A funny thing happened on my way back to the trailhead…
I hiked up Mt. Dana from Tioga Pass today. On my descent, when I was only about 20 minutes from my car, I encountered two young men on their way up. One of them asked me, “Are you worried about the weather?” He indicated the gathering storm clouds which I had not yet even noticed. Being so close to the finish, I replied, “Not now.” Then he asked, “Do you think we will make it to that mountain?” But he pointed toward Mt. Gibbs! I had to explain to him where Mt. Dana is.
Within two minutes I encountered a solo hiker, another young man. He asked me, “What do you know about the weather?” I said, “All I know is there’s a chance of afternoon thunderstorms.” Then he asked, “Do you think I’ll make it to the top?” All I could say was that I had left the summit about an hour and ten minutes before. He asked if I was going fast. I said, “Well, it’s downhill.” He asked, “Do you think I can get to the summit in an hour and ten minutes?” (How would I know?) I suggested he multiply my time by about 1.5, since he’d be going uphill. He gave me a blank stare, seemingly unable to do the math.
Less than ten minutes from my car (now with darker clouds and occasional rumbles of thunder), I ran into still more people ascending, this time a large group of elderly hikers. One asked if I’d been on Mt. Dana, and I answered affirmatively. She followed up with, “Is there a lot of snow?” I informed her that there was very little. I wonder if that fact influenced their decision to continue their ascent into the storm...
