Horror Stories and getting in over your head on the Trail.

[Itacal]

I was in Greece. We were in an area that the local guide told us not go to because of the steep inclines and soft terrain. The day was going great until we found ourselves on a narrow trail that turned inland and upward, away from the shoreline we had been driving beside all afternoon. Before we knew it we were a few hundred feet up, wheels spinning and, ever so slowing, sliding backwards down the hill. All I could see in my rear view mirror was a few hundred feet of land before it gave way to a cliff and, ultimately, the sea. Through the dust, I couldn’t even discern the dirt road we came in on. Our negative slide picked up speed, and suddenly our windshield was being peppered by dirt and rock, indicating that our slide was causing an avalanche of sorts. With forward progression and braking not even a possibility, and the fear of being only seconds away from going - or being taken - over the cliff and into the drink, I did what any idiot would do - I cut the wheel. With my right arm I grabbed the wheel and cut it as hard as possible. The rig swung on the loose terrain and, miraculously, we ended up executing a near perfect J-turn. Of course, this only meant that we were now facing our demise head on and at a faster pace. With the edge rapidly getting closer, I put the brake to the floor and somehow had the presence of mind to also engine brake. Slowly, our momentum slowed and we came to a stop. For as long as I live, I will never forget the feeling of that truck stopped, not thirty feet from the edge, a whirlwind of dust blowing by us as we sat catching our breath and watching a landslide of rock going over the edge through the dirty, and now cracked, windshield.
Our nerves shot, we departed the area the way we came and went directly to the rental place where we rented the rig. Upon arrival the gentlemen gave us a quick look and in broken English said, “I told you not to go to that area”. The lesson is this - “there is no knowledge, like local knowledge”.

What part of Greece? I spent two weeks there on my honeymoon in 2007. We spent nine days on the mainland and another five days driving all over the island of Crete. It is such an amazing place ... That being said, their roads and the way the locals drive is insane! I really don't know why they even have traffic laws over there; no one obeys them. Did the people at the rental place tell you to drive on the shoulder so other drivers could use the lane to pass you?

 

[Munga Brown]

Just found this most excellent thread. Some o' these stories made my heart pound faster!

 

[Specter]

What part of Greece? I spent two weeks there on my honeymoon in 2007. We spent nine days on the mainland and another five days driving all over the island of Crete. It is such an amazing place ... That being said, their roads and the way the locals drive is insane! I really don't know why they even have traffic laws over there; no one obeys them. Did the people at the rental place tell you to drive on the shoulder so other drivers could use the lane to pass you?

This happened in Mykonos, the opposite side of the island from the city of Mykonos. If you look on the satellite images of the island, you can clearly see just how desolate parts of the East side of the island are, and the dirts roads I was referring to in my original post.

 

[leeloo]

Had a bit of Adventure in Albania last summer. Back then I had Landcruiser prado 120 ( lexus gx470 in US i think ) . I was with the family ( wife and kid ) . We started doing this 40 km trail in the mountains we found on Wikiloc ( this is a popular app in Europe for sharing all kinds of trails, including off road trails ) Last update of this particular trail was from 2013 - moderate trail . After 10 km it was nothing but moderate, lots of ditches made by torential rains.. etc.. but we pushed trough.
My mindset is I don't look for the most technical or difficult trail, I just want to go to the remote beautiful places. That means in general if it looks to bad, I try to avoid it or turn back. THis si specially if I travel with just 1 car, like most of the times.
It was slow work but nothing really dangerous. so I said ok, maybe this bad part will not be so long.
Wrong.
Progress was very slow and the path was getting very narrow with big drops on a side, no way to turn back.

At some point I had to go arround a huge fallen tree, I belived I had enough room. Big misscalculation on my side, I was with 1 wheel in the air, front left over a 200 m drop .. Got my kid and wife out of the car, got the maxtrax out and tried to back down.. no way.. And even if I would have succeded, I had still at least a couple of km to do in reverse, before being able to turn the car, it was very narrow with big drops everywhere. Very remote, I saw 1 village in 30 km, 1 pick-up all morning .. phone signal was comming and going and very weak in general.
I made a plan and calculated the movement, and I realized I at any point I would have 3 wheels on the ground and 1 axle should have enough traction at any time, so carefully I pushed forward.. got out.
Another 10 km, easier stuff and we arrived at asphalt.. we started very early in the morning, at dawn, it was a bit after 12.00 now.
So my wife and I we said.. ok, we had enoug of scenic roads and off roading, we have lunch and than we head towards the coast to a sea resort, maybe camp on a beach for a couple of days.

I start google maps, normal navigation, 178 km to go... and after 20 km the road ends and the bloody navigation pushes us on to some dirt roads. In albania this can happen.. you have a road listed as national, and asphalt ends from time to time, so we weren't very worried. But it began getting worse and worse.. with nothing in sight, no cars, poeple or villages. .. We did another 60 km .. very difficult, and the biggest issue was that we were not mentaly prepared for it, we were expecting a nice normal road towards the very nice turist areas.. .
I was already seeing the asphalt just a couple of km of fast dirt road ahead and we come across a Ford Focus, with some young Italians in it, asking us to stop. We do. they were also using google maps to get some place, and they were asking how was the rod ahead. I explained them I barely made it in a Landcrusier and they should turn imediatly and find an alternative route. I hope they listened.
This is one of the worse expreinces I ever had, when I was trully scared and nervous. Because of the stress I did not even got to enjoy the beautiful mountains and scenery arround me.. but is all well when it ends well..

