jryoung
Well-known member
I'm all for "embracing the suck" on a hellacious pack out, but I'm also not to proud to admit this bull gave us a gift when he tipped over.
Henry Mountain Bison - spoiler alert
- Thread starter Big Fin
- Start date
Just found out from the other non-resident hunter that he had to deal with over 12" of snow the next morning after we left. He busted a tire chain and almost didn't get out. He is out now and hoping to go back for the last week of the hunt.
We bailed late Sunday afternoon, due to the huge downpour on Saturday night/Sunday morning, as some locals camped next to us were able to get a forecast of three more days of rain/snow. They told us how impassible things get when that much precip comes at one time. They were packing and scrambling in such a frantic manner, it caught my attention and we did the same.
It was 24 miles and 4.5 hours of muck and slime, until we finally were stranded down low where the canyon crossing was flooded to the point we couldn't go any further. It was about 8:30 pm.
Sunday night it cooled enough to slow the runoff and the water level went down a little bit. We were three of six rigs that spent the night waiting to cross the wash down below us. Given how fast the water was rising, we stayed up on the bench. We didn't know until daylight, but some guys down below shoveled for most the night to make the washed out banks borderline passible. The other three rigs crossed, then JR, then Ray. I was the last of the six to cross. From our staging point, you couldn't see what you were up against until you came around the last corner and by that time you were headed downhill and fully committed. By the time I went across with the truck fully loaded, the four horse trailer, and a lot of prayers, the bank had mostly washed out again.
I had the chains on and came into the downhill approach at the highest speed I could get in 4-Low and chains. As quick as I left the bank the water was up to the hood. I knew I had misjudged things and it was about to get more sketchy than it looked from the approach. I almost missed the exit mark when the current pushed me downstream a few feet, causing my impact to hit a higher part of the bank. Momentum, chains, and redlined RPMs allowed me to climb out and win the battle with the current that was pulling the horse trailer downstream.
Thankfully, the camera guys had held the llamas and crossed with them separately. When they crossed, the water was above their beltline and the current was pushing the llamas downstream pretty fast. Getting the llamas out on the high washed banks was another challenge that JR and Marcus were faced with.
The crossing cost me my skid plate, which probably saved my entire front end by deflecting me up onto the bank rather than direct impact into the bank. It also cost me some of the plastic up in the wheel wells as the truck bottomed out from impact and the chains giving even less clearance.
In retrospect, it was a stupid idea to do that. Sometimes we do things and because it worked out, we might think it was a good idea. To take a half-ton truck, as heavily loaded as mine was, along with a four horse trailer, across this wash was just stupid. But, I was worried about getting the meat cared for, I had a camera guy (Dan) whose pregnant wife was in the hospital, and you get a bit stir crazy with the idea of being stuck there for another three days or so.
The video link JR posted shows just one of many places where we almost couldn't get one of the trucks/trailers through. Ray's truck paid a serious price. The downhill stuff was the worst. Coming down the mountain he hit a spot where the entire rig jackknifed while gravity and grease took over the navigation. That put huge dent in his cab where the trailer smashed into it and also a huge dent in the side panel of his truck box where trailer tongue wrapped into it. He also lost a window in the trailer, most the leveling jacks, and separated the outer siding from the trailer on the back left corner.
Serious "pucker factor." Watching some of the footage this morning, I think the slog out with fully loaded trailers is why the chase/shot might not have been the pinnacle of the "adventure."
We bailed late Sunday afternoon, due to the huge downpour on Saturday night/Sunday morning, as some locals camped next to us were able to get a forecast of three more days of rain/snow. They told us how impassible things get when that much precip comes at one time. They were packing and scrambling in such a frantic manner, it caught my attention and we did the same.
It was 24 miles and 4.5 hours of muck and slime, until we finally were stranded down low where the canyon crossing was flooded to the point we couldn't go any further. It was about 8:30 pm.
Sunday night it cooled enough to slow the runoff and the water level went down a little bit. We were three of six rigs that spent the night waiting to cross the wash down below us. Given how fast the water was rising, we stayed up on the bench. We didn't know until daylight, but some guys down below shoveled for most the night to make the washed out banks borderline passible. The other three rigs crossed, then JR, then Ray. I was the last of the six to cross. From our staging point, you couldn't see what you were up against until you came around the last corner and by that time you were headed downhill and fully committed. By the time I went across with the truck fully loaded, the four horse trailer, and a lot of prayers, the bank had mostly washed out again.
