Archive for June, 2009
The Inaugural Mission of The OSK
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009Some might think that our frustration over missing our opportunity at a very nice bear clouded our decision making skills. While some may say that our decision making skills are in a perpetual state of cloudiness. You can be the judge.
It also is important to note that each spring during bear season there is a time honored tradition of being the first to make it up each road as the deep winter snow recedes. This tradition is embraced with considerable passion by some who take pride in being known as the one who has conquered snow ice and steep grade to be the first. His path will be the one followed throughout the season until the winter snows reclaim the trails once again. This early season enthusiasm tends to wane somwhat as the season wears on and snow shoveling muscles become sore, and one becomes weary of having slush in your boots and soaking wet pantlegs from rescuing stranded vehicles from wet melting snowbanks.
A couple of years ago my good friend Jerrad suggested to me that I put together a collection of handy equipment that could aid the spring adventurer in the retrieval of snow encased vehicles. This suggestion came after a series of vigorous snow shoveling flurries that finally allowed us to free our outfit from the snow. “The kit would consist of relatively inexpensive items like a couple of long tow straps, a clevice, a log chain, tire chains, and perhaps a hand winch or two” Jerrad said, as he picked slush out of his boots and turned up the heater to help dry his soaked pantlegs. ”You could call it the OSK.”
“OSK?” I inquired, as I tossed a large chunk of slush out the window.
“Yes, the Oh Shoot Kit” Jerrad explained (this is not an exact quote, but this is a family web site)
Jerrad went on to explain how this kit would be used during those times when we find ourselves hung up in a snowbank with our wheels spinning helplessly on the slush and ice. Even though Jerrad and I both share a love for shoveling heavy wet snow out from under stuck 4×4s, I had to admit that the OSK appealed to me.
So this year when Jerrad showed up, each of the landcruisers was equipped with its own “OSK”. A large rubber tub, containg 2 long tow straps, a long chain, tire chains, a clevice, a hand winch, a bow saw, and of course the essential shovel.
Jerrad and Mike arrived with their two daughters late in the afternoon, and we decided to make use of the remaining daylight and take a drive into the woods to have a look for a bear. We spotted many deer and elk, but no bears. We got nowhere near stuck, however, the trip was marked by an aura of comfort and confidence that if we were to find ourselves stuck, we would be out of the jam in no time, since we have our trusty OSK. Little did we know…..
The next afternoon we found ourselves returnig to the landcruiser after unsuccessfully stalking a very nice bear. With several hours of daylight left we had decided to try to scout some meadows in the bottom of the valley that was in the bears general direction of escape. Even if the bear did not end up in these meadows, there was a decent chance of seeing another bear. The only thing between us and these meadows was a steep mountain road that dropped about 800 feet in elevation over the course of about 1.6 miles. (a grade of about 9%)
As we began our descent and encountered our first snow banks, there was no concern. These were isolated banks that would only cover about 20 to 30 feed of the road, with bare gravel on each side. Using our down hill momentum, we splashed through the 2 foot deep banks with no problem. However, as we rounded the next bend we dropped into an area that the sunlight was not reaching and the road ahead was completely covered with heavy wet snow.
A prudent man would have turned around at this point with the knowledge that another week of spring weather would eliminate the snow. Jerrad and I exchanged quizzical glances as we proceeded, each of us silently going over our options.
In this instance, the presence of the OSK, may have actually contributed to our subsequent questionable decision. Had we been equipped with only a shovel, we would have ceartainly turned around. Knowing that we could extract ourselves from any snowbank, as long as we had a big enough tree to pull from, we proceeded without a word.
Aided by the downward slope, we slowly covered several hundred yards of snow covered road. It was suprising how well we were doing. I think we both were suprised that we had not gotten stuck yet, and then of course, it happened.
Our slow progress suddenly stopped. I was going slow with the idea that we would be less likeley to ride up on the snow and get seriously high centered than if we went fast. Up until now, each time we began to spin, I would stop, back up, and slowly proceed again, making a few feet of progress with each plunge forward. This time, when I tried to back up, nothing happened.
I stepped out of the vehicle to assess the situation, and immediately went about 4 ” over my knee into the wet snow. The adventure had just begun. We were high centered. There was excitement in the air as we pulled the rubber tub out and began to take the new toys out of their wrappers. The tow straps still in their plastic wrap, the comealong still in its box. Within minutes we had picked our our tree and had the tow straps and chain in place with the comealong ready to begin our pull. We had also shoveled a good deal of snow away from the front of the cruiser.
There was rejoicing as the cruiser began to move, and we were able to drive it forward to snow of less depth, and in our exhuberance, we put the OSK back into the box and without a thought forged on….
After repeating this process anther 2 or 3 times, Jerrad and I finally broached the subject of whether or not we should turn back. While the OSK was working well, the excitement and newness of pulling ourselves out was beginning to wear off.
After a somewhat lenghthy discussion, some snacks, and a scouting trip on foot, exploring the next half a mile of snowcovered road, it was decided that we would proceed. We were concerned that if we turned back, we would not be able to get back up the road due to the steep grade, and would likeley slide off of our tracks and really get stuck. I estimated that we had just 3 or 4 more times getting stuck, before the road came out on a sunlit meadow that was completely melted off.
Jerrad and I were getting tired, but Makena, Jerrads daughter kept encouraging us and handing us water bottles and snacks to keep us going….
It was probably after we had been stuck 5 or 6 mor times when Makena’s strategy for encouraging her father and I began to change. She was still encouraging, and distributing water, snacks. But now being of clever mind, and sensing our fatigue, she began to challenge us with comments like, “we are going to be spending the night out here,” or ”we should have turned back”. Showing amazing leadership skills for an 8 year old, she even began to make provision for a night in the woods. While her dad and I toiled to extract the cruiser from the ”perpetual snowbank of doom” as we began to affecionately call it, Makena would gather firewood, and pack empty water bottles with wet snow to begin melting it for later consumption.
This brilliant phsycological ploy, only increased our determination to conquer the perpetual snowbank of doom, and probably was the catlyst that delivered us from a long night in the woods.
Over the course of nearly 3 hours that afternoon, we made our way through the mile and a half of snowcovered road. Our minds and bodies were exhausted, as was our supply of snacks and water, except for several bottles of melting snow. We somehow lost track of the exact number of times we were stuck, but agreed later that it was ceartainly a double digit number. The OSK now smelled of mud, and tree sap after straining against the bark of many pines and firs.
As we broke through the last drift, and hit the long stretch of open, snowless road, there was a sense of relief, and a prophetic sense, that the OSK would not be used for quite some time to come.
Well, several weeks have passed, and the once snowcovered road is now lined with green grass, and wildflowers. I have traveled down the road many times since our adventure, some of them in the deep tracks that we made with tires and shovels on that fateful day. It is very likely however, that I will seldom go down that road without telling the story, or at least making mention of The Inaugural Mission of the OSK.
Thanks Jerrad and Makena, for sharing a memorable day. I appreciate your business, and cherish our friendship.
Darren Dunham, Champion snow shoveler, and owner of Royal Outfitters