- Joined
- Mar 5, 2008
- Messages
- 83
This is a "it happened to me " situation, I would like to share as a reminder to keep your eyes open, and be aware of your surroundings, no matter how quiet the day may seem. This happened March 2008, out on the Olympic Peninsula.
I was out for a Friday afternoon hike with the wife, out in the woods on a warm afternoon. We were the only folks on the trail that afternoon, and found some great places to picnic, hike and take photos off the beaten path.
Came across this Ford Pickup
took some scenic shots along the way, the weather for the most part cooperating,
however, we had all 4 seasons in one day.
and got to hike along some old logging roads. Beautiful day, good company, even broke out the stove to fix a hot cup of coffee. Then came the drive home, different forest roads, early afternoon, bright day. I wasn't rally driving, but moving along at a good clip, when I saw movement on the side of the road up ahead. If you have seen Ax Men on TV, you'll recognize some of the equipment in the next few photos.
What I saw was the cable from a logging operation being pulled taught. At the time of the approach, it was still laying on the road, I saw the movement as the tension was being taken in, then it pulled taught bouncing from ground level to about 10 foot. then slacking off a bit. I slammed on the brakes, stopping short of the cables. If I hadn't seen that movement, it would of been caught under the Jeep as it pulled taught.
The dark spot in the road (Mid right of photo, is where I stopped, and left a skidmark, or two) I immediately laid on the horn, as I backed up.
Coming in from the direction I was traveling, there were NO warning signs, and the warning signs ( Cable on Road) on the left side of the road, were facing the wrong way and past the cable if traveling in the oncoming direction.
There was no one watching the road, I never saw a human. I heard the horns, but no one came out to see how pissed off I was. I Sat there in the Jeep while the cable pulled taught, ripping through the tree branches as it did. Contemplating breaking out the ICOZA gear , and go collect some scalps. Cooler heads prevailed, and I headed home to change my shorts. There may have been words exchanged with the fellow in a White F350, but I don't seem to be able to recollect those details.
This happened fast, it was a freak occurrence, but out of the blue the situation changed from OK to Oh Crap. The potential for injury or fatality, was a split second away. Take care out there.
Cheers
Crunchtyme
I was out for a Friday afternoon hike with the wife, out in the woods on a warm afternoon. We were the only folks on the trail that afternoon, and found some great places to picnic, hike and take photos off the beaten path.
Came across this Ford Pickup
took some scenic shots along the way, the weather for the most part cooperating,
however, we had all 4 seasons in one day.
and got to hike along some old logging roads. Beautiful day, good company, even broke out the stove to fix a hot cup of coffee. Then came the drive home, different forest roads, early afternoon, bright day. I wasn't rally driving, but moving along at a good clip, when I saw movement on the side of the road up ahead. If you have seen Ax Men on TV, you'll recognize some of the equipment in the next few photos.
What I saw was the cable from a logging operation being pulled taught. At the time of the approach, it was still laying on the road, I saw the movement as the tension was being taken in, then it pulled taught bouncing from ground level to about 10 foot. then slacking off a bit. I slammed on the brakes, stopping short of the cables. If I hadn't seen that movement, it would of been caught under the Jeep as it pulled taught.
The dark spot in the road (Mid right of photo, is where I stopped, and left a skidmark, or two) I immediately laid on the horn, as I backed up.
Coming in from the direction I was traveling, there were NO warning signs, and the warning signs ( Cable on Road) on the left side of the road, were facing the wrong way and past the cable if traveling in the oncoming direction.
There was no one watching the road, I never saw a human. I heard the horns, but no one came out to see how pissed off I was. I Sat there in the Jeep while the cable pulled taught, ripping through the tree branches as it did. Contemplating breaking out the ICOZA gear , and go collect some scalps. Cooler heads prevailed, and I headed home to change my shorts. There may have been words exchanged with the fellow in a White F350, but I don't seem to be able to recollect those details.
This happened fast, it was a freak occurrence, but out of the blue the situation changed from OK to Oh Crap. The potential for injury or fatality, was a split second away. Take care out there.
Cheers
Crunchtyme
At first I thought you were going to tell us to watch out for falling pick up trucks 
