Lessons Learned from Getting Stuck in the Mud

While looking for an area for family weekend getaways, my wife & I wanted to check out a place in the hills above Indianola.  This is a semi-remote, rural area about 45 minutes from home, but we had a little time in the late afternoon before some scheduled visits I had set up, so we figured there was time for a quick trip before it got dark.  The snow had been melting rapidly with the warm weather and many roads had cleared up considerably.  Just a few days previous we had been out and had no significant problems aside from some slippery mud.

Going up the dirt road, things were wet, but well packed.  We came to a point where the snow began and saw someone had parked there side-by-side UTV with snow trax where they had stashed their car for a trip to town (clue #1).  The snow on the road was slushy, but we still had plenty of traction to move forward, so on we went.  We found the turn-off for the next road we needed and discovered that nobody had traveled it recently and the snow was twice as deep (clue #2).  Still, I figured that this was just an effect of being on the shadowy side of the hill and that it would get easier the further we went.  Delia was voicing her concerns about getting stuck (clue #3), but I’m a guy with a 4X4 with new mud tires and not afraid of a little snow as long as I can back up if things get too deep.  Well, the steepness increased and the snow got too deep to move forward, so it was time to admit defeat and go home. 

All we had to do was back down the hill the way we had come until we found a place to turn around. That’s when nature & physics overturned our confidence & plans.  The deep snow conspired with the sideways slant to the road to ever so steadily slide us closer to the soft shoulder where we started sinking into the mud.  Stuffing some branches under the tires got us moving downhill again, but nothing we did got us back up onto the road, only further along and deeper into the muddy ditch.  Finally, we were high-centered, not only on snow, but a small boulder or large rock about 12-15 inches across.

We spent the next hour digging out the snow, packing sticks & car mats under the tires, but one wheel was still too high to get any traction and would just spin, taking all the power away from the other tires.  We jacked up the car enough to get off the rock, but the one front tire was still in too deep to get us out.  Darkness was upon us.  It was time to walk.  There had been at least one home that looked like someone would be home.  Here is where we really felt foolish.  We teach others about emergency preparedness and survival planning, yet here we were wearing cotton jeans, no gloves (each of our jackets almost always have a pair of gloves) or hats, no emergency food or supplies, even though twice in the past 3 days we had been fully prepared for just such an event, but had taken everything out of the Suburban except for some water bottles and the snow shovels.  At least we had the presence of mind to bring some snow boots “just in case.”

Back at the main road, we saw evidence that the snow trax side-by-side had already returned from town, so we missed that potential rescue.  Two miles down, we found the only occupied home.  However, the shirtless guy eating his dinner & watching Star Trek had already helped at least 20 other idiots this winter and was not about to attempt another rescue, nor was he willing to give us a ride back to town where we could seek other help.  Three miles later walking steadily into a brisk wind, we picked up cell service and called a friend to come pick us up, planning to come back the next day with tire chains & another rig to pull the Suburban out of the ditch.  No activities were going on at the local church which was all locked up.  We found a home with lights on, knocked on the door and begged for a warm place to wait for our friend.  We were welcomed in by the lady and her two friendly dogs.  Awhile later, her husband arrived and offered to pull us out with his Ford F-350 PowerStroke.  I figured, if anything has the power, that big truck would do the job, if we could get back up there in the dark.  The light rear end and all-season radials made for a challenge getting back up the mountain, but we did manage and sure enough, were able to yank the Suburban out of the ditch and back onto the road only a little worse for the wear.

Trying to back down the road seemed a bit risky, so we shoveled out a driveway entrance and got the Suburban turned around and headed the right direction.  However, getting that huge F-350 turned around proved to be too much.  We soon found ourselves using the freshly rescued Suburban to pull the truck up out of the snow-filled ditch on the other side of the road, more than once.  With the truck stuck sideways with no traction and the Suburban on the uphill side of the road, we were facing another 5 mile walk back to town.  Fortunately, the Suburban had the power and traction needed to get the truck back onto the road.  Now, we just had to carefully back downhill without sliding into a ditch again, or worse, into a ravine that passed close to the roadway in one spot.  Once down and turned around, we headed back down the mountain and found Delia & our friend, Dave, waiting just beyond the snow in case we did have to make that walk.  No sooner than we got squared away, the storm arrived with a fury, unleashing sleet & snow for another late winter storm that left 4 – 6 inches of wet white stuff at home (and over a foot by that evening), which was probably a foot or more of fresh powder in Indianola.    Almost 7 hours after leaving, we were back in the safety & comfort of our home.

Lessons learned:

·         There is a difference between moving forward until you can progress no further (then having to backtrack) and getting stuck.  Wisdom is knowing when to turn around before you can’t avoid getting stuck.

·         Choose your spouse wisely.  When life’s challenges arise, or you get stuck in remote places, you might as well have your best friend by your side. 

·         Guys: listen to your wives.  They have wisdom and insight that trump your overconfidence.

·         Ladies: even with saying “I told you so”, you’re still stuck in the mud.  Nobody plans on getting stuck.

·         A large rock will hold you fast in a fixed position and keep you from being moved against all efforts to dislodge you.  Just like having your faith anchored on the rock of Christ will keep your faith solid in the face of social opposition.

·         Good friends will come to your rescue. Even if you ultimately don’t utilize their help, you still need them.

·         Some people suffer from compassion fatigue and no longer care about helping others in need.

·         The world is full of people who are unsympathetic to your problems and are unwilling to help you out.  Don’t assume that everyone falls into that category.  Give everyone the benefit of being a Good Samaritan and proving that there are still good people out there.  It simply may be the last house you come to.

·         Don’t begrudge those who are unwilling to help you.  You don’t know what life events led them to their decision.  You may just be interrupting their dinner & movie, or there may be deeper issues you do not see.

·         Good tires may trump a bigger truck.

·         Having confidence in your skills and trusting your gear is good.  That’s how we have courage to tackle hard things and take new adventures.  Just realize that ignoring common sense will lead to trouble in spite of your confidence & skills.

·         If you think you should buy snowchains, buy the snowchains…now, before you get stuck.

·         You cannot solve all of your problems by yourself.  You must seek help from others, even strangers.  Your problems may be designed to bless / teach not only you, but to give others an opportunity to show compassion.

·         Some problems cannot be prayed away.  God does not solve all your problems.  Sometimes you simply have to get down in the mud or walk 5 miles in a storm to find solutions.

·         “You are exactly where you deserve to be in life based on the decisions you have made up to this point in your life.” –Russell M. Nelson (paraphrased)

·         After being rescued, you may have to turn around and rescue the rescuer.

·         Emergencies often don’t arise when you are prepared for them, so try to be prepared at all times to deal with the unexpected.

·         If you have the gear & tools to get out of trouble, take them with you, even (especially?) when you don’t think you’ll need them.

·         Confidence simply means you don’t understand the seriousness of your current predicament.

·         You really do need to clear all obstacles before you can move forward freely.

·         Instead of cursing God for your misfortunes that are natural events of life and your own decisions, look for evidence of His hand holding back the rain & snow until you’ve freed yourself from your problems.  But don’t curse God even if He lets the rain & snow fall on you.  Someone else may be praying for rain.