“Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm
Come in, she said
I’ll give ya shelter from the storm”
Bob Dylan
Today turned out to be our day for a bit of adventure. It started out quietly enough with coffee on the porch of the B&B we stayed at followed by breakfast on the back patio. We only had an hour drive to get to Bandelier NM with a quick stop on Los Alamos to pick up sandwiches for our last meal before backpacking. We arrived at Bandelier and picked up permit without hassle. We also made quick stops at the gift store and cafe.
Before long we were standing next to Fred,packs loaded. We realized we were all ready to embark, but had just been standing around for a few minutes. I suggested we stop procrastinating and everyone grudgingly lifted on their packs. The trip we had planned started with a 1,000 foot gain within the first mile and a half so we were all acutely aware of the difficulty we’d have from the start. Our training from the last few hikes must be paying off though, because since it was hard we all made it up like champs.
At the top of the Frijoles Rim we began to hear the steady rumble of thunder and saw storm clouds in the distance. We pressed on for another mile or so before deciding to stop and check the radar. Our fears were confirmed when we saw a dark red blotch that correlated perfect with the anvil shaped cloud. Both seemed to be coming right toward us. Molly and I discussed our options. 1. Turn around and try to get back to the car. We knew we wouldn’t make it and that it would mean the end of the hike. 2. Continue on. There was a chance the storm would miss us and that we’d be able to take advantage of some cooler hiking while the sky was cloudy. Going to higher ground in a thunderstorm didn’t seem real bright though. 3. Find the best shelter we could near the place we were. This seemed to make the most sense.
We found a nice flat spot on the side of a hill that rose 30 or so feet high than us and set up the tent. I explained the Faraday cage to everyone and hoped that it worked with tent poles. Then we took advantage of the spotty internet service we had to text our location and situation to our emergency contacts. As the rain started to fall we all puled into one tent along with a stench that I hope to never experience again. We played cards to help ease everyone’s mind. Luckily it seemed like the main brunt of the storm missed us since we never got the nickle sized hail or 40 mph winds we were alerted to.
As the drops slowed Molly and I got out to assess the situation. The remaining dark clouds seemed to be far to our West and moving straight South. The sun was still behind the clouds so the temp was cooler. It seemed like the right time to make our move. It was the right call. We didn’t see another drop of rain all day and we didn’t get the full heat of the sun for another hour or so.
Our campsite tonight is perfect. Maybe not quite as beautiful as Grand Teton or N Cascade, but perfect. There is a bubbling river that was also perfect for chilling our beer. There was a great large rock for us to sit on with very few bugs for a large part of the afternoon. We have flat cozy spots for our tents. The air is cool. Perfect.
