Oh god, too many to choose from! Hmmmm, how about a top 10?
10. Crossing Guenella Pass in sub zero blizzard, blasting snow drifts on side of road at 50MPH, hit a 3' boulder, flew through the air. Bent tie rod, cut rim IN HALF!(dont try in an X, that was a Montero)
9. Got stuck above Idaho Springs taking a shortcut to Central City, while on call, pager went off, first date with a girl, tracks on OTHER side of drift only a few hundred feet away. Hours of winching and all the restraunts were closed in central city already.(another trip in this area resulted in a tow, and a completely sunk tow truck!)
8. Pulled off the highway at Comb Ridge and blasted down a creek to see some ruins. Road went in and out, I stayed in, forgot to lock hubs, and it WAS quick sand.
7. Another out of order. Climbing Mt Blanca SOLO, I continued up AFTER being told of 2 deaths at Jaws II.(blood in the creek even) Everybody abandoned the mountain except 2 backpackers after the deaths.(they were headed down also) It hailed 8", I broke a trailing arm. The next day I was mired due to the broken trailing arm on Jaws 2.5, and had to have the local 4x4 club dome get me off.(had no high lift)
6. Another out of order. Descended Spring Bottom after a MAJOR washout, had to gas it sideways across a cliff face 100+ ft up. Got to the bottom and mosquitos were so thick I WAS UNABLE TO SLEEP IN THE TENT. The next day I debated flagging down a river rafter(however many days that might be), but made it out nearly rolling 2X.(worse judgement call ever wheeling)
5. Whoops, out of order. Tried to find another "where the tours dont go" guide book secrets, into Ten Mile!. Despite the vehicle gate and marked 10' of trail, it was a HORSE trail, descending extremely steep slickrock, ending in a 120', nearly 90 degree off camber drop. Passing ATVs used block and tackle and counter weights to help me down.
4. About half way down the Big Sluice a boulder rolled under my frame, I gased it, spinning me around 180', dropping my front bumper on a 6' high boulder, and my back on a 4' ledge. Had to jack the TIRE on one side while winching, and with the usual Big SLuice traffic.
3. Tried to help friend get unstuck from the side of a cliff in a dead end mule trail, he did not spot me properly as I got into position and I also went off the edge. Took 2 high lifts a day to pull the vehicles off, after only finding a gigantic Ford P/U that could only get us a few miles from it, and we had to carry the highlifts the rest of the way.
2. Set parking brake on the graded road to Bull Canyon, it gave way while I was out of the vehicle posting a sign, and the truck rolled off a clifff, becoming totaled.
1. Somewhere near Buena Vista Colorado I became stuck in a snow drift sideways on a cliff, trying to get up to a lake in June and ended up LOWERING my truck off with the winch.