Started a bit late but was able to get to know Andy from Reading a bit – my bunk mate from the previous evening.
I wanted to catch Dave and Dana before they left their campsite to get their contact information but I couldn’t find them. But, I ran into Takahashi – a hiker from Japan. We were able to have a conversation through Google Translate – very cool technology.
So, I got on my way. It was beautiful – lots of pine trees – and refreshing. The weather was perfect. I made my way to Penny Pines Point Faucet. There was a picnic table there. I made myself some breakfast. Some ramen. Justin came along later and also had a late breakfast. Takahashi showed up too.
Kept on hiking through some really interesting terrain. The canyon was a bit spooky to me because it had several memorials to soldiers or bikers who had passed away.
The wind was really blowing strong. Takahashi and I were going to stay at the next tent spot but when I got there, it just seemed too windy to me so I told Takahashi I was going to move on and try to find someplace a little less windy. Later on, I would find out what a huge mistake that was.
It was getting late in the day so we had to stop. Justin and I found a place – but it was less than ideal. It was what it was. We had to take it. It was on top of a bald ridge. Absolutely no cover and the wind was blowing even more fiercely. No chance we would be able to set up our tents. We put on our warm layers. We each had our suppers and found our spots for the night. I was a good distance from Justin taking cover as best I could behind a large rock. I inflated my pad and was for the first time truly thankful for my 15° sleeping bag. Since it was a Friday night – my first Sabbath on the trail – I listened to something that would uplift my spirit. I then tried to sleep.
Around 1:30am my eyes popped open and to my horror the sky was no longer the amazingly, beautiful starry sky that was when I went to sleep, but instead a huge black cloud covered the entire sky. My heart stopped. What should I do? Justin and I could not be on that mountain in a rain storm. This could be a matter of life and death. Somehow I had cell coverage and the weather report said that there was no chance of rain. I calmed down a bit and then realized that all was going to be fine and went back to sleep. (I discovered later that paying attention to a weather report that says 0% chance of rain is an idiot move. Thank God it did not rain. See my post on Day 16.)
