[pct-l] Highway 20 closure

[Willow Payne]

My first post on here so I hope it works.  I was in my Hexamid Solo Plus tent at 6600 ft on top of Methow Pass during this horrendous thunder and lightning storm.  It started around 6 or 7pm I'm guessing.  The first round if you could call it that brought thumbnail size hail.  It pummeled my tent, hitting the ground so hard it splashed water inside getting me, my down bag and everything soaked.  It moved on just long enough for me to contemplate leaving, then the next round started.  Relentless thunder and lightning and then the rain....I could hear it flowing past me all around me and under me.  So incredible.  I did not sleep all night, it was just so loud and so close.  I spent the entire night praying for my life.  At 4am, still dark, I bolted out of my tent ran for my stashed pack and bear vault.  Ripped my tent down in seconds, crammed everything in my pack and started for the trail.  Even with my headlamp, I couldn't see anything through the dense fog, I wondered around about 10 minutes looking for the trail.  When I finally found it I hiked faster than I'd ever hiked in my life to the bottom where there were four other tents set up.  I stopped long enough to make a cup of coffee eat some jerky and made the 11miles back to my car in less than three hours.  Luckily I have friends in Twisp, so I did not have to make the long drive back to Camano Island until the next day.  I know it doesn't pertain really to anything, but I just needed to share my experience.  

Willow  

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