I got stuck at the beach last night.

[-bZ-wakuritz]

So, leave it to me to get stuck at one of the most remote areas anywhere around here.  The section of beach I got stuck at has no road (anymore, there was at one point decades ago, but it's washed away) and rarely sees any traffic.  It's about 6 miles from the nearest paved road.  Oh, and no cell phone service either.  I had to walk what felt like miles before I found a sliver of signal.  My uncle, who lives about an hour from where I was, came out to help in his 2wd truck.  He got stuck about 1/4 mile from my car.

By this time, the tide was coming in and the water was close to breaching into the cab of my Escape.  With no other option, I had to try again to get it moved farther from the water.  I was able to get it free'd enough to crawl about 100' forward and out of the water.  Then it got stuck again, but I was just happy I prevented a total loss.

Now we're both stuck, and miles from cell service, so I walked a few miles and called everyone I could think of.  Nothing.  Not even any tow truck services would come.  We called a dozen of them.  Talk about one of those "holy shit, we're fucked" feelings.

The water kept rising until it was under my uncles truck.  There wasn't shit we could do, so I tried to get some rest.  It was 3:30 AM.  I dozed on and off for a few hours until 7 AM came around, then I walked to cell service and called a co-worker who owns an older model, tricked out Jeep.  Without hesitation, he threw some clothes on, grabbed a friend of his, and headed my way.  He lives about 2 hours from where I was.  That was a long 2 hours.  His Jeep pulled my uncle's truck out and over a small dune without any issues, then they were able to push my Escape out after a few back and forths.

Fun times! 

 

[CR8Z]

Gotta love those good ideas gone bad. Glad it worked out.

 

[PROACEX1]

Learned this lesson the hard way 4 wheeling in Hatteras.

Storytime folks:

Spoiler

So my dad and I were out at Kitty Hawk and my sister and my mom wanted to go to the beach the next day. I wanted to 4WD like the little badass dude I was since we had been to the beach everyday for nearly a week. Being homeschooled and my dad having a great job, we'd go during the off-season, which allowed for 4WD almost anywhere along the islands with a cheap permit. Now 4WD along Hatteras isn't easy after a rough storm. Tons of junk up on the beach and the sand above high-tide line is damp, but that what we wanted to find out away from where any visitors would hopefully reach the next day.

Well, we had a Suburban at that time. Not the greatest truck for 4WD to begin with, it was too long and the differential was meh. Add in that it was a ton heavier then most vehicles, and you have a sandy disaster waiting if you weren't careful.

My dad was an ignorant guy when it came to vehicles. He had money but no sense with vehicles, just computers.  Be back by lunch, or you don't get any supper.

So we were nearly all the way out the north part of the island, having a decent time and already made it through a few mud flats and otherwise with little trouble and tons of fun splashing, when we came across an area of the beach that had eroded away pretty close to the dunes. Below the high-tide line, one lane kinda thing. Tons of stuff was all along it, so we had to creep along in the water to avoid that stuff (glass, seaweed, huge pieces of drift wood, ect). Being the stupid young kid I was, and going 5mph in the truck, I saw something shiny and huge, a Queen Helmet Conch. That shizzle was big. So I jumped out of the truck to get it. He stopped the truck. One set of tires on the dry-ish side on the left, the other lapping the waves on the right.

We left the truck running expecting to be out of there in a minute, taking a good 30 minutes to hunt down seashells.

The right tires were stuck. Straight up, foot down, stuck. And we had no shovel, no wood, nothing to help get out.

We ended up having to dig out that side with some large chunks of driftwood as the ocean kept coming higher and higher to be able to play small flecks and pieces of wood all around and underneath in between the larger waves. Tried this for an hour. Yea, nope.

We ended up being stuck there until the evening state beach patrol SUV came up and asked us if we needed a tow. We said yes.

Another 20 minutes of work to get the burb out. Another hour to drive back. We didn't get dinner.

Epilogue:

Spoiler

That story would have happened if my mom and sister ever acted like women. My mom, unlike my dad, was raised by my grandpa who was a mechanical genius and new shit about stuff we'd never comprehend as nerds. We 4WD anywhere we could with gramps, dude knew how to have fun on vacation, especially up in Colorado!
She ordered us to lower the air pressure in the tires down a bit once out on the beach, have some stuff with us in case we get lost or stuck, and gave us a set time limit on when we'd be back.

My mom ended up driving most of the way, threw me and my dad in the back seats, and we ran around looking for cool shells while my mom did donuts. I did find a Queen Helmet Conch which we took back home to add to our seashell display collection that was destroyed in the fire.

The best advice my grandpa ever gave us on 4WD on the beach was to never drive below the high-tide line. This can be hard to follow in many places obviously but should be heeded everywhere else.

Oh, and my sister is a lesbian now, it explains a lot.

Some random advice:

Spoiler

Never drive next to the ocean and stop, or slow down below 5-10 miles an hour (surface tension gives away after the wave begins to withdraw, creating a sucking effect). Always have a few 2x4s and a shovel if you do. And a tow rope. If you don't have one, you're at the mercy of someone who either does and makes you look like a dumbass or some who doesn't, still making you look like a dumbass.

Sand burs kill tires, even truck tires. Be prepared to replace or patch tires, especially given the advice below since the wheel wall is gonna sag like old granny's titties.

Tire's should be at 10-25 PSI (about half of whatever the normal PSI is for your 4WD) for soft sand, have a tire gauge at all times, and have a tire pump or compressor nearby to readjust as needed.

For hard sand, be ready to adjust the tire pressure back up to 80% of the recommended tire pressure or so.

Wash your truck off immediately with at a full underbody carwash or enjoy rust and other nasty issues.

Happy stuff worked out for ya tho bro! Hope you gave the SUV a complimentary washing after nearly ruining it!

 

[Kratos]

Shit! Glad you didn't drown the old girl, I was wondering where you been.

Glad you made it out of there, big props to your friend!

 

[budvoss]

Holy dog shit. You were lucky to get the trucks out. I saw  a truck with water up to its cab in portsmouth harbor one time. No way to ever get the bitch running right after a salt water bath.

 

[vetusvir]

NEVER drive i sand! did that once and i will never do it again 

 

[-bZ-wakuritz]

Sand is deceptive. I've been driving that remote stretch of beach for years, and this was the only time I've gotten stuck. Most of the sand there is harmless, I just happened upon a soft section and sunk. It sure as hell made me leery the next trips I made. I stayed on what I knew was good.

 

[CR8Z]

You have to drive fast and "surf" it. Find hard pack or dirt before parking. Otherwise, keep driving fast.

 

[vetusvir]

again NEVER!!!!

 

[BIGWILL]

I'll take you 4wheelin brah