Chapter 6

We left the next morning on a sunny day that started cold but started to warm quickly. I was even more worried. The snow would be melting making footing worse and, in my mind, enhancing the likelihood of an avalanche or other snow trouble.

We headed west on the interstate until we could go south on US 24. All around us, the mountains towered and the snow was, if anything, deeper. Jen and talked quietly as we rode. She agreed that we would get George from the wagon and carry him papoose style while we rode and would stay close. We decided that we would all three be together no matter what particularly if it was bad.

We continued to slog through the thickening snow and slush to Minturn. We pulled into that town to stop. We are all cold and west and tired. The travel was taking a lot of our energy and was also rough on the horses. It was tough to get some warm places to sleep and where the horses would be stabled safely. Snows from many years and no maintenance had caused a lot of problems. The road really couldn't be seen but seemed rough. A lot of winters had come and gone but no people from what we could determine.

The next morning came with leaden skies. The cloud cover was considerable and looked threatening. We had finally gotten warm and comfortable last night and I wanted to stay put and see what the day's weather might be. Everyone else wanted to head south except for Bennie and Janice who were becoming worried as Jen and I were. The others seemed to think that, just over the next hill, there would be warmth and summer sun. It was early September and it never gets this cold in Georgia.

Preparing for the day's journey was unpleasant. No one enjoyed being outside in the cold, damp air. It was made worse by the wind which gusted over thirty miles an hour. Jen and I almost refused to leave Minturn.

We left out that morning with the Jen, Janice, Bennie, and me on point and George on my back. We had even packed some emergency supplies on our horses due to our concerns. We were headed to Gilman which was six miles away and then to Leadville which was another twenty-five. At our rate of travel, we would have to find farm houses or something as we didn't make more than twenty miles on a good day and these weren't good traveling days.

We had gone most of the distance to Gilman. The four of us had just crested a low spot over a ridge to see Gilman spread before us. There wasn't much to spread but, at least, we could see the town. We started down the hill carefully. We had found the going rough and the horses were cold, too. Everything had a feeling of heaviness to it. The hills rose on each side of the road making us feel enclosed.

I stopped us and said, "Let's go back to the wagons. There's something wrong here." We went back to the crest and waited. A minute or so later, the two wagons with Jim and his wives riding rear guard met us and we bunched up.

Roy said, "What's wrong, Mike? Let's get into town."

"I'm not sure but something sure doesn't feel right. let's think this through before we go down there."

"Dad," Jen said, "we felt threatened as we rode down a moment before. There's something wrong."

Roy interrupted, "Well, I don't see it and I'm going to move on down and find a place to get warm." With that remark, he clicked the reins and started down the road. We all stayed put hoping there was nothing wrong. Roy had gone a three or four hundred yards and was, perhaps, a third of the way down when he stopped. He stood on the wagon seat and hollered, "See! There's nothing wrong!" He went down in the seat and continued on down.

He hadn't gone twenty feet when a rumble started and the hills on both sides began to move down and toward the roadway. In less time than it takes to tell it, the motion sped up and the size of the moving hill increased quickly. Roy stood in the wagon, I think, and then the wagon and the horses vanished in the snow as the avalanche rushed down the hill.

Then, it was over. There was a cloud of snow vapor but nothing moved and the slopes of the road were clear. The only sound was the end note of Louise' scream and sobs from the other women. We men muttered curse words, even Oliver who never cursed to my knowledge.

Roy and Melody, the wagon, and the horses had vanished; wiped from the roadway like they and the massive snowbanks had never been. I had seen tornadoes and hurricanes but the sheer violence and the quickness with which it happened were almost too much to grasp. We remained stopped for endless minutes as our minds came to grips with the tragedy and our sudden loss.

As I looked down, I could see that the town had been damaged by the avalanche and we would have to go through the piled up snow to find any houses for tonight's shelter. Jim was looking about with binoculars and finally said, "Mike, I don't want to go into this town. There are snowbanks all around it and most houses are damaged. Unless someone objects, we need to return to Minturn."

We all looked around. No one objected. After what we had witnessed, going into a death trap was not a possibility. We turned around after saying a quick prayer for Roy and Melody. It was late when we arrived back at Minturn. We bedded and fed the horses. No one wanted to eat.

Jen and I went into a bedroom and held each other and George close. I finally said, "We will listen to our feelings next time. We are too small a group and care for each other too much to lose any others." I could feel Jen nod against my shoulder which was getting damp from her tears. "We will continue to ride closely, too." I felt her nod again and snuggle even closer with George on top of both of us.

The next morning, we discovered the full extent of our loss. Roy and Melody had been driving the wagon with all but one radio and all the food. We held a quick council over a small fire that had been built. Jim started by telling everyone our supply situation and then asking for opinions.

Jen looked at me and nodded. I said, "Jen and I think we should return to the Interstate and go west. We need to scout here in Minturn first for any food we can find. I never saw an antenna so there's not much hope for any more radios."