When To Call It Off

After my fall two weeks ago and missing the Sunshine in September run and most of the Mountain Highway Madness, I was eager to get out on the trails again.  A 10min trial run had established that I wouldn't be able to go for a longer run, but I felt confident, that I could go on a shorter hike.  Perfect timing, as Wendy, who also is recovering from a fall, was game for a little peak bagging.  

Without much discussion, we settled on heading for DePencier Bluffs, the newest kid on the block with regards to the Bagger Challenge, and by all accounts an easy peak that could be done before lunch without problem.   The weather forecast was for rain overnight and it looked like things could ease up mid morning.  Well, it didn't just rain overnight, it hammered....Noticed that the forecast was downgraded and now called for heavy rain, but undeterred, I picked up Wendy on the way to the base of Seymour.

As we were winding our way up on the road to the ski area, the visibility was slowly deteriorating to the point were you could not see the trees lining the road.  We reached the parking lot just as the rain started to pound down again and the fog was reaching pea soup density.  Wendy and I looked at each other, looked outside, looked at each other again and mumbled something about, "do you want to go?"  We both didn't want to be the first to say it, but it was obviously not a good idea to set out in these kind of conditions.

Even if it was just a short hike, the fact remained that we had never been on this peak and weren't familiar with the trail.  We had a compass, but there was no line of sight to any landmarks.  We were prepared for rain, but not for an overnighter in wet conditions. We had all our emergency gear, but that doesn't mean that we were eager to have to use it.   The only other car was a sedan with the familiar yellow North Shore Rescue plate, but we both did not want to have to be hauled out by Tim Jones and featured in the North Shore News.  The only decision two smart girls like Wendy and I could make in this situation, was to call our hike off, forfeit our Bagger Points and... go for a coffee and Honey's Donuts in the Cove.  

On the drive down the mountain, we commented that there are only three more weekends left in the Bagger Challenge and how tempting it is throw caution to  the wind to get those peak points!

Stay safe out there and use your common sense!