While not exactly a real search and rescue, today's epic endeavor into the remote Palmer Creek unit with the park's chief ranger did end in what technically constituted a SAR operation. This post will start where the previous post leaves off. For details and photos of the rest of the day's events, refer to April 1st. No, this was not an April Fool's gag, though the rangers called in for assistance thought it was. More on that later.

The drive down the eastern of the two established "roads" in Palmer Creek was gorgeous this evening as the sun dipped low in the sky. This area is geologically distinct from the rest of the national park, and I was thrilled to see it during magic hour. As we drove along, the "road" (in the roughest sense of the term) followed terrain similar to that in the Stronghold unit that I am familiar with. Steep ups and downs through creeks and drainages, eroded cuts and deep holes in the earth to avoid, ever shifting tire paths in the road that adjust for mud and changes in the evolving landscape. Keeps you on your toes. The ranger's rig handled everything remarkably well, and he even commented that this vehicle doesn't require four wheel drive to negotiate the rough stuff. It was indeed impressive. Some of the steep, tall slopes can give you the feeling that you're going to slide sideways down the embankment or topple over backwards. Everything was going swimmingly until we were just about to the end of the longer road into the unit, right in the heart of it, deep in, far from the nearest anything and anyone. We saw no evidence of any other vehicles being out here since the last rain. At this point, another drainage crossing presented itself, and it didn't look any worse than those previous. If anything it seemed shallower and less steep. However the dip at the bottom was just wide enough that the rig got caught up without being able to get back up. After much going back and forth, we determined that the issue was not lack of traction for the tires. Instead the back end was hung up on the embankment. I inquired about a shovel so we could dig our way out, but sadly the ranger's multi-tool that included a shovel had gone missing from his truck, so we were out of luck there. I dug for a while with a stick, but made little headway. The ranger made the call to the south unit ranger for assistance, knowing it would take him an hour or more to get to us. We gave directions as best we could, though the chief ranger had lent out his GPS which he usually has on hand.

We waited and watched from atop a nearby butte as the sun set. Darkness fell all around and the stars came out in full before there was any sign from our rescuer. We had him on the radio and cell, and periodically the rangers took turns running lights and sirens so the other could hear and locate. It didn't work for a long time. The south unit ranger wasn't sure which road we had taken, so followed a different one for a while looking for signs of travel. Seeing none, he turned around and headed down the road we were on. By about 8pm or so I saw flashes of his headlights, though it took a long while yet before he made it out to us.

Once he was there, we assessed the situation, and the south unit ranger opted to cross the drainage and try to tow from the front. He pulled out his winch, and evaluated the truck. This rig, sadly, has no tow hooks. There is a piece mounted to the front of the bumper that's attached to the frame, so he tried hooking the winch to this. Pulling it in, it was enough to shift the rig a little in the drainage, but the piece mounted to the truck snapped under the force. Re-evaluated the situation, discovered that the truck was hung up on the spare tire under the back end. It was resting on the embankment. Because the rig has independent suspension, there is no front axle to attach the winch to. Really, there was nothing to hook the winch to besides that add-on piece. So, he hooked it to the other side that had not broken, figuring perhaps we can get enough movement before it breaks again to loosen the truck and then drive it out. Better than that, it held long enough that he got it up the embankment, and then towed it out by driving his own rig further on.

This right here proved the worth of the south unit ranger's huge rig, a Chevy with a leveling kit, winch, anchoring kit, spot/search light, etc. We were mighty pleased to have those features at hand. Even after getting the truck unstuck, we still had the long drive back out, made more treacherous by the lack of daylight. The south unit ranger led the way with his searchlight, scouting the best approaches to the drainages to get us safely back out of Palmer. At one point, his rig got stuck in some deep mud, but in the end he was able to back out of it and go around. We got back to the highway, across from the White River visitor's center, and stopped to thank the ranger yet again for his skilled assistance. The chief ranger and I drove up to Scenic, where we met up with one of the north unit rangers who then gave me a ride back to housing so the chief could head a different direction to pick up his car and drive home to Rapid. I got back home a little after 11pm.

