On the drive towards my goal, I was certainly second guessing my idea. The weather on the satellites was showing the storm hitting the Paria Plains at 45 degree angle and moving northeast in a triangular wedge mostly to the east of my location which meant (hopefully) I'd be out of the strike zone of the monsoon rains and lightning. The area to the west was mostly clear for the monsoon season, and I nothing particularly devastating to the south that would move onto my location during the night.
I packed my backpack, and set out on the trail less route to the wave, navigating into a gray foreboding land, watching my light fade as the last golden rays ducked behind storm clouds. I was moving as fast as I could, sweating, with not much hope, but still trying.
I was distracted by the beauty on the way, and my route was not true, which cost me time. Once I got there, the rain started to set in, and so did my fear, and realization of what I had done. I'd hiked into the backcountry desert during monsoon season. The rain started to hit harder, fast! I pulled out my umbrella (which I keep for sun in the desert), my rain coat (even though it was hot), a plastic bag, and the rain cover for my camera (I've blown a camera in Iceland from rain). I was realizing I might need to shelter, and soon, a heavy shower hit me, and then as soon as it had come, it dissipated and was mostly gone.
I quickly uncovered my gear, and set up a bracketed time lapse on location, just as the sun hit the gap I had been driving through on the way here. Whether it was unbelievable luck, or skill in reading weather, who knows. The fact is that rainbows started coming out, the clouds lit up for the next hour at least, and I was running around frantically trying to capture as much of the place as humanly possible in the best light I've ever seen in this place.
I didn't have much time - just that much - before darkness set in again, lightning started crashing down from the south in darkness (with the wind blowing everything from the south in my direction), and I was running my ass out of there as fast as humanly possible. Lucky for me the wind was slow and lazy and eventually I realize that the darkness had amplified an irrational fear, the storm was probably 40 miles to the south, but when darkness hits and you're in a valley, it's impossible to tell. It very well could have been right on top of me.
