Salley-Jarrett called the National Weather Service in Pueblo, just like she did every night, on July 11, 2014, to ensure there would be no emergency weather situations that may surprise campers in the middle of the night. The Weather Service told her there was less than an inch of rain predicted to fall on their camp site. 

However, Salley-Jarrett said the rain that caused the flooding came from the peaks of the mountain, which saw much more than what was forecast. 

“When it was raining at the top, we didn’t know what it looked like until it was upon us,” she said. 

Salley-Jarrett recalls seeing the flash flood separate portions of the campground. As she tended to the evacuation of campers and staff, she noticed the men’s staff house grew further and further away, divided by a fast-flowing stream of water.  

“I had just called the National Weather Service, and we had just let our guard down, and it was within minutes that everything happened at once. Even if you are prepared and have systems in place, there’s a lot that can happen that you can’t be prepared for until it’s going on at that moment,” she said. 

Salley-Jarrett said putting trust in her fellow camp leaders and staff was hard, but she will forever be impressed by the professionalism shown by the scouts and staff during evacuation due to the safety drills pressed into them.  

“After an experience like that, you view things through a new set of lenses. You understand why you have drills — drills save lives. You understand why we have systems in place — these systems assure people are accounted for, especially in a camp-setting,” Salley-Jarrett said. 

On the day of the flash flood, some areas of Colorado Springs saw 18 inches of standing water, but records indicate that there were no deaths reported, including at the Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch.  

Even though no one from the campsite died, Salley-Jarrett says that traumatic, late-night experience bonded many of the staff and campers for life.

Just one year before the flood, the scout ranch went through a 13,000-acre wildfire that forced the evacuation of 78 campers and killed as many as 80% of the area’s trees.  

Despite back-to-back natural disasters, Salley-Jarrett said she saw the same campers return, time and time again.  

“The people came back, and they continued to be there. The traditions were there, it maybe looked different, but it was still there… it never stopped,” she said. 

The Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch closed doors in 2023, switching ownership from the Santa Fe Trail Council based out of Garden City, Kan., to a rancher based in Huerfano County. Still, Salley-Jarrett is in contact with campers and staff who were present for the fire and floods.  

Just this last weekend, a previous camper who frequented Spanish Peaks visited Salley-Jarret with his new wife, who is pregnant with their first child. Though the flood was traumatic and terrifying, that experience only brought campers and staff together, transforming them from friends to family.  

“It was an awful experience to go through, but it’s amazing how communities come through and find a way of connecting and coming together,” Salley-Jarrett said. “Many of the campers and staff I worked around are lifelong friends. They’re more family than friends.” 

Local summer camp preparedness  

Summer camps along bodies of water in Colorado are prepared for disasters like those that the Spanish Peaks Scout Ranch faced. 

The Boy Scouts of America, with three Colorado councils and more than 14,000 members, has mandatory flash flood and natural disaster drills weekly, ensuring new campers know what to do in case of an emergency. 

The Pathways to the Rockies council, with a Colorado Springs headquarters, oversees Camp Alexander, a Boy Scouts camp near Lake George. Camp Alexander sees around 6,000 scouts each year, with seven weeks of camp cycles throughout the summer, according to the camp’s website. 

To maintain the safety of campers, each time a new group of boys comes in, counselors and administrators guide campers through safety drills, according to Jim Machamer, chief executive officer of the Pathway to the Rockies council. 

During the safety drills, a natural disaster siren is sounded, and the boys learn safety measures that keep the Boy Scouts’ motto true: always be prepared.  

“Every Sunday, we get a new batch of campers, and every Monday, we do what we call a fire drill. This includes teaching what to do in the case of a fire, flash flood, lost camper, severe weather and intruder,” said Machamer. 

Beyond the Boy Scouts, there are dozens of  summer camps in Colorado that are near water.

Avid4 Adventure is an overnight summer camp that serves an estimated 50,000 kids each year, according to the camp’s staff handbook. The summer camp program offers dozens of outdoor experiences for Colorado youth, including backpacking, water sports and climbing.

Each of Avid4 Adventure’s camping experiences are unique and require different safety measures. Several of the camping experiences offered are along the Arkansas River. 

For river expeditions, Avid4 Adventure outsources guidance from Dvorak Expeditions, a Colorado-owned whitewater rafting and kayaking tour company. 

Chase Jurgaitis, an expedition instructor at Avid4 Adventure, said before every trip, instructors check the week’s forecast and get prepared for any weather that may come. They also assure every expedition has the proper supplies, such as extra flash lights and life jackets, in case of a natural disaster.

Tips for safer recreation 

When outside of cell service, the National Weather Service recommends that people in the outdoors invest in a NOAA weather radio, an AM radio that transmits hazardous weather conditions to those out of service.  

“There are certain rural areas that just don’t have cell phone service. Having that NOAA weather radio assures you get emergency information even when your phone is out of reach,” said a Weather Service spokesperson. 

Another tip for campers is to avoid areas that have recently seen a forest fire. These charred areas have less nutrient-dense soil, and its ability to absorb water is less, according to Justin Louen, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. 

“Those recently burnt areas naturally require a lot less rain to start causing flash flooding or debris run off,” Louen said.  

When exploring public lands, Bridget O’Rourke, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson, urges Coloradans to stay off closed trails. 

“If a trail is closed, please do not walk past those gates. They are set up for a reason. Do not ignore the signs,” O’Rourke said. 

When it comes to evacuation in times of disaster in CPW jurisdiction, O’Rourke says there are public land officials who will travel from campsite to campsite, enforcing evacuation.  

“When it comes to any emergency situation, we have on-call staff that will go into full enforcement mode, getting people out of the danger area,” O’Rourke said.