Posted by: gone wheel'n
rude trail manners - 03/09/02 10:45 PM
The other day I was taking a mellow 4x4 sunset cruise down the beach with the family. Very easy access but there is one water crossing before you hit the deep sand. If you stay right you barely get deeper than the hubs but to the left is a hole that drops you to about mid door panel (depending on the height of your truck). I'm back at the trail head getting the kid buckled in when I see a toyota drop into the hole. The guy could have driven out, the bottom is packed sand and I've done it before, but he panicked and gunned the engine. This caused a mighty slpash up and over his hood and killed the engine. He was about to open his door to get out when I yelled at him to stay put. Once I told him where the water line was he climbed out the window. It took me about three minutes to back up and connect a tow strap and pull him out. But what was shocking to me (and the point of my story) was that before I backed up to him two other trucks went through the stream (to the right) at a high rate of speed causing excessive wave action against the stuck vehicle. Neither stopped to help and one guy even yelled out some rude comments. Granted the guys who got stuck was a bit inexperienced but that seemed like incredibly rude trail manners to me. If I ever see anybody stuck I stop to help or at least give them time to recover before blazing past. I'll I can say is that what comes around goes around.