I planned to go to Mesa Verde today, but the weather had other ideas. It hailed for more than an hour, leaving more than an inch of hail on the ground like snow. I had to constantly pay attention to ensure that the hail buildup on the small tarp canopy I had erected didn’t bring it down. I swept big heaps of hail off the tarp and the teardrop roof. Once the hail stopped, it was replaced by heavy rain. The thunderstorm was so close that twice the lightning flash hadn’t ended before the thunder’s boom arrived! Way too close!
Hail at Durango CO
The hail and the following rain killed my plans to drive to Mesa Verde, so I ended up spending most of the day in camp. A quick trip into town for supplies and I was back to tarp patrol. I managed to keep reasonably dry and sorta warm through the day and very cold night. I need to find a more optimum sleeping solution. Two trailer quilts and the sleeping bag doesn’t cut it when the temps get below 40F.