Stuck in mud near Juanita Lake

Thursday, January 2, 2025, at 7:30 a.m. (PT), we received a request for help with an offroad recovery in mud near Juanita Lake, in California. The requester, Kevin Fine, submitted the following information: “Stuck in mud. Had vehicle free but trees now blocking. Stopped before it got stuck too bad. Area was frozen on top and fell into sink hole. Winch would be needed as safer access is prob 100+ feet away. Attempting again this afternoon about 3pm with another pickup with winch. Not with vehicle / I’m not with the vehicle“

Our administrator, Al Fontan, contacted the requester and verified the contact information provided, GPS location, and current situation before sending the request to local volunteers. In this particular recovery, we contacted volunteers within a 35-mile radius.

This recovery initially had one of our experienced volunteers, Marc Estep, involved from the start. I’ve personally worked with Marc on another recovery—he’s a great guy with a wealth of experience. For this case, we were looking for an additional backup volunteer.

Within minutes of submitting the request, Josh Spurlock stepped up, immediately marking himself as engaged and confirming he could serve as a backup vehicle at 3 p.m.

These types of recoveries often appear easier than they actually are. From personal experience, this terrain can be quite deceiving and challenging.

By 7:00 p.m., we received a short note in our lobby from Josh, letting us know the vehicle was recovered without incidents.

A few days later, Marc sent us some photos and a brief note about the recovery.

From Marc

“Was a fun recovery.  Happy that Kevin is a member now too.   Saturated ground with lots of bogs.  Both running and standing water.   Josh and Chelsi were a HUGE help.   So thankful they were there.  Nothing real technical.  Single line winch pulling.   Lots of trees to anchor to for winching. I had “little Debbie driver”(my wife)  come along to help out too.”

We want to thank both Marc and Josh for doing such a great job. Thank you, guys! (offroad recovery in mud near Juanita Lake)

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