Rick’s Recovery : Paw Hole Sand trap, winch to the rescue! My Lizzy moment, ha….

[Titans]

We had a late start today, very late, left Kanab at 10:35am. It was a bumpy drive down House Rock Valley Road and it was especially bad south of State line. Big machines were working the burn areas, the road was the worst we have ever seen it. We continued uphill in 4WDR to Paw Hole TR. First half was fine, but the Jeep was spinning wheels a few times on the second half, we arrived fine at the TH. Parked the Jeep, ate a quick lunch, locked up the car and we were about to hike away when we heard: : do you have a shovel?

A Montana couple had just arrived in town, Googled “White pocket” and off they went via Paw Hole to White Pocket, but they got stuck just uphill in the well known Paw Hole sand trap. We walked up and saw not 1 but 2 cars uphill from the TH. The Broncos Sport, single Oregon girl, had second thoughts and was safely parked off to the side in a more hard packed area, while she hiked into the Paw Hole area. The other car was high centered uphill, ouch…. They had been digging with hands, etc. and tried to back out, but they were buried pretty good.

So, how often haven’t we seen on Matt’s recovery, that they can just push the car out? Worth a try, but no movement, just spinning wheels. So we decided to drive the Jeep uphill, but keep some distance from the worst deep sand and winch them out. Here are the photos:











Since that looked hard, I put the phone down and helped out too


What the heck….. the Jeep got winched forward, their car was so heavy and it sure wasn’t moving. So I had to get in the Jeep and keep a foot on the brake. My proud Lizzy moment, ha….


That worked, Rick winched them out and then they could back out.




Driving back down to the Paw Hole TH (notice the sign to the left…)



“But it only said recommended “…… You have now been warned with this story
Though several of you have successfully driven this uphill. I shall not mention any names such as , @Nick and @Cool Danish


That set us back about 1/2 hr, but we were happy to help! We asked them to pay it forward

 

[regehr]

nice!!! sandy roads are so fun if you have the vehicle for it, not as fun otherwise

 

[Janice]

Oh my - the timing of this is remarkable, as JUST TODAY we hit the jackpot and got a permit for the Wave in March (have been looking forward to Dec. 1 for weeks now!) and then got our Coyote Buttes South permit. Will turn it into a hat trick with White Pocket. We are SO EXCITED - but we're total wimps and have no experience driving in tough conditions other than snow, so we decided to enter CBS from Lone Tree and will walk the extra 2.5 miles each way - and we'll have to hire a guide to take us to White Pocket. If I could have a guarantee that YOU would be there to pull us out of the sand, we would give it a try... What are you doing on March 26???

 

[Titans]

Oh my - the timing of this is remarkable, as JUST TODAY we hit the jackpot and got a permit for the Wave in March (have been looking forward to Dec. 1 for weeks now!) and then got our Coyote Buttes South permit. Will turn it into a hat trick with White Pocket. We are SO EXCITED - but we're total wimps and have no experience driving in tough conditions other than snow, so we decided to enter CBS from Lone Tree and will walk the extra 2.5 miles each way - and we'll have to hire a guide to take us to White Pocket. If I could have a guarantee that YOU would be there to pull us out of the sand, we would give it a try... What are you doing on March 26???

Ha! Congratulations @Janice ! See, it was possible. We will chat off line about the details, just make sure its a different day for each area.
Its certainly possible to walk from Lone Tree to Paw Hole, @chandlerwest has done it and made a great TR. Having said that, its uphill, super sandy, pretty hard. Just walking around in Paw Hole today was super sandy (but we also just had a long day yesterday with a ton of sandy slogs…).

Now, the other road challenge is House Rock Valley Road, ok when dry but impassable when wet! Lots to talk about…

 

[Ugly]

Nice! The jeep is almost the right color, you just need a big logo and sticker, like A & R's offroad recovery and winching service!

 

[LarryBoy]

But, we didn't get s weather report!

 

[Titans]

But, we didn't get s weather report!

Forgot that!

Okee dokee….. that’s easy thanks to La Niña. It’s sunny every day, bluebird skies, a bit chilly in the morning, about 28F (or -2C). But the sun quickly heats it up to 66F (or 19C for all our Europeans fans). It’s going to be a nice day in the desert!

 

[Rockskipper]

Not to hijack this, but Matt may be in trouble for insurance fraud. Headlines on KSL.com.

 

[Jackson]

Utah YouTuber charged with collecting fraudulent claims from AAA

A Hurricane man known for a popular YouTube channel called

www.ksl.com

For anyone curious.

