Stuck in the Swell

Clark Collins

New member
Rita and I were joined by my brother Dan and his wife Mary on a trip to the San Rafael Swell area in Utah. We camped just off Exit 131 of Interstate 70 and were there from May 24-30. There are lots of trails in this area, but Dan and Mary had to leave on the 27th because Dan's daughter Terri Fury Collins got hit by a truck in Brownsville Texas and they were going to go give her a ride home to South Carilina in their motorhome.
The trails in this area are great, but on our last day (Rita and I Jeeping alone) we were on this awesome trail up Can Wash Trail #643 that we had never been on before. It just went on and on up this wash in a beautiful canyon. When we came to where the trail leaves the canyon we thought it was a cut-over trail shown on the map, so we went on. It just kept getting better and better and we were having a ball. There were lots of tracks so we kept going up the canyon. Unfortunately the trail petered out at a soft crossing. I made it across, but could see on the other side that it didn't continue. Instead of turning around on solid footing I tried to back across and missed to line I had taken to get across before. Photos show our dilemma. Got the winch line out and brought it up to tension to winch me to a rocky section. Then, the winch quit. Oh shit!
We dug and dug, but it was like quicksand and the Jeep wouldn't budge. Since the winch didn't work, I cut the winch line loose and wrapped my tow strap around the left rear wheel, running it through the spokes and then fastening the ends together with a carabineer. I had hoped this would act like chains and get us out, but it just dug us in deeper. Now I used the winch line to hook to a large snag behind the Jeep and fastened the other end to the carabiner on the tow strap on the left rear tire. By backing up on the winch line it wrapped around the wheel and pulled us back and out. I had seen that trick in a video somewhere.
Way up a canyon with no cell service, we would have had to spend the night with the Jeep and hike out the next day to get help. We had lots of water and I carry purifying pill just in case. I have no idea how far we would have had to hike, but it was a long way to a main road. I ruined a lot of my recovery gear, but we got out just before dark. We slept in the motorhome and boy did that feel good after a hot shower and a hot meal.


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jesse3638

Hooked
Judging by where you were at I'd have kept going to. Great improvise and I'm glad you got your self out. Sucks the winch gave out on you, especially when you really needed it.
 

jdofmemi

Active Member
What an adventure.

Poor timing for the winch to give out.

Good work with the ingenuity finding a way out.

Are you planning to trade up to a Warn after this?

Looks like a good time was had, and even stuck wheeling is better than working 😎
 

TrailHunter

Hooked
Being badly stuck when you're alone is a shitty feeling.... glad you got out safely... way to use your head. :thumb:
 

jeeeep

Hooked
glad you got out before dark!

what style carabiner did you use? do you have a pic of the setup? sounds like a must have in the emergency kit.
 

Coop

Caught the Bug
Glad you made it and had the wits to get out. My last trip another Jeep had a winch failure and what a dilemma! I can’t imagine being out by yourself! I gotta remember what you did to get out! Bravo!


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 

Clark Collins

New member
Replaced the winch with a Warn VR 10000 S and also got a smittybuilt WASP winch anchor. I have underfloor tool storage in my Jeep that converts to a sleeping platform. I have lots of heavy tools in that storage so have tiedowns strapping it and the stuff on top of it to the floor of the Jeep. In case of an accident I don't want all that heavy stuff flying around in the cabin.


I know wheeling alone is not good, but it's better than staying home and just getting old. We are in our mid 70s and determined to get our moneys worth.
 
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OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
Replaced the winch with a Warn VR 10000 S and also got a smittybuilt WASP winch anchor. I have underfloor tool storage in my Jeep that converts to a sleeping platform. I have lots of heavy tools in that storage so have tiedowns strapping it and the stuff on top of it to the floor of the Jeep. In case of an accident I don't want all that heavy stuff flying around in the cabin.


I know wheeling alone is not good, but it's better than staying home and just getting old. We are in our mid 70s and determined to get our moneys worth.

One Chinese winch with another. What could go wrong.


Sent from my iPhone using WAYALIFE mobile app
 

Brute

Hooked
I know wheeling alone is not good, but it's better than staying home and just getting old. We are in our mid 70s and determined to get our moneys worth.



I'm glad you guys are still getting out there...I know how physically exhaustive it can be dealing with a self recovery...it truly pays to be overly prepared when venturing out alone...I know this from first hand experience...
 
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Ddays

Hooked
I know wheeling alone is not good, but it's better than staying home and just getting old. We are in our mid 70s and determined to get our moneys worth.

Awesome attitude. Wish my parents had lived out their lives that way. Sitting in a recliner watching fuckin Jeopardy aint the way to live in retirement
 

I-Eat-Mud

New member
Sounds like you came out of this with nothing but a good story, glad everything was okay. That is the scenario i keep my hi-lift jack for. When my cheap Chinese winch eventually craps out its an emergency hand winch. But good thinking backing over the winch line. I'm going to have to look that up.
 
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