I learned a new word today: derecho. It refers to a long narrow weather front with lots of rain and wind. On the radar, it showed up as a narrow red line running several hundred miles north-south and moving east. At 7:30am the weather was fine. By 8:00am it was stormy, and by 9:00 am it was clear again.
A second derecho was about six hours west, threatening a repeat from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Between derechoes, many hikers hurried to the first shelter, just six miles out of town, and waited for the second storm.
Between derechoes, many hikers hurried to the first shelter, just six miles out of town, and waited for the second storm.
After a pause at the shelter, I headed out anyway, figuring I could do okay in my rain gear, or worst case I could pitch the tent and hang out until the storm passed. The clouds darkened and the wind picked up, but the cicadas were still raising a ruckus. I figured they might be like many birds, and fall silent just before the storm, so I kept going.
And derechos apparently can be unpredictable. This one curved southeast and drenched Maryland and Virginia instead.
Still, with the slow start and waiting for storms, I hike just 14.3 miles to a campsite before PA 325. Yep, a campsite, not the RV. And rain starts as the daylight fades.
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