Day 16 – Tuesday 7/28/2020 – 1522.8 – clear, windy, cold, rainy, hale, mist, clearing, threatening, rainy, windy, clear. I woke at 4:45 am, and was on trail at 5:33 am. Had MIO with a pop tart for my breakfast. I started to climb. It took me two hours to do 4 miles. I stopped for snack. I met a day hiker as I was snacking. About 2 miles before the cairn at the high point it was windy and cold. I got on my windbreaker/rain jacket and gloves. I got to the cairn and sent an InReach message to Justin so he’d know I made it this far: [“Here at cairn” Jul 28, 2020 10:44 AM]. In less than a mile a cold rain started. I’m still up high and need to descend to get protection. The trail stays up high for quite a while. I crossed two sloping snow fields that were over a hundred yards wide. I cross them always trying to stay on trail or find the trail. At noon under the cover of a couple trees I put on my vest, puffy and wool gloves to keep warm. My legs are soaked and I am chilled. My shoes and socks are soaked. I eat an apple and cheese. I’m getting worried. I’m still up too high. My phone screen is wet so I can’t make work. Argh! I need to climb to 11,600 next so I can finally descend, but then I goofed. At a trail marker I go the wrong way. I turn right instead of going straight. I go off trail over 0.7 mile down into a valley. Down and down I go. Finally I get my phone to work and realize it. I need to get back on trail. I’m not safe here. I start to cross country diagonally to get back to the trail. But I go further off trail. That was not smart in the mountains. I could have gotten stuck on a cliff. If I fell and got hurt. No one would think to check here. Finally I decided to go back up the valley to the original trail marker where I made the bad turn. It is a very long climb up. When I get there I breathed a sigh of relief. I on trail again and safe. Luckily the rain has finally stopped and the sun is coming out. I have several more long ascents and descents. Nothing today is easy. Several hours pass as I continue to hike onwards. In the distance I notice rain clouds forming. I am about 3 miles from my goal. It’ll take me 90 minutes. I sped up trying to get there before it rains again. I’m almost running. I passed two hikers and their dog, but I can’t stop because I want to get to my goal, get my tent up before it rains again, and not get any wetter than I am. I get there. It is beside a lake. The first rain drops are starting. I hurriedly find a flattish spot, and put up my tent. I toss my backpack inside. Quickly I get water at the lake while more drops are falling. Finally I get in my tent. The cold rain and wind come for the second time today. At least I’m covered by my tent this time. I send my daily InReach message. My vest and puffy are soaked with sweat. My shoes and socks are soaked. I switch to dry warm stuff. I arrange my stuff inside of my tent. Then the rain comes. The tent blows. Around 5:30 pm the rain and wind stop. I make dinner and have two suckers for dessert. I need the calories to stay warm. I’ll be OK, but what a day! New shoes, the weather, wet phone, major off trail, bad choices, chilled, a second rain. OMG!
