Thanksgiving in the Swell – Day 3 and one Stuck FJ
We again woke to beautiful sky’s with temperatures in the mid 20s. Bundled up we had a breakfast of HOT tea and oatmeal. The sunrise was as spectacular as any I have seen in Utah with colors from deep reds to bright pinks. We had no morning fire so we would not have to deal with using water to be sure it was out, however we had our breakfast near the fire ring imagining the heat from last night warming our cold bodies.
Once on the road we made a run for the trail head of Crack Canyon for a short day hike. Crack Canyon offers an one of the easier hikes with no rope work needed and a little rock scrambling. We headed down the canyon with our to dogs Triss and Jett leading the way. Soon the walls of the canyon closed in and we were experiencing the thrill of being in a slot canyon. At one section in the canyon the walls are riddled with really cool holes both small and large. Reaching the bottom of the canyon we turned around and returned the to the FJ at the top of the canyon.
Time for some more exploration. I have always wanted to drive the road south along the front of the reef which crosses Muddy River and joins up with Utah Highway 24 so away we went. We passed through the reef on the main access road and headed south past Goblin Valley. Once past the Bell Canyon trail head the road starts following Little Wild Horse Canyon where it exits the Reef. The road is a sweet canyon bottom run winding through the desert terrain.
We exited the canyon climbing onto Little Wild Horse Mesa. The scenery on the mesa was that of a moon scape with colors ranging from green to red and blue. There are sections where the mud stone forms mounds and valleys with not a single plant in sight.
We finally made Muddy Creek at about 2:30 in the after noon and started looking for the current crossing. We found the crossing but I proceeded to get the FJ really stuck in a bunch of quick sand. The right side dropped into a hole and was up to the rock rails and almost over the tires.
A quick stuck assessment determined that our only way out was with the winch. We attempted to use the Pull-Pal but it would not set in the soft sandy soil. After trying to dig a few pits to try to get it set better I left LJ digging another hole and started looking for a better anchor.
Across muddy creek was one 6″ tree that was over well 200 feet from the FJ. This was the only option to the Pull-Pal. I dug out every bit of recovery gear we had, 3 snatch straps, 25 feet of chain, a 50 winch extension and a tree strap. I hooked all the lines and straps together and carrying the chain and tree strap forded the creek on foot pulling the chained together gear towards the tree. I ended up being about 10 feet shy of the tree, a gap which I thankfully was able to close with the chain.
Back in the FJ the extraction was now a piece of cake with the solid anchor. Cleaning the mud off all the gear was another mater but we did our best in the cold creek water. 2 hours and some hard work and we were finally back on the road heading towards a warm shower and a hotel bed in Green River, Utah.
It’s funny, cause those are the scenarios we secretly fantasize about, because it’s fun problem solving and actually using the recovery gear. You and LJ did an awesome job. Makes me want to throw a couple of spools of synthetic winch line. in my recovery box.
Am am considering adding another 50′ section of winch extension. 50′ takes almost no space. Each time we have to do a recovery it boosts our confidence and being out there alone confidence is very important.
Don’t know if you have any other pictures, but it would be cool to see a story just on this recovery. The digging, rigging, and cheering.
Thanks for the stories,
Don
I’m curious about the pull-pal not staying dug in. After reading reviews of the pull-pal being the ultimate and not to consider the ARB or Smittybilt models, I’m wondering as to what produced the failure. I’m interested in buying some kind of ground anchor or alternate self-rescue implement (maxx trax etc) but am unsure what system to invest in.
Nice work and great write-up!
I have found the the Pull-Pal does not work very well in sandy or soft soils. Had I been able to plant to Pull-Pal in a more normal soil I suspect it would have held. I will continue to day it as a recovery option. The wider blade on the other options might have worked better in this case.