2021-06-21, 07:50 AM
(2021-06-21, 06:23 AM)DAW89446 Wrote: May have been the very reason for the recent tragic incident on Willow Creek by the AZ couple.
It's sort of like what happens to some Himalayan climbers: they get so obsessed with their objective, they exceed their limitations. The AZ couple were experienced back country hikers/campers, had water and food, etc. but got into country that was too rough to traverse safely.
They overestimated the capability of their vehicle as well. I have a Subaru Outback, and while it's a very capable vehicle, I wouldn't take it out in this kind of area without some serious modifications - skid plates, big AT tires w/ 2 spares, etc. This couple's Subaru was just showroom stock, with street tires. People need to understand, JUST because your car has AWD or 4WD doesn't mean you can just hop in and go anywhere. I've met several people who believed exactly that. This couple got 2 flat tires, and everything else spiraled out of that.
One other thing: I've been off-road in DV a few times with some very experienced guys, and I noticed that they try very hard to never go out alone, in a single vehicle, for obvious reasons.
Here's an article about the AZ couple. It has a link to a YouTube of a guy driving the full length of Gold Valley Road. He made it a few days after the AZ couple's disappearance. The comments on the video are very interesting as well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/20...r-lofgren/