At 6am on July 15, 1982, the earthen dam failed on Lawn Lake at 11,000 feet, releasing a torrent of water down the Roaring River Valley. A camper on the river below heard the deafening roar coming and scrambled for higher ground; he made it but his friend was killed. Further down, the flood then caused failure of Cascade Dam on the Fall River, and the waters destroyed Aspenglen Campground. There the rangers had warned and evacuated campers; tragically, two campers returned to recover their camping gear thinking the danger had passed, and lost their lives. Many years later, the evidence of this flood is still striking and dramatic. A huge alluvial fan of boulders and debris is spread across this portion of Horseshoe Park.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_Lake_Dam
RMNP-Areas-HorseshoePark-AlluvialFan.html
30 years have passed since this horrible flood, and there are beautiful spring colors growing, the temporary "fan lake" created by the debris is now gone....the scene is peaceful and lovely.
Still, being a regular camper and occupant of natural areas, I find this story so very unsettling...we opted to skip the Lawn Lake hike.
Our pics of the alluvial fan, more beauty in Horseshoe Park
No comments:
Post a Comment