Northern Nevada off-road rescue group: The mud is merciless on the trails
Submitted by Carson Now Reader on Thu, 03/16/2023 - 7:50am
It is not advisable to off-road until trail conditions improve, says 775 Offroad and Recovery, a volunteer Northern Nevada organization that removes struck and stranded vehicles from public lands.
The group noted that especially now with the rain and added snow melt that off-road trails have become saturated with mud.
"It is never a good idea to off-road alone regardless of experience level or how well prepared you believe you are. It is critical to heed this advice right now," according to a news release from the group. "The trails in our surrounding areas have become very unstable due to the volume of inclement weather that we’ve experienced so far. Several trail sections are at capacity with very little ability to absorb the continued water or snow melt. The current mud condition has been described as “quick-sand mud."
This means that your vehicle could be on stable surface one second and, in the next, engulfed in mud and completely stuck. This grossly-thick mud will just give-way without warning and make vehicle recovery efforts extremely challenging.
Our volunteers have been out in the field and generously working hard to recover owner vehicles. However, the majority of recent requests for vehicle recovery have been from solo off-roaders. Prior to requesting assistance from 775 OFR, most vehicle owners have called in a buddy or two to help them get out of their situation which has only resulted in multiple vehicles stuck at the scene.
Please note our advice, stay off the trails for now and share this information with your trail friends.
775 OFR is always here to help you should you find yourself in need of vehicle recovery. Contact us at 775-238-3793 to request assistance or visit us online at 775ofr.com.
