D63, M888 - I QUIT!!!

Destination: Black Gap
Date: Sun, 8 May

This is me crying after a LONG night of freezing temps in a summer tent and a 40 deg sleeping bag. It's been IMPOSSIBLE to plan gear with these drastic weather changes.

Last night, the temp dropped to 30 with wind chill around 25! The forecast was low 40's a week ago... but of course it's getting colder... cause winter is NEVER going to end!

After breakfast, Alan tried hitching a ride with our bags because he had a huge blister. I started slack packing the 15 miles to the car and didn't find out until later that he had to walk 8 miles on his blister before anyone picked him up!

I did get to enjoy hiking the first 3 miles with the most amazing couple from Holland. Lieke is studying education and clinical pediatrics. Her boyfriend Sam designs fantasy role-playing games.

Leike's attentive eye caught this unusual plant she called a statistical outlier.

Check out the almost perfectly symmetrical view from above.

Sam is going to use this "tree" version in his next computer game.

Blackrock summit reminds me of Mt Washington... notice the fog has been around for 3 days!

Coming down, I met Peter and Ann from S. Africa, now living in Mission Viejo, CA

Unfortunately, I had to give up hiking after 8 miles when the mid-day temp suddenly dropped from a decent 50... to 35 with the wind chill!

Mercifully, I got a ride from the first people I asked. Kate, Tristan and their 2 dogs, Ronin and Penelope, were heading back to Richmond and just happened to be going right past Alan's car.

Alan took me to his Williamsburg home for a steak dinner, then my oldest daughter fetched me to her Suffolk, VA home where I'm spending 5 days with my precious grandson, Vincent.