DOH! Trailhead woes...

[una_dogger]

Did you ever leave a trailhead on a sunny day after a long hike so psyched about getting an ice cream cone that you drove into a ditch???

Ummm.....I just did! I kinda got stuck at the AT trailhead parking at NY55.

The cops and a couple hikers couldn't push me out, so I had to call a tow truck.

The tow truck driver was an avid hiker, too, and he didn't charge me!!!

Woo hoo! My car is OK.

And the ice cream was yummay!

So.....does anyone have any trailhead DOH! stories??

 

[Bob Kittredge]

Last October I was at the Mahoosuc Notch trailhead which had been recently regraded with crushed stone. In turning around I backed up incautiously and partially put 'er in the ditch. Oh sh*t! Fortunately, my buggy was able to claw her way out. Good little car!

 

[una_dogger]

Phew, BK!
I was beginning to think I was the only one!!

Tee hee.

 

[zman]

Four weeks ago after 2 nights @ Carter Hut we hiked down 19 mile Brook, wonderful hike out, the weather had finally cleared- our driver opens the car door to put our gear in and then locks the keys in the car!!!!! You are kidding, right???? sheepish smile....no

hiking karma was with us #1: we had cell reception so we were able to call AAA
#2 AAA came and "broke" into the car in about 20 seconds
#3 it was great to lie down in the parking lot and work on the tan in late March

I now demand he give me a spare set of keys
happy trails

 

[pilgrim]

So.....does anyone have any trailhead DOH! stories??

I went on a several-days-long backpack in the Pemi last year. When I returned to my truck at the N. Twin trailhead, I noticed that I had left an interior light on. I was lucky, the battery wasn't dead.

 

[carole]

One expensive day

Snowstorm overnight, winding down, promised another beautiful hike up and around Lonesome Lake. This was one of my favorite ‘break trail in fresh snow’ snowshoe hikes (until the hut stayed open in the winter).

We left early with the snow still falling and nearing Lincoln the roads were pretty good. My husband reaches over to take it out of ‘4 wheel’ (I’m driving) saying we don’t need it anymore. Immediately I have no control. Trying to keep us from spinning we go off the road into a huge snow bank. Fortunately for us we were just past a deadly drop-off in the divided highway. This was my first (and hopefully only) ‘accident’, though it did no damage to the vehicle. We had a shovel but we would never have been able to dig it out of the cement like snow. Police came, tow truck called. $$$

We continued on toward our goal of snowshoeing. Pull into Lafayette Place. Parking is on the right but my husband says ‘go left, park over there, we have 4 wheel drive’. The good wife complies. Drive down the hardened snowmobile track and pull over next to a car (covered in snow) to park. Sink. Can’t move. Husband gets out to push. Several snowmobiles go by but ignore us. Another hiker comes by and helps, and then a couple snowmobilers also stop. Vehicle doesn’t budge.

A tow truck pulls in. Seems the car covered in snow was also stuck (they left it there and got a ride). They had called the tow truck. Sure they’ll pull us out but only after they pull out the car. Over an hour later we are back on solid ground. $$$

We had no more desire to snowshoe so we went to dinner at Turkey Farm. $$$

Edit: A week or so later we headed up to do Jefferson via Jefferson Notch Road. We started up the road but it began to have snow cover. Again my husband says, 'keep going, we have 4 wheel drive'. I turned around and we hiked Ammo instead.

 

[hikeritz]

My hiking buddies & I "ditched" a car but it was before the hike, not after. After a very long drive we finally spotted the trailhead sign and the driver was so psyched he pulled off the road and right into the ditch. In his defense, it was the middle of winter and the ditch was hidden by a deep blanket of snow. The car was a 1959 Chrysler New Yorker and weighed a ton so a tow truck was the only option. We walked to a nearby house, where the woman at the door took one look at us and refused to let us in to use the phone but agreed to place the call on our behalf. When the tow truck arrived we asked how much it would cost and the answer was, "How much you got?"

 

[chas]

About 15 years ago I used to drive an old 1965 Volvo 122 model and had parked it at the East Pond trailhead (on the Kanc side) to do a short winter overnight hike. The parking lot was very icy but fairly flat so I wasn't worried about getting stuck but it got so cold that night that it was too much for my car battery and I wasn't able to start my car to drive home the next day. I figured that if I could push it out onto the Kanc, I could roll downhill and jump start it. It was so icy in the parking lot that I had to wear my crampons to try to push, plus the wheels (and bearings) were so cold that it almost didn't want to roll!
So there I was struggling along when a small group of hikers in a Volkswagen bus pulled in and (luckily) had jumper cables and were able to give me a boost. Man, what a relief!

