At 6:00, the usual time to get started, sleet was slamming sideways. We waited. By 8:00 there was no change. We jammed our belongings hastily into our packs, but as Deb reached for her mittens, one was gone. Maybe mixed in the tent wad in my pack, so I started unpacking. Thankfully it was inside. All the while sleet was penetrating wherever it could.
With the temp around 30 F, the wind drove us down the mountain. Shards of frozen clouds came sideways, breaking from the pines lining the rocky trail. All day we descended the cobbly trail in sleet, snow, or freezing rain. Progress was slow. At 4:30, Deb was nearly hypothermic, so we pitched the tent in a drizzle on a flat spot along the trail. Twelve miles in 8 grueling hours.
Mountain Peace 