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Folks,
There has been some chatter from the ranks regarding our decision to "pull the plug" at the Assault on Allegheny event yesterday. Although I am sure I won't answer all the questions or critiques, I must try to explain.
First off, this event was set in a unique geography and climate. The terrain in the Allegheny Mountains of VA/WV is extremely rugged; the mountain grades are steep, and the changeable weather only increases the risks. We decided to stage two columns on Friday that both, once they stepped-off, would be miles from their vehicles. And not just simple road miles; miles that extended across dirt roads with steep grades (some of the slopes the Old Pike Road runs along are in excess of 70-degrees).
Second, at about 4:30 PM on Saturday, we needed to decide on a course of action. Now bear in mind; I've been going to the Alleghenies since I was a teenage boy, long before I started reenacting. I know the terrain, the roads, and the dangers that can be posed there. In the summer, it rains there every night sometimes, but these are quick, "mountain" thunder-showers, and they generally dissipate around sunset. Unfortunately, when we checked the radar images, we realized that this was NOT the normal summer event on the Top of Allegheny. A front had stalled over our area; thunderstorms, some of them severe, had started to "train", one after the other, like boxcars on a railroad track. And they were training directly over where we were. The second, third and fourth of a total of at least five cells that had formed were moving towards us, they were severe, contained intense lightning, and they would hit us one after the other, until nearly dawn (we had over 3 inches of rain).
So, we had to make a decision. We could:
1. Stay put;
2. Wait, and see if it got worse and then decide what to do;
3. Pull the plug and get while the getting was good.
Now here's where things get complicated. If we took option (1), then we would be facing the option of driving individuals down all night who DID want to leave. If someone decided to walk the 7.1 miles down to the parking area on their own, they would be doing it in total darkness, in pouring rain, and one misstep would mean we would have to do a mountainside rescue on slopes greater than 45-degrees. I do cave rescue, and believe me, trying to get someone off a mountainside in the pouring rain, who has a broken leg, twisted ankle or concussion is no joke.
If we had waited, then things could have gotten even worse. The road conditions had already degenerated when we DID pull the plug to such a degree, that it was taking the shuttle trucks a full hour to make it down and up again (only 14.2 miles round trip!) Why was it taking so long you ask? Because as time went on, the Old Pike Road was turning into a mountain stream. Traction was bad due to the saturated clayey silt soils, visibility kept getting worse and worse, and eventually the whole Pike was locked in clouds and mist. If we had waited, it would have been that MUCH worse, and then we risked the possibility of a truck going off the Pike. Not something you'd want to take responsibility for.
So we opted for (3) above.
Now let's face it, the majority of our event goals had already been met in that we accomplished the marches and the Saturday skirmishes and battle. I regret that we weren't able to do the tours of the original site on Sunday morning, but sadly, that's how things go sometimes.
If someone here want to get pissed-off at me or Dave or Scott for pulling the plug, so be it. We were playing (or being allowed to play) on private land, and the landowner even insisted that we cancel the event for safety's sake. But this wasn't an event where you could simply walk a mile or less on flat ground to get back to your vehicle. Nor did we have the luxury, as at our McDowell events, to put everyone up in emergency shelters. We had to make a command decision, and that was predicated on the safety of the participants, first and foremost. In all our years of staging events in VERY rugged and challenging terrain, we have never had a serious accident. We are very proud of that track record, and always want to keep it that way.
So before you spew vitriol and criticism our way, put yourselves in our shoes, and think about it a little more. Maybe you'll take a more mature approach towards your reproach, eh?
And one more thing...if, just if, someone had been seriously injured, or killed, because we had decided NOT to pull the plug, imagine what people would be saying then. Believe me, it would not have been pretty.
Thanks to all those who have supported is in our decision. To those who disagree, accept my deepest apologies. But to all of you who came, happy or not, know that you participated in a unique, challenging and difficult event, and helped keep the museum in McDowell open for another two years by your generous contributions. We are all in your debt.
