DWTH Day 40: Hole in the Wall & Beyond

Daily Miles: 19.0, Total Miles: 613.3

Wow, what a night and early morning! The gusty, cold winds whipped the tent (and me) all night long and with all the noise and flapping, I didn’t get much sleep. The rain started about 3am and mixed with snow a few hours later. I stayed warm enough wearing my beanie, socks, down jacket and thermal bottoms, but had to come up for air a few times from deep in my quilt.

The wind never subsided but the precipitation stopped around 8:30am. My water bottles were full of slushy ice. I packed up and got out of my sad, battered tent about 9am to find the Fenner Hills and the Providence Mountains to the west with a dusting of snow.

Clearing fast but a cold, biting wind, I trudged six miles to the Hole-in-the-Wall visitors center, unfortunately closed today. I checked against all four walls for a windbreak with no success. I kept going to the picnic area where I found a faucet and filled up my bottles. The nearby vault toilet was large enough and I was tempted to blow up my air mattress and take a nap out of the elements. I did admire the surrounding sculptured volcanic rock walls.

Too early, I returned to the visitors center, had lunch on the least windy side, and planned the rest of the day. I opted to head down on the shoulder of the Black Canyon Road, paralleling the Providence Mountains. Sparsely traveled and a good thing because I was buffeted across the road a few times.

Further south, I joined the Clipper Valley dirt road at the base of the mountains and later found a somewhat protected wash as the wind finally lessened. I think I’ll sleep much better tonight.