West by Northwest Day 9

(No Map since no time on the bike for this day)

Karl, Rich and I got up early to go out hunting, with them carrying their bows and me mostly being a tag-a-long.  As we got up, the sky was beginning to lighten and it appeared mostly clear with a few clouds.

We got on the 4-wheelers and made our way up Dead Man Mountain.  After parking, a plan was formed where Karl and Rich would go to the top of the mountain.  I would hang back for 20 minutes and slowly make my way towards them by a different route.

As they left, it began to sprinkle.  I settled in to wait.  It began to rain harder and the lightning and thunder started.  For about 10 minutes, there was a rainbow in the distance, at times with lightning firing behind it, the scene looked almost surreal.  The rain showed no sign of letting up.
  As long as they were in for it, I was too.  After 20 minutes I began walking.  I got about ¼ mile down the road and Karl and Rich were already making their way towards me.  We were all extremely wet.  The hunting was not to be this morning.
We made our way back to the 4-wheelers and headed down the mountain.  It continued to rain, and rain harder at times.  By the time we made it back to the cabin, we were exceedingly cold and wet.

After drying and warming, we visited for a while, followed by lunch and general goofing around by the cabin.  A group of us went exploring down by a river for a while and Rich went fishing (he got drenched again on the way back later in another thundershower).  Compared to most of the previous days racking up miles on the bike, it was a day of rest and relaxation.

One oddity of staying in this pristine area is the din of ATVs pervades.  This isn't a bad thing as they are a great recreation source.  It is pretty easy to get away from the noise, but the easiest way to get away is by ATV.  Still, mornings are crystal quiet.

Gourmet dinner that night was excellent and consisted of fish, fresh veggies, finger potatoes  and lot of conversation.