I am an idiot...

[LKelly]

Well, I decided to see how much snow was out in the woods this afternoon...and managed to get my truck stuck miles away from the nearest plowed road. I called someone to come in and get me, and they used a snowmobile since the snow is too heavy to drive through with most trucks out there. Not sure when I'll get back out there to get the Power Wagon - hopefully it's not out in the woods 'till spring, but it might be a few days or a few weeks before I'm able to get it back out.

Anyway, I've included a few pics - though they're not very good, as it was about dark when I took them. I don't know if the depth of snow would've been an issue if it'd been more like powder, but it was in the 40s today and the snow is starting to pack down and get wet. Plus, we're supposed to get another 6 inches of snow tomorrow...so the truck might be out there a while.

I think I'm going to have to break down and admit that a guy with all sorts of health problems (on oxygen, has diabetes, and so on) probably shouldn't go out 'wheeling by himself in the middle of nowhere. I think I'm probably just going to put a bounty on my truck - that I'll pay whoever gets it out like $300 or $500 or something like that. If I keep increasing the amount of money eventually someone will go back there and get it.

I was a bit surprised by how much snow was where I got stuck - I actually had a hard time opening the door, as it was pushing 8" of snow or more just to open up. The snow was well over knee-deep on that side of the truck...probably a drift from earlier in the winter.

[04Ram2500Hemi]

I ended up with a $300 tow bill one winter for doing about the same thing (minus the oxygen and diabetes). Of course, I had the pleasure of a three mile walk first to get into cell phone range.

[Ducky's Dad]

I was a bit surprised by how much snow was where I got stuck

Famous last words.

[TwinStick]

At least YOU are ok.

Save up for a set of these & end your winter worries !!! LOL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1pVq0H-D1M

[RustyPW]

Think we should put this up for a vote on being an idiot? I tried the samething the other day when I was leaving work. LOL Wanted to see how much snow was in the field at work, and to give my lockers a workout.

[LKelly]

I'm pretty glad I had cell phone service - otherwise I'd have been in a bit of trouble, since in knee-deep snow the maximum distance I can walk is about 20 feet. A few years back I made a decision to get a couple of those pre-paid phones on different providers, and then get phones that could be attached to an external magnetic antenna that I can put on the roof of the truck - and between them I get coverage in maybe 99% of the areas I 'wheel. Without the antennas and different phones I probably had less than 50% coverage, as our cell phone service up here in the northwoods isn't very good. I do need to look into some sort of satellite-based service, just in case the phones don't work.

I also had my .357 revolver on me, so I suppose I could have just shot a bunch of times to see if anyone heard me.

I guess what the weather does tomorrow will determine how long my truck sits out there, because the forecasts vary between 1 inch and 12 inches of heavy, wet snow...and if we get a lot of snow my truck won't be going anywhere for a while. I'm not really worried about leaving my truck out there, as I've got another vehicle...just as long as it doesn't get vandalized. Well, actually my truck already looks like it's been vandalized.

I suppose that's one advantage to being in the middle of nowhere...it isn't like a lot of people will be driving by and see my truck out there. Other than one snowmobile track, there weren't any tracks out there from this entire winter.

[Hilldweller]

Where are you?
Are you a member of ExPo? http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/index.php
Lots of great members on that forum with lots of great equipment. I'm thinking that a friend of mine that has 7 Unimogs and is a member of the Steel Soldiers group might know somebody in your area with Mog or a Deuce that would make short work of a recovery on your truck....

[dogcar3]

Rear winch! Even have a tree right behind you. Or even a good size come-along. Glad to hear you made it back. I hate that drop of the gut feeling when you realize you did something you probably shouldn't have lol.

[flattire]

If you were in southern Cal some of us could come out and help you. But then you wouldn't of got stuck anyway.

What state are you stuck in?

[coder]

Hello LKelly,

If you don't get stuck every now and then your really not four wheeling, front and rear lockers simply allow you to get further away from the highway before getting stuck. Your not an idiot your simply using your truck to it's fullest (and beyond) potential.

[jeep_boy02]

To potential. .. and BEYOND!!!

[attachment=-1]uploadfromtaptalk1392928780683.jpg[/attachment]

sorry, it hit me and I couldn't resist

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Tapatalk

[MSCH2112]

since you don't have a rear winch, just bring out a hi-lift jack and, tow rope, and D-clips. hook it all up to the tree and rear truck and go.

mike

[LKelly]

I'm glad to report that my truck has been rescued from its predicament - a couple of my friends went out there today and managed to dig it out of the snow.

After checking the maps, we realized that the shortest way in to my truck was actually cross-country from another road - so they snowshoed in through the woods, which I think makes this the first time my truck had to be rescued by folks on snowshoes. Once they got my truck out they managed to drive it back out following my tracks, though they did comment that my truck doesn't steer very good with the lockers engaged. I probably should have told them to unlock the front end, because otherwise it won't even follow it's own tracks most of the time. They also told me that they didn't think that they damaged anything, but that they also didn't think they'd be able to tell if they had.

