The hike along the way was very rocky and wet.  Some of the trails looked more like small streams than trails.

I didn't carry a camera, and Monika had her little 35mm.  The trail up was something like a 30° slope with rocks just high enough in spots where you couldn't lift your leg high enough to make the next step.

We didn't realize how long it would take to get to the top.  We were out of food and only had a few quarts of water.  It is cold at the top, and there is no hostel or other accommodations after the sun goes down.

As you can see, we caught the sun just as it was going down.  A beautiful sight, but the prospects for getting down were fading just as fast as the sun.

At the top was a driver for the Auto Road with a few of his friends.  I guess he was enjoying the sunset with his company, as the auto road usually is closed by sundown.  We spoke and after a time he offered to drive us down.

So a few minutes after reaching the top, we were in his van, headed back down the Auto Road.   He even drove us back to the AMC hut, right to the RV!  We went form the prospect of spending a cold, hungry night at the top to a hot shower and warm grub all in a matter of minutes!  God was truly smiling on us.

That night we decided to make a break for Boston.  It was a pure blast to drive this huge RV (10 cylinder engine) at 70 MPH down a completely empty Interstate in the middle of the night.  The only fear was the prospect of a deer jumping out in front of us.  Monika put on the coffee pot and we made great time while the kids slept.

We drove until 3AM that night, and skipped around to two places before we found a spot in a campground.

And in the morning, we realized that we were in trailer park heaven.  You know, the place where they block up the wheels and forget about the word "mobile" when they talk about their home.