Winter Camping
I enjoy winter camping. Sometimes it's too cold but out in the boonies is really fun. Sometimes it doesn't work out as I hoped.
This last weekend I was hoping to traverse some Oregon backwoods on forest roads. Basically Burns, OR to Christmas Valley, OR. Weather was cold but clear. China Hat Road, SE of Bend, OR, started out great. First night was great, wide open sage brush. Second day started well but kept the road kept climbing in altitude and there was more and more snow on the ground. I got stuck after going through a dip at the bottom of an incline. I made a couple of attempts at recovery but I wasn't going anywhere. The snow was too deep and icy.
Time to look for assistance. Set out the Starlink and got online. Did a search for "Deschutes county 4x4 club". Bingo! A couple of hits came up so I made a call to the "Deschutes County 4 Wheelers". The person who answered was in Everett, WA for the weekend. I explained my situation. They asked for my location (Gaia GPS) and said they'd send out a couple of text messages. Within 20 minutes I received a text from a member who offered to come to my rescue. He had to load up his modified 4X4 on a trailer but could meet me within 2 hrs. He had an older CJ5 Jeep with big tires and no chains. With a kinetic tow rope and a couple of trys got my truck and trailer back in motion and led me onto wet gravel again.
Ok, I should have turned around way sooner but once stuck in the backwoods, I knew I could count on help from one of the local 4x4 or OHV clubs. They are people just like the members of this forum. Ready and willing to help others!
Steve
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