I miss the days when I could get my own vehicles unstuck, but at this point I'm pretty useless for that sort of thing...when I first went on oxygen I thought it would make things somewhat normal, but apparently when you have less than 20% lung function you still get winded pretty easily. D'oh! Two years ago I got worked up for the lung transplant program, but there were problems in that the doctors thought I was "too much of an independent thinker" to fit into the program. I think that probably meant that they figured out that I didn't like people telling me what to do.

I should probably make an effort to keep in touch with the local 'wheeling community up here - IIRC, there are a few of the ExPo folks who are up here in the upper peninsula of Michigan. It seems like a lot of the folks I used to go off-road with either got out of the hobby, or switched to ATVs and snowmobiles. Maybe I just need to find someone with a large helicopter!

[flattire]

Glad you and the truck are back home.

[w2dodge]

what happened to the rear light assembly ?

[TwinStick]

After checking the maps, we realized that the shortest way in to my truck was actually cross-country from another road - so they snowshoed in through the woods, which I think makes this the first time my truck had to be rescued by folks on snowshoes.

Now THATS something to be proud of right there !!! It may even raise the resale value of your truck !!!

[LKelly]

what happened to the rear light assembly ?

It fell out a month or two ago, and I just haven't replaced it yet...though I probably should, as eventually I'll wind up with a ticket. I just get annoyed at having to replace the dang things all the time...I thought about putting one of those slow-moving vehicle orange triangles on the back, but apparently that isn't legal either.

I usually buy another set every so often, but I can't remember where I bought them from last time...I got a pretty good deal (about $30 with the bulbs and everything) so I want to go back to the same place for this set. I'm sure I have the site bookmarked on my computer, but it appears that I've bookmarked most of the actual internet at one point or other...so going through my bookmarks isn't a very fast process. I actually need to buy new mirrors while I'm at it - as mine are just too messed up to work anymore, they're held together with tape and they don't lock into place. Occasionally the actual glass just falls out of the mirror onto the ground...does anyone else have that issue? I'm getting pretty good at popping the glass back into place, so I thought about just buying that...but the rest of the mirror is so messed up that I really need to replace the whole thing.

Actually, I might have enough spare parts to put a new taillight together...I've got a couple of piles of parts that fell off the PW sitting around in my shed. The problem is that the mounting tabs usually break off, so even if I have lights that look decent I don't have a good way to attach them to the truck. Maybe I'll use duct tape next time.

[FirerescuePW]

You, my friend, are entertaining. And somewhat inspirational!

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[Will]

Use clear silicone to install the light, temporarily tape it until it sets. If you ever have to get back in there to change a bulb you will be able to pull off.

[ramit99]

I have a factory passengers side taillight. If your interested.

[bstefanic]

Have ya tried any of the local trail groomers? For a case of beer I'm sure those guys would gladly divert their snowcat for half an hour.

[LKelly]

Have ya tried any of the local trail groomers? For a case of beer I'm sure those guys would gladly divert their snowcat for half an hour.

Yeah, I thought about that...there's a trail only about 2 miles from where my truck was, though I have no idea what their normal grooming schedule is. I'd have to make a few calls, as I'm not really sure who is even in the snowmobile scene in this area...last time I went out on a snowmobile it was a 1970's-era Skidoo. I eventually stopped snowmobiling for the same reason I stopped riding dirt bikes - I have no self-control and am an adrenaline junky, and kept driving faster and faster until I'd crash into something. If snowmobiles back then were as fast as they are now I probably would've killed myself! As it was I'd constantly bend the skis, or would barrel-roll the machine across a field...eventually I found that it was faster just not to even put the body back on it, because it was less work to fix. My snowmobile always looked like my truck - parts bent, parts held on with duct tape, and usually no more than half a windshield.

Another option for getting unstuck in this area is loggers, as you're rarely more than 4 or 5 miles from an active operation...and a skidsteer could pull my truck out pretty easily. I have friends and relatives who log for a living, though I couldn't say where any of them were working at any given time. Usually in the winter they stick to the wet/swampy areas, because they can only log them when the ground is frozen.

I should probably just buy something big enough to rescue the Power Wagon - like an old military 6x6 - but I'd probably just get that stuck and then need to find something even bigger.

[TwinStick]

Nope, just get some Mattracks.

https://www.google.com/search?q=mattrac ... 100%3B1400

[Thatdodgeguy]

Hey we've all done stupid things, I just about make a habit of it. Glad your ok. I got a bit of a hobble myself some days & on the days I try to ignore it I can get myself in quite a mess. Glad your ok. Thanks for the pics. At least somebody somewhere has seen some snow. In my particular part of TN we have only seen a good solid dusting & that only lasted until lunch one day.

Hope you get your truck out soon.

[MSCH2112]

if you think your an idiot then i'm a super idiot with the number of times i've been stuck and walked out.

take this as a good lesson to learn from. working on search and rescue we come across alot of people with poor health who aren't prepared for any type of emergency. some times they come out in a body bag. please be prepared my friend.

mike