Monsoons Have Started.

Colorado Cowboy

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Jun 8, 2011
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Dolores, Colorado
Looks like our monsoon season has started. I woke up to rain this am. Rained the last 2 days in the afternoon. Forecast is for clouds/rain for the next 5 days. We need the moisture for sure. All you archery hunter, come prepared for afternoon thunder, lightning and rain next month.
 

JimP

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Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
Yep, it has been clouding up every afternoon up in the higher elevations but I'm not sure just how much water they are getting.

All it usually does down here in the valleys is to spit enough that you need to go wash your vehicle again.
 
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taskswap

Very Active Member
Jul 9, 2018
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It's a good lesson to always take the Rockies seriously. I know lots of people who hit the trails with nothing more than a water bottle. But three years ago my son and I were doing some late-July elk scouting near Kenosha Pass. Temps in the parking lot were high-70's despite being at 10,000' already. Lots of folks were hiking in shorts and T-shirts. We go up to around 12,000, nothing extreme (for the area) by 1pm or so and over just 30 minutes watched everything change. A huge storm moved in, temps dropped to 35 and there was lightning, rain, and hail. That's when I discovered that I had stupidly left my own rain jacket in the truck - I had taken it out while repacking our lunches and not put it back in. But I always carry emergency gear and had a backup disposable poncho.

We left the mountain in a hurry, staying just inside the tree-line as much as possible (it's the devil's choice because with no cover, YOU can get struck, but trees can kill you when THEY get struck). The whole way down I was thinking to myself "this is how the article gets written. Experienced hiker killed by lightning in summer hail-storm in the Rockies."

We kept our heads and had our gear, and made it back. But it's a great lesson. The weather changes fast around here. Bring your gear, and double check it.
 

mallardsx2

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Jul 8, 2015
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I got caught in a bad storm out in the flattops back in the early 2000's with lightning and hale the size of goofballs one time.

I hid in a hole in the rocks like a little scared bitch up under a big boulder for about an hour. lol

My hunting partners were at camp and were really worried about me. They asked me when I got back to camp if I was scared and I told them no. lol

Secretly, I was terrified and I am here to tell you It was a religious experience...
 

JimP

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Mar 28, 2016
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I think that any of us who hunt in the higher elevations have experienced one or two of these storms.

I had one blow up on me from the south while I was grouse hunting on the north slope of a mountain. There were no clouds one second and then the next it was a full blown storm that caught me and my partner out in the open crossing a rock field. W were drenched in a matter of seconds and didn't even have time to put on our rain gear. Then trying to walk across those wet slick rocks was another problem but we knew that we had to get lower and out of the open with the lightning that was popping all around us. Once we hit the tree line we felt a little bit safer but not much.

The storm pass over us in a bout 10 minutes and it was then gone and we were fine, that is until we got back to my truck and the clay based road had it's turn with us. As I drove down the hill I could feel the truck getting higher with the mud clinging to the tires. But they were mud tires with large cleats in them and all I had to do was to spin them to get the mud off and let it start building again.

We still talk about that hunting trip..
 

Bonecollector

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Mar 9, 2014
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Ohio
I got caught in a bad storm out in the flattops back in the early 2000's with lightning and hale the size of goofballs one time.

I hid in a hole in the rocks like a little scared bitch up under a big boulder for about an hour. lol

My hunting partners were at camp and were really worried about me. They asked me when I got back to camp if I was scared and I told them no. lol

Secretly, I was terrified and I am here to tell you It was a religious experience...
Lately, your stories have been more entertaining and eye opening in some cases. I'm thinking you moved away from beer to hard liquor and the truth is flowing along with the alcohol. Good stuff Mallard! Someday we'll crack one open and cast a few lines...
 
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mallardsx2

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Jul 8, 2015
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If I live long enough I might even be that old guy with a million off the wall and hard to beleive stories that nobody believes (I always did like listening to old timers stories) Heck, I might be the young guy with off the wall stories that nobody believes now. Either way, I'm OK with it. lol

When my buddies and I get together for beers its unreal the stories we can recall vividly. There was a lot of insurance claims, accidental personal blood shed, and animals that lost their lives in those stories.

Mostly, like many of you, it is just one big never-ending success story about still being alive to tell them. lol
 

Maxhunter

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Apr 10, 2011
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Wyoming
My house got damaged by hail in 2018. Had to get a new roof and gutters in 2019. The hail was the size of hard balls. The end of June of this year we got hit again by hail and another insurance claim filed. I don't mind the rain, but hail needs to stay away!
 

Colorado Cowboy

Super Moderator
Jun 8, 2011
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Dolores, Colorado
It has rained everyday since I made the original post. We got over 1" on Sunday night! There has been some flooding and roads washed out near Telluride. Hope we get some more before fall gets here, the mts were pretty dry the last time I was there a month ago.
 
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mallardsx2

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Jul 8, 2015
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Its been in the 90's with high humidity and thunderstorms every day out here as well.

I actually got the grass cut yesterday. It was high and it took everything that Scag 35HP had to get through it. haha
 
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dirtclod Az.

Veteran member
Jan 26, 2018
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Arizona
Send some to Ariz.!!
Excessive heat warning thru Sat. including the Grand Canyon.
Highs today in Phx. 116 deg.+
Winter was wet and wonderful, summer- no monsoons and blistering hot.
P.S. Send Beer!! 🍺 💥 (y)
And Women...:cool:
 
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JimP

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Mar 28, 2016
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I just got back from Denver, the Continental Divide is green and lush all the way down to Vail.

Them buck should be getting fat and sassy on all the feed.

No for beer and women, if I found any women and bought some beer do you really think that I would head to Phoenix where it is 100+ at night to enjoy them?
 

JimP

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Mar 28, 2016
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We had a real good storm move through here at around 2 pm. Now the sun is out and drying everything out.