 

[472HemiGTX]

We used to do quite a bit of hardcore "wheeling" in the late 80's and early 90's. We had some really good areas to go, steep hill climbs and deep boggy swamp areas. There were quite few local "regulars" that wheeled in the area and going at night was popular. Lot's of stuck rig and broken parts stories, but unfortunately one that was a tragic reminder of what not to do. We had a group of 4 rigs and were headed home about 3:00 in the morning from a good night of wheeling. We decided to hit one last big swampy area before going home. When we got there, there was newer stock Chevrolet pickup buried in the mud and older lifted mid '70's Chevy pickup with 40" + Swampers at the edge of the mud that none of us recognized. The older pickup had no tailgate and a broken back window. There was a guy standing on the road waving us down. We stopped and he told us the guy in the older pickup was hurt and they needed help. One of our group was a Firefighter and an EMT. He went the pickup and opened the door and there was blood everywhere. He yelled at us to grab his first aid bag and he started working on the guy. He then told us to get to a point that we could call an emergency in and get more medical help. Keep in mind that this was before cell phones. 2 of us ran to our trucks, drove up to a high point and called out on the radio . We headed back down to help and not long after a Sheriff Deputy showed up and ended up calling Life Flight in. Apparently they had hooked a chain from the rear of the older pickup to the front OE tow hook on the newer pickup and tried to do a run and jerk. The tow hook had ripped out of frame and since there was no tailgate, the chain and hook went through the back window of the older picking hitting the driver in the back of the head causing severe injuries. Unfortunately he passed a couple days later. Neither one was local and they were not familiar with the area and had gotten buried in a deep nasty mud pit that almost everyone avoided.

This unfortunate situation solidified a number of things for me that I still use as guidelines today:
- always have a good first aid and trauma kit
- always have good coms
- make sure your tow points are solid
- chains are a big no go in a tug and pull situation, for that matter in most any type of pulling recovery
- learn as much as you can about the area that you are going to, especially if you are new to it and going to get off the more traveled trails

Be careful and get outdoors.

 

[Shakes355]

Years ago, one spring, I was going to meet up with 4-5 guys out at a remote hunting camp. This was in central VT. Nothing exotic, mind you. Cabin was easy enough to reach. Spent the morning shooting the bull and messing with some target practice. Pretty innocent. Had a couple pickups of various brands/vintages. No winches. No cell phones (not that there would have been service). Just some good ol boys and their mudders. We we decided to head up an old class 4 logging road up the mountain. So we loaded up the coolers and headed in a caravan of 3 rigs. Perfect day to get stuck. Snow, ice, mud season, frost melt. Pulled each other through the mess and kept climbing. Made it to this pond near the top, had some fun, headed down.

Boring, I know.

It was about 3pm as we were hitting the home stretch off this road. Closer we got to the bottom, the nastier is got. We tore it up pretty good that morning and the melt had continued through the day. Where the road got flat is where it happened.

Now they say that a large percentage of accidents happen within 3 miles from home. People tend to get lax when stuff looks familiar. They don't concentrate.

If you're not familiar with frost melt, the ground can go from crud on top of hardpack to 20 inches of soup in the blink of an eye. And if you're not familiar with VT, there are lots hills and even more valleys. 1st rig to hit this last junction before the end of the class 4 designation sunk in straight up over the axles. He put the metal down and started working his way through. Couple of ft forward. Couple of ft back. Just couldn't get passed this spot.

Sun was behind the mountain now. We were still about a 15-20 minute drive from camp. To make a short story long, we strap pulled him backwards and with no alternative route on such a narrow path the 2nd truck decided to give it a go in the same spot. He got a good running start and hit it. He made it the same distance into the hole and suddenly the front end hops up about about a foot and a half in the air. *Tree*. Well he had some momentum and a little more pride so down went the pedal. Back tires hit the tree but didn't have enough to Crest it.

That tree walked his rear end about 6 feet to the right, along its length, and set him about a foot from the edge of the bank before he stopped. Now, we're yelling at him to cut it. He tries backing up and inches even closer. Now he's on a a decline. He listens, finally, and throws it in park as his RR tire is cresting the edge. Minimal trees to stop anything that goes over and a good 150 feet or so to the bottom. (Not an ideal scenario) He's out of his truck now and were strategizing our next move back at the trucks.

Remember what I mentioned about snow melt? Before our eyes we watch the water start to drain out down the hill right where that tire popped through the bank. I felt like we were in slow motion. More and more mud loosened up and washed away in what seemed like an eternity as the water drained. And we stood there, frozen, while that truck started moving and slid right over the edge of that bank, the road along with it. We maybe had time to toss a strap over the hitch before it went but if we had, I'm not convinced that all of us would be here to remember it. We hiked it back to camp.