 

[Bob]

Internet is great isn't it! Just Google anywhere you want to go and go there.... To bad the internet doesn't give out common sense

 

[Jackson]

Internet is great isn't it! Just Google anywhere you want to go and go there.... To bad the internet doesn't give out common sense

It does if you do more than just plug something into Google Maps. There are plenty of comments and posts all over the Internet about how the road to White Pocket has spots of deep sand you can get stuck in.

 

[Rockskipper]

Internet is great isn't it! Just Google anywhere you want to go and go there.... To bad the internet doesn't give out common sense

Like rappelling into a cathedral? What sacrilege!

(Just messin' with ya, you know we love ya.)

 

[Titans]

It does if you do more than just plug something into Google Maps. There are plenty of comments and posts all over the Internet about how the road to White Pocket has spots of deep sand you can get stuck in.

Yes exactly..… and in addition there’s a super sized sign, “Do not enter”, one way recommended. No internet needed for that one….

Just a few weeks ago we convinced an elderly couple in a Subaru Outback from driving out to White Pocker. First day in town, armed with a National Geographic map, they were about to turn from HRVR into the Sand Hills. We met 8 (!) cars on the sandy road driving out one morning from WP. Passing each other and backing up is also very challenging on this super sandy 1 car width wide road where you drive in 1’st gear and have to keep momentum and the speed up. We had several, “oh no… moments!”
Its only a matter of time before WP becomes a permit area IMO.

 

[Jackson]

Yes exactly..… and in addition there’s a super sized sign, “Do not enter”, one way recommended. No internet needed for that one….

Just a few weeks ago we convinced an elderly couple in a Subaru Outback from driving out to White Pocker. First day in town, armed with a National Geographic map, they were about to turn from HRVR into the Sand Hills. We met 8 (!) cars on the sandy road driving out one morning from WP. Passing each other and backing up is also very challenging on this super sandy 1 car width wide road where you drive in 1’st gear and have to keep momentum and the speed up. We had several, “oh no… moments!”
Its only a matter of time before WP becomes a permit area IMO.

I had always heard that Subaru's AWD with decent tires is good in deep sand, but I guess maybe the clearance isn't good enough to avoid a high center? Looks like the couple in the Chevy in your post could have driven farther to the left or right and kept out of the ruts though.

 

[swmalone]

I saw this post and first thing I thought of was that article about Matt's Recovery that I read this morning. I don't have a winch but do carry a recovery strap that has seen a lot more use than I expected, almost all of it in Western Box Elder county.

 

[Bob]

Like rappelling into a cathedral? What sacrilege!

(Just messin' with ya, you know we love ya.)

Lol..... Nope I used to do a lot of canyonering. I have the needed equipment

 

[Titans]

I had always heard that Subaru's AWD with decent tires is good in deep sand, but I guess maybe the clearance isn't good enough to avoid a high center? Looks like the couple in the Chevy in your post could have driven farther to the left or right and kept out of the ruts though.

Yes, that would be the concern, getting high centered. Also remember you encounter cars coming towards you and somebody got to move off the tracks, actually stop and back up. It’s a situation that gets your attention!

We are huge Subaru fans! Rick drives a WRX, fun in the snow and we love the AWD! Clearance wise that one just wouldn’t make it on many dirt roads in southern Utah. Though we did bulldoze through a very sandy spot once going to Wahweap Hoodoos. We don’t think the Outback has enough clearance for those deep rutted sandy roads out to WP, CBS. Maybe we are wrong, others can chime in. A Broncos sport was also stuck at White pocket.

That couple could have done many things differently. Having said that, many have been stuck on that piece, I talked with a tour guide coming through from Cottonwood Cove Th later that day. But after all this, I’m sure we will be up next for getting stuck somewhere!

@swmalone , we carry a recovery strap as well (buried below everything else we bring). Could we have gone closer to them and done it that way, probably. The tour guides do that to many people stuck out there. They try it quick once or twice, if it works, great, if not, people have to call a towing company (exact words from one of them with 37” tires on). But there’s not cell reception everywhere in the area. The winch is like an expensive insurance policy, we figure it will pay itself back one day.

 

[Bob]

Lol....... AWD is not 4WD.......

 

[Titans]

Lol....... AWD is not 4WD.......

Indeed and BLM has also placed signs on the roads stating exactly that. Still, it doesn’t matter if people ignore it.

 

[zionsky]

That sign must be relatively new as I don't remember seeing it when I was out there two years ago. But I knew enough from research about the trap and not to go that way.