Chas.

 

[jbreen]

I guess I'm not alone...

"Road not maintained in Winter". That is what the sign said, but I passed it so quickly that all I read was the first two words. Well, as I went up the road in 4wd to the Ice Rocks trailhead (Vermont), I saw a Jeep Cherokee with someone waving at me in distress. I started to slow down and lowered the window to talk to them when I noticed I was sliding backwards. Uncontrolably. I eventually stopped but still had another 40 yards or so to go to hit dirt.

Turns out the Cherokee was stuck, but he had already made it to the end and turned around on snow. The ice heading downhill was what stopped him. He eventually got out by straddling the culvert but lost all interest in going to the Ice Rocks that day.

Another time when parking, I just drove straight past the end of the parking space and burried my front two wheels in a culvert covered in the nicest powder. A snowplow in a nearby lot pulled me out.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Class VI Roads

Class VI Roads are defined by New Hampshire Statute 229:5 VII as “…all other existing public ways, and…include all highways discontinued as open highways and made subject to gates and bars…and all highways which have not been maintained and repaired by the town in suitable condition for travel thereon for 5 successive years or more.”

Pay attention and heed well this definition. If you come upon a road that defines itself with a sign as a Class VI road you would probably do well to avoid it. It may show up as an unimproved road on topo maps but it is more like an unpaved goat path. I almost got hung up on one of these roads with my wife, 2 boys and mother-in-law in the vehicle. Smaller 4 wheel drives might have been able to make it through but mine was too big, too heavy and too long and the mud was too deep. Almost got it mired. Luckily I was able to back out all the way but it was an interesting adventure to say the least. I have since been on some other Class VI roads with some difficulty but some of them are definetly to be avoided. Sometimes towns give you exactly what is advertised.

Keith

 

[Kevin]

Been there...

A few weeks back I was at the RPH Shelter on the AT for a work party...I guess that the ruts I left in the yard there will be equaled out the trail maintaince I have done over the years there... I thought I was going to need a towtruck too... But I did have some stylin mud splats all over the car that I am sure caught the ladies eyes.... LOL ha ha ha

Here is a parking tip, when you park on the high spot of muddy ground, the high spot=less mud equation does not mean squat... You still have to go through the mud.

And as a matter of fact there was ice cream involved... afterwards when I got home... Man I am addicted to Stewart's ice cream... If you want to try something tasty try their birthday cake flavor; vanilla 'scream with yellow cake pieces and buttercreme frosting mixed in... Man you could just stick a candle in it and sing Happy Birthday to yourself...


Kevin

 

[MarkL]

I've locked the keys inside before a hike (they were in my pack at the time, which cut back on my hiking options ), and I've left the dome light on all day (it started right up after ~13 hours), but the worst OOOPS! I've been involved in was...
Quite a few winters ago I drove into the Santanoni parking lot and it looked so uniformly level that I ASSumed it had been plowed. I pulled in and quickly realized the snow wasn't just a dusting over the dirt. After my climbing partner (We just met on the net and this was to be our first hike together) helped me out, he knew not to park where I'd just parked. So he pulled into the other side of the lot and got stuck worse than I did. We finally gave up and hailed a pickup driving by. It was a logger, and he was kind enough to help us. Unfortunately, his 4wd truck went off the road trying to pull the other guys car out. It was a memorable day for all of us. He needed a come-along to scoot his truck back onto the road. Then he continued to work on the other guy's car, and finally got it out. We'd lost so much time that we gave up on the Sananonis that day. He went home (and we've never gotten together since) and I drove to Keene and climbed Big Slide. This winter I climbed Big Slide "from" the Corey's parking area. , but that's another story, and not on topic.

 

[grouseking]

I think it was in Pittsfield...or Chichester NH, I can't remember. The road was called Bear Hill Rd (maybe someone has heard of it who lives nearby). I was working for a company who put up large party tents and we were late for a job. According to the map, Bear Hill Rd was a clear shortcut and probably 7 or 8 miles shorter than any other way. So off we went. The road started out as pavement I think, then turned into dirt. Suddenly the road narrowed and turned into a wonderful Class VI nightmare. Well actually it was a beautiful trail, but we were in a 22 foot truck!! Funny enough, there were strewn engine parts along the way, just as a reminder of what could happen. We bumped our way across the trail for what seemed like hours (by the way, this was my boss making the decision). The road was just wide enough to fit a big truck down it. Somehow, we managed to make it to the other side where it turned into a maintained road again. Other then a few scratches on the truck it was all set. I will never forget our experience on Bear Hill Rd. EVery time I see my old boss I make sure to remind him of the experience.

