Granite Mt 1.18.05

With the previous days monsoon like rains and today's predicted wet weather I chose to use something under the canopy of the forest. My intent was to go to the Ollalie Lake overlook. The drive to the trailhead was suprisingly dry, but of course, it started to rain very hard upon my arrival. I quickly headed for the cover of the trees where the passing shower quickly stopped. There was considerable fast moving water over the trail for the first half mile. I continued on to around 2900ft where there was a torrent crossing the trail. I picked up the beagle and crossed without incident. As I rounded the next bend I was treated with another similar creek crossing. This time however there was a bit too much water for a safe crossing. I would also have to contend with the potential of a much worse crossing on my return if the rains were to return. I decided the prudent move was to turn back. I decided rather than return straight back to the car I would take the Granite Mt. trail. The trail was bit slick with the wet ice over most of the trail. I continued on to about 3500ft. The return trip was a bit tedious but I managed to remain upright for most of the slippery descent. On the drive home I marveled at how much water was in the South Fork, I could only imagine what the Middle Fork might look like. My curiosity got the better of me so I drove up the Middle Fork Rd for about 4 miles. Words could not do justice to the sheer amount of water in the swollen river. The water was very much over it's banks and made the drive a bit uncomfortable along the river. It seemed not too unlikely that the road could easily be undermined in more than a few spots. It never ceases to amaze me the ablilty of nature to move astronomical amounts of water.