Sunday was spent in the car, Monday and Tuesday I was too busy and not at all feeling like running, but after today I figured I had had enough time off. Sierra and I headed over to the Gregory TH after work, under threatening skies, but I figured we would give it a shot anyways.
Though I felt almost normal striding around work today, my calves groaned in protest as I started up Gregory Canyon. Aside from my calves though, I physically and mentally felt like hauling ass, but I was limited to baby steps and plenty of walking. I was totally stoked to be moving along sections of trail that I have passed over countless times this winter, but have not seen the dirt, logs and rocks due to constant snowpack Oct. - April.
It started to rain pretty steady before long and I heard what I thought was a very distant rumble of thunder. Once I got high on the N/NW Ridge, there was a bright flash, as though somebody took my picture. What the? Oh yeah, 2-3 seconds later, KABLAMMM!!!! I was at 29 minutes and still a good 12 or 13 minutes from the top at my current pace, so without the slightest bit of hesitation, Sierra and I did a 180 and headed back down the hill. Under normal circumstances, I would have upped the tempo way earlier on and race the storm, but today, I was feeling a bit slow and vulnerable.
Much to my chagrin, I was comparatively slower on the down, so I just shuffled as quickly as I could, as the frequency and proximity of the lightning increased. As desperate as I was to get back to the car (I have had one too many near death experiences with lightning), a group of 3 was heading up. I mentioned that the storm was moving in and intensifying, but they laughed and said something about it being fun. Oh well, to each their own. Got back to the car soaked but satisfied, just as it began to hail.
Doing my best to get caught up so we can have a crippled dudes outing soon.
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