Jeep stuck on MTB trail in CA

[slambers3]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/36651/theres-a-jeep-wrangler-dangling-off-a-cliff-in-california-after-some-fool-drove-up-a-bike-trail?fbclid=IwAR2Y7hXdjtcQ-TNK7HuCYQ4xu2Axlp_Y4AH7KxtpQ7dsmhbey0_b2pgHvtI

Just saw this in my social media feed- anyone here with local knowledge of that trail?

[NHAero]

That is wild!

[Mr. Pink]

One...good...push.

[eippo1]

Looks to be a really easy way to get it down. Everyone get on one side and push. :p

[Blue Jays]

That unlucky driver needs a $ub$tantial helicopter to get up there pronto.
Otherwise a big windstorm is going to push it over, as was alluded in article.
Maybe we are seeing the most complex insurance claim scam ever! LOL.

[David Kirk]

One of my favorite MTB rides here has a few shared sections that Jeep guys like to use....most use the dirt double track and then exit off when the trail turns to true single track. One guy apparently didn't get the memo and he stayed on the bike trail that works it's way into a very steep side hill. I came across his off roader on the side hill being supported by a small tree. It looked like he tried to climb the side hill slightly to get above the tree and he got stuck against it.

I dismounted and walked around it and all was fine.

A few weeks later I rode that trail again and as I neared that section I wondered what I'd find. When I got to the spot the vehicle was gone and something looked different. I then saw the stump of the small tree that had been cut off. Lastly I noticed that the balled-up red lump that was the Jeep was WAY down the slope. It looked like someone cut the tree either trying to free the thing or to watch it barrel roll down the hill. In the end the thing rolled down and was totaled. Brush as grown around it over the years but it's still there and will be forever.

Explaining that one to the insurance company was probably fun.

dave

[NHAero]

I'm envisioning the guy cutting the tree, somewhat like the cartoons where the guy is sitting on the away side of the branch as he cuts it off with his hand saw.
The pisser about this situation are the fluids that eventually exit the vehicle and enter the ground water.

One of my favorite MTB rides here has a few shared sections that Jeep guys like to use....most use the dirt double track and then exit off when the trail turns to true single track. One guy apparently didn't get the memo and he stayed on the bike trail that works it's way into a very steep side hill. I came across his off roader on the side hill being supported by a small tree. It looked like he tried to climb the side hill slightly to get above the tree and he got stuck against it.

I dismounted and walked around it and all was fine.

A few weeks later I rode that trail again and as I neared that section I wondered what I'd find. When I got to the spot the vehicle was gone and something looked different. I then saw the stump of the small tree that had been cut off. Lastly I noticed that the balled-up red lump that was the Jeep was WAY down the slope. It looked like someone cut the tree either trying to free the thing or to watch it barrel roll down the hill. In the end the thing rolled down and was totaled. Brush as grown around it over the years but it's still there and will be forever.

Explaining that one to the insurance company was probably fun.

dave

[Spaghetti Legs]

BITD, I used to "ghost ride" my MTB down really steep sections. Roll it down the embankment, scramble down behind it on my butt, pick it up at the bottom and ride on.

Maybe oughtta try it with the jeep.

[Jaybee]

Someone did that on one of my normal loops in Golden last year too (https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/someone-tried-to-drive-a-jeep-up-south-table-mountain-and-now-its-stuck-there/73-92e174b7-7678-44ca-a64f-f7781978b5b2). Jeep was pretty tagged up by the time they got it down. Also the tiny rock the driver got stuck on is pretty funny.

[mcallen]

I bet many of us have a story about seeing a Jeep stuck in out-of-the-way places in our neck of the woods.

My local version for Indiana cornfields: we have a lot of gravel roads that follow river valleys (with creeks on one side and farmland on the other). These often flood in winter and spring. Last year, on a very sloppy gravel ride, we came across a Jeep that had tried to bypass the flooded road through the muddy farm field but got stuck. Not dangerous like on a mountain, but that must have been a PITA to extricate.

[mtechnica]

That’s close to me, maybe I should go find it

[robt57]

The most likely scenario will be some bikers rolling it down and out of the way.