I know this had nothing to do with hiking, but I just had to mention it, cause it was a serious DOH!


grouseking

 

[Jay H]

Since I always think about ice cream and I got stuck in the snow at the parking lot for the Sewards, I guess it counts!

Jay

 

[una_dogger]

Since I always think about ice cream and I got stuck in the snow at the parking lot for the Sewards, I guess it counts!

Jay

Tee hee...I'll take it!

 

[Mike P.]

Pretty good at the trailheads but plenty of woes in civilization including an all-time classic when in high school

Lock the keys in the car, car running. This was a 1970 typical gear head car complete with Headers, Thrush Mufflers (did not muffle anything, well not real true, there was a big difference the few weeks I ran open headers ) & straight pipes. Luckily the windows had no trim around them so I was able to pull the glass out far enough for a skinny friend to get his arm inside & unlock the doors. Unsure if radio was on but almost 26 years later, the story should include that the Foghat Live 8-track was on full blast out of the Jensen 6x9's.

 

[RoySwkr]

Well, I've left lights on, left keys elsewhere, and got stuck in mud. This includes not only Class VI roads but regularly-maintained roads in mud season, in the middle of the road not the side. One time we got stuck heading up to climb Clough in April, left the car where it was while hiking, and then walked out for help. Another time I managed to get stuck far enough in on a town road that the dump truck sent to pull me out ran out 2 lengths of chain rather than come any closer. And ask the Nesowadnehunk ranger about Baxter roads in May.

After Thanksgiving a couple years ago, I drove up as far as I dared and parked in a pulloff knowing I was stuck. I did a little shovelling and hoped more would melt while I climbed Jefferson. With a little more shovelling I got out on my return.

 

[Dave Lang]

I didn't go into the ditch, but I sure did flatten a garbage barrel. Mine was cookies and cream.

 

[HuiYeng]

This was a trailhead woe, although not ditching my car but forgot my key, not the ignition key, but...

2 years ago after conceded to the weather on a Presidential Traverse, an exhausted group of 10 people 2 dogs descended via Jewell trail to the Ammonoosuc parking lot where 1 of our car was parked.
One member drove 2 of us to pick up our cars where we've parked at 2 different trailheads for emergency descend, mine was on Edmands Path, the other was on 302. Once she dropped me off, I walked to my car and noticed that I had put on the steering wheel club and I didn't have the key to the lock with me. To reduce weight, I only carried my car key and left the rest of the keys at Campton where I stayed the night before. I was lucky that I stopped her in time before she pulled away and left me there. Nonetheless I felt completely guilty and embarrass. How were we going to fit 10 smelly hikers and 2 wet dogs in 2 cars. What was I thinking, who would come all the way to a remote mountain road to steal a Mazda Protege. What a gigantic doofus! I guess it's like a reflex, parked it and clubbed it, just come so naturally.

It was such a long and exhausted day (both mentally and physically) but filled with memories.

 

[Umsaskis]

Years ago when I was a freshman in college, one of my classes was taking a winter camping trip. The plan was to ski in while three people drove in with the gear. My sister and I were elected as drivers, since we had our parents' huge Chevy Suburban and were used to driving in snow and ice in monster vehicles. She drove one of two 12-passenger vans, and I drove the Suburban (none of the three vehicles had 4-wheel drive). Our leader opted for the more direct but less maintained dirt road that went over a huge winding hill for driving the stuff in. The road was covered in snow and ice, and about 2/3 up the hill, the van in front of us could not make it up. Which meant we all had to stop, and since there was no room to turn around, we all had to back down to the bottom (maybe a mile or so). I was quite good at backing up as was my sister, so we started down. The van in front of us got stuck in a ditch, and shortly thereafter, my sister. Since I was the bottom-most vehicle, I suggested pulling my sister's van downhill and out of the ditch by hooking a rope to the Suburban, which we tried. All that availed was to make my Suburban swing into the ditch as it tried to pull. Now we had three very large vehicles stuck in a ditch with 3 people total to try to get them out. Fortunately a couple of local guys happened by and after about an hour and a half of tugging, pushing, and being incredibly ingenious, we got all three vehicles out. We took the other route to camp.

Oh yes - once we got to camp my sister and I donned our skis and headed out to meet the group coming in. Going down a hill, I snapped on of my old wooden skis in half. My sister - she's great - swapped skis with me and very effectively skied on one ski for the rest of that day as well as the next.