Gee, where do I start? Do you want the stupidest one, the most expensive one, the first one, the last one, the longest one, the one that involved the most vehicles... ?
As I have said in another thread, during and a few years after high skrool, we spent most Friday and Saturday nights out in the rice fields near Alvin TX. The mud was bottomless black clay gumbo kept fresh with the near daily rains.
I ran a '67 Jeep CJ5 first with 12x32x15 Desert Dogs and later with 14x35x15 Gumbo Monster Mudders. Later I ran a '66 Ford Bronco with 12x32x15 Gumbo's.
Things I learned:
(1) This past-time is quite expensive, but still cheaper than taking out chicks.
(2) Don't buy the wrong tire. What works great in sand and rocks in Bastrop TX (Desert Dogs) blow chunks in black gumbo.
(3) A tire knows only 2 things: (1) it is getting enough horsepower so you can make it do what want it to do. (2) how many pounds it is holding up. IE All it knows is it has power and it is supporting 1200 lbs. It don't care if there is a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Jeep, International, or a Yugo sitting on top
(4) Disc brakes are better than drums any day.
(5) Peoples who said it could not be stuck soon were.
(6) A poorly equipped vehicle driven by an experienced driver will go farther than a better equipped one with a novice.
(7) Alcohol multiplies dig out time exponentially.
(8) Do not be the only kid in town with the winch.
(9) Do not be the best/only mechanic. Otherwise it is you laying in the leech infested bog unbolting shattered parts while your buddies hold the flashlight (usually in your eyes) and drink beer.
(10) When in doubt, floor it!
I guess the most memorable outing was on a Friday the 13th, appropriately enough. The first group to leave consisted of me and 4 other Jeeps. We ended seperating and chasing each other around with no lights using only the moonlight to see.
The mud was in fine form that night and soon one was stuck. That Jeep, while trying to get out, managed to get the fan into the radiator putting him out of commission. The guy who attempted to rescue him stuck and spun the infamous AMC Gremlin/CJ5 tapered/splined rear axle. The guy who attempted to rescue them stuck and broke the front driveshaft. While I layed the leech infested bog (see above), number 5 Jeep goes for help. Part way out, the Gremlin axle spun and he stuck. After getting the driveshaft off, I started winching. I got on the best ground I could find and ran the winch out (no reel release on old B-52 bomb-bay winch). I pulled the guy out with the broken driveshaft to the better ground. We decided that we could probably pull the rest out by pulling in tandam. I warned the the person who hooked up the chain to make sure not to capture the unfused #2 wire going from the battery to the winch between the chain and tow hook.
We tightened up and all the sudden the lights got very dim. Smoke began to roll out from under the hood as I got it open. The #2 copper wire was bright cherry red as I screamed about needing a 1/2" wrench to disconnect the battery cable. Then I remembered that it was still in my pocket from removing the driveshaft. The terminals were too hot to touch and I just hooked the wire with the wrench and broke it. Surprisingly, the engine started.
Other buddies arrived to help pull off casualties, but I was the only one of the original 5 to make it to the paved road on the leading end of a chain.