I'll be looking for that video...

[merlinmurph]

Lynn Woods, north of Boston, sometime in the 90's

I rode there a lot because my GF at the time lived nearby. One day on a ride, there was a brand new Jeep, apparently stolen from a nearby dealer on rte 1, stuck in the mud on one of the trails. This would have been a tough place to get to, but when you're drunk and don't own the vehicle, what do you care? I have no idea what eventually happened to it.

[benb]

Everybody has different interests but I've always gotten a kick out some of these offroad guys.

A Jeep has a point.. it gets you down a superbly easy offroad trails fine, stuff that's basically unpaved road.

But when guys spend 10s of thousands of dollars to try and get them to go down a trail that MTB or a set of boots is a much better choice for it's all kind of bizarre.

I had a roommate who was big into this, I'd hang out with the crew from time to time and everyone had a really hard time getting it when they told me about their multi-day trip and thousands of dollars of mods to make it work... and the trail was something a hiker could get down in a few hours and a bicyclist could get down in less than an hour.

It's weirder here in the northeast cause everything is covered in trees and a jeep's not fitting down anything unless someone is going ahead of it clearcutting the trees. I get it out in the west there's way more open terrain a Jeep can get through without a construction project ahead of it.

[charliedid]

Man that is sketch. Nothing to winch off of and no way I'd park my truck up top and try to pull it straight. Helicopter ride...

[benb]

Man that is sketch. Nothing to winch off of and no way I'd park my truck up top and try to pull it straight. Helicopter ride...

LOL... I asked my wife as she's contracted out helicopter lifts before. The jobs she's done involved heavier lifts than the Jeep but nowhere near as long of a flight as getting the jeep out of there, and not as dangerous of an LZ for the crew. Her jobs were in the $300-400k range. Ironically that was cheaper than doing it with a crane since the helicopter is in and out super fast with no need to pay for shutting down the surrounding roads.

I went to one.. it was a heck of an experience to watch.

[m_sasso]

Man that is sketch. Nothing to winch off of and no way I'd park my truck up top and try to pull it straight. Helicopter ride...

Large earth anchor!

[charliedid]

LOL... I asked my wife as she's contracted out helicopter lifts before. The jobs she's done involved heavier lifts than the Jeep but nowhere near as long of a flight as getting the jeep out of there, and not as dangerous of an LZ for the crew. Her jobs were in the $300-400k range. Ironically that was cheaper than doing it with a crane since the helicopter is in and out super fast with no need to pay for shutting down the surrounding roads.

I went to one.. it was a heck of an experience to watch.

I hope the driver is rich or the Jeep was stolen. :-)

Large earth anchor!

What is that? Sounds expensive.

Very large...

https://www.hulkearthanchors.com/images/hulk-earth-anchor-install-sequence-in-ground.jpg

[gdw]

The rangers told us that it would cost at least $50,000 for a helicopter to remove this camper if it had fallen over edge of the road. The owner was fortunate that a wrecker was able to remove it for around $3-3,500. https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=2060144&highlight=White+rim#post2060144

[charliedid]

Maybe install two of these on either end.

[ElvisMerckx]

Maybe install two of these on either end.

She has a twin? The mind races.

/jk

[Steve in SLO]

Maybe install two of these on either end.

That has to be the world's coolest rappel anchor.

[bigbill]

When I bike commuted on Oahu, the Pearl Harbor bike path had frequent vehicles. I've got a photo on my portable HD that shows a car following me. Two events stand out, first was the white Toyota 4X4 pickup that was totally stuck in the mud. Over a period of a few days, I watched it get stripped to the frame. The second was a lowered Honda Civic that hit the raised concrete where the center pole would normally be. You could see a trail of fluid about 50 feet to the abandoned vehicle. It only lasted a day before it was stripped clean. Recycling is popular in Hawaii.

[lucieli]

Maybe a helical anchor can be installed by hand in a remote location like that? I'm really curious how this is going to end. Looking at the map that is linked in the story, it looks like he/she drove a long way on sketchy trails before getting stuck

[Spaghetti Legs]

I bet many of us have a story about seeing a Jeep stuck in out-of-the-way places in local the proverbial woods.

