Mudslides trapped at least three motorists and closed Red Mountain Pass for about five hours Wednesday night.
A total of three slides were reported shortly after 6 p.m. between mile markers 84 and 86, about four to six miles north of the summit of Red Mountain Pass, said Nancy Shanks, spokeswoman with the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The biggest slide, near mile marker 84, was 4 feet deep and covered about 250 feet of U.S. Highway 550, Shanks said.
Thierry Multon of Ignacio was southbound when he encountered the slide.
Multon said he parked in a safe area and got out of his Subaru Outback to take pictures. He decided to return to Ouray but encountered another slide about a half-mile away.
They were trapped.
“I never thought behind me there would be another slide cutting me off,” he said. “I took some good pictures, but then I was stuck.”
A truck driver and a couple from Utah also were stuck within the half-mile stretch of road, Multon said.
Multon said he was returning from the Ouray Hot Springs. He was wearing shorts and a T-shirt.
“Some people gave us some cheese and crackers,” he said. “We waited altogether three hours.”
CDOT workers were able to open a route for the trapped cars before formally reopening the road, which was closed for about five hours.
It wasn’t raining that hard considering the amount of debris that came down, Multon said.
“It was a lot of rocks,” he said. “It was very muddy and gooey and deep. It’s rather impressive.”
The highway was cleared and reopened about 11 p.m., Shanks said.
No damage was done to the road. It will take about three days to clear the shoulder and haul away material, Shanks said. Crews will not work during Labor Day weekend unless conditions necessitate, she said.
“It was a fun situation, fun adventure in a way,” Multon said. “It was stupid and weird.”
shane@durangoherald.com
