WOW!!
That is a scary story!!
I had an incident that highlights a few of the same points, only I had the right clothing for the trip. Couple years ago I had a 94 S10 Trailblazer. Was wheeling on random dirt farm roads around the Air Base near Grand Forks, ND. I was out trying to scope out areas to do snow-kiting. Well, on one patch of road I went through some drifts, but then hung up the whole shebang on a large patch of deep snow. Thank goodness I had a recovery snow shovel in the vehicle. Took me a good hour or two to dig out the ruts to solid ground to get enough grip to back out.
Moral, make sure you're prepaired before you head out!! As for what JL Rockies described above, ensure that you know the trails you're following. Understand your skills and your vehicle's capabilities. But above all, make sure people know where you are going in case the worst happens!