Parkview Mountain

• Day:  88
• Start:  1408
• End:  1428
• Miles:  20
• Hours:  11
• High temp:  65
• Low temp:  34
• People met:  3

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Parkview Mountain 

The intensity of the flash shown through my tent and my eyelids. Last nights lightening show was extreme.  The thunder was loud and echoed forever. Surprisingly very little rain hit my tent. 

A morning forest walk and gathering water for a 10 mile dry section. Today's big event is climbing Parkview Mountain. There is a small fire lookout hut on top that is one or two people could sleep in if they had to. This peak is a steep climb no matter how you look at it.  I spent a good portion of my day getting to the peak then following a ridge of to the west before I could drop down into the forest. The route I took up was the steepest climbing I've done on the CDT. While I'm still below the timberline the wind picks up, it's a cold wind, the warmer air is gone, thankfully thunderheads are not developing today. A lot of today's hike is above the timberline and fully exposed, the wind is fierce all day making my hike challenging. 

The fire lookout

Looking back to my ridge route up

Before I drop down below the timberline a last shot of Parkview Mountain 

The descent is steep, but finally I am able to collect water. I take note that my next water source is another 10 miles away. I've been pretty spoiled with the high frequency of water for the last several hundred miles. 

The wind is still high this evening, so as I complete my 20 miles I select a good camp site in a healthy forest. Fairly tired after the steep climbing today. I'm noticing what looks like smoke in the mountains, not sure it could be the moisture trapped by the dense cold air coming in, anyway it kind of mucks up the distance views.