Floods: A Reflection on Preparation and what it teaches us about the Wild-Wilderness

Angry. Unexpected. Uprooted.

Angry. Unexpected. Uprooted.

The recent flooding in my adopted town of Boulder, Colorado has provided me with insights about myself and the world that we love to play in.  I lost my home. It was devastating.  I understand now why people go through so many emergency procedures for the worst case scenario, and although it may be perceived as contrived, the same lessons can be considered when we go out into the world and play.

Nighttime riding along the CU Campus

Nighttime riding along the CU Campus

1.  Always have a headlamp with batteries and know where it is.

This is something that came to mind at 2:30am when my roommate pounded on my door to tell em that the house was flooding and we need to get out.  I didn’t know where my headlamp was.  The power needed to be cut because of the rising water level, that water could easily become charged if it were high enough.

In any situation, the headlamp is one of the most critical components for safety and rescue.  It can be utilized as a tool for SOS on the side of a rock face.  It is the eyes of the night.  It is our closest friend outside our food, clothing and shelter.

Devestation along the riverside

Devastation along the riverside

2.  Never think you are totally safe.

The moment inevitably comes when you grab the “oh shit” bar in your car, you pull a piece on a trad climb or you may fly through the air over the trail on mountain bike; you may have skills, you may be physically fit but when the rubber meets the road, rock or terrain… bad things can happen.  The easiest ways around this are:

Tell friends where you are going.

Bring backups to your backups.

Extra batteries are never too heavy. Nor is extra water. Or food.

Have an exit strategy.

Are you about to try a new hard route up the North Face of the Eiger? Have an exit strategy. Know where you need to be, where your gear is, and where the point of no return is.  What time of day is it?  What is the weather like?  What happens if you…??  I luckily had my gear packed in plastic bins so I can climb or camp at a moments notice.  There were food bars in there, I knew I would be okay if I grabbed my gear bins and headed into the flooded landscape.

 

What happens when the path out washes away?

What happens when the path out washes away?

3.  Don’t be afraid to say NO. And, don’t be afraid to ask for help.

We work together and travel in pairs, we get married, we have friends all for the sake of community and shared responsibility. This is the same in the wilderness, in the thick of it.  We want to trust the people we are with, their characters and their insight.  We need to share safety and be responsible for one another and to make the decisions which create difficulty at the expense of our ego.  There are some points of no return.  We grow at the moments where we feel most vulnerable, tested, extremes of our limiting beliefs.  If we can push beyond the barricades of self, we can set up a lifetime of enduring growth to share with future generations.

The trail is shut down and you don't know how else to get out.

The trail is shut down and you don’t know how else to get out… What now?

4.  Ask hard questions.

How can you assume that you know less than your partner, or the party members of your group?  Ask questions, ask for help. Ask for the pros and cons going through someone else’s head so everyone involved can make a thorough and well-informed decision.  One person is not responsible for the entirety of the group’s well being, EVERYONE in the group is.  It is like an outdoor family.  We all have a range of accountability to the group and must be clear from the beginning to hold those boundaries.

 

Our playground is gone.

Our playground is gone.

5.  Generate the worst case scenario. Then plan for it.

Shit happens. A shark bites, a swarm of killer bees lives at the belay station,  a skunk ran across the trail, the tourists ate your Cheetos.  What else could happen and how else could it go wrong?  This is the case of the worst possible outcome, and it is your response which can be the matter of life and death.  What did I grab when the water came in my house?  Gear: My waterproofs, food, hiking boots and rubber boots. That’s all.  Nothing else mattered because if I were going to be swimming through my living room, I wanted to stay warm and dry, have a bite to eat and some warm sleeping bags to utilize.  Nothing else mattered.  How would you be prepared?

 

Cleanup after evacuation

Cleanup after evacuation

6.  When all else fails, make the toughest decision of your life.

I had to do it.  When my roommate was freaking out, I needed to leave.  I left them to their devices.  Much like Touching the Void, I had no other decision to make.  I cut the rope.  I left them behind in order to save myself.  His freakout was exacerbating my level of anxiety surrounding the flood.  Nothing else matters other my own sanity.  It sucked.  It made me feel bad for the other two roommates, but honestly I needed to get out of there.  Sometimes when you’re in the woods you need to leave to get help.  Sometimes self-preservation overcomes the necessity to try and save others.  If you get hurt trying to help them, that could be the worst feeling ever.  What is worse? There is no other option than to leave.

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