A fast-moving summer storm blew in from the south as I climbed the steep slopes along the north side of the canyon. It came in so fast that I didn't have a chance to find a safe spot to shelter from the lightning. The trail climbed across an extremely steep, open slope dotted with rocky outcroppings and small stands of alpine fir - both offered nothing in the way of shelter. I ended up stashing my pack about 100 feet up the trail while I huddled beneath a poncho in the little dip in the path that you can see in the top photo. I laid there for about 30 minutes while the storm raged over the canyon, delivering high wind, nearly non-stop lightning, heavy rain, and hail. It finally faded away to the north, leaving me to venture out from beneath the poncho to enjoy a fresh, cool and sunny high-country summer day. More than in any other canyon that I spent time in on this trip, Darby Canyon offered little shelter from storms. Luckily, after the first day, the weather was clear, cool and spectacular for the rest of the time that I spent among the high peaks of the upper canyon.

In the bottom photo, Mount Bannon and Fossil Mountain (nearly hid behind the pine on the right side of the photo) stand against the skyline on the southeast side of Darby Canyon.