Slight Chance Has Arrived

There's not going to be any moment by moment video here because it all happened so fast and I don't normally carry the Go Pro on Kobae hikes. We've hit the bottom of Hurrah Pass and arrived where the road levels out but still a mile and a half or so from Base Camp, travel time 90 minutes. I'm reading my book and marveling at our amazing luck so far. The sky is very dark, there's lots of lightning, but I haven't had to close the book once and put it in the protective plastic bag. I know the signs and I'm ready. When the first gust of wind hits the front has arrived and I have a couple minutes to get my rain gear on and look for any sort of shelter. Here in the flat part of the road though there isn't any shelter. The wind hits me, I'm putting the book in the plastic, pull my fanny pack around to get my rain gear but in less than 10 seconds after the wind hit the rain is here. Kobae has stopped and pulled everything inside his shell. The rain grows harder, it hurts. I've got my rain jacket on but the wind is so hard my rain pants are blowing straight sideways. I can't put those on without lying down.

I look behind us and see a side by side coming from Hurrah. I struggle to get my pants on. Look behind me again and the side by side has turned around and is leaving. They saw us but I don't blame them. They have to get back across Kane Creek before it floods or they'll be out here all night. I've been through this before. I bend down above Kobae to protect him as much as possible and we're going to wait it out. The rain is furious and every drop stings. We might be here for thirteen minutes (shortest so far) or for four and one half hours (longest so far). Two side by sides pull up. The first with two people in it and the second with one. They ask if they can help. Lightning is flashing everywhere and the rain is so strong we have to yell to hear each other. I ask the couple to watch Kobae and the two seater with only one person in it to get me to Base Camp to get the truck before the floods come.

Arriving at the lodge water is just starting to come down the creek/driveway but it won't be long. We have ten to fifteen minutes to retrieve Kobae and get back before it's a river. Returning Kobae has moved slightly off the road seeking shelter. Two of us pick him up and put him in the back seat of the truck and then we all race for the lodge. We don't make it. There are two more places just like this pouring into my driveway.



 The rain stops and within about 30 minutes the first creek is low enough to drive across where we can get to high ground and see what we're facing to get to the lodge. Surprisingly it's not too bad.

The down hill by the Base Camp sign, a problem in previous floods, held up pretty well while the driveway at the bottom of Base Camp survived but it took a beating. We got the side by side and truck up, unloaded Kobae, and our new friends from Georgia headed to town to beat Kane Creek flooding. They called me when they got to town to say not much happened anywhere else, just here.

Story of my life.