Reminder: Mountains will kill you

[Poser]

I was out and about on Saturday, hiking around, exploring a bit. While traversing at 11,400 on a game trail across a willow choked scree slope (blue line), a spooked mule deer exploded out of the willow above me and hauled ass straight up the slope (red X and arrow are the approximate line) into goat country.



In doing so, the deer managed to send a number of brick sized rocks flying which triggered quite a few more rocks. Next thing I know, rocks are landing everywhere around me. I crouched down as small as I could get relying on my pack to absorb any potential impact. Rock fall went on for a good bit longer than one would expect and sounded like a few, bowling ball-size stones came down as well in a cascade effect. Nothing hit me but it was all around me and there was a lot of it.

As the sound of falling rock started to subside, I hear a white noise getting louder and louder and then crescendos to "very loud." The ground starts shaking a bit and this goes on for a solid 45 seconds or so before it starts to subside. A slide had started about 30 yards laterally to me and it took the rocks right down to the bare dirt, ripping the willow out of the ground along the way.
At my elevation, the path was only about 10 yards wide, but 100 feet lower, it was easily 50 yards wide.

Stay frosty out there.

 

[feanor]

Geez. Good reminder. Glad you’re ok man.

 

[Beendare]

Thats crazy.

Here's one; A buddy was pig hunting up in Nor Cal Mendocino area and he leans against an Oak tree on a slope that was easily 3'-4' in diameter and about 40' tall. Probably 50 to 100 year old tree.

He hears a cracking sound and the tree literally falls over right next to him. What are the odds?

 

[Grizz208]

No thank you!! Everyone stay safe out there this season!

 

[Hnthrdr]

Sounds wild! Glad you are safe. Did you see if it was a buck?

 

[Bubblehide]

I was in simular country about a week ago. Fortunately I did not experience anything like that. But the wind was howling and I did get windburned pretty good. That scree is nothing to play with, even if it is snow packed, the same can happen. I need to get back out there, as I didn't get nearly as far as I wanted to.

 

[Poser]

Sounds wild! Glad you are safe. Did you see if it was a buck?

It was a young a buck.

 

[Diced]

It was a young a buck.

Glad you're OK, always good to have those sobering reminders especially with season approaching.


But you better go get your revenge on him this season for almost killing you

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

This is why we go out there. Life is raw and uncut in the mountains and forests.

 

[shader112]

That's intense. Did you get a pic of the slide?

 

[Seth]

Thanks for the timely reminder; I’m glad you came out unscathed.

 

[Poser]

This is why we go out there. Life is raw and uncut in the mountains and forests.

To add to it, I came somewhat close to getting struck by lightning 2 weekends ago. I was out shooting from a ridge when lightening struck a tree, which almostly completely exploded, about 300 feet from me. It caught fire for a moment or 2 and I was concerned that i was going to get the blame for starting a fire from shooting, but, thankfully, the skies opened up with rain almost immediately thereafter. The shrapnel from the tree blew as far as 25 feet -super violent lightning strike from what seemed to be a very benign storm.

 

[Poser]

That's intense. Did you get a pic of the slide?

I pulled out my phone to snap a pic, but there wasn't a way to document the scale of any of it with a camera from that angle. I would have had to climb the other side of the drainage to get a worthy pic.

 

[svivian]

Sounds wild! Glad you are safe. Did you see if it was a buck?

Priorities… I love it

 

[Jmoore]

Good reminder of how stuff happens quick. Glad you're good.

 

[IDVortex]

Priorities… I love it

I mean, id be checking to see if it was one, to coke back in season to get my revenge on him. But I'm petty.

 

[Poser]

I mean, id be checking to see if it was one, to coke back in season to get my revenge on him. But I'm petty.

I hunt mule deer during (CO) 3rd rifle, which is in November. He’ll be long gone. Archery tags in this unit require some points and I hunt bear during Sept anyway.

 

[Elk97]

Glad you are OK, that's scary.
Good friend of mine died from rockfall hiking on a mountain, it's not that uncommon.

 

[Warmsy]

Whew! "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face" comes to mind! Glad you're ok.

 

[Warmsy]

Thats crazy.

Here's one; A buddy was pig hunting up in Nor Cal Mendocino area and he leans against an Oak tree on a slope that was easily 3'-4' in diameter and about 40' tall. Probably 50 to 100 year old tree.

He hears a cracking sound and the tree literally falls over right next to him. What are the odds?

Geez. I was fooling around as a kid (probably 20 or so), and I was descending a near vertical rocky cliff in Wisconsin, swinging around Birch trees to get down to the next landings, had probably done this 20 times on the way down. Put all my weight on one and suddenly fell a few feet, landing in a 90-90 position. The birch I had grabbed was rotted and fell apart in 3' lengths, two of which landed either side of my lower leg. Probably would have broken the leg had one landed in it.