With my sincerest regards,
your servant, et c.,
Bob Denton
Assault on Allegheny Event Coordinator
There has been some chatter from the ranks regarding our decision to "pull the plug" at the Assault on Allegheny event yesterday. Although I am sure I won't answer all the questions or critiques, I must try to explain.
First off, this event was set in a unique geography and climate. The terrain in the Allegheny Mountains of VA/WV is extremely rugged; the mountain grades are steep, and the changeable weather only increases the risks. We decided to stage two columns on Friday that both, once they stepped-off, would be miles from their vehicles. And not just simple road miles; miles that extended across dirt roads with steep grades (some of the slopes the Old Pike Road runs along are in excess of 70-degrees).
Second, at about 4:30 PM on Saturday, we needed to decide on a course of action. Now bear in mind; I've been going to the Alleghenies since I was a teenage boy, long before I started reenacting. I know the terrain, the roads, and the dangers that can be posed there. In the summer, it rains there every night sometimes, but these are quick, "mountain" thunder-showers, and they generally dissipate around sunset. Unfortunately, when we checked the radar images, we realized that this was NOT the normal summer event on the Top of Allegheny. A front had stalled over our area; thunderstorms, some of them severe, had started to "train", one after the other, like boxcars on a railroad track. And they were training directly over where we were. The second, third and fourth of a total of at least five cells that had formed were moving towards us, they were severe, contained intense lightning, and they would hit us one after the other, until nearly dawn (we had over 3 inches of rain).
So, we had to make a decision. We could:
1. Stay put;
2. Wait, and see if it got worse and then decide what to do;
3. Pull the plug and get while the getting was good.
Now here's where things get complicated. If we took option (1), then we would be facing the option of driving individuals down all night who DID want to leave. If someone decided to walk the 7.1 miles down to the parking area on their own, they would be doing it in total darkness, in pouring rain, and one misstep would mean we would have to do a mountainside rescue on slopes greater than 45-degrees. I do cave rescue, and believe me, trying to get someone off a mountainside in the pouring rain, who has a broken leg, twisted ankle or concussion is no joke.
If we had waited, then things could have gotten even worse. The road conditions had already degenerated when we DID pull the plug to such a degree, that it was taking the shuttle trucks a full hour to make it down and up again (only 14.2 miles round trip!) Why was it taking so long you ask? Because as time went on, the Old Pike Road was turning into a mountain stream. Traction was bad due to the saturated clayey silt soils, visibility kept getting worse and worse, and eventually the whole Pike was locked in clouds and mist. If we had waited, it would have been that MUCH worse, and then we risked the possibility of a truck going off the Pike. Not something you'd want to take responsibility for.
So we opted for (3) above.
Now let's face it, the majority of our event goals had already been met in that we accomplished the marches and the Saturday skirmishes and battle. I regret that we weren't able to do the tours of the original site on Sunday morning, but sadly, that's how things go sometimes.
If someone here want to get pissed-off at me or Dave or Scott for pulling the plug, so be it. We were playing (or being allowed to play) on private land, and the landowner even insisted that we cancel the event for safety's sake. But this wasn't an event where you could simply walk a mile or less on flat ground to get back to your vehicle. Nor did we have the luxury, as at our McDowell events, to put everyone up in emergency shelters. We had to make a command decision, and that was predicated on the safety of the participants, first and foremost. In all our years of staging events in VERY rugged and challenging terrain, we have never had a serious accident. We are very proud of that track record, and always want to keep it that way.
So before you spew vitriol and criticism our way, put yourselves in our shoes, and think about it a little more. Maybe you'll take a more mature approach towards your reproach, eh?
And one more thing...if, just if, someone had been seriously injured, or killed, because we had decided NOT to pull the plug, imagine what people would be saying then. Believe me, it would not have been pretty.
Thanks to all those who have supported is in our decision. To those who disagree, accept my deepest apologies. But to all of you who came, happy or not, know that you participated in a unique, challenging and difficult event, and helped keep the museum in McDowell open for another two years by your generous contributions. We are all in your debt.
With my sincerest regards,
your servant, et c.,
Bob Denton
Assault on Allegheny Event Coordinator
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