When I was a kid and anyone who wanted could drive a car on the beach, it was cars half buried in the sand along the tide line.

[David Kirk]

I know a guy who lives here in Bozeman that took his dad's new Caddy out for a joy ride about 30 years ago. He and his buddies brought some beer and drove it on a dirt road that was rougher than expected. They high sided the car and got his totally stuck. It got dark and they walked out and hitched a ride home with the idea of coming back the next morning and retrieving it.

When they got back in the morning it had been burnt to the ground and was still smoldering. It had been badly beaten with big rocks and then set ablaze.

Not sure what happened when dd got back into town from his business trip but I can guess.

dave

[Keith A]

When I was a kid and anyone who wanted could drive a car on the beach, it was cars half buried in the sand along the tide line.There are still beaches in FL that you can drive on. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the beaches in St Johns county and I saw plenty of cars that the driver parked close to the water at a lower tide, and they ended up in the ocean when the tide came in. I had a CJ5 at the time and it would go anywhere...but it became a rust bucket due to all of the salt water :eek:

[redir]

I'm not sure I'd want to ride my MTB down that trial never mind a Jeep. :eek:

[Mark McM]

There are still beaches in FL that you can drive on. Growing up, I spent a lot of time at the beaches in St Johns county and I saw plenty of cars that the driver parked close to the water at a lower tide, and they ended up in the ocean when the tide came in. I had a CJ5 at the time and it would go anywhere...but it became a rust bucket due to all of the salt water :eek:

In addition to just driving on the beach, Daytona beach has a long legacy of auto racing. In 1927, Henry Segrave set the land speed record of 203.79mph in his Sunbeam racer on Daytona beach. In the 1930's several auto races were held there. The first NASCAR races were held on the sand of Daytona beach in 1948.

[benb]

Actually now that we're telling stories about stuck cars.

My local MTB haunt has a whole bunch of 1930s-1950s car bodies/chassis/blocks sitting slowly rusting a way.

They're pretty deep in the woods, which makes me wonder if they were trying to offroad.

It's possible the trails were originally wider or something or there were dirt roads into the forest that no longer look like dirt roads.. there are very few trails in this network that a modern Jeep Wrangler could get down. Interestingly those old cars are a lot smaller than a modern Wrangler so maybe they could fit down narrower sections.

I'd be curious what the dimensions of a WWII Jeep were compared to a modern one.. everything got huge along the way with cars.. and the bigger the car/truck is the more space it needs to get down the trail.

[loxx0050]

Reminds me of the time I nearly got my Audi A4 Quattro stuck in deep mud. Was 26 at the time and across from the office I worked at was a empty lot that was being prepared to put a large commerical building there (we're talked 10-20 stories probably as my office was around 10 stories or so. Don't recall exactly). But anyways staring at the lot on a rainy day from the 7th floor inspired me to do donuts in the much since I've got AWD and I just a large muddy car playground. So I did it for about 10 minutes or so and it was uneventful except the car was bit dirty.

A week later goes by and another rainy day so I also decide to do more donuts in the muddy lot before I go home for the weekend. Ends up this time the ruts were a lot bigger and but I proceeded to get out there to a not so bad area and do donuts. But my mistake was not going from donut to a drift back out of there. Because I ended up coming to a complete stop and sinking deep into the mud. My coworkers thought I was flashing them with my high beams out there because I was stuck. Which I was stuck yes but the only reason I was flashing my lights is because the car kept dying because I didn't give it enough gas easing in 1st to get the car moving in 1st gear (manual transmission). Because I had to turn off/on the ignition while leaving the headlights on it appeared I was purposely flashing my headlights. After a half dozen tries unsuccessfully trying to dislodged my car I go the bright idea to open the door and survey the level of being stuck....only to be more than ankle deep in mud on my left foot. Even had a random SUV stop on the nearby street and watch me by that point.

