Mark’s Photos #17

After a toe ligament tear took me off the Arizona Trail for several months, I returned in the fall to complete the 800-mile trail. I had left off in Flagstaff, so I returned there in September to restart. A couple of days after hitting the trail, I found myself camped out on a flat, dry prairie dotted with occasional trees between Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. As sunset neared and with no place to hide, I was treated to a somewhat terrifying example of Mother Nature’s power and scope.

Clouds had been building to the east of me into a large thunderstorm. And I do mean large. The sunset played yellow and orange light on the towering thunderheads as lightning began to flicker within them. The storm was miles away from me, but its size and demeanor struck me with fear. Near-constant thunder let me know there was plenty of destruction to go around. But I was lucky, as night descended the prevailing winds were pushing it away from me. And so this massive storm became mere entertainment.