Thursday we woke up to rain. No biggie. It rains in Eastern Oregon all the time in the early summer. They have lots of short showers and then the sun comes out. So I went back to sleep expecting to wake up to sunshine. It was still raining when we got up. No biggie, it will clear up soon. We had breakfast in the rain. No biggie, we’ll be having lunch on the peak. It continued to rain. We decided to fix lunch and get ready to go climbing. Surely once we reached the top of the trail, it would be sunny.
We headed out to climb Elkhorn Peak, but before we even started up the trail, we moved on to plan D. We decided that we best stick close to camp. Something big was brewing.
We explored the upper lake a bit and I got to do some more shooting (the fog made a sweet subject) before we headed back to camp. By the time we got to the tent we were dripping wet. We spent about two hours in the tent. It was then that I was really bummed that I’d forgotten Ziggity at home. After some time it seemed to be letting up and sure enough the sun was coming out.
I headed back out to shoot the after rain lakes. I climbed a hillside to shoot the upper lake waterfall. I came back to camp itching to climb the peck all the more. Wes had just awoken from his nap. We opted not to climb because the clouds were creeping back in.
At about 5pm a storm rolled over the ridge. Not just any storm, the biggie. (I was glad I wasn’t on that peak.) All the other showers seemed to be coming up the valley, but this one came in the other direction. We stayed out in the fog until the rain started. Soon it was pouring and our tent was leaking. Then it started to boom and crack. Every thunderous boom bounced around the rock cliffs. The lakes are surrounded on three sides by rocky, goat loved, slopes. It was nerve racking. Then the thunder and lightning became simultaneous. I jumped out of my skin. Wes comments that, “That one hit the ridge.” Silence. The ground shakes, the air vibrates, and the sky lights up with one more strike. My stomach jumps to my throat. I want to go home. I pray, I pray hard. “God, make it stop!” I’m scared. I’m on the verge of tears. A few more thunders. These ones are gentler. The thunder dies out, the rain continues. The rain slows. It’s almost 7pm.
As the rain dies out, I unzip the tent window. Wow. I quickly unzip the tent door and grab my boots. Wes hands me my camera. What a site! There in the sky is the most beautiful rainbow I’d ever laid eyes on. It’s so vivid. Its bands of color are thick. It’s huge. It stretches over the ridge and into the meadow. There is no way of capturing it on one picture. There is no way of capturing it so that others can see its true beauty. Rainbows are tricky that way. This is more than an ordinary rainbow. This is a promise from God. It’s a reminder that he was always there, through every thunderous strike. I stand in awe. God is good. God is amazing. God is awesome. I wander around half dazed in God’s glory. It’s beautiful there by the lake.
Wes wanders out to catch a glimpse. We make dinner plans. No hope for a toasty fire tonight. Wes boils water on our stove. Then he takes a stroll. He comes back to camp counting. We add the boiling water to our freeze dried dinner. We start more water for hot chocolate. We head back the way he came into camp. 400 feet later we’re at another camp ground. There are splinters of wood everywhere. Three trees were struck by the bolt of lightening that left me quivering. It’s terrifying. One tree is left so badly damaged that we wonder how much longer it will stand. I collect a few pictures and a couple souvenirs. We then head back for dinner.
After dinner Wes climbs a small hill. We’re trying to find a signal to phone out. I don’t want to hike the ridge tomorrow. I don’t want to get stuck in a thunder cloud. We move on to plan E, take the trail through the valley out. Wes talks to his mom briefly. She is to call back. We’re unable to connect again. Too many clouds have rolled in.
We decide to get ready for bed. It looks like it may rain some more tonight. It’s 9 and we’re ready for bed. I grab my boots to step out for a moment to use the little girl’s room. Wes follows suit. I head back to the tent. Wes asks if I’ve taken my boots off yet. I say yes. He says to put my glasses on and come back out. I don’t want to, it’s probably just more goats (they fascinate that boy). I pull my boots back on and rummage around for my glasses. Stepping out of the tent I realized that the clouds have cleared out. The stars have never been brighter. It’s amazing. God’s creation continues to floor me. We gaze at the stars together for a few moments. Wes heads back to the tent. I turn to a different section of sky. Wow, that was the biggest shooting star I’ve ever seen. I watch several more, smaller “stars” fall from the sky. I’m unable to get Wes to join me back outside. Time for some sleep.
1 comment:
That night was the first time I had ever seen any sort of a hint of color in the night sky from a planet. I'm assuming it was Mars that seemed so red to me.
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