Disaster on the trail

[MikeXML320]

Wow what an eventful wheeling trip to say the least?.H3slate and I decided to go to browns camp for a little afternoon fun, which quickly turned into a nightmare. We had been up there for a few hours and did a number of trails. We were heading up a steep hill climb with narrow switchbacks, I was coming around one and then I heard a grinding sound coming from the bottom of the H2?.I stopped got out and saw fluid all over the ground. I tried to turn around but the grinding turned into clunking and I wasn?t going anywhere. I had a tooth break off in my transfer case and it wreaked havoc.
Keep in mind we are on a very steep incline, putting it in park does nothing when you have completely blown your transfer case, and the e-brake doesn?t hold well when you are on the side of a cliff. I radioed H3 slate who was well in front of me, He proceeded to turn around (I thought). I was on the phone with Rox to see if she had a trailer to get me with, when I hear H3slate saying that he needs help.
I hike up the steep incline where I see him dangling in a really bad spot(pics do not even show how bad it was), so I had to run back down to the H2 get some straps and my come along. I also had to move a few big stumps behind my car so it wouldn?t roll off the side of the mountain. We get him back down then turn our recovery efforts to my vehicle. To spare all of the painful details we got it turned around pointing down the steep hill. I rolled for 500 ft or so then the transfer case seized up and I was stuck again?..after putting it into neutral and some really bad grinding we were off again coasting down the hill (depositing t-case parts). We got almost to the bottom and I hear a loud pop in the front end?I blew a bead.
So I get to a flat spot to change my tire, get my spare out and almost roll it down the side of the mountain. Put the spare on and H3slate starts towing me out?we start hearing a lot of banging, stop and look to find another issue, had to pull the driveline because I no longer have a rear housing on my transfer case. Finally get to the highway after he pulled me through about 20 miles of trail. He goes to air up and his compressor dies?
H3 slate pulled me from the highway all the way to my house, which is about 55 miles and through multiple cities?.. We got several looks a H3 pulling a H2 60 miles an hour down the freeway?we even passed a highway patrol sitting on the side of the road in the city limits.
In total it was about a 6 hr recovery of both our vehicles. We got home around 11:00pm and H3slate had to be at work at 400am He really saved my a$$ I didn?t want to leave it up there overnight, He went above and beyond to help me out?..Thanks?and I owe you?.