Moab Madness: Flash Flood Hits During Our Climb

A little while ago we recorded a podcast episode for "Road Stories Podcast" where Emily was asked to recount one of her most wild adventure stories. This was the first one that popped into her head! You can see the video interview and listen on youtube:

Lets get into the story:

Back when we lived in Aspen, Colorado, long before kids and schedules and all the logistics of family life, we used to take spontaneous road trips all the time. Moab was one of our favorite places to disappear to for a few days.

We’d pack up the car, drive out to the desert, camp, and climb as much as humanly possible. Total dirtbag adventure mode: sleep outside, chase routes, repeat.

Back when rock climbing was our main activity in the warmer months

On this particular trip, we were climbing at Wall Street, one of the most iconic climbing areas in Moab. Massive red sandstone cliffs line the road, cracked and split in perfect ways that make them incredible for climbing.

That day, I was about to clean my first route ever.

If you’ve never climbed before, cleaning a route is a big deal. It’s the first time you have to go through the process of removing gear at the top, transitioning off belay, and trusting yourself completely.

To me, it felt… terrifying.

In my head, I was thinking, This is really dumb. Why am I doing this? It genuinely felt like I was going to fall to my death. But I wanted to learn. I wanted to get better. So I pushed through.

Wall Street, Moab UT

We knew a storm was coming that afternoon, but we thought we had plenty of time. The route wasn’t even that hard, probably something like a 5.8, totally within our wheelhouse.

Still, once I got to the top, everything slowed down.

Cleaning took me forever.

I was shaking, checking and rechecking everything a hundred times. My friend Sean was down below, trying not to rush me because that would be dangerous… but also watching the sky darken, knowing a massive storm was moving in.

We were both internally freaking out, pretending we weren’t.

Finally, I finished. I got down just in time.

We stuffed the rope into the bag, and the rain started immediately.

And I mean immediately.

If you’ve ever been to Wall Street, you know it’s beautiful in that classic desert way, towering sandstone walls glowing red against the open sky. But it’s also a serious flash flood zone.

Within what felt like seconds, the entire cliffside transformed.

I found this video on IG (not mine):

Water poured down every crack in the rock, turning the sandstone into a living waterfall. Suddenly, these massive desert cliffs were rushing with water, shimmering and roaring like something unreal.

It was ridiculously beautiful.

Completely otherworldly.

This was before I documented everything on a phone. We didn’t take pictures. We didn’t capture it anywhere except in our minds.

We were just… there.

Fully present in the middle of something magical and dangerous.

We jumped into the car, and as we drove away, the perfect song came on, like the universe was directing the whole scene. Part of me wanted to stay and stare forever, but we knew better.

Flash flooding in the desert is no joke. People die in slot canyons around Moab all the time.

Later, we talked to a local who told us, “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve only ever seen that happen one time.”

And I think that’s because you’re not supposed to seek it out. It’s incredibly dangerous.

But it remains one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever experienced.

That moment still lives rent-free in my brain.

Dark Clouds Going Away. Desert girls and dessert dogs back to playing

It only happened because of a road trip. Because we decided, on a whim, to drive four hours into the desert with nothing but climbing gear and a little bit of freedom.

That’s always been the point.

Rock climbing wasn’t just about the climbing. It was about where it took us: Rifle Gap, Moab, these places that felt like heaven on earth. It opened up an entirely new world of nature for me, especially coming from the East Coast where landscapes didn’t feel quite this epic.

There’s something powerful about pursuing an outdoor sport. Mountain biking, skiing, climbing, surfing… if you chase those activities, you end up in extraordinary places.

And sometimes, if you’re lucky, you end up in extraordinary moments.

That flash flood probably lasted an hour, but the feeling lasted so much longer.

Every time we packed the car and stepped out into the unknown, something unforgettable happened.

So consider this your reminder:

Go adventure.

Drive somewhere on a whim. Get outside your comfort zone.

You never know what’s waiting for you out there.

Time for food.

Safety Note

Just to be clear: this is not something to seek out or recreate. Flash floods in the desert are extremely dangerous and can turn deadly in minutes, especially near cliffs, washes, and slot canyons. What we witnessed was unforgettable, but it was also a reminder of how quickly conditions can change out there.

If storms are in the forecast, take them seriously, get to higher ground, and never stay in areas prone to flooding. No view is worth the risk.