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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

The Steep Drop Topples Vikki and her Tundra 300

The lack of snow plus the 6% out of level for the last 25 feet did it.  Vikki had waited at the bottom until she saw Bryan's headlights hit the top of the hill and then she headed up fast.
The Steep Drop is a NASTY 3 part climb with 2 switch backs covering 500 feet with a rise of a hundred feet.  The first is a really steep 75' climb...then a flat, than a really steep 70' with a bench then the last 150' is at 30%.  One side is a cut bank and the other is a 300 feet steep slope into a creek ravine.  The terrain dictates that it is the only access.
It happened so fast Vikki can't recall anything other than knowing she was over the bank and her skidoo was upside down tottering on her.  She hit the kill switch and started yelling HELP!!!  She then called BRYAN!! over and over again as loud as she could.  It seemed like minutes and minutes went by.  She then started to worry about hyperventilating and so stopped panicking. Bryan would come.
Then there he was.  He got the skidoo off Vikki and she dragged herself back up onto the trail.  Now the job was to get the skidoo upright fast as the carburetors would be flooding.  Getting the 10 feet skidoo turned around on a 5 foot wide trail is not easy.  There was snowshoes, first aid kit, lunchbox thrown up the trail.  With all the pushing, shoving and Vikki yelling "It's going to go over!!!" Bryan got the front end onto the trail pointing downwards.  Vikki's head at this time was on a level with the track.  She was over the bank again trying to keep the skidoo from tipping over.
After she calmed down and crawled back onto the trail she kicked snow with her feet trying to level the trail as she climbed up to the top.
After Bryan dragged it down the hill to the first landing he turned it around so that the gas tank was lower than the engine.  The engine would keep flooding and he had to get rid of the gas.  Dusk was settling fast and the light was dimming.  Bryan took out the spark plug and turned the machine over a bunch of times.  Well over 1 minute with the pull cord.  He was trying to get rid of the gas.  Then he used his lighter to dry the end of the spark plug with the flame.  Then he depressed the throttle all the way and tried to start it.  It didn't and so he did the whole process of drying the spark plug again.  Playing with the throttle it finally started.  Don't reve it up.... just baby it.
Vikki was at the top looking down, saying "Please start.... please start"  It was a great relief when it did.  Bryan rode it up with no further trouble.
At coffee this morning, Bryan said the new plan is for Vikki to wait for 2 minutes when she sees the lights at the top... that will give him time to shut off his machine and walk back to the top and watch her climb up.  Also he said he will level the trail with snow from the high cut bank. 

7 comments:

  1. The busg life. I am glad it worked out as well as it did and that Vikki is ok.

    Patrick

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  2. Take care of you miss ,,, a small accident it a big trouble there , imagine a big one .. oufffff

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  3. Wow! I sure hope you are alright! Hopefully that won't happen again.

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  4. Im glad it all turned out ok take care guy's :)

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  5. Glad you are safe. We either have too much snow or not enough and remain challenge to make the right decisions and executions in the face of mother nature. Travel safe. You are lucky to have each other.

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