The Best of Reader's Digest by Editors of Reader's Digest

Author:Editors of Reader's Digest
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Reader's Digest
Published: 2020-04-28T00:00:00+00:00

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Farther down the canyon, Steve and Michelle, and Eric, Michelle, and the boys resorted to their last-ditch plan: take refuge in Eric and Michelle’s guesthouse.

The two families piled into the small cottage that evening with another neighbor, Gurpreet Gil, and her cat. Steve, Michelle, Gurpreet, and the dogs and cats settled in the living room. Eric and Michelle climbed into the white wrought iron bed in the back of the cottage. The kids went upstairs to a small loft. The group planned to hike out in the morning to find help, tackling the long, steep trail that led to the ridge.

Steve and Michelle made themselves comfortable under blankets on the floor, their animals next to them. Michelle slept in her hiking boots and her parka, in case of an emergency.

Too nervous to sleep, Gurpreet stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, monitoring the weather.

Around midnight, Steve heard “three loud crashes” and shot up. A massive mudslide had crushed the back wall of the cottage and was gushing into the bedroom where Eric and his wife slept. Steve heard screaming, but without power, during the howling storm, he didn’t know from where.

The mud and water ripped through an interior wall. It picked Steve up and swept him toward the front of the house. As he approached a wall, he jammed his feet on either side of the entrance’s doorframe and braced himself.

“I was 30 seconds from losing my wife,” says Steve, with Michelle. “But I fought.”

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