Imagine living in the willamette valley - between two literal mountain ranges, and it's impossible to find a hill or pit to shoot in to...

[P7M13]

D.R.C.C. is god-awful spendy.

I'm surprised at comments like this. It's like complaining about the cost of ammo.
Though I've never shot at DRRC, the place looks like it has excellent facilities. You might say Tri County is "god-awful" expensive, as I believe its fees are even more, but every time I go, I am glad I've kept my membership current for so many years.

There are great roads out in Lyons and mehama off 22. I was up there last week and the snow wasn't bad all the way to the clear cuts

Great. I've pulled bags and bags of trash out of Freres managed BLM lands up Little North Fork. Trash that I attribute to sloven, entitled people.

My latest Toyota rescue in my Ford

The owner of that truck doesn't know how to drive. I buried a Tundra up to the axles, which kept us from sinking further into the mud, in an Idaho alfalfa field. 4-Low and 'rock it' got us out.

After watching that it's very obvious to me that it's not as much WHAT vehicle, but how a driver drives his machine.

If you look at the jeep yanking the Ford out at 8:30, the Ford has it's wheels turned to the right, putting him right back into the ditch. Can't fix stupid.

 

[AlaskinAssasin]

This was mud that we couldn't find the bottom in. He was suctioned in. We broke a 12k winch cable before digging.

 

[AlaskinAssasin]

Two ford's to the rescue

 

[bbbass]

After watching that it's very obvious to me that it's not as much WHAT vehicle, but how a driver drives his machine. I've been in some hairy places, for the vehicles I was driving at the time, and never needed assistance to get out of a spot. It's important to be sharp enough to not get in "that" spot. Your butt is connected to that machine through the seat. Some people got numb butts. The guy in the jeep was really connected his machine.

Driving snowy/muddy mountain roads used to be a big part of my job (going up to mountaintop radio sites).... I never got used to it. But my former bozz could just slow walk the trucks forth and back, and make a trail where he needed to go.

Except for the time he put a trailer with an excavator over the side on a snowy road, and leaned up against a tree. That was not a fun recovery by the single plain ol tow truck that responded. They put a snatch block up the opposing hill so they could get two directions of pull, and the bozz made me drive... I sure as hell didn't want to get tipped over... it was not fun.

 

[JohnnyMac]

After watching that it's very obvious to me that it's not as much WHAT vehicle, but how a driver drives his machine.

I agree...When I got my first 4x4, the most important bit of information my father instilled in me was that 4x4 will get you places you really shouldn't ought to be and when you do finally realize you are there, it won't get you out.

 

[jbett98]

Two wheel in and four wheel out.

 

[Koda]

There are maybe 5 members here that I would share my "secret spots" with.

Thats where Im at.The irony is there is no shortage of places if one takes the time to scout for their own spot. I kinda feel like I shouldnt even be saying that, so probably the last time I will publicly anyways. Its the ones that just demand to be told where to go rather than invest in the time to find their own, that are the ones we dont want to tell.

 

[Mikej]

Two wheel in and four wheel out.

...then spin yourself about....
Somebody take it from here.

 

[bbbass]

...then spin yourself about....
Somebody take it from here.

That's what it's all about...

 

[Mikej]

That's what it's all about...

...HEY!

 

[41mag]

I was advised in 1961 by a buddy's dad, upon getting son's new 1945 CJ2 running , to understand the walk OUT would seem a lot farther than the ride IN.....and getting stuck in 4 wheel would be a lot longer walk.

After considerable experimentation, we had to agree Dad was right.

 

[bbbass]

My first radio tower boss:

"4wd allows you to proceed to a much worse place to get stuck!!!"

 

[oremike]

Back in the day I had a '67 Scout with a 152ci 4 cylinder and a granny gear 4 speed. I ran 10 ply 7.50x16 open lug mud tires. My buddys with their big tired, V-8 powered whatevers would take off in a cloud of dust, rocks and mud and go find the biggest, nastyst mud hole to get stuck in. I'd come clunking and banging up, side hill around them back into the mud hole and hook my end of the tow chain up and drop the other end in the mud. They would want me to hook them up but I'd say I'm not stuck so I'm not crawling in the mud.

 

[bbbass]

Back in the day I had a '67 Scout with a 152ci 4 cylinder and a granny gear 4 speed. I ran 10 ply 7.50x16 open lug mud tires. My buddys with their big tired, V-8 powered whatevers would take off in a cloud of dust, rocks and mud and go find the biggest, nastyst mud hole to get stuck in. I'd come clunking and banging up, side hill around them back into the mud hole and hook my end of the tow chain up and drop the other end in the mud. They would want me to hook them up but I'd say I'm not stuck so I'm not crawling in the mud.

