Obey posted signs, turn off the GPS and turn on your brain when in the mountains or high desert and you will live longer.
A few years ago there was a guy from SF who tried to take an unplowed gravel road from I-5 to the coast in Oregon. He got stuck in the snow after he drove around a sign that said roads not plowed beyond this point. He died and damn near got his wife and kid killed too.
He did everything wrong getting there and after he got there but the morons in the bay area treated him like a hero too.
He defined stupid to a T and damn near got his wife and kid killed as well.
We live high in the mountains off of a forest service road several miles from the pavement and plowed roads in the winter. It has been freezing every night for weeks and we have had 4 snow storms in the last month.
I have a grader a front end loader and a High wheel D6 that I use to keep the roads open when we want to or have to get out of here. We drive 4X4 vehicles with snow tires and have chains for all wheels.
Our home can be off the grid at the flip of a switch and everything still works as it did when we had commercial power. We heat with two large wood stoves and use the propane central heating system as a backup. We are safe and comfortable because we are knowledgeable and prepared for the snow and cold in the winters here.
That said, I would no more go wandering around Chicago, Oakland, or south central LA without some local knowledge with me and an armored vehicle. I have no business in any of these places alone with my family being stupid/ignorant of the local threats and risks. I damn well would not drive around a sign that says don't go here.
I'm glad this lady and her family lived but she was stupid to put herself and her family in that situation to begin with.
She is not a hero, she is a very lucky stupid moron.
I think you nailed it.
I think a nice forest rock or stick to break a window would be a better choice than an elbow too.
People get lost in the high desert in my area every year. The ones who get into the worst situations are the ones who leave their stuck or out of fuel vehicle, or the ones who get turned around/lost on a hike and then just keep going even though they don’t know where they’re heading. None of the people have a clue about how to survive. Almost without exception, if they stay put, just stay with their vehicle, or quit going deeper into trouble, search and rescue finds them fairly quickly, alive.
Good post ‘35. You are well set up to. The Mountains, (especially in winter), can jump up and bite so fast that it can catch the uninformed/unwary/not paying attention or flat out idiots quickly. At least the darn Bears aren’t around right now up here to bother me!
“I’m glad this lady and her family lived but she was stupid to put herself and her family in that situation to begin with. She is not a hero, she is a very lucky stupid moron.”
BINGO!
Interesting posting.
Welcome to Free Republic!
Very interesting. Aristotle (382-322 BC) wrote how an ethical person prepares for happiness and needs virtue to become proper. We need to be ethical and spend 95% of our lives preparing for the rare 5% moments of happiness. It takes tons of virtue to live off the grid in the snow. Bravo.
My father packed his five little kids in the car for a quick trip to the Grand Canyon for a mule ride. He was virtuous and packed chains and flares which we needed. The ranger at the Grand Canyon said the mules were closed due to snow. That was the first and last time I heard my father say, “Damn.” Then we went to Denny’s, got hot chocolate, and drove quietly back to Los Angeles.
+1. Sounds like you are well prepared. We don’t have the dozer but a tractor with a loader and very capable 4x4 equipment. We could easily go for a month with out any outside assistance.