I am writing this inside a damp and soggy sleeping bag inside an even wetter tent. It is extremely cold and will freeze over night and I cant get my feet to warm up. It is not my most pleasant moment on the trail, but with so much good weather, I was due for some adversity. How it is now describes how it was much of the day. It was like a Pacific Northwest winter, with a constant drizzle all day. There was some thunder and lightning early in the morning, but it quickly gave way to a constant drumming of rain. I hiked in every layer that I had and saw very little wildlife, only a few hikers going the other direction. I didn’t prepare for such a storm to come through and all my maps are soaked along with most other pieces of gear. Despite the weather, there were times I smiled to myself while hiking through the downpour. It brought back memories of other times I have been unprepared and caught off guard by weather. A couple examples are 4 days of snow in February in the Smokey’s and when the first signs of winter bombarded me at Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado. The degree to which all my gear is wet makes it essential to make it to Anaconda tomorrow. I salvaged the day, but my hands and feet suffered a beating.
Miles 37
Total miles 3684
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