[at-l] The Mistake... Nine years ago, on 9/17/99

[Mara Factor]

Yesterday's mistake wasn't immediately obvious when we woke up this morning.  It was only when we left the shelter to continue our hike that the mistake became apparent.  Here's my journal from that day:

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Day 185 - Horseshoe Canyon Lean-to - 0 miles - 2036.7 total

MAROONED BY FLOYD!  [The waterlogged remnants of Hurricane Floyd arrived in this area a day earlier than we had expected and dumped 10" of rain on an area that had just received 7" of rain the week before.  The ground was already saturated and could hold no more water.  The runoff was extreme.]

It had rained steadily all yesterday afternoon, evening, night, and into this morning. We once again took our time getting ready to leave hoping the rain would let up. We said good-bye to a woman, Joyous Tears, who had arrived after dark last night and was heading southbound. She was trying to get to Caratunk to meet friends. Why she did not just call them from Monson, we do not know.

We left the shelter just after her and were amazed at how yesterday’s dry streambeds were raging and how the river through the Horseshoe Canyon was now an impossibly fast and high volume torrent. Without much discussion, we noted the height of the water against some landmarks, walked the loop around the horseshoe bend, and retreated to the shelter. We were a bit surprised that Joyous Tears had not returned to the shelter.  

We had just 2.25 miles before our ford but with that amount of water here where the water level had been so much lower yesterday, we just assumed we would not be able to get across until the water started receding.

Back at the shelter, we examined our food situation. We each had enough for dinner and a very minimal breakfast if we were to find ourselves here overnight. Twice, Yak and Yo went down to the river only to find the level unchanged. While none of us wanted to stay here another night, we settled into the shelter for the day.  We talked about moving the two miles to the river in the hopes the river would recede but no sooner had we nixed that idea than the rain which had abated for a while, started up again.  It was certainly more comfortable in the dry shelter than it would be hanging out along the riverbank in the rain.

Yak heard on his radio that this county was under a flood watch or warning. Duh! The rain was to come to an end in the afternoon with some showers to follow. Well, after the rain ended here, we had more rain. Not showers, rain.

We ate our dinners and joked that we no longer really had any food to hang in our food bags. We had nine miles and a river ford to do tomorrow on just a snack or so apiece. It promises to be a very hungry nine miles and we are already looking forward to stuffing our faces once we get to town.

We now go to sleep knowing that if we cannot ford the river tomorrow, we will be totally without food. This is an uncomfortable position to be in. I cannot help but to note the irony of the timing in relation to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement when I would usually do a 24 hour fast.  [I think this was two days before the holiday and I was beginning to wonder if I would have an enforced fast this year.]

We were also a bit concerned about Joyous Tears.  She had never returned to the shelter.  We just hoped she wouldn't be crazy enough to try to cross the raging river.  

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I now know never to stop at a location if there's a chance of being trapped between rising waters.  But, our predicament continued...  When we went to sleep, the river had shown no sign of receding, our maps showed no other way out, and we were already hungry.

Mara
Stitches, AT99

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