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WildWanderer wrote:The date was January 4. We were coming back from a long day of terrible condition skiing at Monarch ( 15*, 45mph winds, blowing snow, etc). We'd stopped for dinner and were now on our way home. It was 7:30pm, and the roads were icy. It was snowing and very, very windy. I was exhausted (while they'd had a blast, taking 3 kids ages 4, 6, and 8 skiing all day in not so fun conditions had worn me out) so I decided to take a nap while my ex drove home. I woke up when the car started suddenly accelerating: My ex had decided to commit suicide, and take the entire family with him. He raced our truck over a cliff and into the Arkansas river (the one paralleling the 50 between Canon City and Salida). As we were flying through the air everything happened in slow motion: I remember thinking we were all going to die, and how dreadfully cold that river was. It was the river we'd gone rafting in this past summer, and I knew you don't pull people out of that river that enter via a vehicle. The Arkansas was raging even now in winter, and I could see ice floating on the top. My mind went into survival mode, knowing as soon as the truck stopped time was of the essence. I had 3 kids sleeping behind me in car seats: Which one did I save first?

"Luckily" the truck landed and got stuck on a very large boulder near the middle of the river, with the front half totally submerged and the back half sticking up, out of the water. I unbuckled all 3 of the kids and had them climb out the back window of the truck, and told them to be careful not to rock the truck in case it dislodged and began carrying us down the river (I was seriously concerned this would happen). It was snowing and cold and we'd left everything in the truck, worried it wasn't stable and would dislodge and carry us all away (so in our haste no mittens, coats, etc). The trek back up the cliff (which was mostly full of dead brush, trees, and steep snow in the beginning) seemed to last forever. Halfway up I couldn't take the kids safely any further, but that's when I heard shouting from the top: Some good Samaritans had been driving behind us and saw us go over, stopped, and were asking if everyone was ok. When I told them the kids weren't able to navigate the terrain any more they climbed down and formed a chain and helped me lift all 3 kids to safety, passing each child from person to person until they reached the top. It was the scariest night of my life, and I am extremely grateful for those who stopped to help.

On a lighter note, when we reached the top an off duty police officer was there. He asked my kids if they were alright. My youngest pointed to her cheek and replied in a dramatic voice: "No! I got a scratch under my eye!" It was from a random branch that had lightly scraped her cheek. I told her that didn't count, but she said adamantly "Mommy! It really hurts!" It was great comic relief. Yes, miraculously we were all ok. Even the truck: It took them 4 hours to remove it from the river, and when it was on the road again I was able to start it. It didn't have any dents/broken windows, etc. All that was wrong was a tire had blown and all tires were frozen to the frame (due to the water and freezing temperatures). Within 30 minutes and after changing the tire it was drivable, but declared a total loss by the insurance company due to a cracked frame. After the divorce was final and I could finally afford to, I bought the exact same truck again.

Moral of the story: Have winter driving skills and make sure you're the one doing the winter driving. Also, Toyota Tundras rock.

Greenhouseguy wrote: ↑Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:54 pm

username72 wrote:

Bill G wrote: That storm convinced me to move somewhere safer. I chose CO.

But the majority of US avalanche deaths occur in Colorado, also don't forget the Pikes Peak bigfoot and Manbearpig.

Bigfoot has never actually lived on Pikes Peak, but you can see Pikes Peak from where he lives in the Lost Creek Wilderness.