Even though I didn't ask Bob the previous night, I suspected that the plan for the day somehow involved the Nephew's Land Cruiser. Had to be since Bob didn't have another vehicle except that wreck of a wrecker.
Sure enough, when Holly dropped me off at the yard, there was the Cruiser. With the hood open and two heads stuck deep inside. This doesn't look good. "Only fixing the fuel pump" they said. "A precautionary measure". Yeah, sure. It took them about an hour to complete the repairs and then the three of us were on our way: Nephew John, Bob and I. This time we were smarter. I brought extra water. Bob brought a spare axle to repair the broken one and he brought a hand held radio with a phone patch. John brought an extra fuel pump and extra gas. Finally it looked like success was on the horizon. The cruiser ran like a top, even when we hit the trail. As we geared down and started up the hill, something inside me was stirring. A sort of uneasiness. Not quantifiable, just sort of there. As we ascended the face of the Hill, just past the third set of berms, John noticed someone along the side of the trail. A man. A very hungry man. He flagged us down and we stopped and talked. He has been lost for several days. (real tough to do since you can see ALL of Tucson from his current position). He hasn't eaten in a couple of days and wants to know if we have food to spare. Not a chance, dude. Get your own lunch. As we listen to this fellow's story of hard luck, my uneasiness comes to a head: I forgot the keys to the truck!! minimal chance of breaking the interlock on the steering and don't really want to damage it so there is only one solution. At the next rise we radioed the Forest Service to report our lost friend. Then, I used the phone patch to call Holly at work and to tell her to bring me the truck keys at the same place she picked us up a few nights before. This, of course, means that I'd have to not only walk OUT of the canyon, but BACK UP as well. But at this point it didn't matter. It would take John and Bob several hours to swap axles, there was plenty of light and the temperature was warm. Just another walk in the park.
Holly was insightful enough to bring me a burger, fries and a soda. After gobbling down the food, I said "I'm swimming back to the ship of fools". We both laughed at the comedy of errors before us, unaware that things would only get worse.
The walk back up the canyon was a breeze (I was in shape now!) and I didn't get very wet. Upon my arrival, John and Bob were putting the finishing touches on the front axle and just about ready to go. Maybe our luck has turned around, I thought fingering the keys in my pocket.
Once the axle was installed and packed with grease, we were ready to go. John put all the tools and support equipment back in the cruiser. Bob fired up the wreck and unhooked himself from the boulder. I spotted.
"OK bring it on back" I shouted and motioned with my hands. "GrrrrrrrrrrrrrSNAP". The wheels lock. The wrecker slides for the lip, stopping in the ruts dug by the previous days experience. By now, Bob has his head hanging out the window, teasing the clutch and staring at the front wheels. No, the front wheels aren't turning. Yes, the drive shaft is turning. Yes, Bob, the front axle is broken. Again.
Sadly, the OTHER side of the axle was broken. This was the side for which there was no spare. What rotten luck! Bob cussed and fussed, John tried to console Bob. I sat in the dirt and stared at my boots. After about 30 minutes, it was clear that we could accomplish no more. Bob reeled out the cable and affixed it to the boulder and took a strain. I loaded all the remaining gear back into the cruiser and piled into what little back seat there was.
The three of us were silent as we worked our way down the switch back to Agua Caliente Wash. Finally, with a note of desperation in his voice, Bob said "How may I going to get my truck home? I make my living with that truck!". I though about it for a while. Clearly, given the severity of the trail, a bigger wrecker wasn't the answer. Then, half joking, I said "Let's get a D-4 (bulldozer). Its more than strong enough to pull the wrecker and the truck out. They can't cost that much to rent and we'll only need it for one day. I'll bet we can rent one with an operator too". Bob looked at me like I had accused the Virgin Mary of being a slut. I thought, "Lighten up, it was only a suggestion". To break the icy silence, I said "Let's look on the bright side here, at least we're not hiking out of the canyon again!". Neither John nor Bob responded. Sometimes, its better to keep your thoughts to yourself.
Bob's parting words were "Be at the yard at 0800 sharp tomorrow morning. We have a lot of work to do!". My parting thoughts were "WE? What you mean WE, White man?".