Blacktails: Things are heating up!

[Wentrot]

I was trapped out there with my brother behind white water rapids. Thankfully stuck with a good tribe of folks (9 of us) ... I took 2 days but we were able to divert the rapids into 3 sections and build a path of benches through, then take advantage of the cold snap and break in the rain. It was sketchy, but we got all the equipment out (thanks to a good bushman and skilled driver named Edward) except one of the two trailers. One guy had a deer to eat on so we ate well and tossed rocks for a couple days.

HBC member Salty came and helped us out too. We are now safe here in Hope with Salty.

good to hear! He’s a good man.

[caddisguy]

Made it home. Not a scratch on me. Salty had his own challenges coming back through the hairy highways and came to help first light in that little window we had to get equipment across and took us and other "refugees" in.

I'm not ready to process all that went down in any coherent fashion other than Salty was my savior and refuge, and that me and my brother are home safe and sound.

Thank you!!!

[Huntingtyler123]

Very good man salty and I’m glad all of you are safe

[caddisguy]

Right on!!! Glad to hear it. I heard about this from Danny and was wondering when you guys would make it out.

Post up your full story here in a new thread! Sleeping in your jeep for a week couldn't have been very comfortable.

Good to hear about the deer in camp. That certainly helps!

Oh definitely. I'll get a story up with pics and video eventually.

Sleeping in the jeep for a week was totally fine. The only real discomfort was not knowing how long it would go on for and how it would play out in the end. Otherwise it was pretty much like a normal hunt/camp trip, just batting some extra innings with some amazing people. I'll never forget the 11km tribe. I'm sure we'll all get together again.

Anyway will try to get a post up maybe this weekend.

[Salty]

Made it home. Not a scratch on me. Salty had his own challenges coming back through the hairy highways and came to help first light in that little window we had to get equipment across and took us and other "refugees" in.

I'm not ready to process all that went down in any coherent fashion other than Salty was my savior and refuge, and that me and my brother are home safe and sound.

Thank you!!!

This whole deal was a trip. I get an inreach from caddis Sunday night that he and several other rigs are trapped behind slides on the Skagit. I’m like wish I could help you man but I’m trying to get home from Vernon and m now in Merritt via Spences bridge in a monsoon my only chance home is 3 and it’s looking sketchy as hell but I’m going to try. We basically wish each other luck. He says emergency folks know of his situation. 4 or 5 hours later I roll in to Hope eyes big as saucers. All these routes closed not far behind me I guess.

Crashed around midnight slept like a log. The next day I think about caddis and the he must be home by now and shoot him a text but didn’t hear back. Eh.. must be busy. Hed inreach me if still in trouble. That night at 10 or so he inreaches me! They’re still there, SAR obviously swamped he wonders if I can post a thread on HBC to ask where the first slide is. Dude I got no internet and phone is phooked LOL. They’re fine for the night lots of food. I say I’ll get out and see how far I can make it in the morning.

I wait a half hour after first light. Sneak around some barricades weave around minor washouts and logs. Cross two good size slides one 6 feet deep but luckily the dry cool night has allowed the slurry to dry and i make it to a sharp cut where a creek changed course at 9.5 Hmmm �� think I can make it but not sure. Nope if I get high centered I’m ****ed and stuck here and then he’s got no intel. I don’t know for sure if I can walk to them. Was just going to turn around and head out to phone service and text caddis what I’d found as planned and here comes a guys on a side by side. Yes! I found them.

Polish Ed, this guy is a friggn hoot! �� he sees I made it this far in my truck so he’s relieved. He takes me back t the stuck group ( he just busted out of the big mess where they were and was on recon). Turns out they weren’t far at all. and I meet caddis first time face to face. Lol. More work and screwing around and everyone except some RVs are out. Highways by then had sent in guys on side by sides, choppers flying around all is good. Then they’re all stuck in Hope so we put up caddis his bro and a fellow from Vernon. Plus another stranded guy that my wife works with.
And…. This may sound weird the whole thing was huge fun for all. Never met a more content bunch of refugees.hahaha
Alls well that ends well ��

[IronNoggin]

Alls well that ends well ��

Nice Work Sir! VERY that is!!



Cheers,
Nog

[Salty]

Cheers Nog…

it was worth the price of admission to see the smiles when they saw me and knew there was a way out. But gotta say I can’t imagine a more chill group for been stranded two days and one really really bad night. There were boulders the size of small houses crashing down either side of them through the worse of it. One buddy got a beauty 4 point they’d all ate a quarter already and apparently had a huge pooled goods soup the night before. They all laughing and joking soaking wet in the crick clearing a path. Friggin hunters, what a breed

[twoSevenO]

Good job to everyone involved! I had heard from Danny about the group in Skagit but everyone west of Abbotsford was screwed as far as trying to make any rescue efforts.

Good on ya! Big thumbs up.

[caddisguy]

Good job to everyone involved! I had heard from Danny about the group in Skagit but everyone west of Abbotsford was screwed as far as trying to make any rescue efforts.

Good on ya! Big thumbs up.

Oh man when I turned on the VHF scanner listening to all the truckers and SAR it was evident not the typical washouts but our situation was petty compared to highway situations and houses flooding. We were just campers batting extra innings.

I want to write this up but just need time. Until then, huge thank you to Salty, Edward, the fellow who engineered and built out or path, supplied food, everyone shoveling and tossing rocks, etc, everyone who worked hard and kept a cool head (100% of our tribe) cooking, sharing, helped us or anybody else, thank you.

I hope we can all get together again for a campfire.

[nature girl]

Well first of all Caddisguy congradulations on getting a deer earlier this month.
And just crazy what you and your brother and the other fellows had to go thru. So happy that Salty could help you getting out and letting you stay at his house. That is what HBC is about.