It has been a busy spring for Big Hill Towing in Cochrane. While heading off to test your vehicle in an off-road adventure seems like a good way to keep busy, many people are calling out for help when they get stuck in the mud or even in rivers and bodies of water.

Jackie Richards from Big Hill Towing says that they have been getting calls from off-roading hotpots around Cochrane. “It's been an unusual kind of spring, there has been a lot of recoveries north and west. There are a lot of people escaping and heading out to Waiparous and down the Trans-Delta road and they're getting into tough situations because they're not, you know, terribly experienced. They're maybe not able to recognize when the situation is becoming difficult, ie, the water is rising.”

"Truly experienced people who are well set up and they know what they're doing, they're going out in groups and so if they do get stuck they're looking after each other.  It's not the super well-experienced people that are calling us because they get themselves out."

If you are planning on going off-roading, make sure your vehicle is well-equipped and you have all the proper supplies, always follow the signage posted along trails and make sure you are traveling in a group of three or more vehicles.