I gave it one last effort to get out by dropping the clutch at high rpm (so it wouldn't kill it). We're taking 5k rpm drop like I'm drag racing in Fast and the Furious for pinks. Luckily for me at the time I had a racing clutch that could handle that sort of abuse and after flooring it in first for about maybe 5-10 seconds or so of all 4 wheels spinning my tire fling enough mud underneath to catch some traction and I started moving forward. A this point I don't let up and maintain a constant speed all while plowing through mounds of dirt to get out. Once out I actually turn in front of the SUV watching me wave thanks and drive on home. That weekend I went to a spray it yourself carwash (since I lived in an apartment) and spend nearly $10 to get all the mud out from underneath. All the while seeling a bunch of rocks come dislodged with the mud. They were the size up to marble or slightly bigger. Lucky I didn't do any real damage to my vehicle honestly. The mud pack was so bad in the wheels my car started to vibrate at 30 mph even.

[BobbyJones]

A fool and his Jeep are soon parted.

[charliedid]

That has to be the world's coolest rappel anchor.

Isn't that?

She has a twin? The mind races.

/jk

I should have seen that coming....I just happened to recently see that on the Instaface.

I also went back for some reason and read the comments on that article.

Comment #1 "Just an ad for the new Jeep Dangler"

Winner.

[likebikes]

Someone did that on one of my normal loops in Golden last year too (https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/next/someone-tried-to-drive-a-jeep-up-south-table-mountain-and-now-its-stuck-there/73-92e174b7-7678-44ca-a64f-f7781978b5b2). Jeep was pretty tagged up by the time they got it down. Also the tiny rock the driver got stuck on is pretty funny.

they should have slashed the tires, and cut off the cat too.

[Mark McM]

Actually now that we're telling stories about stuck cars.

My local MTB haunt has a whole bunch of 1930s-1950s car bodies/chassis/blocks sitting slowly rusting a way.

They're pretty deep in the woods, which makes me wonder if they were trying to offroad.

It's possible the trails were originally wider or something or there were dirt roads into the forest that no longer look like dirt roads.. there are very few trails in this network that a modern Jeep Wrangler could get down. Interestingly those old cars are a lot smaller than a modern Wrangler so maybe they could fit down narrower sections.

I think you're talking about the Land Locked Forest (previously known as the Land Locked Quadrant) in Burlington MA. That area wasn't always land locked - it became cut off from the rest of the town when Rtes. 128 (now 95) and 3 were built in the 1950s. Prior to that, there were several unimproved road that ran across that area, which is probably how those cars got there. If the road don't look like roads anymore, well, they haven't been used or maintained as road for over 60 years.

What the roads in that area looked like in 1946 (probably around the time those cars got there) can be seen in this historic topographic map:

https://web.archive.org/web/20151227101544/http://docs.unh.edu/MA/lext50nw.jpg

[barnabyjones]

Reading this yarn, sunk my comprehension as much as your Audi's suspension and undercarriage in that mud. Yikes! :p

Reminds me of the time I nearly got my Audi A4 Quattro stuck in deep mud. Was 26 at the time and across from the office I worked at was a empty lot that was being prepared to put a large commerical building there (we're talked 10-20 stories probably as my office was around 10 stories or so. Don't recall exactly). But anyways staring at the lot on a rainy day from the 7th floor inspired me to do donuts in the much since I've got AWD and I just a large muddy car playground. So I did it for about 10 minutes or so and it was uneventful except the car was bit dirty.

A week later goes by and another rainy day so I also decide to do more donuts in the muddy lot before I go home for the weekend. Ends up this time the ruts were a lot bigger and but I proceeded to get out there to a not so bad area and do donuts. But my mistake was not going from donut to a drift back out of there. Because I ended up coming to a complete stop and sinking deep into the mud. My coworkers thought I was flashing them with my high beams out there because I was stuck. Which I was stuck yes but the only reason I was flashing my lights is because the car kept dying because I didn't give it enough gas easing in 1st to get the car moving in 1st gear (manual transmission). Because I had to turn off/on the ignition while leaving the headlights on it appeared I was purposely flashing my headlights. After a half dozen tries unsuccessfully trying to dislodged my car I go the bright idea to open the door and survey the level of being stuck....only to be more than ankle deep in mud on my left foot. Even had a random SUV stop on the nearby street and watch me by that point.

