Worst trip ever
 

Went fishing yesterday to Crawling Valley , north end. Drove down this township road which was just plowed and perfect. Towed my quad to make it on the ice, half way there on the quad the wind starts up.
Fished for 3-4 hours in a blizzard, barely made it back to the truck. Twp road is drifted to hell. I made it through 5 drifts, having to shovel through 3. Finally called the hutterites only 5 miles away at 9pm. He was in a 900 cat loader and it took him an hour to get through 2 miles of road to me. Drifts were 6-8' high. He cut me basically a tunnel through about 3 of the 2 dozen drifts each about 100 yards long.
I thought I was gonna have to sleep in the truck for a week. I wouldn't have even made it out on foot.
Then the highway was a sheet of ice. I had to do 60-80, and cars in the ditch left and right.
Fishing trip from hell. I can barely walk today. I shoveled about 100 yards of 1-2 foot deep drifts in total. Best part is I only caught a pike who got off and one walleye, lol. I had checked the weather, and I always prepare to spend a night or two, or dig and winch myself if stuck. I was doomed, I could have fished for 5 seconds then left and I wouldn’t have made it.
Moral of the story, be prepared, and let someone know where your going. If not for my phone and my Hutterite hero, I’d still be there.
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Sorry for you bad luck AO brother. Glad you okay and got home safe.

Finally a real winter to smarten us all up. I feel your pain bud, at least we have ceĺlphones and fuel injected trucks to save our butts. Best to just stay put. walking in the dark in a storm usually ends up with a sad ending.

I hit the ditch heading into Brooks last night. What a disaster. Glad you made it out ok!

Sorry to hear that. The highway was nasty, I’m glad I wasn’t on it in the wind. Hope your ok.
There was a decent accident by the Hwy 56 intersection.

True, I’ve heard of too many sad stories of people walking. I’ve lived up north and been in a couple situations that could have ended badly. Actually I had to spend the night in my dead truck 1/2 hr east of Calgary in -20 with a window partially open.
Blankets and candles with matches go in every vehicle at the start of every winter. I’m the type that packs one of everything. You should see when I go hunting or camping, lol.

Thanks bud.

Ouch, glad u made it out. Almost glad winter is over, though also sad ice fishing is coming to an end.

Glad to see you got out safely. We were going to come down to visit the relatives that day. Good thing something came up so we had to cancel.

Just another fishing trip adventure, one you will tell for a long while. Mother Nature sure can stir things up. She is the boss.:rolleye2:

Glad everyone made it home.

Dodger.

See any chicken?

Negative.

Glad you're OK.

Glad it all worked out and you had someone to call when you needed it.

We were out there today. Foggy drive out, but Perfect, nice next to zero wind day. We managed 9 pike and had some Perch tease us on the camera. Didn't really have any issue driving around on the lake with 4x4. Crazy how things change day by day.

A bad day fishing is still better than ....

Just trying to lighten up the mood. Serious stuff when you're in it, great stories to tell when you make it out ok. Glad you're all safe. Weather is no joke, sober reminder to us all.

Yup, if not hour to hour. You need to keep an eye on the sky when your in a boat too. We’ve gone from fishing in the hot sun at noon, to taking shelter in the bathrooms in hail with a tornado only a few miles away, an hour later.
There and Newell, both get nasty fast. Been in a boat launch cluster panic and just barely got out in time. Other were shoring on the beach. You’d have thought you were out in the Baltic ocean, with 4-5 foot rollers and hurricane wind.
Not like there the only 2 lakes. I’ve watched small fronts move in and see a super cell grow from a cloud in under 30 mins at a few lakes. I used to push the limit a bit trying to get one more catch, but now I play it safe.
Sadly I’ve heard a sad story or 2 on every lake, that remind you fishing and boating has serious hazards.
Most dangerous sport, with the highest casualty numbers is fishing/boating.

One tip I’ll offer is to be cautious of staying in a vehicle, especially when stuck in snow or drifting snow. Or anytime really. Is to keep a window cracked, and if possible, keep the undercarriage clear of snow. Bring a good shovel, or better, bring 2. The difference between a small, cheap shovel, and a large sturdy one is night and day when your depending on them. And they like to break when you need them most, lol.
Another good one is chains and slings. I learned a good ‘tool’ to use, which is 3-4 pieces of thicker rebar, about 2 feet long. A chain about 6-8 feet long with links big enough to slip over the rebar. If your stuck and have nothing to winch/hoist from, you drive the rebar in the ground in a line, about a foot between each rebar. Slip the chain over them and hook to it. Lift the hood when winching or pulling to save your face (literally) from a snapped line.
On ice, drill 2 holes a couple feet apart, ahead of yourself and chain, or preferably sling a line between the 2 and attach your winch/hoist line to it. Rinse and repeat if needed.
Both have saved me or someone numerous times. I even bring the rebar/chain with me on the quad when out in the Bush.


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The trip wasn’t a total waste! You had an adventure and made it out to tell a cool story. Hell of a lot better than sitting on the couch reading about it.

Frightening really
 

Was this east of the red rock ? I have heard a similar story
2 more times over the last 4 days . That a plowed road could
drift in that bad in a few hours is scary ...
Those Hutterites are great people , saved me a couple of times .
Your right when alone leaving the vehicle bad idea ...
What did we do before cel phones ? I remember ....prayed ...lol
Glad it all came out ok ....

Glad everything turned out ok. My son and I had a similar adventure a couple weeks ago on Newell.

Yup, that’s where. Ironically I’m sure the fact it was plowed, and there’s no ditches, caused it to drift so bad.
I made it from the last lease to the lake and back again on my quad, right through the fields. Drifts there were 3 feet at most.
Snow was up to the bottom of the windows on the loader at a couple spots.
I had to pay him, since the ‘boss man’ insisted. He said there was a guy who went through the ice on top of a beaver damn/lodge and they pulled him out. And a few others who’ve been stuck. I paid him gladly. Any alternative aside from waiting for the county to plow it would have cost me a fortune.
I’ve wondered how many lives cell phones have saved. It wasn’t cold enough, and I was prepared enough I wasn’t in any danger. Yet I’m sure the number of people who owe their lives to a cell phone, is countless. The flip side is how many people have been killed by being distracted by a phone?
I’m kinda kicking myself a bit, because I actually had the perfect excuse to stay out there and fish for a few days, lol. I could have just turned my phone off and waited for the helicopter on day 3, lmao.

Smart. This should be a sticky on the front page.