Off Topic - STRANDED!!!
 

Corey's recent "What A Scare" post about his truck's battery blowing got me to thinking about the several times I got stranded (actually stranded myself) a few miles down a logging road in the piney woods.

The first time was fifteen years ago. I was crossing a gravel bottomed creek in my little Ford Ranger two-wheel drive pick-up.

I'd crossed this creek a number of times before and never had a problem. It had a gradual slope down to the water, about six feet across and less than a foot deep, and a gradual slope up the other side.

But as it turned out, some jack-leg had his fun in that creek with a big four wheel drive and had both wallowed out the bottom and displaced the gravel. With the gravel gone, the current had cut a foot wide channel down through the sandy soil, and about another foot deep. My front wheels dropped into that channel and I was locked up tight.

It was a five mile walk in the rain back to where I could get help to retrieve my truck. I know - I should have checked that creek before crossing. But I got complacent and stupid. And as I've said, I'd crossed it many times before and "knew" the bottom was solid and the water was shallow.

The other two times were both my fault and just as stupid (also in terrible rainy weather).

How about you? Got a story for us?

I just had one last week. I was coming out of where I was camped and deer hunting. I had all of my lion hounds with me (5), and decided to let them run out to the main road since they had been on chains for two days in there. I was not more than 100 yards from camp, putting along, when I was suddenly sitting at about a 30 degree angle in a ditch. I noticed the ditch coming in, and stayed high enough that it was no worry. The ditch was filled of sage brush and very difficult to see. Add that to the fact that I was tired, and trying to pay attention to the dogs, and it was not good.

My right rear tire was completely off the ground, and my right front was barely touching. I tried for 1 1/2 hours or so and could not get un stuck. I decided it was time to walk the 5 miles out to the ranch and get help. I had made it about 1 mile or so, and looked back and saw a truck coming down the mountain on a different road. Luckily, I was able to get up to where he was camped, and he was able to pull me out no problems.

That was not the first time I have ever been stuck, and it certainly will not be my last, but it was the most recent. I could go on for days just on stories of being stuck, and showing pictures of it all as well.

No deer for me this muzzle loader season, so now the deer hunting is done, and I will be heading to California in a couple weeks to chase bears with the hounds.

Later,

Marcial

When I was a younger man, I often times did not use common sense to the best of my ability. I was hanging out with a crazy man, one evening. He is one of my best friends actually. He'd been drinking, but was not too bad. And he wanted to show me where he was working back in the woods. I was sober as I do not drink alcohol.

Well he talked me into going for a ride off road up to his site, in his 4 wheel drive truck. I figured we'd be ok, as long as we stayed on the logging roads. We were back in the woods, when he turned off on a skid trail. Now believe me, a skid trail is fine for a skidder, or other logging equipment, but not the best place for a truck.

We drove further in, even though I protested his decision to do so. We came to a place that was washed out pretty bad from logging equipment and he decided he could get through it with his truck. I told him not to try. Next thing you knew, we were buried up past the axles and there was no getting out.

Well it was cold that night, and I do mean cold. Being that I had no plans to go into the woods, I was not dressed for cold weather as I should have been. Being stuck, we had to walk out of course, in the dark. We walked for a long ways before reaching the highway. I was shivering uncontrollably by this point. Probably on the verge of hypothermia. But we finally made it to a little country bar of all places.

I drank some nice hot coffee, and he arranged for a friend to come and get us. I demanded a ride to my truck and no where else. Or there was a good chance of violence. I was a little upset actually about the entire incident because it could have been avoided.


There were other times too, but I will not go into them.

Was out one night with a buddy in his 69 bronco that had a big lift kit. The temp was cold in the single digits. We came across this big mud hole that was iced over, but wouldnt hold the weight of the bronco. Then he said those famous last words, WATCH THIS, he bottomed that sucker out bigger than crap. It was a 3 mile walk to a phone, no cell phones then. Got someone to pick us up, went to my house and took my truck back and pulled him out.

Back a couple of years ago, on the Guff Coast, after Hurricane George the Casino I worked at was closed for repairs for a couple of weeks. Being hunting season It was a chance for me to spend a lot of time in the woods. I was driving to a spot I have not hunted in a while. About 300 yards off the black top the road was wallowed out with some deep ruts with standing water, so I figured I would just drive my 2 wheel drive Chevy around the ruts and continue on my way. My brand new "Mud" tires got me bout 20 yards and then the truck sunk in the mud up to the axles. After 30 minutes of trying to drive out of it I headed back to the main road to try to flag some body down to either help pull me out or drive me to a place where my Bag phone ( Yep that was back in the day when the big honking bag phones where The portable phone.) c ould get a signal. I was almost to the black top when I looked back and thought I saw some smoke. I kept walking and stopped and looked back again, I thought , That looks really close to my truck....Then I realized IT WAS MY TRUCK.
The catalytic converter had set the grass under the truck on fire. By the time I got back to the truck the smoke was rolling out from under the hood. I was able to get my hunting gear out of the back of the truck. Some one driving on the main road called the Volunteer Fire Department and put out the fire . Truck was a total loss.I did learn that when a plastic bed liner gets really hot it will melt and roll up into a big plastic ball.

I once drank 30 beers at the bar, driveing home I seen 2 roads I took the wrong one got my car stuck on railroad tracks( frame to rails) tried to rock the car off in drive but I though I was probly too drunk to catch up if it got off the tracks so I took all my fishing stuff out and walked home.....called the cops the next day I think they were happy I spoke english...50 bucks for the tow lol