When we stepped onto Merlin Pass trail my only thought was to get this trip over with. It was raining and clouds obscured the mountains. Fortunately the route unfolded just like in the book. When we came to the clearing we could see the notch that we needed to get to. Better yet, a side trail took us in the right direction. The trail disappeared at a meadow only to reappear when we reached the base of the notch. After ascending it we disappeared into a low cloud.

On a nice day, this would have been a pleasant climb but this morning we could see little past our feet. The rain turned to drizzle and followed us all the way to the summit. There was no point in lounging at the top as Alan Kane suggests: we were cold and wet. After taking a couple of summit shots we started back down.

Soon after starting our descent, however, the rain ceased and the bad weather began to ease. We did the last half of the descent in sunshine but the surrounding mountain peaks remained shrouded in low clouds.

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