High rack in the back of the Jeep, thermal only, driver had zero NVG and we were cruising along without white light, no moon:
Driver could not see a 4 foot drop off and neither could I. I thought I could see everything - wrong. We were cruising along at a solid 5mph or less, coming up to what looked like a small dip. That small dip turned out to be a 4 foot drop, right into the off side of a creek bank. There's a lot of support built into the high rack to include horizontal and vertical bars. While I was so happy I didn't get racked, I could hardly breathe because I got the wind nocked out of me.
After we gave it our best college try of getting that sucker unstuck, it was time to head back and get the pick-up. It was a warm summer night and I had about 400 yards of what felt like the tallest grass around thanks to a perfectly manicured hay field. I was wearing flip flops and shorts which made for a very shitty time avoiding anything that could resemble a copper head or rattler.
Lucked out on both fronts. Didn't brake a bone. No snake bite.
Lesson learned: NVG or bust. Be prepared to walk.