I recently spent a night camping on one of the balds along the Appalachian Trail at Roan Mountain. It was one of the those 90 degree days that often brings drama in the afternoons, but my friend Maggie and I figured we’d chance it, ready to take cover below if need be. As we finished our dinner and nibbled on chocolate and hot lemonade with pineapple rum, we heard a faint boom behind us, turning to find a wall of thick, dark clouds on the distant horizon. Would they come our way?
Contentedly finding shapes in the swirling clouds and chatting pleasantly, we relaxed in our “lounge chairs,” waiting to see what would happen. After the sun was swallowed by the thickening clouds, we watched, seeing a wall of gray fall from the sky above the distant ridge. Rain. But not on our mountain top. Eventually the sky above the city lights darkened and we could hear booms of thunder, like far away bombs. Bolts of lightning behind the clouds lit up the night in a dazzling display of Mother Nature’s fury. What a show!
Amazingly, the storm dissipated before reaching us so we stayed warm and dry at our grassy campsite, retiring hours later to our tents beneath a star-filled sky. Much better than fireworks…or TV!
And that brings me to the quote of the week:
