Yep, always the high ground. It can be raining miles away, when a roaring deluge from it engulfs the entire area, bank to bank, brown water. We were concerned about this in the night on an earlier trip to the east end. The lightening lit up like daylight, the thunder was horrific above, the showers and wind pounded and caved down the dome tent. We could hear water begin to rush in the nearby stream, but could see nothing of it. The unknown was scary. We only knew that a monsoon storm would typically pass in an hour or two, which it did. We took torches (flashlights) and walked naked in the night as things calmed to inspect the flow. It was never a threat, but we didn't know.
This time of year, we wouldn't expect such a storm. We had seen them in the distance, they were intense, but not as in summer, they were local and moving. Still, we don't know, what the odd weather patch can deliver. We pitched on high ground, that looked like it hadn't gotten a huge one in years and knew where to run if catastrophe hit. All along the creek, I watched for signs of previous high waters. I have seen the brown waters there. I know it during monsoon. Ankle deep can be shin high and slow moving, much slower. In this camp spot, the channel is very thin and would fill up higher in the squeeze, but it is a straight shoot after a bend. A large rock outcropping forms a barrier directing water away from a U shape cove, so that the sand builds up, but the thrust of the flow passes by. It would have to be quite a rain to wash us away. The trees had been there quite awhile, anchoring the sand. It was just burst of cold and wind chill, and pass by. We never knew if one would sustain or not. The canyon channel, I suspect, also created extra breeze, Bernoulli style.
Jbee
