We have driven through Wolf Creek Pass at least 5 times on this trip so far. It is a stunning drive: winding roads, huge vistas, roaring creek beside the road. Every time I’ve drive through I think to myself, “I need to fly the drone up that creek”. Last Wednesday, Hunter and I pulled the car over on our way back from a fishing shoot in South Fork and got out the drone. The wind was blowing strong, but I had seen the drone adjust for wind. I launched the “little machine that could” over the river, flying it up the creek. I paused for a second to adjust the camera when a gust of wind blew it into a tree. From there, it fell to the rocks and the river below. I couldn’t hear it from the sound of the river and the wind, and I couldn’t see it as it submerged in the water. I ran down the road looking for a spot to cross where I wouldn’t get swept away like my flying friend. It took me 30 minutes before I could reach the fatal spot, but the only thing that was left was the battery whose weight had knocked it out of its home. We walked down the river trying to find the phantom in hopes of at least getting the SD card so we could see its last moments of life, but it was no where to be seen.
That drone had served us well. Purchased last minute before the trip to Colorado, I had no idea how beautifully it would capture the mountains and wide open spaces of Colorado. We mourn the loss of our drone with this video and these pictures of Wolf Creek Pass and the attempted recovery — but we bought a new, better, 4K drone… watch out Wolf Creek.
