Date: 2012-05-29
From: Little Island Pond Shelter

To: Cooper's Lodge Shelter
Miles today: 23.7
Weather: broken clouds

Didn't get much sleep last night because of the heat and thunderstorms, so I awoke a little late this morning and didn't leave the shelter until about 7:15. I had big plans to do about 26.2 miles, but I was also aware of possible rain in the afternoon that might deter those plans.Today was very humid with highs just about eighty. I had trouble staying cool throughout most of the day. My shirt and shorts were completely soaked with perspiration. At Airport Overook around 11:30 I was able to get 3G service on my iPhone and checked out the weather forecast. I discovered that much of Vermont was under a tornado watch and that severe weather was expected between 4-9 pm. I kept hiking and eventually pushed on to a shelter to get water and ring out my socks. I still had 3G, so I checked my weather radar app and saw a lot of severe weather in NY state headed my way. It looked like I had a window of time to do some hiking. The first cell passed to the north of me as I hiked to Governor Clement Shelter. Lots of thunder but it only sprinkled on me. When I got to the shelter I checked my maps and determined that it was 4.3 miles to Cooper Lodge, an old stone cabin built by the Forest Service. I knew I would probably get some rain, but I thought I could beat the severe weather. So I started climbing the approximately 4,000 ft. peak. Started to thunder pretty frequently after 30 minutes of climbing, but I was too stubborn to push on. After one hour of climbing the storm hit. The sky became very dark, the winds started gusting, lightning was flashing very close. After five minutes of heavy rain, it started to hail, probably marble size. The hail didn't hurt too much, but I didn't want to look up for fear of being hit in the eye. The intense part of the storm lasted about twenty minutes, but it was a nervous twenty minutes for me. The trail quickly became a stream, and I found myself walking in ankle deep pools of water in some places. My feet got cold and started to hurt. I was also concerned about any rubbing that might take place on the  backs of my ankles, the wounds that caused me to get off the trail in Williamstown, MA. But perhaps the biggest dangers were lightning and becoming hypothermic. Neither happened. I got completely soaked and the temperature definitely dropped, but I was producing so much heat walking up that mountain, that I didn't get chilled until I got to gut shelter.The shelter has been poorly maintained. It was apparent that the roof leaks. There are broken beer bottles and trash in one corner. But it was my home for the night. And it was dry. Almost all of my gear stayed dry despite the downpour. I quickly changed into dry clothes and started hanging my wet gear to dry. I made some couscous and feel very warm inside my sleeping bag. Here alone in the shelter. After the storm cleared I was able to see a stunning sunset high atop Killington Peak. In fact I'm so high I was able to get three bars of service and 3G, so I called my parents and posted this entry.Today was the first time I've walked in a downpour on the AT. I've walked in steady cold rains but not a downpour. At least the rain stopped the mosquitoes and flies this afternoon.