text: Carnage on Kane CreekIt was the 2014 Moab Easter Jeep Safari and I was hitting the Kane Creek trail with my good buddies Verne Simons and Trent McGee. I was in my 1953 flatfender, Verne was in his 1949 flattie, and Trent was in his new-to-him 1984 CJ-7. As the trail entered the water crossings of Kane Creek, I spotted this Mitsubishi Montero, which had obviously seen better days. I never found out if it was an abandoned stolen vehicle or if the occupants had tried to cross the creek when the water was really flowing, but either way, it had obviously gone for a tumbling ride in the raging waters. Not one panel was straight, and the interior was completely full of silt. After the obligatory inspection to make sure nobody was inside, we carried on down the trail, stopping in a bend in the creek. Verne and I pulled out without problem, but Trent had the misfortune of parking atop a super-soft shelf that quickly swallowed his Jeep’s 33-inch Hankook tires. I don’t have any photos of the recovery, but video of me winching him out accompanies the online version of this column, so visit fourwheeler.com to check it out.
  Editor, Petersen’s 4-Wheel & Off-Road