So what is my car capable of

Me being me always full of brilliant ideas chose to take look at the limitations of my car. I was impressed Friday during the snow storm of its ability to plow through snow without a hesitation. So today while running a few errands I decided to take a detour. I chose the unpaved unplowed roads of Rothrock State Forest. Knowing the route fairly well I felt things were in my favor. I had some minor issues on my route primarily from the snow sucking the car toward the ditches. Definitely required attention and responsiveness. The snow was softer than expected causing the narrow tires to sink a bit. Well everything was going fine and I had enough close calls to say turn it around at the next optimal location. I chose an intersection that gradually swings to the left and uphill bit coming down from a hill. Kind of an easy V. The intersection is wide and has a good run to back up the hill. So I make the left turn give it a little gas for a little run. What would normally be an easy three point turn transformed into a cluster that progressively turned for the worst. I managed to turn the car around to make the run back up the hill. Simple from here just a little gas not too much not too little.... well maybe. So that didn't work no biggie just back up go for it again. Well I guess there was some sort of weird magnet sucking my car the opposite direction I wanted it to go. Well so much for lining up the good run the car was sucked right towards a ditch leaving me with little control of where I wanted to go. I was not out of options I had the car pointed in the right direction which was the biggest fear and the reason why I did not turn the car around earlier. Like I said prime spot good run gentle turn. So the car is sitting the middle of a hill with the front end pointing up. Just a few hundred yards towards the rear is a flat spot of about 100 yards. Again easy enough throw it in reverse to go down the hill get to the flat run and out of here no problem.

You know you are in big trouble when you can't go in reverse downhill with all wheel drive. I am often questioned about the items I carry in the back of my car. Being the goofball I am with an odd sense of adventure I carry things for these occasions. The main questionable item is the giant ammo can full of various survival and rescue items. That was not what saved the day. What saved the day was the kayak paddle that has been floating around the hatch for about a week . FYI a kayak paddle makes a great snow shovel in a jam. So I managed to get some clearance and some leverage. Another valuable item is towels which help but, do not solve all problems. So got some ground cleared, good to go, just back it down the hill hit the flat run it right back up. Umm not so fast that magnet came back on. To my right was a big nasty ditch which would result in a real cluster. The magnet was located in that ditch. It is a terrifying feeling when you turn the wheel to make the car go left and it goes right. Using some sort of logic I tried to go with the flow and go to the right with it use the momentum to push through. No, bad idea ditch won. Well it was not too bad I managed to keep 2 wheels on the road with one of the remaining two in the ditch. The fourth was somewhere in between. I made an all important discovery in this process; under all of this snow is some thick compacted ice. After several attempts I was dead in the water. I used the paddle to dig a track yet I was still unsuccessful. Being determined I was not going to call for a rescue. It was getting close to 5pm so darkness was going to show up fast. As I was trying to think of solutions I recalled the lady on cross country skis about a mile or so back. Well she shows up and kind of comments on my predicament with polite skepticism. She said well I have the same car (Subaru Forester) and it will do anything with chains but, does not do so well in situations like this. Yeah I realize this. So we do some more digging and she mentions something about pushing. I would not let her push my car for many reasons one of them being pride. So she says she will drive. She hops in with Murphy (the dog) and I proceed to push. After a few attempts we freed the car. Back on the road so she say suggests I back up to the flat and get a run. Yeah right. With no other option I proceed in reverse toward the flat. I guess the magnet was still on, I want to go left the car goes right. After about 5 shots at backing down the hill I make it to the all important flat. I am out of here! Just the right amount of gas no spin just go. Umm not so fast. Yes I had to rock it out of the flat. XC ski heroine lady stood by for words of encouragement and her own entertainment. She was honestly there to help. So I created the path, made a track,and got some speed. Just keep it steady and shoot right out of it. Yup the magnet was still on in my ditch. I was smart enough to keep from going in it but that required losing momentum. After about 10 more runs I made to the intersection and with a little wiggling, spinning, sliding, and determination I made it through. So do you think I learned a lesson? Of course next time I will carry chains. I made a mental note the entrenching tool is worth putting in the big ammo can. Yes I will continue to do this. This was a case of a journey with no destination turning into an adventure. I loved every minute of it. Even when I thought about how much this would cost if I called a tow truck.