Date: 2011-06-17
From: Church of the Mountain Hostel

To: Mohican Outdoor Center
Miles today: 10.5
Weather: moderate rain

Ended up a short day today, but for good reason. Easy climb out of the gap after crossing the Delaware on the pedestrian walkway on the I-80 bridge. Sunfish pond was really pretty, and it was cool to see how other hikers had created some intersting rock art along the shore. I didn't linger for long however due to the sound of thunder approaching. Hiked fast with the storm coming from behind and left of us, knowing that eventually the trail comes down off the ridge. The trail however had other ideas, and it gradually ascended to the top of Kittatiny Mountain, where the trees abruptly ended and the hiking was on bare rocks.    Now, I think I explained earlier how I have a 'thing' about lightning. Today made that very much worse. When the trees ran out, I was able to get a good view off to the left of the storm that was now bearing down directly towards us. The storm sat heavy across the valley directly over the next ridge, and withing 10 seconds of looking saw no less that 5 direct lightning strikes on the ridge. A quick analysis of how fast it was moving told me that we had at best 5 minutes before this was right on top of us. On the top of a mountain. Above trees. I ran. not for the first time, but by far the fastest I've run on the trail. A full-on sprint down the trail with adrenaline surging in me like I've almost never felt before. The wind began to howl and the lightning was constant, accompanied by deafening peals of thunder almost immediately after each flash. The trail did eventually start to grade down after a minute or so, but not fast enough for me. After hitting trees again I made a 90 degree right turn and headed straight downhill off of the trail, running about halfway down the mountain (which, at under 1600' is not terrible, but it's still the highest thing around) before crouching in lightning position in a depression less than a minute before the storm was directly overhead. The storm moved fast, and was overhead for probably 10 minutes or so, but it was a long, terrifying 10 minutes. The lightning and thunder were instantaneous, and the ridge where I had just been was struck several times. A radio tower on a spur just south of where I was received a direct strike as well. I knew this not because I could see it, but because I could hear the metal tower reverberating like a struck bell for 15-20 seconds afterwards. The pouring rain and occasional hail hardly registered due to the complete terror I felt. I wondered how the others were doing, as I knew that Grandpa had been just behind me at Sunfish Pond.Eventually the storm headed off to the South, and once the time between lightning and thunder was about 10 seconds I made my way back up to the trail to continue on, with my destination the AMC's Mohican Outdoor Center. The trail finally descended off the ridge and across Camp Rd which leads to the MOC. Walked in wet, but OK. where I had a 'thing' about lightning before, I think I now have a 'THING' about it. Decided to tent, which is free for thru hikers. By the time evening came, a large crew had come in, including BumKnee, Trauma (Kirsten), Giggle, Cayenne, MEANGene,Bartless and Curmudgeon. Apparantly Grandpa has just stayed on the ridge and hiked through the storm, and just kept going at the road. I used someone's cell to call my mom, and she will be picking me up at the trail crossing at 206 tomorrow!