When the chief ranger made the initial call for assistance, the south unit ranger thought it was an April Fools joke. Took some work to convince him of it's actuality. Not knowing how the situation would unfold, the rangers followed their standard procedure and had a backup ranger staged in the town of Scenic. When the south unit ranger made the call to get him out, he too thought it was an April Fools, and did not want to leave his home and family for a prank. All in all, it was a great experience, and quite the adventure. The next morning was an all-employee meeting for the park, which I attended. When it was the chief ranger's turn to give updates and talk, he ended with the story of getting us stuck in Palmer. I went out for a hike for the day, and when I stopped back in the visitor's center was told that he left an envelope for me. Inside was an official ranger patch and a challenge coin. So awesome.

Stuck Truck.

Seriously wedged in the drainage.

It really doesn't look that stuck, and this crossing really
didn't look that bad. Goes to show, things can change
from good to bad in an instant out here.

Stuck truck in the distance.

Truly, this crossing is nothing compared to most
we had already navigated.

The sun ducking behind the
buttes, struck truck at the base.

South unit ranger arrives. Surveying the situation.

Chief ranger and south unit ranger assessing options.

Stuck Truck at night.

Winching out to the truck.

Looking for tow points, options very limited.

And it makes it out!

Following the south unit ranger out of Palmer Creek,
through some steep crossings.

My Badlands National Park
challenge medal.

Park ranger patch. So awesome.

What an unbelievable day!

The park's Chief Ranger offered to drive me down to the south unit today, introduce me to the ranger down there, and talk about ideas for getting me into those areas more. This all revolves around the exhibit I'm building towards next spring at the Dahl Art Center in Rapid City. It will focus on the south unit lands, and I would like to interweave the historical and cultural context. At the very least I will include my own stories and experiences as a park Artist-in-Residence. Chalk up today's events as one of my most memorable experiences here in the park, to date.

First off, we drove out to Sheep Mountain Table, which I have done before. I have not, however, driven to the end of the table since I have never had a vehicle that can negotiate the insane 'road' surface. Think two ruts in the dirt and in places one rut is 18-30" higher than the other rut. You feel like you're about to tip over. So much fun. Next we rolled down to the White River Visitor's Center (HQ for the south unit) where I met the south unit ranger. We proceeded over to the Red Shirt Table overlook on the far west side of the Stronghold district to check on the area where the Chief Ranger organized a clean-up effort just last week. Still need to get a helicopter in to remove the piles of old tires that are too deep in the ravine to get out otherwise. We then drove north to Red Shirt village, which I had not been to before, and over into another access point from the west into Stronghold. Then back down to BIA 2, which crosses Cuny Table on the south edge of the park, and over to the slide road. I love this spot - the overview down into the park, the crazy road, the fence and gate. Next over some rough two track that skirts the edge of the rim to Stronghold Table (historically, culturally, spiritually significant location for the Lakota). Walked around a little bit out there. Then back to BIA 2, past the visitor's center again, and across the highway to the road that leads towards Palmer Creek unit. Attempted to do a quick in and out of Palmer, driving in on one of the two roads that heads in there, this time the road that I had not been on before. Spectacular views here, so remote. We navigated the terrain, including some particularly steep passes in and out of drainage beds that feel like you're about to tip over backwards. After one very intense incline, the ranger remarked again about how great the rig he's driving is, and how well it handles without needing the four wheel drive. Indeed, I was most impressed. I'd have been leery of taking some of those inclines in an ATV even, but this truck handled great. Well, it did until we were just about to the end of the "road" in the deepest part of Palmer Creek, in the curve of the wall of badlands. For that spot, the tight fit and mud did us in and we were stuck. The sun was going down. We were not getting unstuck. Serious middle of nowhere. It was epic. The search and rescue endeavor that followed is a story all of its own, so I will give it a post of its own. Finally got back home at 11pm. What an awesome day!