The calm before the rain, hail, and sleet

The Calm before the storm. 

It was a tough and challenging day. I have learned through the hike so far that ANYTHING can happen in the desert. It is a wild and unpredictable place. We went from a 43 mile water carry to a crazy rain/freezing rain storm. We got caught in the worst spot possible!  When the storm blew in Pretty Boy and I were 8,000 feet up on top of a completely exposed pass.  

The first 33 days there hasn't been a single drop of rain and the forecast said there was a 0% chance of rain for the remaining days in the desert.  The weather looked so promising I had bounced my shelter and rain gear to Kennedy Meadows so that my pack would be as light as possible. The plan was to get through the desert as quickly as possible so it seemed like a logical thing to do. I never dreamed it would come a deluge in the desert so unexpectedly. Naturally, the storm came AFTER I send my equipment up the trail!  It was a crazy, crazy rain!  The only way to get out of the punishment was to move to lower ground.  We got pelted with hail and freezing rain. It was almost a 40 degree swing in the weather with that front!

Using our best Macgyver creativity, Pretty Boy and I made a poncho out of our Tyvek ground sheets and bolted toward the valley floor to set up shelter. After a couple of hours of rain and light jogging 4.5 mph hiking we descended into the valley and campground below. Needless to say, I found myself huddled into a 1 person tent with Pretty Boy for the night. 

Experience is a good teacher. Lesson #1 - The desert is wild and unpredictable. The second thing I learned was to always have a backup plan if slack packing.  Plan #1 keep on hiking if alone and caught in the rain or Plan #2 shelter with a friend if you are still together. We stopped 8 miles from Kennedy. 

The next morning was completely different than the storm we faced. A beautiful river greeted us and it looked so inviting it made us want to take a dip before we went through the valley toward Kennedy. We took our time getting to Kennedy. 

I had shut off the satellite tracker during the storm and didn't turn it back on.  That is where Lesson #3 comes in. When I made it to Kennedy Meadows, I picked up my resupply and was ready to get re-charged to go back on the trail.  I received some texts from home that had been sent a few hours earlier, "Are you still alive?" "Where are you?"  Trying to figure out what to say about the experience,  I went with the "conserving battery" option.  Lesson #3 Don't let the battery on your satellite go out or your mom will try to find you. I told her it would probably happen again, but next time don't freak out. 

Thank goodness the hikers and the support community on the PCT look after one another.  Each morning brings a new day and a new set of challenges and adventures. See you on the trail.