storm on the mountaintop

Day 108 ~ miles 1759 - 1785

Many unfamiliar faces were spotted on the trail today.  Apparently lots of thru-hikers have skipped ahead on the trail due to fires, many of them up to Ashland.  We're hoping that the trail doesn't get too congested, but today it seemed that way.  In addition to fires we've seen around Ashland, there are several fires in Northern California that have closed some sections of the trail.

A small and rare shelter made a nice spot for a break, and the freshly stocked cooler of Cokes inside made it even better!  It was just what we needed on this day when we were feeling particularly exhausted.

We arrived to a road crossing, and the option to walk a couple of miles down the road to the Fish Lake Resort and restaurant was so tempting but we resisted the urge.  A sign stood in the middle of the trail read that the trail here was closed due to fires.  Another hiker called the Forest Service and confirmed that the trail was actually open. 

We gathered our water for the evening and headed up the trail, unsure what the conditions would be like.  A pretty substantial climb up to the ridge felt almost effortless, and we conquored it in no time; what an amazing feeling of strength.  Atop the ridge, we camped with Signal, a hiker we met way back in the desert.  As we cooked dinner and prepared for bed, thunder rolled in the distance and the sky darkened. Just as we'd gotten settled in our tent, it began to downpour and the wind whipped.  Lightning flashed and thunder crashed, as we thought  that the top of the mountain probably wasn't the safest place to be.  And of course the thought of more fires crossed our minds, but hopefully these drenching rains will prevent that.