then for the crashes to stop is what told us how far it was down. Oh my, it was a LONG way down!!! I walked the very slippery road with my trusty ole Whistle Creek hiking stick which I purchased at Wintergreen many years ago. I never could find the bottom of that vast hole. I thanked God for trees and nicknamed the canyon the "Bottomless Gorge."
As I was watching Clint work on cutting down the second tree with the battery-powered chainsaw, I thought about something. I interrupted Clint to share my theory. He checked and sure enough, we were stuck on the stump of the first tree. That's why the truck could not go backward. We felt certain that if we got off of that, we'd be able to get out easily. We were correct in this theory.
He started cutting that stump out. Then, his battery charger was not working efficiently. His batteries for the chainsaw were not getting fully charged. He had less and less time to cut with each battery. That issue kept getting worse until we could not use the chainsaw at all. ARGH!
FYI, we carry a battery chainsaw because they are the only ones allowed to cut up fallen limbs in some of the areas we travel. It's quiet and does not bother anyone else in the area. We own three or four gas-powered chainsaws, but we never foresaw them being so critical. We will keep a gas-powered chainsaw with us going forward. Having that one tool would have had us out of this situation in one hour or less.
At this point, we knew we were stuck overnight. We had a camp shovel/axe combo that worked OK on the tree, but it was impossible to chop at the stump under the truck because the undercarriage was in the way. We needed a working chainsaw.
On gear...the "tarp" Clint is lying on in the picture was the most surprising. I have purchased five more since returning home and plan to buy one for every family member. I will share details about it in an upcoming post.
I sent Emily and Hannah off to gather firewood. I gathered what I needed to start my fire with my magnesium and flint which I keep in my "purse." I had a few lighters too. I firmly believe in the "If you have one, you have none. If you have two, you have one." rule. The experiences God has allowed into my life have taught me to be prepared as I can be. I also knew the magnesium would help get the fire started in the wet conditions.
I reheated food we had prepared the night before. We had marshmallows, so Emily and Hannah enjoyed those. We had enough food and water to last very comfortably 4-5 days.
We had not been able to text anyone at all. We would get service for a few seconds only. We kept a message loaded up and ready to go just in case. We also had three different cell phone providers between our five phones. The service we pay the least for is the one that worked the best!! (Visible) We also tried Clint's HAM radio and morse code with the truck's horn.
Clint thought he had a message go out from Hannah's phone around 6 p.m. but we never heard back from any of our children.
We sat in our camp chairs, put up a rainfly, put up three side walls (2 mylar blankets, 1 two man mylar tube tent) to trap the heat of the fire. We were pretty cozy! We used the bathroom downhill on the path to keep it away from where we were.
We cleaned up with baby wipes I keep in the truck (aka suburban) before bed. We had our toothbrushes and toiletries with us too.
Since it was secured by two trees and a stump, we slept in the truck. We had the blankets that we had taken to use in the motel. However, the sub was tilted forwards and sideways and was so uncomfortable! I gave up after a couple of hours and asked Clint to get out so I could climb out through the driver's side again. For the rest of the night, I sat in a camp chair and prayed and contemplated our situation.
I heard a deer snort loudly-probably disapproval for us being in its path. That's the second time I've been snorted at by a deer in the woods. The first time was a buck angry I was in his path. I also heard and smelled what I BELIEVE was an animal in the Mustelid family off and on for a few hours.
I stayed up all night which paid off for all of us...
Around 3 a.m., I had great cell phone reception on my phone for about half an hour. I texted several messages with GPS coordinates and instructions to all of our children. Caleb woke up at 5 for work and saw the messages and was able to get a message back but it only went to Hannah's phone. That woke Clint up and he replied with our "loaded" message. Clint was able to text him continually until Caleb arrived to help.
I named them the three sisters. This was directly behind where we got stuck as we tried to turn around. We could hear wind coming through the forest, but we were sheltered from it so we stayed warmer than we might have. We've slept on the windy side of a mountain (in late winter) before..during a steady rain. It's not an experience I care to repeat.
Caleb pulling out the gear.
