At midday under the hot sun I reached the start of a long climb up a barren, scree-covered ridge. Although a few switchbacks were still submerged in snow, the intense heat beat down on me as I steadily gained altitude. Reaching the summit I looked north to the trail ahead and saw the path winding along the desolate ridge-top under some friendly-looking cumulus clouds, expansive views of the valleys and ranges dropping off to either side. Then I looked south. An unbroken sea of the darkest clouds I had yet seen were gathering in the distance. And they appeared to be coming my way.
I checked the map. Eight miles to Sonora Pass. Eight long miles of completely exposed ridge walking, and me with a giant metal ice axe sticking out the top of my pack. Probably not the best place to be if those dark clouds heralded a thunderstorm. I could either go back down the way I had come and find shelter, or push on to where the trail descended steeply to the highway pass. Watching the clouds for a minute, I decided to try for the pass.
Hustling as fast as I could across the rocky landscape, I traversed large snow patches and clambered over boulder fields while it slowly become darker and darker, the thunderclouds starting to amass around the barren ridge. Taking only a couple of short breaks to catch my breath, I finally reached the point where the trail began to descend. As soon as I did, a roaring clap of thunder pealed out of the sky directly above where I stood. I glanced ahead and saw the trail take a very long and slow path switchbacking down the mountain. Just off the the left, however, lay an steep patch of snow with a clear route where previous hikers had glissaded to the bottom. Trusting that the slide didn’t lead directly over a cliff, I took out my ice axe, sat down on the snow and slid quickly down from the ridge just as the storm truly began to rage.
With lighting flashing in the near distance and piercing thunder howling above me, I dropped about a thousand feet in the span of a few minutes. Tossing my metal axe and trekking poles to the side, I took shelter next to some bushes at the bottom while the storm poured down rain. It passed quickly, and by the time I arrived at Sonora Pass it was as if those dark clouds had never been, the sun shining brightly in a clear blue sky.
Russell on the Road 