Stuck in the Mud
From Montpelier I was going to head west and find a different way to cross the Divide. I didn't account for the extra wet winter and the recent rains. I actually slipped into the gulley when it ran across the road about 100 yards further. I was unable to go forward and in 100 yards backwards I was not able to get out.
From here I walked about 5 miles until I could get a ride to a place with cell phone coverage. At this spot there was a guy in a Jeep calling for a tow truck... I wasn't the only one that day... He agreed that the tow truck could get us both out when it was here & we could split the cost. As we talked further, he thought that with his knobby tires his Jeep might be able to pull me out (after all, I had taken the commemorative picture already so he knew what he was in for)
He was right, and the Jeep was able to pull me out. He pointed out that I was really lucky to get stuck where I did. Not only would the tow truck not been able to make it, but had I gotten another mile or so deeper into the mountains, it was so wet from all of the rain that I probably would have had to wait a month for things to dry out before anyone would even make the attempt at a pull.
So the lesson here is, no more slick muddy roads until I get knobby tires & a winch.
stuck
Mud