A series of three wet avalanches hit, crossed, and closed Hwy 89 in Logan Canyon at mile marker 475 just after 4:00 pm on Friday 3-5-10...
The situation became dangerous after a fairly large wet avalanche crossed both lanes of the scenic highway in a steep narrow section of the road known as the Dugway, dumping a deep pile of very heavy debris on the road.... Traffic was completely blocked, and vehicles pulled right up to the avalanche, both up-canyon and down canyon of the slide. People got out of their cars and walked right up to the fresh pile of snow in the road... A couple people dug into their trunks or backpacks and retrieved shovels and started to dig.
In Sherwood Hirshi's photo, published in the 3-6-10 Herald Journal, at least 10 people are visible milling around, talking, digging, and taking pictures shortly after the first avalanche occurrence. The photo is taken from the down canyon side of the avalanche and beyond the person-high wall of snow crossing the highway, 3 vehicles in the downhill lane have pulled right up to the debris, and people are out of their vehicles.
The second avalanche fell up-canyon of the first, and luckily the bystanders were able to escape the wet debris as it dribbled like melted wax across the road, floating a van into a Subaru and trapping the 3 vehicles that had pulled up to the first slide....
A third smaller avalanche added to the work UDOT crews were presented with shorty after the road crew arrived on scene...
By Cache Valley Daily
Photo taken by Eden Dupont waiting in traffic up-canyon of the avalanche.