I gave it one last effort to get out by dropping the clutch at high rpm (so it wouldn't kill it). We're taking 5k rpm drop like I'm drag racing in Fast and the Furious for pinks. Luckily for me at the time I had a racing clutch that could handle that sort of abuse and after flooring it in first for about maybe 5-10 seconds or so of all 4 wheels spinning my tire fling enough mud underneath to catch some traction and I started moving forward. A this point I don't let up and maintain a constant speed all while plowing through mounds of dirt to get out. Once out I actually turn in front of the SUV watching me wave thanks and drive on home. That weekend I went to a spray it yourself carwash (since I lived in an apartment) and spend nearly $10 to get all the mud out from underneath. All the while seeling a bunch of rocks come dislodged with the mud. They were the size up to marble or slightly bigger. Lucky I didn't do any real damage to my vehicle honestly. The mud pack was so bad in the wheels my car started to vibrate at 30 mph even.

[Tickdoc]

So I looked at the pictures and I just don’t understand how an old hi lift jack and some rocks under the wheels wouldn’t unstick this thing? Granted, you still gotta dance your way out of there, but it doesn’t appear to be that stuck. It’s still pointed straight-ish. Worse thing that happens is it rolls off either side. Whoever had the cajones to get it that far should be able to crawl back in and creep on out.

[loxx0050]

Reading this yarn, sunk my comprehension as much as your Audi's suspension and undercarriage in that mud. Yikes! :p


Oops, a few typos in there along with a missing comma or two... autocorrect on my phone and not catching it. Kind of lazy to fix it now since you've immortalized it in a quote.

Forgot to add I also had a "race" suspension to boot. So my ground clearance was even lower than factory by a couple of inches. Looking back I shake my head at some of the boneheaded things I did in my younger years. But hey, I now have funny stories to tell at least of those experiences. It builds character but not necessarily in a good way everytime :banana:

On another note I also learned the on the fly how not to "off-road". Was on vacation in the Virgin Islands and rented a Jeep Commander (did so for the 3rd row). There are several unpaved roads on St John's which are impossible to avoid if you want to explore the island. One involved some gnarly rocks to traverse to get to one of the villas we stayed at. For those who know those roads it's marked as Highway "0.5" with a sign (don't know if that's an official designation but it was funny to see). Thought the Commander's suspension was going to fail or a axle would snap on those large rock filled roads honestly as my rental was pretty beat up and well used. I can see the appeal of off-roadering but alas it isn't the lifestyle for me.

[rustychisel]

So I looked at the pictures and I just don’t understand how an old hi lift jack and some rocks under the wheels wouldn’t unstick this thing? Granted, you still gotta dance your way out of there, but it doesn’t appear to be that stuck. It’s still pointed straight-ish. Worse thing that happens is it rolls off either side. Whoever had the cajones to get it that far should be able to crawl back in and creep on out.

and there's your problem right there.

Go ahead, seek 'em out and ask for the keys then show them how it's done.

[cmb5286]

They actually saved the thing...

https://www.thedrive.com/news/36696/that-infamous-jeep-wrangler-stuck-on-a-dangerous-bike-trail-has-been-saved

[AngryScientist]

They actually saved the thing...

https://www.thedrive.com/news/36696/that-infamous-jeep-wrangler-stuck-on-a-dangerous-bike-trail-has-been-saved

that's cool. when i first read this i figured some offroad group would take up the challenge and either get it out or destroy it trying.

good work. i've done some pretty stupid things in my various Jeeps over the years, and even more stupid stuff on the 2WD pickup i drove through college and well beyond, but nothing this stupid!

[Tickdoc]

That makes perfect sense. A good buddy of mine is in one of the local Jeep clubs here and they would be all over this. They LOVE coming to rescue someone. They have a pretty extensive network of jeeps on call that if you get stuck somewhere, Jeep or no Jeep, they will send someone to come pull you out. They also do quite a lot for the community with numerous toy drives, food drives, commemorative drives. Pretty close knit community that loves to help out.

[72gmc]

I'm glad they got it out. Too bad it took a whole bunch of Jeeps on that ridge to make it happen.

