Since thunderstorms were being predicted (it is monsoon season up here, y'all), we decided to stick close to town on our second hike of the trip. My mom has been itching to try some of the hikes we did back in 2010 that offer views of Durango below. So, armed with Banner's new back pack, we struck out on the Raider Ridge hike.
Of course, by the time we got up there, the wind was gusting and we could hear the low rumble of distant thunder. This didn't overly concern us until Banner was about half way through with his bottle. All of a sudden, another cell came over the mountain to the east, and we could clearly see jagged lightening striking the hills just to the north of us. Poor Banner was less than amused when we cut his lunch short, crammed him back in the back pack and took off at breakneck speed back down the ridge.
Ironically, it never even sprinkled on us. The noisy storm, however, did hit back at the cabin and up the valley, and - according to Michael - was rather intense for about half an hour.
On our way back to the car, we had the trail to ourselves until we got closer to the trail head (a bunch of people were heading up as we were coming down, which surprised us considering the storm). This was kind of a big deal considering what a popular running and mountain biking area it is. And, since we were so focused on getting back to the Jeep without being struck by lightening, we hardly said a word to each other the whole way. Our silence was rewarded with a sighting of four beautiful mule deer that crossed our path barely 50 feet in front of us. They were absolutely gorgeous.
But enough from me, here are some of the pictures from the hike. Because of the weather, we didn't walk the loop around the top of the ridge (sorry, mom!), so it was really just a quick trip up and back down the mountain.
1 comment:
Could the one with you, Banner and Trevor be your Christmas card pic? Love it. Looks like you all are having a great time!
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