Yessiree Mike!

I moved to NEOR in a Ford F250 2wd Camper Special with a 9' camper in/on the bed. That truck was great for hauling wood when the roads were dry, but it didn't do mudholes and it didn't do snow.

Then I bought a 3spd Cherokee with big tires and a 1965 Ford 4wd PU straight six engine with skinny tires and a granny gear. The Cherokee looked a lot like this one, only Blue/black:




The Quadratrac on the Cherokee was great, but that old Ford would sink down to solid ground in the bottom of the mudhole and walk right thru in 1st or granny. In low range it would climb like a CJ2 but with a full load of Tamarack.

 

[Geardo]

I'm not sure one vehicle brand is better than the other, probably depends mostly on the driver, followed by tires, lift, differential type, and gearing.

My Little Taco does alright, but I also carry a come along, tow straps, tree huggers, chains, and a recent addition of 4x xbull recovery boards.

Even with all that I've never been more stuck than a tiny bit of digging with a snow shovel and some parking break+throttle action. Mainly because I don't take stupid risks when I am 30 miles deep in the back country by myself.

I pulled a ford expedition out of the ditch on my last trip up to the snow parks. Nothing to do with the vehicle they just sucked at driving and slid off the road.

I do need to learn snow driving better.

 

[bionic knees]

D.R.C.C. is god-awful spendy.

I'm surprised at comments like this. It's like complaining about the cost of ammo.
Though I've never shot at DRRC, the place looks like it has excellent facilities. You might say Tri County is "god-awful" expensive, as I believe its fees are even more, but every time I go, I am glad I've kept my membership current for so many years.

guess I am just not much of a "range" guy. went to DRCC once with a friend that is a member, nice facilities, but not $300 + per year nice

 

[bbbass]

Even with all that I've never been more stuck than a tiny bit of digging with a snow shovel and some parking break+throttle action. Mainly because I don't take stupid risks when I am 30 miles deep in the back country by myself.

Being in the radio tower biz, we had no choice. I think. For some reason my first bozz would try to drive the old boxy Blazer up to the tower in 5' of fluffy snow rather then break out the old double track Bombardier snowmobubbles. We had chains on all four and a winch and sometimes we still couldn't make it. I'd get out to hook up the winch cable and sink up to my armpits, then have to struggle 30yds to get to a tree. It sucked, but both that bozz and a later one seemed to enjoy it. Sigh.

The worst was hooking the Blaze up to a snowmobile trailer and driving way too far in deep snow on a steep road, and then sliding backwards and over the edge. According to the old bozz, this San Diego boy was supposed to know to put the 4wd lever in low/lock. Sigh.

We used to have to drive up a steep/canted road to get to the radio site at Sheep Mtn, above Enterprise OR. One time the roads were really a mess with a combo of deep slushy snow and mud. The truck would have to be crabbed at times in order to stay on the road, at others I gunned it along/thru. My young trainee got out and barfed, he was so scared. But when we got to the bald knob where the road was completely gone due to being drifted over at an angle in excess of 30deg, and the slope went all the way 2mi down to Lostine River, and I know the bozz had rolled a snowmobile that was only stopped by the lone tree on that slope, I called the bozz and said we weren't gonna. That put the sheriff dept repeater off the air until we could get there.

That was the thing, we had LE repeaters at all our radio sites... we had to try to get there. One time we even rented a helo to take me up on Lookout Mtn near Baker City, because the repeater that enabled the sheriff to talk into Hell's Canyon on the Snake River was down and there was too much snow to get there even by snowmobile. A lot of those sites had roads that were too steep even for snowmobiles... sometimes we walked the last 200yds or so.

Walking out at 2am after the truck quit was fun. But I always had a backpack with survival stuff.

 

[Geardo]

Being in the radio tower biz, we had no choice. I think. For some reason my first bozz would try to drive the old boxy Blazer up to the tower in 5' of fluffy snow rather then break out the old double track Bombardier snowmobubbles. We had chains on all four and a winch and sometimes we still couldn't make it. I'd get out to hook up the winch cable and sink up to my armpits, then have to struggle 30yds to get to a tree. It sucked, but both that bozz and a later one seemed to enjoy it. Sigh.

The worst was hooking the Blaze up to a snowmobile trailer and driving way too far in deep snow on a steep road, and then sliding backwards and over the edge. According to the old bozz, this San Diego boy was supposed to know to put the 4wd lever in low/lock. Sigh.

