The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
More heavy showers expected next week
by Olivia Lueckemeyer
Mother Nature’s indiscriminate disposition revealed itself last Wednesday, July 20 when a furious bolt of lightning struck True Value, wreaking havoc on the station and rendering several gas pumps and the carwash inoperable.
“I was walking down the stairs and right outside the window there was a huge flash and the loudest bang I’ve ever heard,” owner Trent Sweitzer recalled. “I came downstairs and everybody said their ears were ringing. There was smoke everywhere.”
No one was injured as a result of the strike; however, the internet router was damaged, causing the station to close for the rest of the day. True Value reopened for business on Thursday, though some of the gas pumps are still on the fritz.
“We are still working on it,” Sweitzer said. “We’ve had technicians from Grand Junction come up here a couple of times to get those working properly.”
’Tis the season for frequent afternoon showers, and this year heavy rain is impacting not just businesses, but outdoor enthusiasts as well. A mudslide over the Upper Loop saddled the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) with two days of extensive trail repair work to remedy the damage, not only to the Upper Loop, but to two sections of Tony’s Trail as well.
According to CBMBA director Dave Ochs, this particular “grey section” of the Upper Loop, located just before the intersection with Tony’s Trail, has been subject to mudslides in the past. Over the past 15 years it has slid twice, with the third major slide last Thursday, July 21.
“When we started getting buckets of rain on Thursday I called some of the CBMBA board members,” Ochs said. “I was watching with binoculars as water was sheeting off Mt. Crested Butte, and when it ripped, it ripped big.”
Since repairing the trail becomes extremely difficult after the dislodged rock inevitably turns to concrete, time is of the essence in these situations, Ochs says. The CBMBA crew reported to the site of the damage on Friday only to discover that it was still too wet to make any significant improvements.
“When we went up on Friday it was still so wet that we couldn’t make a berm—it would just slide back down,” Ochs said. “So we just did some rock work and then went back out on Saturday when it was hardened and more manageable.”
The trail was salvaged on Saturday after a long day of heavy lifting, carving out trail and creating berms re-established the flow of the damaged sections. Ochs says unless Crested Butte experiences another dry spell followed by substantial rain, the trail should be secure for now.
Crested Butte Tobacconist and Lifted Gifts owner John Penn also suffered at the hands of Mother Nature last Wednesday after an intense surge of rainwater flooded his store. Within 30 minutes, three inches of water filled the shop, resulting in thousands of dollars worth of damage in lost business and merchandise.
“The cleaning fellows vacuumed 100 gallons of water out of here, and the fans were going for three days, plus a big de-humidifier machine,” Penn said. “There were five to 10 gallons of water a day just pulled from the air.”
“It came in like a wave,” store manager Christine Bradley said. “There was not an inch of dry floor in here.”
Although the Tobacconist remained open throughout the ensuing three days of cleanup, the chaotic atmosphere drove some customers away, and much of the merchandise stored on the floor had to be thrown out or discounted due to water damage. The only silver lining is that the flooding occurred during business hours.
“It could have been so much worse if it was after work when nobody was here,” Penn said.
On a positive note, wildflowers are blooming and the blistering temperatures of early summer are subsiding. As for next week’s forecast of heavy rain, Penn hopes for divine intervention.
“We would like the great rain god to just swerve around town a little bit.”
