ECKSJAY
Water is dirty
- Location
- Covington, WA
Kids, don't go on snow runs by yourself. If you do, make damn sure you're prepared to stay the night or walk a little ways down.
So Matt (IXNAYXJ) comes by my place of employment yesterday and tells me he's heading up to Tinkham Road/Denny Creek area. "Oh, who are you meeting?" Him, 'Nobody, I've done this lots of times...'
He calls me a little while later, seeking aid in recovery tips. After giving a couple of ideas, he keeps me posted on his lack of apparent progress. 4pm comes and he tells me he's getting turned around a little at a time in the snow. Problem with this stuff is that it's very cold and powdery, with a 4" crust underneath and more powder under that. You're not just turning around on the roadway there. By 5:30pm we've determined that he had just better sit his skinny little butt inside the Jeep, crack a window, and keep the heater on. He's got a can of chili that he opened by smashing the top against his rear bumper. Also has a little bit of water.
I called up a couple of friends and we mobilized at about 7pm, me in the XJ and my friends in their well-equipped CJ7. My friends have been doing this sort of thing for a long time and wanted to get out of the house anyway. We're leaving Maple Valley and as we're going from Hwy 18 to I-90, Matt calls to tell me that he's been dinking around with the Jeep and turned it around. A few minutes later he calls back to say he's on pavement and we can meet up for dinner if we want. Being the sadists that we are, we opted for the 'let's play in the snow anyway' option.
After taking that option, I can't blame the little fella for getting stuck. However, we popped the hatch on my Jeep and I fired up my propane grill. We had hot burgers right then and there. Water? No problem, I brought lots of it. Had enough in my Jeep to stay there a week if I had to. We finished up burgers, put the stuff away, and worked on getting our own Jeeps out of this nasty snow. Took a while and mine had found a hole to sink into, so Matt (even as wiped out as he was) ran down the snow-covered roadway about a half-mile or longer to his own Jeep (which he parked...he was riding with me) and drove back carefully so we could utilize his winch. He tugged me straight back and I had used my spare tire in conjunction with the Hi-Lift to raise my sunken side out of the hole. Pulled back, jack fell over, and I used my spare for traction out. Worked like a champ. Since this nasty snow was so bad, we couldn't turn around. We ended up driving backwards through it until we got to a spot where we could turn around. My neck is still sore and I realize I need some back-up lights.
I got home about 2am and admit I had a LOT of fun up there. We didn't get far but it was a great time hanging out with the guys and taking our time. Nobody had to be anywhere and at one point we freaked Matt out by telling him we were digging in for the night since nobody had to be anywhere. I think the poor guy was starting to see things.
Moral of the story: Wheel with friends and prepare yourself properly for your environment. Oh, and bring mayo and cheese for the burgers.
So Matt (IXNAYXJ) comes by my place of employment yesterday and tells me he's heading up to Tinkham Road/Denny Creek area. "Oh, who are you meeting?" Him, 'Nobody, I've done this lots of times...'
He calls me a little while later, seeking aid in recovery tips. After giving a couple of ideas, he keeps me posted on his lack of apparent progress. 4pm comes and he tells me he's getting turned around a little at a time in the snow. Problem with this stuff is that it's very cold and powdery, with a 4" crust underneath and more powder under that. You're not just turning around on the roadway there. By 5:30pm we've determined that he had just better sit his skinny little butt inside the Jeep, crack a window, and keep the heater on. He's got a can of chili that he opened by smashing the top against his rear bumper. Also has a little bit of water.
I called up a couple of friends and we mobilized at about 7pm, me in the XJ and my friends in their well-equipped CJ7. My friends have been doing this sort of thing for a long time and wanted to get out of the house anyway. We're leaving Maple Valley and as we're going from Hwy 18 to I-90, Matt calls to tell me that he's been dinking around with the Jeep and turned it around. A few minutes later he calls back to say he's on pavement and we can meet up for dinner if we want. Being the sadists that we are, we opted for the 'let's play in the snow anyway' option.
After taking that option, I can't blame the little fella for getting stuck. However, we popped the hatch on my Jeep and I fired up my propane grill. We had hot burgers right then and there. Water? No problem, I brought lots of it. Had enough in my Jeep to stay there a week if I had to. We finished up burgers, put the stuff away, and worked on getting our own Jeeps out of this nasty snow. Took a while and mine had found a hole to sink into, so Matt (even as wiped out as he was) ran down the snow-covered roadway about a half-mile or longer to his own Jeep (which he parked...he was riding with me) and drove back carefully so we could utilize his winch. He tugged me straight back and I had used my spare tire in conjunction with the Hi-Lift to raise my sunken side out of the hole. Pulled back, jack fell over, and I used my spare for traction out. Worked like a champ. Since this nasty snow was so bad, we couldn't turn around. We ended up driving backwards through it until we got to a spot where we could turn around. My neck is still sore and I realize I need some back-up lights.
I got home about 2am and admit I had a LOT of fun up there. We didn't get far but it was a great time hanging out with the guys and taking our time. Nobody had to be anywhere and at one point we freaked Matt out by telling him we were digging in for the night since nobody had to be anywhere. I think the poor guy was starting to see things.
Moral of the story: Wheel with friends and prepare yourself properly for your environment. Oh, and bring mayo and cheese for the burgers.