Vast wasteland of Oso mudslide difficult to comprehend Moment of silence Saturday at 10:37 a.m.

Rescue workers, left, remove a body from the debris field of the Oso mudslide. Rescue workers, left, remove a body from the debris field of the Oso mudslide. Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: JOSHUA TRUJILLO, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 45 Caption Close Vast wasteland of Oso mudslide difficult to comprehend 1 / 45 Back to Gallery

DARRINGTON, Wash. — It is difficult to convey the vastness of the Oso mudslide.

We have tried to use aerial images to show how large it is. We have used photos from the ground and interactive panoramas from amid the wreckage. We have showed the huge, yet small-scale effort of one man in the enormous debris field.

Still, it is difficult to comprehend.

Darrington Mayor Dan Rankin tried analogy to explain his reaction upon first seeing the disaster. "It was as if a dinosaur walked up to me," he said earlier this week when trying to explain the shock he experienced looking over the forest and river valley instantly transformed to a wasteland of dirt, clay and debris.

Even analogy makes the scene difficult to understand.

Perhaps a poet or a literary master could string words together that best explain the wretched, soggy valley that is now likely a graveyard.

Whatever tool is used, it is awful to be in the middle of that nightmare.

The experience has been tough on residents here along the Stillaguamish River valley. The people of Darrington and the surrounding area are a hardy bunch. They are used to big nature that would swallow many "flatlanders"— the word some here call folks along the Interstate 5 corridor.

The victims, rescuers, citizen responders and members of the media who entered the debris field have seen things they will never be able to un-see. Friends and family members of victims have suffered horrible loss and now have loved ones they will never again see.

The mudslide lasted about two minutes, geologists estimated. During that time it traveled across an entire valley. When standing at the farthest, southernmost edge away from the mountain peak, it is almost impossible to imagine how the mass moved such an incredible distance. From that farthest edge, the remains of the mountain that fell upon Oso is far enough away that it starts to take on the bluish hue that mountains do when seen from a distance.

Survivors described the mudslide as a rumbling sound, accented by the popping of massive tree trunks being snapped as if they were toothpicks. The mud, dirt, clay and debris moved through the forest and valley like a churning monster of childhood nightmares. When it settled, the quiet of the forest was pierced by screams and calls for help.

The sounds echoing across the valley now are the growls of chainsaws and search boats, and the barks of search dogs. Destroyed sewage systems and septic tanks, food in refrigerators and other awful smells overwhelm the sweet smell of pine trees and the fresh mountain air.

The western wall of the Red Top Tavern is dedicated to loss. There are "rest in peace" messages scrawled across the length of the wall. New names are slowly being added to the cinder block-and-Sharpie monument to the many who have died over the years in the Darrington area.

Rev. Owen Couch, a chaplain working with first responders, said the devastation brought to Oso is mindboggling. "Pictures, videos, they do not prepare you for when you really get out there."

Couch said that the surrounding communities are still in emergency response mode. But that is likely to change now that it has been one week since the disaster and the likelihood of finding survivors has dwindled.

On Saturday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has called for a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m., exactly one week since the Stillaguamish River valley was forever altered.

Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news. Contact Seattle photographer Joshua Trujillo at joshuatrujillo@seattlepi.com or on Twitter as @joshtrujillo.