As we entered the canyon, Mick remarked that there was more water in the wash than he had ever seen, and that we might not be able to make it. Midway through the channel on the first crossing (see picture on Facebook) he asked Budd if the low 4-wheel drive gear was working, as we were in Budd's government-supplied Tahoe. Between them, they decided that it was probably just a glitch in the way Mick had engaged it, so we continued in high gear. Budd pulled out the instructions and when we reached a high sandbar, Mick again tried to engage low gear, with no success.
At this point, Mick suggested we may want to go back to the ranger station and pick up a different vehicle, so we turned around and headed back. Right about where I had taken the first picture, Mick's foot slipped off the gas pedal--it was a rough ride--and we lost momentum. Seconds later, we were bottomed out on the wrong side of the channel. Mick and Budd took turns digging, and we tried two or three times to rock out of the predicament, but we kept slipping further and further down until there was no choice but to go for help. Mick is a runner, so he decided to go for help while we sat and waited...except of course Budd kept trying to dig. He found a ride as soon as he was on the other side of the wash, and soon came back with a sheepherder jack and a ranger in a powerful vehicle to pull us out.
We were all set to head back in with a different vehicle, but this time it was an open Polaris...a Jeep-like vehicle. I needed more layers for that, so we came back to the house, and while waiting for Mick to arrive in the Polaris decided to check the weather. It turned out that our little problem may have been a blessing in disguise. Up-canyon, the forecast was for 100% chance of rain or snow, which meant the possibility of flash-flood, so we all agreed to take the prudent choice and wait for a drier day. We'll try it again next weekend if Mick is free. Meanwhile, I wonder where I could get a pair of waterproof longjohns?
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