I like being at the tops of tall mountains. However, my preference is to be at the top of the world when there is NOT an electrical storm. This is exactly what swooped in when I was atop Mount San Jacinto.
My focus between Yosemite and Catalina was getting to know Palm Springs. One famous feature of the area I had visited before: Palm Springs Tramway. On that visit all I accomplished was the 6,500 foot ride up the tram, a walk around the visitor center, and a ride back down. This time I wanted to hike to the extra 2,300 feet of elevation to reach San Jacinto Peak at 10,842 feet.
The hike up was fun. While the weather turned from sunny to cloudy there was no threat of rain and I was dressed in layers which included a rain jacket. All was going well in this cool mountaintop above the desert below. Hiking in cool air is exhilarating and arriving at the top to find this ranger station gave me an extra charge. This day was progressing very nicely.
However …
As I loitered around the top, scrambled up the rock peak, and took pictures I noticed very dark clouds to the east and then nasty lightning. A couple came up to me and asked me whether we should be concerned and I in my naiveté dismissed concern. Then the winds shifted, the skies opened up, and bolts of light from Thor came down like rain. Oh boy!
I’ve often wondered what the right thing to do was in a lightning storm, especially when you’re exposed at high elevation and in a relatively tree-free environment. Wish I’d looked into it more prior to this day. My answer for today was run like heck down the mountain to get away from being out in the open and up high.
In heavy rain with lightning strikes several times per minute I ran for at least a mile down mountain trail. Only when I as in the thick of trees and down in a nearby valley did I pause to wait out the rain. As the picture shows, the day was largely sunny and beautiful and only this freak of a cloud was causing mayhem. It wasn’t too long before downpour turned to drizzle and the lightning subsided but when you’re exposed, time goes slowly.
The walk back was pleasant and my hike had been crazy-exciting!
by 
