When I hear a live cam feed with sound of the Irma winds - it reminds me of a sub-alpine back country camping trip my partner & I took years ago in Washington State. Stupid us - we didn't check the mountain weather forecast before we set out.
We enjoyed a rigorous, yet beautiful, hike up Bald Mountain to Cutthroat Lakes and set up camp with our brand new tent. The next day, we explored the trails, took in the breathtaking scenery, and picked wild blueberries.
Late on the second day on the mountain, heavy rain clouds gathered overhead & it started sprinkling, so we tucked ourselves inside our sleeping bags and were contentedly reading our paperback novels, when we suddenly heard an eerie sound. We looked at each other in disbelief and terror. It was the wind roaring up & over the mountain like a freight train. "This can't be good" we said, bracing ourselves for what was apparently coming.
Throughout the night, we were assaulted by death-defying winds with only our tent between us and the elements.
Needless to say, after the first onslaught, we forgot about reading our paperback novels. The powerful wind gusts kept coming, hour after hour all night long - one terrifying freight train after another, threatening to derail the entire mountaintop.
Each time the wind swept over us, our tent flattened a mere inch or two above our faces - rattling & rippling beneath the currents like a demon-possessed sheet, portending inevitable doom. After each gust passed, our tent popped right back up to its original form and we burst out with incredulous, maniacal laughter that it hadn't been ripped to shreds.
I remember taking a mental inventory of where I had seen any tall trees standing. Thankfully, since we were at subalpine altitude, there weren't many tall trees. I was terrified of a tree being uprooted and crushing us.
We were exhausted when morning finally arrived and when the winds finally receded. We broke camp faster than I've ever broke camp in my life and hi-tailed it outta there.
When we arrived back home, we learned that some other hikers had been tragically killed on another mountain during the same wind storm. A tree had fallen on them. My partner and I were very saddened by the news - especially since we had narrowly escaped death ourselves.
I'll always remember that truly frightening freight-train sound of the wind - fearing at the time that I may not survive to tell the tale.
Hearing that sound on the live-cam of Hurricane Irma in Key West reminded me of that harrowing night.
I pray that everyone in Irma's path survives - humans and animals alike.