Caleb first called Brandon to let him know. Brandon was in Memphis, TN. Then, Caleb gathered everything he thought we'd need and headed our way. Without revealing our location, I'll say it was a good little drive. Our son gave up a day's worth of work to come to help us. He also took his Excursion where he said he'd never take it...off-roading. We paid him back for everything he purchased and for most, if not all, of his gas.
Although we had sent GPS coordinates, Clint hiked out with a backpack to make sure Caleb could find us. As he waited, he found a heart-shaped rock and set it aside to give to me once we got out. It's now in our bedroom.
Awake all night, I had a lot of time to think and pray about our situation. Before Clint left, I suggested we air down the tires to get better traction. That's a tip we got from an off-road driver a long time ago. It works in sand, snow, and mud. Pay attention to things you can learn from others because you never know when you might need that knowledge. Clint thanked me for the reminder and let some air out.
I also suggested we put logs between the tires and the next tree to keep us from sliding and getting stuck against the next one like the previous two times. Clint thought that would work, so we did that. It had an unexpected benefit. It did help the suburban stay off the tree. But, the logs also helped quickly and sharply pivot the suburban around the tree which kept Clint from having to pull forward and back up again a few times in that very narrow space. (The mountain was against the other side of the road.) It was a little unnerving for me to watch, but it saved him from having to pull forward into that muck again.
But as soon as the suburban got turned around and the logs were free it slid into the big tree that was labeled in the picture. It was from a different direction this time. I was up the hill for this part. I did not enjoy seeing the suburban with my husband inside start sliding again. The sub was pretty firmly against the tree. Moving the sub either backward or forward was going to heavily damage the door.
At this point, Clint looks right at me. After 37 years together, I knew he was asking me how much I cared about the door that was firmly against the tree. I nodded and yelled, "Just get her out of there!" So, he drove/slid it back a bit to get the momentum he needed to get up that slippery slope. Then he charged up that hill! At first, it looked like it would be easy.
Then as she spun wheels at the very top of the hill. Oh how my stomach sank!
For several seconds, I didn't think she was going to make the climb. There was a great effort made by the suburban and the driver. Clint started using a back-and-forth motion with the front tires to find a place to get traction...and the tires finally gripped something! My knight and his white steed crested that hill!!! Freedom!
As soon as the suburban was parked, we started putting gear away and preparing for the trip home. We have an air compressor on board, and we used that to pump up the tires. Then, instead of heading straight home, we finished exploring the area to complete our trip goals. Plucky people persist! THEN we headed home.
We would never take a new vehicle off-roading, so she was never perfect. There are other new dents along the side of the suburban but this is the worst area.
The door will not open from the outside but will from the inside. The window is trapped and can't roll all the way up. The door will cost $62 to replace. The other dents, we think we can pop out. Caleb has the set up to paint it so we just need to buy the paint.
We were stuck in place for about 24 hours. We were comfortable and in good spirits. The slanted sleeping accommodations and Clint having to use a day of vacation are the only real complaints we had. I was the only member of the family who could not get any sleep, but I do well with little sleep for about three to four days.
Practicing and teaching your children self-discipline pays off. No one said anything negative. No one showed a bad attitude. Everyone remained calm and optimistic and kept working together for a solution. Everyone thanked the others for their contributions and praised each other's efforts. It was very rewarding to see the seeds of self-discipline that Clint and I planted bear fruit once again in Emily and Hannah.
It was good to see how being prepared with gear and skills can make a less-than-optimal situation much easier for everyone. It was rewarding to see how creative and "outside of the box" thinking everyone was too.
It was also very touching to see how concerned and determined to help Caleb was and how he was willing to sacrifice a day of work on our behalf. His boss did not mind at all, and he made up the day later that week. God blessed him that weekend with a car he purchased for $200 and had offers for $2k immediately. (He works on and flips cars sometimes.)
Homeward Bound!
After off-roading for more than three decades, we had a mishap...
but we survived with good attitudes and got ourselves out.
Did it ruin our love of off-roading adventuring? Nope! We already have another trip in mind for the spring.
Like I said before, we finally have a story to share when we are talking with our wheeling buddies about issues on a trail.
Before I posted this, some off-roading friends asked what gear we found useful and what gear would we add since this. I PLAN to write that soon, but I am in the middle of a very busy season. Please be patient. My love to all!
