Getting out, and not needing to
What to carry, what to check before you leave pavement, and how a recovery goes wrong. Written by people who pull each other out, not by instructors.
If somebody is hurt, call 911 first.
Injury, a vehicle in moving water, or anything in a traffic lane is an emergency call, not a recovery request. We are volunteers with trucks. Nobody is on shift and nobody is obliged to come.
We are volunteers, not professionals.
Nobody here is a certified recovery operator, a mechanic or a medic unless they tell you they are, and we do not check. This is what the group has learned, offered freely. It is not training, not a standard, and not a substitute for hiring somebody who does this for a living.
- When you are the one stuckWhat to do first, and what happens after you ask.
- Doing a recovery without hurting anyoneThe short list of things that actually hurt people.
- What to carryThe things that turn a bad afternoon into an inconvenience.
- Before you goFive minutes at home that decide how the night goes.
- Trail etiquetteHow trails stay open.
- Weather and conditionsThe two things that change a Texas trail overnight: water and heat.
- Emergency contactsWho to call when it is not a job for volunteers.