June 22, 2015 - High Water

We checked the creek level after breakfast. It was a bit higher than normal, but not much. Only the people in Site 6 remained this morning. Two men moved into Site 10. The little rock bridge near Site 6 had more water in the little waterfalls.

The creek was rushing, but the water level was not up significantly. It was pretty.

 

I climbed down the bank to take a closer picture.

I made Andy’s 78-10/12 birthday peach cobbler in the morning. This time I was extra careful with my measurements. I really don’t need to be; I can make this cobbler in my sleep. The cobbler turned out much like the blueberry cobbler. Now I am suspecting my new oven. I’ll have to think about what adjustment I need to make. It was still delicious, if crispy on top and soupy inside. That would normally indicate too high a temperature.

I made a frittata for dinner. It was a culinary disaster too. It tasted fine, but was also soupy. Spence ate with us and he and Andy thought everything was delicious. They didn’t seem to care that it was flat. I did try to get fancy and arranged four pepper rings in the bottom of the pan before I put in the egg mixture.

We offered to dog sit for the people in Site 6 and they brought Piper to the motorhome in the afternoon. When her people left, she cried piteously. I got out the dog treats and called her. She stopped crying, ran over to me and sat for the Pupperoni. Then she ran back to the door and resumed crying. She did this three or four times. We took her outside to the screen room with us while we ate. She settled down and sat close to me. Spence said it was because we had her on a very short leash. We had a terrific thunderstorm and torrential rain, but the noise did not seem to bother her.

 

The creek rose. We walked around and I took pictures of the creek at around 1100, 1630, and 2000. Here is the bridge at 1100.

At 1426

 

And at 2012

Here is the upstream view from the bridge at 1102.

 

At 1628

 

And again at 2011

 

Downstream at 1102

At 1629

And at 2011

On the radio

The Job Corps center called for a ranger to come make a report. One of the students stole the teacher’s phone and she wanted to press charges.

The Cosby Campground Host called dispatch for a ranger to come make a report for the bear activity in the campground this morning. It sounded as though the bear was making the rounds of the campsites.

A 48-year-old woman, half way up the trail to Clingman’s Dome was showing signs of a heat stroke. Dispatch called an ambulance. The Clingman’s Dome volunteer reported that another woman was on her back beside the trail a bit farther up. She had asthma and needed an inhaler. A volunteer called in to say she was on her way to direct traffic. The woman with asthma walked out herself and did not want any medical assistance. I think the other woman left in an ambulance.

Maintenance Richard (452) called dispatch to say that they were having a flash flood in the Cosby Campground. The road was washing out at Rock Creek (normally very small) on the entrance road. Richard parked his truck across the road to prevent people from attempting to drive through. He said trees had washed down too. A trail crew called in to say that they were stuck out on the trail above the Cosby campground because the log bridge was washed out. They were told not to wade across the creek. Later, they said they had walked to the nature trail area to find a log bridge there, but those logs were washed away too. We heard someone say that the road was being undercut in the right lane and the road would not be safe for two-way traffic. The underground utilities were exposed. We thought Spence had left for home, but then heard him on the radio directing traffic at Cosby. He and the Cosby host were having a terrible time communicating on the radios. They seemed not to hear each other and were calling each other repeatedly. Ranger Heath was over there too and did not come to Big Creek for a bowl of peach cobbler. I never did hear what happened to the trail crew stuck across the creek.

Later, someone reported that a six-foot wall of water was heading down Ramsey Creek in the Greenbrier area. Park personnel headed to the known swimming holes to make sure people got out of the water. The surrounding county sent emergency services to make sure people were out of the creek outside the park.