Last night was terrifying
Went on a guys trip to Johnsons Shut-Ins the last week. Go ahead and Google what happened there last night. I don't really know the point of posting this here but I feel like sharing.
It started raining around 11pm. The tents held up fine for a while.
I remember waking up at one point to hard rain. I checked the tent but things seemed fine. That was probably about midnight or 1am. Around 2am I woke up cause something felt wrong. The tent was moving and shaking.
I opened the door and saw chaos. It was like looking at the sea in a storm, and I was being carried off by the rushing water. We were swept into a shelter, where I was able to find footing to grab my kid (I was telling "GET UP, GET UP NOW" the whole time) and toss him onto a table out of the water.
I managed to grab quite a bit from the tent and toss it on too and then wedge the tent between two trees.
I then saw the other tent from my group float past. I couldn't help them.
My kid is crying, a torrent of rising water is at my feet, and I spotted that the bathroom shelter nearby was higher up. I grabbed my kid and had to fight my way through the raging water worrying I'd drop him with any misstep. I made it across and we were the first ones there.
Slowly others came. First my FIL and then other campers tricked in. We didn't know what had happened to my bil or my nephew, just they they'd been swept away. My FIL had been sucked out of the tent when he opened the door.
Another family we could hear yelling across the water. A father and son stuck in the trees. They showed up later at the shelter, apparently the son had been pulled away from his dad but wedged on a tree and was able to escape. The dad went back to find the rest of the family. They were all ok.
A few hours later, my bil and his son showed up. They'd been pinned by the current to the trees for at least 2 hours. Hypothermic and exhausted, but safe.
Dawn came and the rain stopped. We gathered what ever else we could find and then left through flooded roads.
I'm glad you're ok. It was terrifying but you did the thing - you handled the crisis, got your kid to safety, helped the people you could in the moments you could.
Good job. Please take care of you now, that was a lot.
Thanks. I'm in the backseat with my kid sleeping next to me. I should sleep too.
Yes if you can, if you can't yet, then as soon as you're in a safe non-moving location and your brain can rest.
I'm so glad you and your family made it out safely!
Flash floods are some of the most dangerous events people will ever be exposed to. Things go from normal to life-threatening in seconds, with little or no warning. Having a flood wake you in the middle of the night is about as dreadful as anything I'd ever want to contemplate.
Kudos to you for keeping your head, but don't be surprised if you've got some PTSD stuff going on after that. I know it was a while before I went out in a sea kayak again after getting caught in a near-hurricane storm microcell, but that park looks too pretty to avoid forever.
I certainly have a new fear about camping during any stormy weather. It was a terrifying experience. I'd already been lecturing my kid about the power of water (we'd been kayaking and playing in the Shut-Ins all week) and this really drove it home.
I give my kid a lot of credit too - he listened, song exactly what I told him and when. He was in good spirits after even if he was terrified during.
Damn. I'm also glad you and your family are all okay. You did well, that's a terrifying experience.
I hope you're asleep right now, because you've definitely earned some rest!
Tried sleeping but I don't do well in the car sleeping. I still have many hours to go before I get home - good old Midwestern attitude about "well it's only 10 hours away by car".
Well if people are taking turns driving, maybe you can play Tetris? It does help mitigate PTSD, though not sure how soon you need to play it for it to have an effect.
Within several hours generally, but distraction, especially one that lets you fall asleep without trying is still good
Incredible story, just shows how things can go from 'this is ok' to an emergency very quickly. Scary stuff, happy to hear no one was lost. Good on you for keeping your head together and not panicking.