As a student of weather, one would think I would know better. I needed to do a seven-mile run and by the time I was able to break away from work in the evening, I could hear rumblings of thunder in the high country and the sky above Half Dome glistened darkly. I reasoned, somewhat illogically, that the storm might simply pass over the Valley and I could probably finish my run before it got too bad. As I considered my options, a friend, Chuck Carter, assured me I’d be fine. When you receive assurance from someone who regularly skis down mountain cliffs, it adds strength to your rationalizations. So I dashed off, and not surprisingly at El Capitan meadow the storm descended in earnest. Lightning flashed above and a heavy rain soaked me to the skin. As it had been unbearably hot the last few days I welcomed the bath, but the threat of electrocution took some of the enjoyment away. However, I have since decided to plan my speed work in thunderstorms as I logged in a personal best time for the four miles back to the Visitor Center that day!
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