Date: 2007-05-31
From: Cold Mountain

To: The Priest Shelter
Miles today: 15.9
Weather: broken clouds

New Respect for LightningLast night around 1230am I was woken up to thunder in the distance. Here I am on the top of a mountain, totally exposed, and no rain cover. I could see lightning striking the ground in the diastance and hear the thuder rolling up through the hills. I figured I better make an emergency plan so I got up and found a treed in area down the hill a bit. I set up my tarp down there just incase I had to run for cover. I went back up to my camp spot and got back in my bag and watched the storm in the distance. Luckily it didn't come close.I was awake at first light around 5:15 and watched one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen. The sky went from pink to purple to red to orange when the sun first peaked over the mountains. There was low fog in the valleys below that seemed to flow around the mountain tops. Once the sun was up I took down my tarp and ate breakfast with hemlock. We just sat up there awestruck and didn't start walking until 7:30.The trail was very kind to us today and followed a ridge for most of the day. I stopped for lunch around 1 and some thunder seemed to be getting closer. Within 10 min I felt some rain drops so I hung my tarp and hammock. A few cracks of lightning and the skies opened up with heavy rain. Quake and Hemlock took cover under my tarp and we watched the storm loudly roll through. Once the thunder stopped I fell asleep in my hammock and was woken up 3hrs later by TDS who had caught up.TDS and I started the 5 miles to The Priest shelter. We made it to spy rock and climbed that for a view of black skies and masive thunderheads in the distance. We could see lightning in the distance too. We climbed down and started the hike towards The Priest, hoping the rain would hold off until we got there.The forest got dark and the thunder louder and closer. We felt a few rain drops then BOOM lightning right over our heads and the skies started dumping buckets. Within a minute I was soaked like I had just jumped in a pool and the trail was now a stream. We debated whether to wait it out or climb the priest to make it to the shelter. We figured since we would be under tree cover we might as well push on. Well the storm just got worse and worse. Lightning was hitting the mountains all around us shaking the earth. Hail the size of peas started falling and there were puddles up past my ankles. All I could do was walk. I was super scared and praying for safety to make it through the storm alive. I finally made it to the shelter and the lightning continued for another hour. Everything in my pack was soaked, I am buying a new pack cover in town. Luckily I keep my extra clothes and sleeping bag in a dry sack. So even though there was a puddle of water on the botom of my pack, my sleeping bag was dry and I had dry clothes to put on. I set up in the shelter with tds and jerry springer. It sure felt good to watch the end of that storm in a nice dry shelter.Today's StatsStarting Point:Cold MtnEnding Point:The Priest ShelterMileage:15.9Elevation Gain:3850ftElevation Loss:4020ftHiking Time:12:31 3hr napWeather:Cooler, 2 Thunderstomrs with HEAVY rainPain Factor:2