I could only see a single vehicle and a single tent in the camp (there were more, but beyond the limited visibility I had). A man stuck his head out.
"Hello, the tent" I said, "I'm in a bit of a situation.". I explained quickly what had occurred. "Can you take me to get my gear? I can pay."
"No money," he said, "just give me a minute." He started to converse with someone else inside the tent.
Their names were also in the book I lost, but as I recall they went by James and Erika. James said he was an even 6 feet tall, but for the sake of this narrative we are going to portray them both as seven feet in height surrounded by a glowing aura of kindness towards strangers.
They rearranged the things in their jeep (hastily thrown in when the storm approached), drove me out, helped me find my bike, phone, and pack (bone dry somehow, and right where I left them), and even took the front wheel off the bike so it would fit in the back.
Lightning still abounded as they helped me gather up the gear, but by the time we returned to the camp, the storm had ceased.
No more rain, wind, or lightning. It was over.
I'm not sure if the final rule applies to the trip for the gear, but my phone was pit there and you don't leave family thinking you're in danger a minute longer than necessary. I ran the battery dead trying to tell Pat I was okay. No one had any service.
I finally got a text message out to Pat on the cellphone of a ranger who came to check on the grounds. Then I made camp and went to sleep.
As a final kindness, James let me charge my phone a little bit using the car charger before he and Erika left the next morning. This allowed me to get some pictures of the falls and surrounding area the next day.
I gave him and Erika my contact information and told them if they were ever out east to drop in and we would invent a holiday for them.
Thus passed the storm.
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