We used to have to drive up a steep/canted road to get to the radio site at Sheep Mtn, above Enterprise OR. One time the roads were really a mess with a combo of deep slushy snow and mud. The truck would have to be crabbed at times in order to stay on the road, at others I gunned it along/thru. My young trainee got out and barfed, he was so scared. But when we got to the bald knob where the road was completely gone due to being drifted over at an angle in excess of 30deg, and the slope went all the way 2mi down to Lostine River, and I know the bozz had rolled a snowmobile that was only stopped by the lone tree on that slope, I called the bozz and said we weren't gonna. That put the sheriff dept repeater off the air until we could get there.

That was the thing, we had LE repeaters at all our radio sites... we had to try to get there. One time we even rented a helo to take me up on Lookout Mtn near Baker City, because the repeater that enabled the sheriff to talk into Hell's Canyon on the Snake River was down and there was too much snow to get there even by snowmobile. A lot of those sites had roads that were too steep even for snowmobiles... sometimes we walked the last 200yds or so.

Walking out at 2pm after the truck quit was fun. But I always had a backpack with survival stuff.

I want to heart emoji this post as well. It sounds like it would have been a lot more fun and safe in two properly equipped or tracked vehicles.

I'm really shocked stuff was impassible even with a snow mobile. Thought those things went anywhere.

Was hiking into these spots with snowshoes not possible due to the amount of tools required?


Seems like the sheriffs office should have helped fund plowing the roads for you….

 

[bbbass]

It sounds like it would have been a lot more fun and safe in two properly equipped or tracked vehicles.

Snowmobiles get torn up if there is bunch of bare spots on the road. Sometimes you just have to use a wheeled rig. Sometimes we had access to a small 4cyl Thiokol or Bombardier Sno-Cat, I don't remember which, but that was only on special occasions and really slo going. And they bomb out in steep/wet snow. We used to carry 20gal propane tanks up to Mt. Emily to restock the generators.

I'm really shocked stuff was impassible even with a snow mobile. Thought those things went anywhere.

In 1980, snowmobiles weren't what they are today. A 440 was considered to be a really big engine. The tracks had short paddles for riding lakes or packed trails like in the Great Lakes area, nothing steep. The clearance under was about 4". And we towed an equipment sled with about 200lbs of test gear. Even the two-track/singleski old Bombardiers would get stuck in soft snow/powder, were almost impossible to steer, and were often completely defeated by powder. Once those got stuck, you were digging out a 300-400lb vehicle. We rolled one over the side once and it had to stay there til spring.

The Ski-Doo 440s had to be crabbed sideways across that bald knob. Those were the days before powder bars and long/deep tracks. Towing an equip sled... it was hair raising. Easy to get sideways and roll down to the Lostine River.

The face of Mt. Emily was narrow and had 6' moguls that made it a huge challenge. Moguls/drifts on the road to Beaver Mtn outside of Baker City was the same way. One time I had the flu and got altitude asthma, got the snowmobile stuck and the bozz was out front... I didn't see him for an hour while I wheezed and dug myself out; this was 2008 or so and I was nearing 60yrs old; my second tour at Racom... what a jerk my second Racom boss was...

Was hiking into these spots with snowshoes not possible due to the amount of tools required?

'Zactly. Sometimes we would carry hand tools in on snowshoes and see what we could do, but the service monitors of that period were bulky and weighed too much too carry by hand/pack.

Seems like the sheriffs office should have helped fund plowing the roads for you….

LMAO. But one time near Halfway, the local Nordic ski club used their big Thiokol and heavy roller to groom the trail for us. If a group of shooters wanted to badly enough, they could prob gather funds for such or even to buy the needed equip.

 

[JohnnyMac]

'Zactly. Sometimes we would carry hand tools in on snowshoes and see what we could do, but the service monitors of that period were bulky and weighed too much too carry by hand/pack.

Hah! I know all about this.... We used helicopters exclusively to service the CG's VHf highsites throughout Alaska and occasionally, when the weather was less than ideal (which was most of the time) the pilot would suggest that we let him drop us off on the "lower" ridge and we could pack all our chit up to the site. The first few years we used the tried and true IFR1200 which weighs in at right about 40lbs without the pelican case and all the cables and adaptors that go with it.... The last few years we switched to the General Dynamics R8000 (now Freedom R8000) at about 14lbs plus we could leave Anritsu home as well. Still didn't let the pilots drop us off lower down the mt.