This was supposed to be a long but straightforward trip up Mt. Williamson. I had already day-hiked it three times, so I knew the drill. I just needed one more summit to get to (at least) six summits on each of the California 14ers.
The conditions looked good, but the weather was a little questionable. I drove to the Shepherd Pass trailhead on Monday. I have a nice bed in my car, but I need to get the car level in order to sleep. As I got ready to level the car using a shovel and some blocks, the engine suddenly stalled, and the battery was dead. I couldn’t even lock or unlock the hatch, let alone move the car. Messing with the battery connections got the locks working again, but I was still screwed.
After way too many frantic phone calls on a phone I had no way to recharge, I conceded that I wasn’t going to get a battery Monday night. However, I had an appointment for a new battery at 7:00 Tuesday evening. I ate dinner, threw my sleeping bag and mattress in the dirt, went to bed, and couldn’t sleep.
I had set the alarm for 2:00 AM and was on the trail at 2:30 AM. I was hoping to be at Shepherd pass in six hours and on the summit in nine hours or so. I don’t know whether it was lack of sleep or old age, but I was nowhere near that fast.
I crossed Williamson Bowl, asking myself how I had forgotten (yet again) how unpleasant it is. Just as I started up towards the black stains above Williamson Bowl, the rain started. I had intermittent rain and hail all the way to the summit and back down. There was just enough thunder in the distance to make me a little nervous, but not enough to send me back down with my tail between my legs. At one point, the hail was fairly heavy, and I hid under a big rock for 20 minutes to stay relatively dry.
The route wasn’t in bad shape, but I just couldn’t muster the enthusiasm to push very hard. Naturally, some of the heaviest hail (which wasn’t all that heavy) occurred while I was scrambling up the slick rock in the chimney at the top of the couloir. I made it up the talus to the summit nearly eleven hours after leaving the car.
There was no way I could make it back by 7:00 PM, so I called the tow service to reschedule my new battery for Wednesday morning. The phone reception was terrible, but at least I got through. I signed the register and tried to send a Spot message, only to discover that my Spot batteries were dead. I descended back to the top of the couloir to reduce exposure to lightning, just in case. I installed new Spot batteries, sent a message, and started back down the wet chimney, just as the hail increased again. I made it down, taking a LOT of time and being VERY careful. Descending the couloir to Williamson Bowl was a slow, tedious task. The rain and hail stopped just as I got down to pick up my hiking poles.
The trip back to the car was long, slow, and uneventful. I was finally back at my disabled car at 10:20 PM. I reconfirmed my battery appointment, called my wife, heated what little food I had left, and threw my bag in the dirt again. I was in bed, but not really asleep, around 11:00 PM. At 2:00 AM, some clowns were making a lot of racket doing I don’t know what.
At 6:00 AM, I was awakened by loud Thunder. A few giant drops hit my cheap car-camping bag. I quickly got dressed and threw all my stuff into the car just as a downpour started. After about 30 minutes, the rain began to subside, and the tow service arrived with my new battery. He had the battery installed and the car started in five minutes. We drove into town together to make sure I got down OK.
I drove home with stops for food and gas along the way. When I got home, the new battery was fully charged, confirming that the previous battery failed on its own, not because of a charging problem. Boy, am I glad this epic is over!
