Not to worry. The monsoonal downpours of the American Southwest are high intensity, short duration. As a result,so are the floods. Once the flood has remained at a certain depth for a period of time you can approach like these folks did. I wouldn't, but in the absence of compounding factors, secondary surges are unlikely.
I got caught in a flash flood one time, completely surrounded on a little island, cause I wanted to get some cool pictures/video and didn't think anything bad was going to happen. Never again will I mess with a flash flood.
It's refreshing to see a video by someone who knows how to hold a camera, take views and pans, and edit it all together. Great video of a very "cool" event, thanks!
@Backcountry Post: Right, because those are your only two options. Never leave your house, or stand right next to a bank that's in the process of being undercut by water and ice.
No, there are lots of other options. Assuming otherwise is kind of like assuming that your perception of the situation based on watching this video is somehow even close to as good as years of experience in this terrain and being there in the situation assessing the risks with all senses.
You are either a good editor or you have a steady hand or both. I really appreciate these nature videos when they are taken by someone who knows, or seems to know what they are doing. Good job AND THANKYOU!
@JAMES JONES Speaking of Starbucks, what is the obsession with this coffee about? I will never pay $5 or more for coffee. I can't, possibly, taste that good.
That is some amazing footage. But I must say I was a bit concerned for your safety as you were standing so close to the edge while it was sloughing off. This just proves how powerful mother nature isand we are so weak compared to its power. I am glad you got out safely. This lake needs many more storms like that to help raise the water
It’s actually dangerous to stand soo close to flood just because the ground is loose and it can easily go down with this cameraman. I am saying as an experienced man from Caucasus where the floods are more and more aggressive !
It would be interesting to know exactly how many of these it took to carve out that canyon honestly, I would also enjoy knowing how much deeper and different that canyon was after that storm.
A rare event you were VERY fortunate to capture on video. Could have happened at night, or the next week, or raining/hailing so hard at your location you couldn't see it well. Fortunate indeed.
Wow!! Must of been even more amazing in real life.! Awesome that you were there, and perfect that you thought to film it(and very good job also!!).!! Thxs.!
I could never enjoy watching people kill themselves. Regardless, as to whether or not they are aware of the danger they put themselves in, there is still an extremely high risk of getting themselves killed. The normal instinct to sense danger was either being ignored, or was supressed, either reason was probably due to pride. Proud that their video would receive high praise, Especially because they acted so "brave." Was it an amazing flood? Yes. I would have been more than able to live the rest of my life having never seen this phenomenon. Definitely.
I think you were in danger here. You never know when a bigger wave will come down the canyon. I would have run for higher ground when the rain started.
+Tom Slak I didn't say we were ready to break down camp and leave, I said that we were ready to move to higher ground (of which there was plenty) to avoid getting hurt if it became necessary.
DANGEROUS to had Parked your boat there. People need to READ the Canyons & weather ( even if the SUN is out ...it can be building up MILES away ) Live in Hurricane,UTAH ( St. George ) see this all the time in those areas.
Don't be silly.... what could possibly go wrong. Nothings going to happen to us, those sorts of things only happen to other people.... not us. That's only the stuff you read about in the news papers that happens to others. We're special, we're different, the rules of nature don't apply to us.
That is the majority of S Utah & Arizona. Imagine all the people rafting thu the canyon at that time - nightmare looking for a safe spot & having to constantly readjust your rafts' lines. Experienced a mild one -
WOW, terrific camera work and editing and a terrific natural event to observe but what the frig are they doing camped so close to the edge of a waterway in a frigging desert for? Looking up the canyon you can see whats coming and the sky is still thundering loudly -- thats like what part of warning bell don't you understand? Get to higher ground now FFS.
If you've never been in Arizona and experienced a flash flood like this, stay away from the bank and position yourself to head UP very fast. Be aware these can kill you! Nice grab on video.
That one rock jutting out on the left, was taking the brunt of the flood, saved that whole area your pontoon was anchored up to. If that rock had moved down stream at all, you would’ve been washed away! This is scary to watch!! Glad you all made it!!
