Hiking in the rain

After Thanksgiving we both felt the need for some exercise; not that we overdid the food, but being inside and sitting is fine for a only a day or so. A weather system moved in however (yeah!), and when we left the house for our Sunday Stronghold hike, it sprinkled.


When we left the car at the campground parking lot, it rained. But hey, we are Oregonians, and it's not that we have never hiked in the rain before. Good thing we kept those Gore-Tex rain jackets. We told ourselves to go home if it was still raining at the 1/2 mile point, but by then it was clearing already. I still have to learn that once it starts raining here, it does not mean that it will be raining for days as in the PNW: it is just a shower.


We made it to the top, most of it in dry conditions, and it was wonderful to see the place liven up from just a few drops. The plants seemed to all be standing up straight, enjoying the moisture, all the colors intensified, and the rocks turned green from the lichen opening up.

At home the sky turned dark again and we quickly cleaned the stalls before a hail shower hit, accompanied by thunder. Tomorrow there is more moisture in the forecast, and lower temperatures. I am looking forward to a fire in the fireplace.