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Two stuck trucks, a limerick and a day (almost) fishing

I got out of the truck and looked towards the sky. I shook my head in disbelief. I was fully appreciating the moment things went from bad to worse.
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Scott Haddow recalls as day in 2014 that involved not one, but two stuck trucks, a dirty limerick and an almost fishing trip.
I got out of the truck and looked towards the sky. I shook my head in disbelief. I was fully appreciating the moment things went from bad to worse.

It was April 2014 and I was way back in the bush on an old road that was converted into a snow machine trail in the winter. My uncle’s truck had just slid off the trail and gobbled itself up in about four feet of loose snow.

This was the truck that was supposed to pull out my SUV, which was stuck about five kilometres further down the trail.

All I could say was wow.

Let’s back up further. I headed out on this April day with two friends to get in one last ice fishing trip on a trout lake. I had done it many times in years past with no consequences. On this day though, I put my SUV into the loose snow off the trail way past any normal help.

I called my uncle for help. Uncle George, being the good guy he is, came right away with his 4X4 truck. He maybe got about one minute down the trail before he got stuck. He wasn’t paying attention to the trail while pointing at a lake he used to fish.

So here I was in the middle of nowhere with two stuck vehicles on my shoulders. All because I wanted to go fishing.

Getting an ATV, snow machine or 4X4 stuck is almost a bizarre rite of passage. Almost everyone I know who ventures out in the bush has gotten stuck.

I have been getting machines with wheels stuck since I could operate them. I got mountain bikes stuck as a kid. I get cars stuck as an adult. This one, though, was a doozy.

No tow truck would even dare go down the trail. One tow company driver laughed me off the phone.

Luckily, my uncle had a friend who knew a friend who had a tractor. When we rang his bell, this older fella, in his late 60s or early 70s, came out in coveralls and a big leather hat. He said we were lucky as he was just getting ready to have a few beers and watch movies.

He first came along and pulled out my uncle’s truck, and then he pulled out my SUV.

I gave him all the money I had on me, which was $40. He then broke into song and sang a dirty little limerick, which really helped lighten the mood. He told me he would have done it for free because it was the first time, but wasn’t going to refuse the money. It gave me a good chuckle.

No matter what, the time will come when I get another vehicle stuck in a bad place. It happens out there in the wilderness. I’m OK with this.
Still, I didn’t get to drop a line in the water.

See you outside.

Scott Haddow is a freelance writer and avid outdoorsman in Greater Sudbury.

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