Two Sitkans captured the footage of a lifetime when they witnessed an avalanche near Herring Cove on Sunday (1-2-22).
In a 47 second video hastily recorded by Sandy Lawton and her boyfriend William Guy, the avalanche appears to come down a mountainside, over Green Lake Road and into the water below.
Lawton and Guy, were taking a drive down Sawmill Creek Road around 3 PM when the couple spotted the avalanche across the cove.
“We just happened to look up,” said Lawton, “And all of this snow comes barreling down the mountain.”
“When you saw with your naked eye, it was really something else watching those trees get swallowed up. Took huge Sitka spruce and just buried them in snow,” Guy said.
Sitka Fire Department staff confirmed there were no search and rescue responses associated with the avalanche.
In an email to KCAW, Utility Director Scott Elder wrote that “while it looked impressive,” the avalanche didn’t deposit enough snow to warrant road closure, and roads to both Green Lake and Blue Lake are currently open for electric department personnel.
Watch Lawton’s video here:
Editor’s Note: This story was updated 1/5/21 to include additional information provided by Utility Director Scott Elder.
