One of the first things I remember about camp was the storm, composed of strong winds and rainshowers that hit us with full force for an unrelenting 20 minutes. We got to camp and set up our tents rather quickly, since we did see dark clouds looming over us and expected a bit of a drizzle, maybe even a small shower.
Well, it was a shower alright. My tent was literally flattened and soaked right through. Another team members' tent was in similar shape. The chairs we sit on for our debrief circles were thrown around and some fabric was ripped in our med tent. What is amazing and really shows the power of the storm is the fact that the wash around our camp, which is usually dry, literally became a fast flowing river. Oh, and there was hail. Just to make everything more fun. Had anyone stepped into it, they would have been washed away. I unfortunately lost my camera so the pictures I have of that day are gone.
It rained almost every other day in the desert, and it was a very interesting experience. First of all, bear in mind, that the desert soil is extremely fragile and most of the rocks wash away quite easily. When it starts to rain, streams immediately form in the ground, and as it keeps coming they become thicker and thicker, especially as they connect with one another. They begin moving more and more rapidly. If enough rain falls for an adequate period of time, small yet fast moving rivers form.
Rain can bring about relief. During one of our patrols (and the first time I got dehydrated), the rain that started falling on us on the way back was at first very relieving. The cold water splashed on our skin as we began the trip. Soon we became soaked and got very cold and almost began shivering. It was a relieving walk back to the car but not as pleasant as one would have imagined.
For migrants, the wet weather also carries risks. If the rain falls at night time (and it often does), people get drenched and most do not have dry or warm clothing. As the night draws in, it gets even colder and hypothermia can and often does set in. The other huge risk is flash flooding. NMDers walk on trails that we know well and usually have a good knowledge of the terrain, a terrified person traveling from Southern Mexico or Guatemala often does not. A fast moving river in the mountains can easily wash someone away and people have drowned in these things.
Because of the intense heat, the water usually dries up as soon as it comes, if during daytime. One of the craziest things is that after G and I were drenched on that day, less than an hour later our clothes were completely dry and felt like they had been in a dryer. The river that raged around our camp on the 5th was gone by the next morning, nothing left of it except the wash.
Storm, July 7. This happened in Arivaca, on our way to camp. A friend and I went to Tucson for a few hours where I bought a new camera and he ran some other errands, then went back with some other people to Byrd. Arivaca is a small town close to Byrd camp. It got pretty bad and the wash around camp was flooded again so we had to stay at a friend's place who lives in that area, and go back the next day.
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