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| author | Collin Williams <96917990+bluedragon1221@users.noreply.github.com> | 2024-10-24 20:03:03 -0500 |
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| committer | Collin Williams <96917990+bluedragon1221@users.noreply.github.com> | 2024-10-24 20:03:03 -0500 |
| commit | 72685228a7aacd6daa44da3833ac2eaeb80d1e39 (patch) | |
| tree | e86bf47796f74a943fc810f89b36f100b799425e /md/12_Chocolate_Waterfalls.md | |
| parent | 46f8080b710fd4ece1f1eb56418888f8991fe27d (diff) | |
move some stuff around
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| -rw-r--r-- | md/12_Chocolate_Waterfalls.md | 75 |
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diff --git a/md/12_Chocolate_Waterfalls.md b/md/12_Chocolate_Waterfalls.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b214a26 --- /dev/null +++ b/md/12_Chocolate_Waterfalls.md @@ -0,0 +1,75 @@ +--- +title: Chocolate Waterfalls +--- + +Just after my 20th birthday, in the summer of 1973, I decided to take +a course at BYU about desert survival. I spent about 30 days in the +deserts of Southern Utah learning how to live like a desert rat. On one +hot and sultry day, my group was walking through a dusty little canyon +when the skies started to grow very dark and ominous looking. The wind +started to pick up and began to blow sand and dust into our faces. Our +leaders told us that a thunderstorm was coming our way and that it would +be a good idea to try to find some shelter. We found a little overhang +of rock that afforded us just enough room to stand underneath it as the +thunderstorm arrived. It was a nice spot to watch the show that nature +was about to perform for us. + +The sky continued to darken as the thunder cell approached. Then the +rain began to fall. First, there were only a few big fat raindrops that +smacked into the rocks and dust, making little plopping noises. Then, +suddenly, the bottom dropped out of the clouds as they dumped their +heavy load of water right on top of us. I was astonished to see our +little canyon come alive with the motion of rushing water. It seemed +like the canyon walls almost instantly erupted with a hundred +waterfalls. These waterfalls were not the beautiful crystal clear +waterfalls you see in the pictures on postcards. These were dark muddy +brown waterfalls. They looked like gushing streams of chocolate milk +falling from every crack and crevice in the canyon walls. + +The lightning was as good as any fireworks show I have ever seen. Huge +branching forks of light stabbed the ground with a mighty cracking +noise. The sudden crack was followed immediately by a bellowing boom +that temporarily drowned out all the noise of rushing water. + +The gurgling little stream in the creek bed soon became a boiling, +rushing soup of muddy water mixed with all sorts of desert debris. It +was deep enough to soak our hiking boots, but we had no fear of being +swept away by the current. Fortunately, our little overhang kept the +rest of our clothing fairly dry as the thunder cell did its best to +impress us with its prowess. Almost, but not quite as quickly as it +arrived, the thunder cell moved on and the show was over. Within 20 +minutes, the skies began to clear and the sun came out again. Everything +returned to normal except for one thing. The water in the creek was +still 6 to 8 inches deep and covered most of the creek bed in the floor +of the canyon. As we picked up our gear and resumed our march, we had to +slosh through the muddy water instead of walk on nice dry sand as +before. + +As we marched on, it slowly began to dawn on me that the creek was our +only source of drinking water in the desert. With some measure of alarm, +I realized that my water canteen was nearly empty. I began to imagine +the worst. I imagined that the muddy brown goop that we were presently +walking in was probably contaminated by all sorts of disgusting toxic +stuff like drowned jack rabbits, dead scorpions and coyote poo. I +couldn't bear the thought of drinking such a foul brew. I uttered a +silent prayer in my heart. Please let me find some other source of +drinking water before my canteen runs dry. That night I went to sleep +with a fervent hope that a new day would bring a miracle. My canteen was +now empty. + +I slept fitfully on a little shelf of rock under another overhang in the +canyon. It was about 20 feet above the level of the canyon floor. When I +awoke the next morning, I peered over the edge of the shelf to check out +the water. My heart sank when I saw that the water still looked like +dark chocolate milk. + +Expecting to die of some terrible disease, I slowly picked my way down +to the water's edge with my canteen. Maybe I could find a quiet little +pool where the water wasn't quite so nasty looking. To my utter +amazement and delight, I found a tiny little spring of water bubbling up +out of the ground just a few feet from the edge of the creek. As I +filled my canteen, my heart filled with gratitude. The water was cool +and clear and tasted refreshingly like the mineral water you can get in +an expensive restaurant. To this day, I have never looked at a glass of +water quite the same and I certainly will never again take such a simple +blessing for granted. |
