Got caught in a flash flood on the John Muir Trail near Evolution Creek last July

I was hiking solo and the weather looked fine when I started around 6 AM. By 10 AM the sky turned dark and then it just dumped rain. Within 20 minutes the creek crossing went from ankle deep to waist deep with a crazy current. I had to scramble up a rocky slope and wait 3 hours for the water to drop. Lost one of my trekking poles (it floated away, RIP) but kept my pack dry by holding it over my head. Has anyone else had to bail on a crossing or wait out a sudden storm on a trail? What do you do when a normal route turns risky?

3 comments

3 Comments

nathan_patel14d ago

Wow that sounds terrifying! I'm so glad you made it out okay and kept your pack dry, that's honestly impressive hanging onto it like that in waist deep water. I had a similar scare on the JMT near the Palisade Lakes a few years ago, got caught in an afternoon thunderstorm and had to wait it out huddled under a rock overhang for almost two hours while hail piled up around me. The creek crossing thing really gets my heart racing, that's one of those situations where one wrong move could be really bad. You handled it smartly though, scrambling to higher ground and waiting it out instead of trying to push through too early.

wesleyjohnson14d ago

Man, that's rough! A buddy of mine had a similar nightmare on the Siphon Draw trail in the Superstitions. He was in a dry wash and a flash flood came outta nowhere, water just appeared around his ankles and before he knew it, he was scrambling up the bank with his dog under one arm. He lost his trekking poles but somehow kept his pack and his sense of humor about it, said he's never looked at a cloud the same way again. Wild how fast those creeks can turn, right? Glad you both kept your cool and made it.

jessicamiller14d ago

Wait, how long do you usually wait before trying a crossing like that? I'm way too impatient for my own good, tbh. You had way more discipline than I would have.