Abandoned Jeeps on FR 315 Near Crystal

[kwhit24]

http://www.aspentimes.com/news/23123267 ... ystal-irks

Made the drive to Snowmass West Slope and the Lead King Basin TH via Marble on Saturday and heard about these 2 jeeps still in the creek. One of guys near the TH said someone was finally working on getting them out but we didn't see the wreckage since we didn't go that far on FR 315. I find it kind of crazy that it has taken almost a month to remedy the issue. I agree with some of the comments I've read questioning why the Forest Service doesn't run the plates and ticket the owners the cost of removal. Then again I don't have a good understanding of how the Forest Service operates. Maybe someone can enlighten me?

[JTOlson26]

I agree with some of the comments I've read questioning why the Forest Service doesn't run the plates and ticket the owners the cost of removal. Then again I don't have a good understanding of how the Forest Service operates. Maybe someone can enlighten me?

It seems their plan is to make them pay. Not sure of the legality of the situation necessarily, but according to the article:

“We’re committed to holding the vehicle owners responsible for removing the vehicles.”

[MonGoose]

"Two Jeeps rolled off Forest Road 315 between Crystal and Lead King Basin on July 2 and tumbled about 130 feet to the North Fork of the Crystal River. No one was seriously injured."

That's insane.

[alpha]

"Two Jeeps rolled off Forest Road 315 between Crystal and Lead King Basin on July 2 and tumbled about 130 feet to the North Fork of the Crystal River. No one was seriously injured."

That's insane.

From reading the article, I'm not sure anyone was in them at the time. It sounds like they may have been outside the vehicles using a come-along.

[SkaredShtles]

From the article:

"The driver remained in the vehicle that was attempting to pull the other Jeep to safety. He “took a ride” down the slope, Besecker said. The man told the investigating deputy that he suffered “moderate” injuries to his knee and back."

[alpha]

From the article:

"The driver remained in the vehicle that was attempting to pull the other Jeep to safety. He “took a ride” down the slope, Besecker said. The man told the investigating deputy that he suffered “moderate” injuries to his knee and back."

I read good.

[Jim Davies]

There was a comparable situation about 10 years ago in the San Juans, where some guy drove his SUV off one of the pass roads and got stuck on the tundra. As I recall, he wound up being billed a large amount for the extraction by the Forest Service.

[kwhit24]

UPDATE:

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/2326709 ... wed-out-of

Glad to hear the guys are taking care of the situation and props for trying to minimize any additional damage. Hopefully they were able to get them out safely and I'm glad no one was hurt (That is what's truly important).

[XterraRob]

UPDATE:

http://www.summitdaily.com/news/2326709 ... wed-out-of

Glad to hear the guys are taking care of the situation and props for trying to minimize any additional damage. Hopefully they were able to get them out safely and I'm overall no one was hurt (That is what's truly important).

Haha that's one road I wouldn't try to squeeze around a disabled vehicle on. Glad these guys are getting the Jeeps out, the 4x4 communities are usually pretty proactive in helping the Forest Service in these matters (which is awesome). Situations like this can sometimes give certain groups the ammo they need to lobby for cutting off 4WD access.

[EagleHammer]

Kudos to Regan Bibby:
http://www.aspentimes.com/news/23341380 ... -to-remove" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;