Why I hate mountains now :)

[Knuckles 904]

On Tuesday I was on top of a mountain installing a huge communications system when it began to rain about 3pm. I didn't really worry about it at the time and continued working. The next time I poked my head out of door was a few hours later and noticed all the rain was beginning to freeze and it was snowing out. There was about a 1/2" of frozen rain/snow on road. Ok I thought I better get out of here, but couldn't even get my van out of a relatively flat section of road so there was no way I was getting down. There are steep declines and many hairpin turns, and I wasn't about to try. The road borders a ledge almost all the way down with no guard rails.

 

So I got to spend the night in a little 10 x 10 room, minimal heat and packed full of equipment. Concrete floors are not good to sleep on (even without a bad back). I had to wait until about noontime the next day before I could safely drive down the mountain One good note was I was still on the clock and at least got paid for a miserable night

[promatolya 5]

hehe. That'll teach ya to not mess with mother nature .

 

Who needs communication anyway when ya got internet... Something H. J. Simpson would say

 

Good to see you made it out safe and sound tough, even if it was with a little discomfort.

[gogoblender 3,072]

Owch Knuckles. That's not my idea of a warm, cozy fall evening next to a roasty fireplace with steaming bowls of New England Clam Chowder to warm up too

 

Freezing rain is so dangerous. A lot of people think it's an almost innocuous part of nature, but a few years ago it shut down Montreal, other parts of Quebec (the province I live in ) and sent all of us Technoratti scuttling to shelters or having our homes heated with propane fuel tanks or bbqs. I'm glad you didn't try to wrestle your way down the hill. And even with your back up against a cold concrete floor, the kind of danger you could have put yourself into while driving would have been worse than anything you're walking away from that night in the hut.

 

I'm glad you got out okay, and even more glad you got paid!

 

Do you guys get double time or something like that when dangerous conditions keep you stuck out there like that?

 

 

gogo

[Knuckles 904]

Actually I just kept working til about 1100pm. then laid out all the coats/sweatshirts I had and made a pillow out of my gym/duffle bag Wish I had thought to bring a radio with me....was a pretty boring night. Typically I get 'time and a half' after 40 hrs, but in this case entire time stuck will be double time. And I get to go back there next Tuesday ! Will be bringing radio/tv/laptop etc etc

[gogoblender 3,072]

Will be bringing radio/tv/laptop etc etc

 

 

...and a little bit of Ancaria maybe?

 

 

gogo

[Knuckles 904]

Part II

 

Got stuck on another one lol. Thought I could beat out a snow/wind storm forecast for the late afternoon. Got up to mountain real early (around 5am) and got to work. About 2-3 pm the wind picked up and it started to snow so I thought I was being smart and headed down. Now the road is uneven and gravel, but I thought I wouldn't have issues getting down. Well the 1st mile was easy, and then I realized I might have another long day. Because laying across the road was a massive tree. I had no room to turn around and the incline was too steep and snowy to try driving up in reverse.

 

So I need help getting down. After a few phone calls I got a hold of the local fire dept and the phone call went something like this....

 

Fire Dept: Palmer Fire, where is your emergency?

Me: Umm I'm on Mt. Wilcox, and have a tree down blocking road

Fire Dept: Can you give me your exact location?

Me: Umm up at the very top

Fire Dept: Can you be more specific, what road, which peak?

Me: there's more than one #%$@ road !! and what do you mean which peak?

Fire: Ok calm down...we're here to help you...just tell us how you got up there, from which main road, landmarks

Me: Hell I don't know...I just followed another guy up, but we came up from Rte 20.

Fire: Ok there are 2 ways to get there from Rte 20

Me: oh great!

Fire: Relax we'll find you

Me: Does it help if I tell you I'm at the State Police Antenna Tower?

Fire: Yes, I know what road you're on now, we'll be there soon

 

Well 'soon' meant another 3 hours, seems all the nice wet snow and wind brought down about 5 trees. It was almost midnight by the time I got down. Now I know a lot of firefighters, seeing as I maintain the radios for numerous towns. But I got a new respect for them that night. It wasn't life threatening or anything, but those guys worked their butts off getting to me. Miserable weather and dark out and nothing but smiles and "how are you?' from them all. Even invited me back to Fire Sta for a cup of coffee and a precautionary check-up (once they found out I had a bad back and tried moving 1st tree). Said I was the 3rd or 4th call that day from people getting stuck on mountains roads so I guess I wasn't the only fool who thought I could get out before the snow hit.

 

And I get to go back Tuesday....Woohoo

[Genenut 8]

should come up and visit our local tourist attraction, several 5k peaks all right next to each other

 

[Schot 407]

Knuckles umm.... I think you might want to start avoiding mountains, lol. Didn't you also get your arm smashed on a mountain:) I dunno dude. This mountain business doesn't seem to be goin well for yah. Mom's mountains however might be worth getting trapped on.