Crippling Blizzard Brings Aiken to its Knees

Phillip Dutton's Red Oak Farm is buried under snow this morning. Photo via Cobie Sheehan.

Phillip Dutton’s Red Oak Farm is buried under snow this morning. Photo via Cobie Sheehan.

A crippling blizzard has brought Aiken to its knees this morning. The Aiken Standard reported that the area received between 1 and 4 inches of snow, leaving roadways in treacherous conditions. By 7:30 a.m. EST this morning, the South Carolina Highway Patrol had responded to 1,240 incidents related to icy roads.

Intrepid EN reporter Kate Samuels was caught right in the middle of the blizzard. When I asked her how much it actually snowed in her area, she told me the grave news: “Two inches. For South Carolina, it’s unbelievable. Nobody knows how to be.” Kate put her own life in peril to bring us this photo of the hazardous road conditions:

May God have mercy on our souls.

May God have mercy on our souls.

Eventers took to Facebook early this morning to post snow photos and statuses, letting their loved ones and relatives back home know they were safe. Here’s a look at how the snow is impacting Colleen Rutledge, Boyd Martin and Phillip Dutton. We haven’t seen Facebook photos from many other riders yet, leading us to fear the worst.

Thankfully, Doug Payne’s dog Nolin thought to bring her winter coat to Aiken for perilous times such as these:

The USEF Eventing High Performance training sessions were supposed to start at 9 a.m. this morning at Stable View Farm, but they’ve been postponed due to the icy road conditions.

Stay safe, Aikenites. Godspeed as you weather the great blizzard of 2014.

Update 10 a.m. EST: Brave Aikenite Lynsey Ekema ventured into the snowy wonderland to bring us this message that she’s OK. We’re glad to see the snow hasn’t crushed the spirit of red on right, white on left, insanity in the middle.

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