I guess it is time for an "off the beaten path" story. Throw another log on the fire....

I was driving solo in the White Mountains of Arizona, on my way to a rendezvous with two friends to embark on a fairly long ski tour (four days). As I got into the mountains it began to snow and night fell. I was creeping along in reduced visibility when progress stopped as I lurched into an impassible mound of snow. It was about 10 at night.

No problem. I was equipped for sleeping out in this weather anyway (my friends were bringing a tent, so I did not have that, but I was packing everything else, including stove, fuel, and food and water), so I simply got out my sleeping bag and slept.

In the morning, as rosy-fingered dawn was creeping through the trees, I awoke, had breakfast, and listened. Sure enough, I could hear a snowplow approaching. I was quite surprised (think the expression on the face of Wil E, Coyote) when I saw the snowplow roar by on the highway, which was on an embankment about fifteen feet above me.

In the storm, I had followed an abandoned road segment down into a deep drift. Had I gone a little further, I would have found that the bridge across the small stream was missing.

I was almost in town, so I packed up, put on my skis, and started touring a little bit early.

Had I actually been on the active roadway, some sort of signal would have been a good idea, although the car was never covered.

I am glad we are having these heated discussions.....