At this point, we got to our intermediate hill climb with some rock features. Curtis made his way up to the top and radioed down that it was clear for the next person. Crystal and Zach proceeded. Unfortunately, they hit a rather large rock on the way down and severely damaged their oil pan. Michael Smith from King County 4x4 Search and Rescue took lead on vehicle extraction. We broke Drew’s new Warn winch and gave a lesson in using a snatch block. With the vehicle turned around facing downhill, we were ready to make moves. I made my way down clearing trail in sections and relaying up that it was clear. Under sheer vehicle weight and using gravity, Crystal/Zach made their way down using gears to slow and a little extra weight into the brake pedal since no motor meant no power brakes.
We made it down and we sent some folks into town to get cell service. We called AAA and waited patiently. We snacked, had a few beverages and all rejoiced when the flat bed finally showed up.
