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High Water in Keystone

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted April 22, 2017211 views5 comments

Photos of Keystone Canyon during the early stages of the October, 2006 flood in Valdez, Alaska. Unusually warm weather and a huge rain storm followed almost a month of heavy snowfall in the mountains. The result was massive melting on top of the rainfall. I took this picture in Keystone Canyon the day before the river covered this highway and took out most of it. The canyon had sprouted multiple waterfalls where it didn't have any before.

Sony DSC-R1, ISO-160, f/4.5, 1/40 hand held.

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on April 23, 2017 at 1:20 PM

Gary, the waterfalls pouring of the rocks both near and far tell a very dramatic story. This must have been an "exciting" trip through this canyon. Were you wondering if you'd get through successfully?

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Minish on April 23, 2017 at 3:11 PM

Mark; My biggest concern at this point was the high probability of rock slides. The high water pressure in the cracks of the shale wall can result in large slabs calving off. I also decided not to cross the two bridges in the canyon as the river was right up to the bottom of the deck girders. Crossing would have been kind of scary plus I wasn't interested in getting trapped on the other side. The only way back home would have been driving 300 miles to Anchorage, another hundred miles to Wittier and an 8 hour ferry ride to Valdez. As it turned out, even that might not have been an option as there were a number of places North of the canyon where streams and rivers had taken out the highway.

Registered on February 4, 2006, 625 Posts, 3583 Comments

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on April 26, 2017 at 11:40 AM

I drove north through Keystone this date or the day before, with a truckload of frozen fish. I remember rocks careening down onto the road. Water was running two inches deep going up the grade to Thompson Pass. A hairy ride. You've captured it perfectly.

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on April 28, 2017 at 4:38 PM

Very dramatic image - congrats on the WP!
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on May 6, 2017 at 8:52 AM

Gary, we were extremely lucky to receive the amount of rain and snowfall this year in California that we did. Something that is usually taken a bit for granted up there in vast Alaskan territory.

A wonderful look at the power of the water here.........congrats on the WP...... devil

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments