Except For The Last One, All The Photos I've Posted Make My Hiking Trip Look Easy. It Was Quite The Opposite!

Except for the last one, all the photos I've posted make my hiking trip look easy. It was quite the opposite! The day started decently, hiking in the sun with a good temperature around 70. A few hours into the hike when a massive thunder storm rolls in. The warm air quickly dropped and became cold as rain also started to pour down. We set up a quick shelter to wait it out as lightning flashed and thunder boomed around us. The rains calmed for a bit so we decided to move on, however the rain came back shortly after. We hiked miles up the mountain in the cold rain. Finally we got to the top and saw a grand view of the surrounding mountain ranges. Even with the fog and rain, it was still a sight to behold. After another hour of hiking on, we settled into a place to camp. By this time, the rain has stopped, but the air remained cold. I went to gather any dry sticks and wood for a fire. Not long after, a huge wind kicked up and brought down the temperature even more, which was quickly followed by rain. We frantically tried to cover our packs from the rain and set up our tent. Water managed to get in everything as it is impossible to keep anything dry in that type of weather condition and situation. At this point, I started to lose hope. It felt as if the weather had beaten us. All the dry wood I found for the fire was soaked. The inside of the tent was wet and our packs were wet. I had been cold for the last several hours and it seemed that I couldn't win. But giving up isn't what I do. After drying out the tent and loading it with our supplies, I went to build the fire. I found dead, resin filled pine needles. Even when wet, they light up in the fire. I built up a cabin of damp sticks, fueled by pine needles and resin. With one flame, the needles ignited and heated the sticks just enough to set them on fire too. Within a few minutes, I had built a successful, fire. Whew! The rain had finally stopped. Now it was time to sit by the warm fire, dry my feet and clothes. Things turned out to be ok and work out fine for the rest of the night. The morning is when the beauty really exposed itself. Clear, warm and dry! The pictures show how beautiful it was the second day.

This trip was brutal, and not for many, but I feel very accomplished. :)