When It Rains...

 

...it pours.

Visit #1492, Sunday 18 August 24, 6:45-9:15AM, 5.1 miles, 4.0 lbs. of litter.

Temps in the low 70s, rain.

I woke up to cloudy skies and checked the weather. While it said there was a 70% chance of rain, the HOURLY forecast did not indicate when it would start; it only displayed "cloudy" icons. Because of this conflict, I wasn't expecting rain but I DID pack a rain jacket.

A couple trails were late season overgrown, so I used my hedgeclippers to trim one side. Hard to capture on film, so trust me.

It was still dry when I reached Castle Craig and policed the parking lot. The flag was reacting to the strong breeze.

I hiked down another trail leading down to Merimere Reservoir. The humid conditions made things greasy and I'm always mindful of slipping and spraining an ankle.

Which today I did. My knee went one way; my ankle went the other. I heard AND FELT that signature POP! While I didn't see stars, Jesus, or Elvis, it did smart and as I sit writing this, I feel a dull throbbing and have on the ankle brace I saved from the last time I sprained my ankle, in 2009.

This sprain was less severe as the last one as I don't have the swelling, just the pain and weakness.

Below is graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised. Scroll quickly if you're squeamish!

That's what my 2009 sprain looked like.

But it wasn't even raining yet!

At 8:30, shortly before exiting the trail, it started to rain. Then I heard a peal of thunder. I prayed to my deity of choice that there wouldn't be any more and they heard and answered my prayer.

Your deity and your mileage, may vary.

I sloshed my way back to the park along the road and enroute encountered two separate individuals jogging up the road in the rain. Thumbs up and smiles were exchanged.

Back at the parking lot, the dearth of cars reflected the weather, and my car is one of the three.