As I gather my rain gear for another wet pliking event, I am remembering an event at Pineview Reservoir a few years ago. Those of us who were carpooling sat in my SUV at the mouth of Ogden Canyon and watched the rain pour down while we debated whether or not to hold the event. We decided to head on up, because we knew from past experience that a few plikers would show up regardless of the weather and we didn’t want to let them down. Sure enough, there were people waiting in the parking lot west of the reservoir, while the rain continued to fall. My husband decided to drive the car to the end of the trail and wait for us there, while he ate the banana bread I had baked for the group. We didn’t all have rain jackets (we were newbies back then), but garbage bags work almost as well.
By the time we realized we should have given up, it made more sense to plow ahead, especially since that was where the car was. Lightning and thunder joined the rain, and the trail turned to gooey mud. We sang campfire songs to distract ourselves from our misery. No, I do not feel good about risking the lives of my fellow plikers while damaging the trail. I would like to point out that there is no lightning today and the trail is paved.
We finally reached the car with our heavy bags of trash, most of which we collected near the end. We were soaked, muddy and exhausted. We gladly piled into the car, only to find out the battery was dead. Roadside service did not respond to repeated phone calls, so one hardy pliker jogged up the road to the trailhead and picked up his truck, then jumped the battery.
And yet, here I am excitedly getting ready to join my friends for another rainy plike. I guess I really do enjoy it!
PLIKING 