At dawn, a bull moose swam the lake. I get out of there and the stomach bug isn't any better. I have to drop 1,000 feet then gain about 3,000 feet to the top of Chief Lodgepole Peak at the top of Two Medicine Pass.The stomach bug has killed my appetite and I've had exactly a half of a bagel and a half of a candy bar.
Just below the Pass I run out of gas and take a nap, right in the middle of the trail. There's no one around anyway. In fact, I haven't seen anyone in two days. It' hot, muggy and the skeeters are relentless.
Off in the distance it looks like rain. So I gain the elevation to the pass and it definitely is going to rain. Crap. I had planned on spending the entire afternoon and evening up here, because camp is just a couple of miles below at Cobalt Lake. At least it's not thundering, I think.
Then crack!
A bolt of lightning and then another and then the wind picks up to a howl. I have to get off this rock. The wind is blowing so hard my pack is pulling off my body and the camera, stuck on a monopod with a 400mm lens, is an expensive 14-pound lightning rod.