Trooper Glenn Godfrey was stationed in a one-man post, Northway, Alaska, in the late ‘70’s. Northway was the last post on the Alaska Highway in those days, so the closest help after that had to be the Mounties of the RCMP. That stretch of the highway is really lonesome and really cold in the winter.

Trooper Godfrey was on his last patrol of the day. He had driven west to Tok, planned to drive back to the border crossing, then head home; the air temperature was about 65 below zero. After passing a guardrail, he noticed tire tracks leaving the road. He stopped, backed up, and saw that the tracks left the roadway and went down a steep embankment. He followed the tracks down and found a family of six, shivering in the cold, with no cold weather gear. They had unwisely put all of the arctic clothing in a trailer, which had overturned when the car went off the road. Had Trooper Godfrey (later Commissioner) not stopped, all six people would have died.

Every trooper in Alaska carries a shovel, axe, and a crowbar in the patrol car or truck (most carry additional gear). These “pioneer tools” are often handy for a variety of uses. Military vehicles have also carried the same tools, sometimes with a pick, on every vehicle. When your car or truck is up to the hubs in snow or mud, a shovel can make all the difference. I’ve had a winch bolted to the front bumper since before I went to Alaska, along with a variety of tools and gear that can save my life when “stuff” goes south.

Too many people today jump in the car and head from Seattle to Minneapolis with a bottle of water and a granola bar, wearing shorts, flip-flops, and a t-shirt in the middle of November. They don’t think about wind, rain, snow, breakdowns, crashes or anything else that could happen en route. After all, they have a smartphone or iPad with them, so they can call, text, or email if anything goes amiss. I call that driving stupid, and every year people die stupid.

I never park the car without at least a half tank of gas, usually more. I always carry gear, food, a map, and water in the vehicle, and I never rely only on Google maps or GPS to navigate. I’ve seen too many cases over too many years where folks have died due to a lack of preparation. Just last year a family became snowbound on the south rim of the Grand Canyon - the GPS said there was a road; GPS did not say that there was a foot of snow on the road. The only reason the family survived was that mom was a triathlete who managed to walk over twenty miles, in a foot of snow, to a ranger station - all survived.

There are things every person who drives should carry in the car whenever they drive: paper maps, a compass, a first aid kit, flashlight, shovel, road flares, water, and a blanket or two. A secondary load should be carried, tailored to the season. Since I write this in early November, we’ll talk about winter. 

So, you’re driving with a friend and decide to drive up in the mountains and play in the snow (you were headed to a mall). You leave the pavement, drive up a Forest Service road, and run into snow. You have only summer tires on the car, but you seem to be doing fine…until you’re stuck. You rock back and forth, spin the tires, try to dig out with you non-gloved hands…until you’re soaked, thirsty, sweating, exhausted, have no cell signal, and it’s getting dark.

The first rule: STAY WITH THE VEHICLE! In any season, a car or truck sitting in the middle of the road is easier to see than one person walking. Car, truck, boat, or airplane, the rule is the same- stay put. The vehicle provides shelter from whatever the storm, and, if properly equipped, should supply water, heat, and food for the duration of the emergency.

Rule Two - STAY ON COURSE! If you plan a winter driving trip, map out a route of travel, tell the route to someone you trust, and stick with it unless the route is closed by weather or a zombie horde. If you choose to or have to deviate from the primary route, let someone know. Years ago, a couple said they were driving from Glenallen to Seward (south) with the grandkids. A spur-of-the-moment decision sent them in the opposite direction; the incredibly stupid decision to drive around a “road closed” sign and proceed down an unmaintained, snow-covered road led to disaster and death. The Troopers spent days searching in the wrong direction while the family froze to death. Don’t die stupid.

My truck has a good space behind the seats. I carry a small Action Packer with gloves, a siphon pump, light, flares, first aid kit, a tow strap, jumper cables, and a small tool kit; I carry the same set up in each vehicle. I carry an AR carbine and a two-day bug-out bag in a Maxpedition Gyrfalcon™ Backpack; I’ll cover this bug-out system in a future article. I use the Ironstorm™ Adventure Travel Bag from Maxpedition for the food, stove, sleeping bag, etc. Like every Maxpedition bag I’ve used, this bag is well made and has the option of attaching additional bags or pouches. The Ironstorm holds it all easily, and has concealed shoulder straps should you need to carry it any distance. I attach a second trauma kit from Adventure Medical and a compass, in small Maxpedition pouches, and attach a Glock folding shovel. The bag is tied off to the seat supports so it won’t fly around in a crash.

SOURCES

- Gear bags, rucks, etc.: www.maxpedition.com

- Quality Outdoor / Survival Gear

- Streamlight

- Adventure Medical Kits