We finally heard from Michael and the rest of the pack; they were stuck. Apparently, dual lockers and at least 33” tires were the winning ticket; anyone not set up that way was just waiting to sink in the snow. We drove back and picked up the drivers of the stuck vehicles and spread them out in our vehicles, and then we turned back to the summit.
There were only a few issues; we had to saw through a large downed branch, and the Aaron in the YJ broke an axle shaft coming out of the crevasse. Apparently too much ‘stupid pedal’ for 35” tires and a stock axle. After getting that swapped out, we pushed on towards the pass, making great time and admiring the scenery.
Although we didn’t go the distance to the pass, we did get to have a lot of fun playing under the I-90 West overpass; both John and I went down the steep sides and tried to get up the other side, but it just wasn’t in the cards. After winching both of us back onto flat
ground, we all decided it was time to head back home.
The consensus was that this had been the best snow-wheeling trip we’d been on. We also discovered that Sputnik the BBQ, despite its
apparently rugged Russian engineering, was not ‘Trail Rated’. The poor little thing was just a shadow of its former self after a day of getting bounced around on top of my truck. Another important lesson learned is never to leave your whiskey unattended in the mountains; Sasquatch is a lush.
Even after the successful completion of the event, people still look at me funny when I describe it. As they do, I’m busy planning our next trip.
Related – Dunes & Deserts
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