Don't let this happen to you.

Lost Jeeper

We lost a fellow Jeeper this week.  Here in California a man and his girlfriend left the Sacramento Area traveling over Hwy 50 to Gardnerville, Nev.  It was a collection of simple decisions that when combined put them in a deadly position.  This is not meant to criticize him for what happened but for all of us to learn from.

I am in no way related or in law enforcement so what I know I know from the news reports.  The couple left Citrus Heights on Thursday, November 30 but did not arrive at their destination.  According to family members, they had "packed clothes for snow".  A search from the air was called off due to weather.  The storm that weekend made conditions worse with heavy snow and rain.

They were driving his new to him 1989 Jeep Grand Cherokee.  When they got to Hope Valley, at about 8,000ft in the Sierra, they decided to do a little four-wheeling in the show.  They proceeded down Burnside Road, a dirt road off Highway 88 at highway 89.  There the drove around a locked gate and proceeded towards Burnside lake.  It was somewhere along that road the Jeep got stuck in a snowdrift.  The man went for help but did not return, the woman stayed in the Jeep for days eating tomatoes and snow to survive.  She was lost for a total of six days, but at some point, she also left the Jeep and worked her way back towards the highway.  Her boyfriend had only traveled for less than a mile before he succumbed to the cold.  She had to pass his body on the way to the highway.  Her brother, who refused to give up, was the one that found her huddled in a hollowed-out tree trunk near highway 88 and 89.  She is in the hospital now recovering after being life-flighted Carson-Tahoe Hospital.

So what I wanted to accomplish with this post is to have us all stop and think before we go charging off into uncertain conditions.  I am new to the whole Jeep life, I  know very little about how to off road but what I think I do know is where my limits are.  You also have to know what the limits of your vehicle are.

In this case, no one even knew what route they were going to take over the mountain.  No one knew they were going off-road.  I have been on that road before and have spent a fair amount of time in Hope Valley over the years and there is no cell coverage in that area.  They went around a locked forest service gate.  They were at 8,000 in inclement weather in an unfamiliar vehicle.

I don't know anything about the rig but I assume that it did not have a winch or other devices to help get him out of the snowdrift.  It was said they had clothes for snow but what does that mean. Again let me say that I don't mean to criticize him, only to prepare others including myself.

So what gear should you pack?  Here are some ideas:
Personal Off-Road Beacon.
Carry extra blankets or a sleeping bag.
Emergency food like MRE's.
First aid kit.
Quality jackets.
Gloves.
Boots.
Water
Blankets.
Weapon.
Tools.
Spare parts.

Tell someone where you are going and when to be expected.

What I took from this sad event was to know and understand your and your rigs limits.  If you are going off-road and particularly in extreme heat or cold make sure you have supplies appropriate for the conditions.  Make sure you have the tools and equipment to extract yourself and or your rig from any situation you might find yourself in.  Talk to your friends or family about your trip, let someone know where you are going and when to be expected back.  Be prepared,  food water, appropriate clothes, supplies, and gear.