[benb]

I think you're talking about the Land Locked Forest (previously known as the Land Locked Quadrant) in Burlington MA. That area wasn't always land locked - it became cut off from the rest of the town when Rtes. 128 (now 95) and 3 were built in the 1950s. Prior to that, there were several unimproved road that ran across that area, which is probably how those cars got there. If the road don't look like roads anymore, well, they haven't been used or maintained as road for over 60 years.

What the roads in that area looked like in 1946 (probably around the time those cars got there) can be seen in this historic topographic map:

https://web.archive.org/web/20151227101544/http://docs.unh.edu/MA/lext50nw.jpg

Yes exactly.. that map is awesome. I would love to figure out how to see more of those maps of the area.

[Mark McM]

Yes exactly.. that map is awesome. I would love to figure out how to see more of those maps of the area.

Historic topographic maps of New England and New York, indexed by town, going back to the 1890s:

https://web.archive.org/web/20191009142746/http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm

[Keith A]

Kudos to the Jeep club for saving this guy's behind. Looking at some of the video of the rescue, I can't believe the driver thought they could make it across this ridge.

[reuben]

Once upon a time a rich and flamboyant blues aficionado drove his Ferrari down a dirt road to a juke joint in north Mississippi. Ground clearance proved to be an expensive problem.

[Hindmost]

I didn't think that Jeep was recoverable. Then I see that group of people that are apparently experienced and determined and I think: well, of course!

[charliedid]

Nice work getting that out.

[barnabyjones]

The Jeep owner is the guy in red in this post:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFf31i0j4he/?igshid=1aw0md8k47od6

[weaponsgrade]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/36730/ford-offered-to-rescue-that-jeep-wrangler-stuck-on-a-bike-trail

[Tickdoc]

Ricky barba? Is it any coincidence that sounds a lot like Ricky Bobby?

[Mr. Pink]

All but one dude in that insta post is fat. What a country.

[jtbadge]

All but one dude in that insta post is fat. What a country.

fat shaming strangers on the internet, what a country

[Mr. Pink]

fat shaming strangers who joke about losing a jeep on an mtb trail on the internet, what a country

Fify

[vqdriver]

sad part is that someone in a local club will now stare at that trail and think "i could have cleared this" and give it a go. the last thing we need is for trucks to follow us onto the trails. it's already happening on some overgrown singletrack and all the fireroads..

[barnabyjones]

All but one dude in that insta post is fat. What a country.

Dawg, those dudes are all from Mexico where there are dangerously high rates of obesity and diabetes in indigenous communities. These individuals have not adapted on a metabolic level to the Western diet. So, yes, your comments are a bit insensitive.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2008.367

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43668927

[Mr. Pink]

Well, then, why not ride mountain bikes instead of driving jeeps? That'll burn some calories, I'm told.

[Spdntrxi]

what good would a bunch of guys with cyclist arms be, if the jeep started moving in the wrong direction ?

[unterhausen]

sad part is that someone in a local club will now stare at that trail and think "i could have cleared this" and give it a go. the last thing we need is for trucks to follow us onto the trails. it's already happening on some overgrown singletrack and all the fireroads..I was worried about that too. I think there is plenty of room for that trail to become dual track. Probably lose a couple of people in the process of ruining it.

what good would a bunch of guys with cyclist arms be, if the jeep started moving in the wrong direction ?They probably got some cyclists that realized they can exert a decent amount of force with their legs

[Mr. Pink]

Shame. They saved it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WuvMzoeRYQ&app=desktop

[barnabyjones]

Shame. They saved it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WuvMzoeRYQ&app=desktop

They should have blown it up and eaten the bits!

[dddd]

It took me a while to realize that they had a driver in the Jeep, not sure when he got in, but a brave dude it seems.

I wasn't entirely confident with the amount of sideways pulling force that the crew could apply!

[reuben]

Shame. They saved it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WuvMzoeRYQ&app=desktop

I'll just say that anyone who was standing on the downhill side of those cables and straps were in the wrong place. Including the people who shot the video at about 0:17.

[72gmc]

Probably a fun night to be a member of that club. The person who put that Jeep in that spot should probably be a probationary member for a while.