How can they just stand there. They could be washed away themselves. Gee, I'm glad I live in Rhode Island and don't have to deal with nightmares like this.
I was in iceberg when this happened you can almost see where we were camped we were swept out and we came back in. We almost neibor ex with you guys but took the other side of the iceberg but it was worse for us but it makes for a great story and this is cool to see it from another perspective
Wonderful footage Nick; thanks for sharing this! "On Saturday, June 6, 2015, a flash flood came roaring through our campsite in Iceberg Canyon at Lake Powell. Ironically, the flood was filled with so much hail that it accumulated into actual icebergs that trapped us in the canyon until the next day."
As a former backcountry rescuer I would say on a scale of 1 to 10 in stupid behavior you performed a Spinal Tap 11. Folks, when you are in a narrow or wide slot canyon with a flash flood event find higher ground immediately and safely.
Oh get off your high horse. This was not a 'slot canyon.' Rather, it was a major tributary near a mainstream 'river' (the colorado) capable of draining a huge volume of water, as shown in the video. Refreshingly calm and high quality video of an awesome event.
Y'all definitely knew how to make the best of a bad situation, when it came to gathering a little bit of the hail for ice storage, or whatever you used it for. Kudos to you!!!
I kept waiting for the camera person to get too close, fall in and get swept away. Then a message on the screen that says this footage was discovered 20 years later, no one from the boating party was ever seen again. It was a little bit of a let down to know everybody made it out. If this makes me sound like a monster, so be it. And sorry.
It did look like a place I would want to be at a little more (higher) distance. Amazing though! Ice fog rising, and the rushing of water and ice even *sounded* different. Remarkable.
Hell with that. I would of got the hell out of there. Thank you though, excellent! The one that always comes to my mind are the campers that were killed in a flash flood many years ago in Sheep Creek Canyon. I remember my dad telling me about it and seeing the memorial when I was a kid.
This reminds me of only two things at the moment: Giant Milk Shake ( No Favor Known Yet) and Diarrhea from drinking the Medication for a Colonoscopy the next morning.....both are out of control.
Wow Crazy, I was stuck in a flash flood not too long ago in Havasupai on the hike down - it was right before the narrow section and we lucked out not being in there. Very unique with the ice and hail! Glad you guys are ok!
So just to give a bit of background. These people are in an arm of Lake Powell. They had parked their boat in an inlet. You are watching a flood as it enters the lake. I'm sure this storm popped up out of the blue as most summer monsoon storms occur here in the southwest.
oh my lord be careful! I live in Utah, you remember a couple years back when that flash flood almost took out those campers at lake powell? The video showed a wall of water coming over a cliff and just pounded the crap out of two boats, these flash flood out here are no joke if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time!
Backcountry Post oh that makes sense I was thinking it was somewhere around this timeframe. I need to make it out to lake Powell, never been it looks beautiful though.
Wonderful images, thank you for bringing us sights that we would otherwise never get to see. Did you have to camp there for a time to be there at the moment, or is it a well forecast, reliable time frame? Well done and thank you!
This storm was part of a decaying pacific hurricane so we knew there would be some flooding. We witnessed numerous other significant events in the days leading up to this, but not nearly as large.
Awesome Video, Backcountry Post! And what superb rapids for rafting!!! I loved rafting rampant rapids when I was younger and healthier. Only problem is when you get the "hail iceberg" dam! Then the ride is over! What a bummer that would be...LOL :)
You guys were so lucky not to become a statistic. I realise you probably had no warning of such a sudden downpour and hailstorm. Glad you got out, and thanks for sharing.
If you watch carefully, at 5.00 a tree trunk appears having been deposited by a previous flood. It looks like it is at least 5ft higher than this one peaked at. Good job you had your boat, just in case.
I think he knew the risk and chose to stay put and get some amazing footage we should be thankful for instead of scolding him for not doing what someone else would have done in that situation. If there's to be any scolding I'm going to say do what you want with your own safety, but take some precaution with the dogs for the love of all things holy my guy...and I should probably say with the women as well. Still, it was absolutely beautiful footage you got. Glad everyone was safe and able to enjoy the terrain