Took two days for them to get the truck out. Had to get an excavator and a few dumps of stone before we could get the other two trucks onto the main drag.

Morals of the story:
1) Water is fun, but it comes in many forms. Don't be stupid.
2) Just because you've never seen a mud slide doesn't mean you can't start one.
3) Bad luck is bad luck sometimes. Rigs can be replaced. Family and friends can't. Listen to your spotters and sometimes it's best to let things go.

 

[loper]

Years ago in southern Missouri I made two critical mistakes: I didn't pay attention to the weather, and I got into a low, tight spot in the rain.
Got caught in a flash flood. Scratch one pickup, and my buddy almost drowned. I still don't know how I got him out, I'm a pretty lousy swimmer. Panic I guess.
I get out of low places now if it starts looking like rain.

 

[CR-Venturer]

Years ago in southern Missouri I made two critical mistakes: I didn't pay attention to the weather, and I got into a low, tight spot in the rain.
Got caught in a flash flood. Scratch one pickup, and my buddy almost drowned. I still don't know how I got him out, I'm a pretty lousy swimmer. Panic I guess.
I get out of low places now if it starts looking like rain.

Dang, that's harrowing! Knowing your terrain/climate is important too. We generally don't get rhat sort of flash flooding in my part of the world, but I know it's very common in some places.

 

[Dusther210]

As @Specter has pointed out in an earlier post, this is a very valuable thread. Fortunately I don’t have any horror story to contribute and hopefully it stays that way

 

[CR-Venturer]

We used to do quite a bit of hardcore "wheeling" in the late 80's and early 90's. We had some really good areas to go, steep hill climbs and deep boggy swamp areas. There were quite few local "regulars" that wheeled in the area and going at night was popular. Lot's of stuck rig and broken parts stories, but unfortunately one that was a tragic reminder of what not to do. We had a group of 4 rigs and were headed home about 3:00 in the morning from a good night of wheeling. We decided to hit one last big swampy area before going home. When we got there, there was newer stock Chevrolet pickup buried in the mud and older lifted mid '70's Chevy pickup with 40" + Swampers at the edge of the mud that none of us recognized. The older pickup had no tailgate and a broken back window. There was a guy standing on the road waving us down. We stopped and he told us the guy in the older pickup was hurt and they needed help. One of our group was a Firefighter and an EMT. He went the pickup and opened the door and there was blood everywhere. He yelled at us to grab his first aid bag and he started working on the guy. He then told us to get to a point that we could call an emergency in and get more medical help. Keep in mind that this was before cell phones. 2 of us ran to our trucks, drove up to a high point and called out on the radio . We headed back down to help and not long after a Sheriff Deputy showed up and ended up calling Life Flight in. Apparently they had hooked a chain from the rear of the older pickup to the front OE tow hook on the newer pickup and tried to do a run and jerk. The tow hook had ripped out of frame and since there was no tailgate, the chain and hook went through the back window of the older picking hitting the driver in the back of the head causing severe injuries. Unfortunately he passed a couple days later. Neither one was local and they were not familiar with the area and had gotten buried in a deep nasty mud pit that almost everyone avoided.

This unfortunate situation solidified a number of things for me that I still use as guidelines today:
- always have a good first aid and trauma kit
- always have good coms
- make sure your tow points are solid
- chains are a big no go in a tug and pull situation, for that matter in most any type of pulling recovery
- learn as much as you can about the area that you are going to, especially if you are new to it and going to get off the more traveled trails

Be careful and get outdoors.

Also, never ever EVER recover from a stuck situation using a tow ball. It will quickly become a cannon ball - they are not designed for any sort of shock loading. Gruesome story, but a good object lesson in what never to do. Thanks for sharing.

 

[leeloo]

Listen to locals can bring too a lot of bullshit. Examples?

- In Africa we got warned about the coming neigbour country, how dangerous it is - we should not go there
- In Africa we had the best adventure on tracks, where the locals mean it is not possible
- In south america they mean that a closed andean pass is possible with "your car" - 24h and many km later you see that the road is a vanished for 3m - too with a frontbar and a snorkel - you cant fly.

After many miles in foreign countrys I think locals mostly has misleading informations.

If we think through it is too reasonable that they cant give advice. Most of us drive a well equipped 4x4. We are looking too for challanges. If we are not lucky to find someone with the near same mindset and skills, the ability to see the capability of your rig - the information will be not useful at the end.

tripping

I hear similar stories about Africa as well. Not sure why this happens. I think they grossly under evaluate or over evaluate what 4x4 can do. Not so many people drive 4x4 for fun over there, and the ones who do have 4x4 use it to work, to get things done.
This happened to me in Europe as well. You won't make it "there" in that thing. That thing was a subaru forester, the guys were in patrols. Got "there" before they did, had to overtake them on a wider portion, they were slowing me down.
Even in the First world there is not a like clear scale of trails.. it is difficult to rate them, and there are many vehicle types with different capabilities.