Monique Card is accustomed to handling challenging trails and unexpected weather conditions, but the flash flooding on July 17 at Angel’s Landing caught her off guard.
I’m always the one who tells everyone, ‘Don’t go down there in the summer because it’s monsoon season,'” Card said. “This time we were there, so we thought, we’ll start early — we’ll be okay.
Card, 28, manages the outdoor adventure Instagram account.Travel with Neeks, where she posts about hikes in Utah and around the globe to her 59,000 followers. She mentioned that she began sharing content two years ago, although her passion for nature has been present for much longer.
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I’ve only been active online for roughly two years, but I’ve always had a passion for nature,” she said. “I was raised in Utah and have been exploring the outdoors since my teenage years, and I’m 28 now.
Her latest journey began with enthusiasm when she and a companion obtained last-minute permits for Angel’s Landing, one of Zion’s most famous treks.
We obtained last-minute permits for Angel’s Landing, so we thought it would be a really exciting plan,” she said. “I’ve visited Zion before, so yes, let’s do it again, but I haven’t been in 10 years.
Alert to the chance of afternoon rain and a potential flash flood warning, the two set out early, aiming to complete their task before the storms arrived.
The forecast indicated a 20% chance of rain later that day, but it actually occurred earlier and quickly,she postedLiving in Utah, I’ve steered clear of the south during the summer because it’s monsoon season, but this year I decided to take my chances. Flash flooding is no laughing matter, and I’m glad we’re safe! This could have been much worse.
There was a warning from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m., and we began our hike at 10 a.m., thinking we would be in and out,” she said. “Once we reached the top around 2 p.m., we noticed a few gray clouds. My friend, who isn’t usually in this area, and I decided, ‘We need to leave Angel’s Landing right away. We should run down.’
We were rushing down the chains, like—both of us are photographers—and we had our cameras with us,” she said. “We went a bit too fast for our comfort, and once we reached the bottom and got to the switchbacks, it started to rain.
Card had always regarded flood alerts with great seriousness.
I’ve always heard about the sudden floods, I’ve seen them online and made sure to stay away from them,” she said. “This was my first time going through one.
She filmed a few moments before things escalated quickly.
I posted a few videos where you can hear me say, ‘It’s starting to rain,’ ha ha, but we were both kind of laughing,” she said. “But we were thinking, oh no, is it going to start flooding? And sure enough, within three minutes, there was a big waterfall — and three minutes later, there were hundreds of waterfalls — and we were amazed.
Without cell service and facing a storm that was quickly getting worse, the two needed to act quickly and wisely.
It began to rain at 3:03 p.m., the first waterfall occurred at 3:06, and then hundreds of waterfalls appeared at 3:09 and 3:11,” she said. “We started running down each switchback — we would take shelter, run to the next switchback, and take shelter again — and every time we were under cover, we would keep an eye on the river below us.
But with every turn, there were huge waterfalls, and these waterfalls were tumbling down from the cliffs, causing rocks, dirt, and mud to fall,” she added. “So as we ran, we were keeping our necks like this, making sure we wouldn’t get hurt by anything.
There were many other people on the trail, and I believe a lot of them weren’t sure what to do, especially with lightning nearby,” Card said. “I was trying to advise people to move to lower ground, staying away from lightning while also keeping a safe distance from the floodwaters.
Some trekkers, she mentioned, continued to move upward into the storm.
There were people hiking up the trail, focused and determined, as if they had decided to tackle Angel’s Landing that day and were going to see it through,” she said. “I like adventure, but I wouldn’t take that on.
The unpredictability of the storm’s intensity made her anxious about its potential severity.
We weren’t certain yet because of the amount of water — I wasn’t sure how effective the drainage system was at Angel’s Landing,” she said. “There were areas where the water could flow, but I wasn’t sure how much that would accumulate.
It was a challenging moment because there were extremely loud thunderclaps very near to us,” she said. “We needed to move lower to escape the lightning and get below the tree line, but we had to stay high enough to avoid being swept away by the flash floods. My friend was beside me and said, ‘I’m scared because of what occurred in Texas,’ and I responded, ‘Let’s not focus on that right now.’
Card mentioned that she doesn’t believe she would have undertaken the hike that day if she had been aware of how severe it would become.
I do live close enough; I think if I had known it would flood, I wouldn’t have done it and would have tried for a permit another day,” she said. “I do understand why people get the permit and feel they have to. It’s definitely a bucket list experience.
After that hike, she has made several adjustments, such as installing new weather applications featuring radar and notifications.
I definitely plan to check the trail conditions before any adventure,” she said. “I wasn’t aware of how well Angel’s Landing manages flash floods.
She also enhanced her equipment.
We weren’t aware it would begin 30 minutes to an hour earlier than initially reported by the regular weather app,” she said. “So, I installed more accurate weather apps with radar features.
Despite her extensive experience, the situation proved to be an educational one.
The most important thing is understanding your own abilities,” she said. “I noticed many people on the trail who didn’t have a clue what they were doing—first-time hikers, wearing flip flops. For me, it was my first time in such a scenario. I knew how to manage it because of the research I had done.
And so, I know it’s a complete bucket list adventure and experience,” she said, “but not worth the risk if you aren’t experienced enough.
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