July 13 - Aftermath in Kananaskis

After seventeen days, Lyle and I have finally been able to pick up our motor home. The retrieval process was done in a series of convoys organized by Kananaskis Parks staff. We joined the convoy that was organized for this past Tuesday.

The first temporary bridge we crossed was only a short distance from Highway 1. The bridge had been built up at a very steep incline.  My thought was that at the onset of the rain and melting snow the little creek beneath the original bridge had likely increased in volume to a raging torrent, thus forcing the reconstruction with its additional height.

From this point we drove on to Wedge Ponds, where we were to meet up with the convoy which would take us further south into the valley.  The sun was shining, the sky was blue and at first it was difficult to imagine the devastation that lurked behind the trees, but we knew it was there because we had seen it all when we were evacuated in the helicopter. However, it was only after we came across the other road washouts that we fully realized the force of the water that had come rushing down the sides of the mountains.

I know that I couldn’t see all that Lyle was describing to me but what I did see was quite incredible. Lyle could see huge logs and whole trees washed into small lakes and pools of water. He could see mounds of silt and dirt along the side of the road. On the high mountains he could see the bare ground where the melting water had made tracks through the alpine snow. Close up, I could see the wide bands of gravel where once there had been narrow creeks flowing gently through the trees. Now, even just over two weeks after the storm, the water continued to rush down the mountain slopes.

There were three major washouts. Construction workers were diligently propping up road structures and repairing bridges. At one point, the ground beside the road seemed to drop vertically to the base of the valley. Above us was what looked like the remnants of an avalanche of gravel and debris.

The pictures we have taken don’t do justice to what we saw, but I will include them anyway.

The first picture shows our convoy heading down the highway. 

Convoy heading down Kananaskis highway

The second picture shows the wide swath cut by the flood of water washed down from the mountain top.

Devastation caused by flooded creek

The third picture shows some of the machines being used to repair the road damage.

Equipment working to clear highway

The fourth picture shows some of the silt and debris still lying on the roadside beside the guardrail.

Washout along highway guard rail

The fifth picture shows the convoy of cars waiting to cross the one-lane bridge.

Temporary one lane bridge

Apart from the clusters of highway workers and the occasional official vehicle, two weeks after the rains, everything was pretty quiet. This led to one positive note. We saw more deer than we have seen on any previous visit to the area. I guess that the wildlife were reclaiming their land.  Following is a picture of nine mountain sheep grazing at the side of the road.  

Mountain sheep enjoying the peace and quiet

While Lyle and I are very glad that we have our motor home back, we are still very aware of other people in southern Alberta who have not been as fortunate.  In contrast, our adventure, or perhaps I should say misadventure, was only a temporary inconvenience.  For many other people, the struggle to overcome disaster continues.