The Flash Flood That Almost Killed Us!!!

So aside from all the fun we had, we also experienced a pretty scary situation during our first night down in the canyon. At about 1:00 in the middle of the night, we were nearly washed out by a flash flood! If we would have camped about two feet lower, we really could have drowned! The initial "boom" of the water rushing through the canyon was so loud and "crashing" that at first impression, I didn't even think it was water. About three seconds later, the entire gorge underneath the cliff's overhang was entirely filled with water. The small creek had become a wide rushing rapid river! So wide in fact, that we couldn't risk crossing the river in order to get to higher ground. We were trapped! Not to mention the fact that it was pitch black! It was pretty scary looking out over the black water with our small flashlights, unable to see the opposite bank. Luckily our prayers were answered and the water didn't rise! These pictures and video were taken about 12 hours after the flash flood. By now, the water has dropped about 2-3 feet. These huge muddy deposits of sand are what the water left behind. We hiked through thick mud the whole way out of the canyon :)