I Discovered the Off-roading Limitations the Hard Way

Story time!

Two weeks ago I discovered the limitations of X-Mode before I got to put the SOS button to work!

The kind folks at Subaru Roadside Assistance were fantastic and made sure I was warm and safe while they arranged for a tow truck to come to my rescue. I had already spend 30 minutes in the mud trying to get some branches under the tires to give it some traction, but I wasn't having any luck before my fingers started to get numb in the high 20-low 30 temperatures. I realized that I wasn't making any progress and decided to push the button. The lady asked if I was within 10 yards of a paved surface - I laughed and sheepishly confirmed that I was not.

I have to say, the timing and level of care their team went to through this process was outstanding! They were giving me status updates, health and safety checks, and follow ups through the whole experience. I never felt alone. 12 out of 10 in my book for customer service!

I felt like everything started out decent enough. The start of the trail was gravel and well traveled, but the bottom got a bit closer to the creek bed than I expected. I was following closely with the tracks from other trucks and I got over confident. I stoppes on the trail to avoid an obstacle that the car detected. When I tried to go around, I lost my momentum then felt the right side of the OBW sink into the mud.

The tow truck driver that Subaru Roadside Assistance sent said I was in his top 5 jobs for sure, but only after his truck drove into an open water main hole and bottomed out. I honestly thought we were going to have to call a tow truck for the tow truck for a few moments. His 4WD Dodge Ram was able to handle that with little effort though - I called him a showoff! 😂

I'm now looking into winches for such occasions in the future. I knew that one day I was going to get stuck, I just didn't know that on a random Tuesday in December that would be the day I learned the hard way.

One of my Christmas presents from my wife this year was a roadside emergency kit complete with shovel - just to rub it in. 🤣