Man...what a day. Started around 6:45am from Columbine CG with not a cloud in the sky. I kept a good pace, for fear of storms. The wildflowers were in full bloom in the meadows & tundra. It was so pretty. I went left at the split to Toiyabe Crest Trail, rather than right up Stewart Creek. Got up to the crest & there were only a couple of small clouds. As I continued toward the summit, the clouds were getting bigger, but I still wasn't too worried. Storms had started around 3pm the day before. Made it to the summit in about 4.5 hours, which considering how many pics I took, seemed like a good time. Signed register & took some pics & all of a sudden it started hailing! There had been no warning...no thunder at all. I thought "oh shit" & knew I had to get down fast. I rushed down to the rock shelter I had seen below the summit & huddled down with my poles & pack safely away. The two clouds I had seen had developed instantly into large black clouds & the sky had filled. At this point, I was being pelted heavily with pea sized hail & I was starting to hear thunder. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning shot across the sky in front of me & struck the peaks across the way. Then I started to hear very loud cracks of thunder & lightning was hitting the valley & peaks in front of me, the hills behind me & the large balds I still had to cross. I waited for about an hour when it started to lighten up a bit. I made a dash for it & got about a half mile before it started again. I was at the last pile of rocks before I had to climb back up to the crest & cross for several miles on the open tundra, so I huddled into the talus piles & waited again. Eventually, the sun started to break up the clouds & the thunder & lightning dwindled. I knew I had to rush across the open balds while I could. That sun would be fueling more storms...I don't think I've ever ascended 1000 feet so quickly back up to the crest. I trotted across the crest & was very relieved to get back to the spot where I would drop into the campground canyon. But, as I predicted, storms were building again. About a mile from the CG, it started to pour. The valley out past the CG was invisible because of the heavy rain. Then the thunder & lightning started again. Huge bolts seemed to be hitting very close to the CG. I once again huddled down in an aspen forest about a half mile from camp & waited it out. Finally, it let up & I straggled into camp, wet, exhausted & starving. In all that weather, I hadn't had a chance to eat anything. As I was eating my sandwich, my new neighbors came over & invited me over to their camp for beer & a much appreciated fire. It turned out, they were from LV too & we sat all evening BSing & getting to know each other. They were an old mountain man/trapper, a printmaker who teaches art at CSN & a hairdresser turned taxidermist. They were all gun toting hunters & were teasing me about not eating meat & not having a gun. I think they were pretty amazed to see a woman up there doing that hike alone. They had me laughing so hard until I couldn't keep my eyes open any more. It was a great way to end the day.