I have to wonder what the situation was on the regular forest road that made the detour seem like a better choice. A large puddle? A dead cow? (There’s open range about a quarter mile away.)
Whatever the reason, I can imagine how the driver felt. I’ve done a similar thing more than once. Such is life off pavement.
And right now there are a bunch of victims of tropical storm Helene who, if their vehicles weren’t washed away, will be making iffy route decisions. Is the mud dry enough to drive on? How deep is it? Is there any pavement left underneath or is there a drop-off? Is there any road left at all beyond what I can see from here? Should I turn around? Is there room to turn around? And so on.
It’s easy for me to be smug and think (or say out loud), “Hell, I live in a van and I would’ve fled the region at the first word of an approaching storm, if for no other reason than I don’t like massive amounts of rain very much.” But I have enough empathy and humanity to feel ashamed when I think that.
May you not get mired down — literally and metaphorically. Make wise choices, and drive on.
It was too warm in Kanab, so my choice was to head northward and to higher elevation near Bryce Canyon.