Yesterday Jeff and I went back to Lower Lena Lake. The weather had been sunny for the last six weeks, so we assumed we didn’t need to worry much about rain. Think again, roared Mother Nature. The water poured down in buckets.
Not that we minded (much). Washington is already in an official drought emergency this year, so we were overjoyed to see rain. The woods and and the lake were beautiful in the rain and mist, and the only people we saw on the trail were nutjobs like ourselves.
I wouldn’t have been half as happy if it weren’t for my gear. (Even though we didn’t expect rain, we had prepared for it anyway. Thank heaven for over-preparedness.) My new rain hat, which I had bought mainly for its sun-blocking potential, kept my head (and more importantly, my glasses) perfectly dry. My extra-dorky poncho covered my body and pack, earning the envy of Jeff, who became ever-more soaked during our hike. New nylon pants, while not exactly waterproof, politely refused to absorb any water. Last but not least, my weather-proofed boots allowed me to slosh with complete impunity through the running water on the trail. (Jeff, whose boots needed to be re-treated, played the rock-hopping game in an attempt to keep his feet somewhat dry.) On the other hand, I envied his wool gloves, which kept his hands warm even though they were completely soaked. Luckily I know where he got them. ;-)
We carried our full packs up the trail, in the hope that the weather would turn. Since it didn’t, we turned around and headed back down to the car again. This made it a harder hike than we had planned, and my feet were toast by the time we got back down. Nevertheless, I’m glad that we went and that we carried our packs with us. It was good training for the next hike, and in any case, the weather would surely have turned once it was too late to change our mind.
Oh, and still no pictures. The camera isn’t waterproof, so I left it in the car. Maybe next time! (There will be a next time.)
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