I had the chains on and came into the downhill approach at the highest speed I could get in 4-Low and chains. As quick as I left the bank the water was up to the hood. I knew I had misjudged things and it was about to get more sketchy than it looked from the approach. I almost missed the exit mark when the current pushed me downstream a few feet, causing my impact to hit a higher part of the bank. Momentum, chains, and redlined RPMs allowed me to climb out and win the battle with the current that was pulling the horse trailer downstream.
Thankfully, the camera guys had held the llamas and crossed with them separately. When they crossed, the water was above their beltline and the current was pushing the llamas downstream pretty fast. Getting the llamas out on the high washed banks was another challenge that JR and Marcus were faced with.
The crossing cost me my skid plate, which probably saved my entire front end by deflecting me up onto the bank rather than direct impact into the bank. It also cost me some of the plastic up in the wheel wells as the truck bottomed out from impact and the chains giving even less clearance.
In retrospect, it was a stupid idea to do that. Sometimes we do things and because it worked out, we might think it was a good idea. To take a half-ton truck, as heavily loaded as mine was, along with a four horse trailer, across this wash was just stupid. But, I was worried about getting the meat cared for, I had a camera guy (Dan) whose pregnant wife was in the hospital, and you get a bit stir crazy with the idea of being stuck there for another three days or so.
The video link JR posted shows just one of many places where we almost couldn't get one of the trucks/trailers through. Ray's truck paid a serious price. The downhill stuff was the worst. Coming down the mountain he hit a spot where the entire rig jackknifed while gravity and grease took over the navigation. That put huge dent in his cab where the trailer smashed into it and also a huge dent in the side panel of his truck box where trailer tongue wrapped into it. He also lost a window in the trailer, most the leveling jacks, and separated the outer siding from the trailer on the back left corner.
Serious "pucker factor." Watching some of the footage this morning, I think the slog out with fully loaded trailers is why the chase/shot might not have been the pinnacle of the "adventure."
OhHeyThereBen
Active member
Excited to get to watch this unfold. Glad you made it through alright!
BrentD
Well-known member
This begins to sound, more and more, like an epic adventure. Stream crossings in trucks are not something I have much stomach for after living a few years in Arizona in particular.
npaden
Well-known member
I'm not a fan of pulling trailers in the mountains on slippery surfaces. You can feel like you have "some" control if it is just your truck but once you hitch up a trailer all bets are off.
Downhills are the worst!
Downhills are the worst!
brendog84cj8
Active member
This adventure brings a whole new meaning to the tire chains and tire recommendations threads! I bet trying to get out of there,you probably wished you had the Cooper STT Pro's instead of the AT3's.. Congrats on the adventure, happy to see everyone made it out.
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Addicting
Well-known member
Big Fin, can you please film the trip to the dealership to get the truck fixed? They wanted you to abuse it now lets see their reaction....
Already took it in. They just smiled and said a new skid plate would be in on Friday, charged to the tab of Nissan North America.
For those of us of a certain age or memory......it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. John Cameron Swayze would be proud.
Irrelevant
Well-known member
And that's how high rollers roll.
Sask hunter
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2016
- Messages
- 3,338
That thing is massive!! Can’t wait to see the day by day
EODRay
Active member
I’m taking mine in today at 1:00 pm today to get an estimate for the repairs. I think I blew out my airbags on the Dukes of Hazzard jump. My exhaust is separated before my muffler as well. Guess that’s why you could hear the turbo spooling up so loud. Maybe I’ll tell them to charge it to Chevrolet North America and see how that goes?!?!
Tell them to put it on Randy Newberg's tab and see how that goes.
Nobody can say that Ray doesn't use his truck like a truck is supposed to be used. No pretty boy stuff with you. Those memories of that jump will last with me until I die.
duckhunt
Well-known member
Im almost more excited to see the drive out than I am the actual hunt.
jeremy.b
Well-known member
Same here!
Randy, make sure the boys spend some time putting the drive out into the videos! We want to see the entire mess in all of its mud-slinging, trailer jumping glory!
Jape
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2017
- Messages
- 1,738
Fantastic! Those "pucker" moments are no joke. Can't wait to see the film!
