Book I, Part I - Desolation in Solitude: Chapters 28 - 31 Summary

The storm worsens as the night deepens. The author is intent on seeing any small flame that the lightning might cause and after a long period of sitting and staring out the black window, images of fires begin to pop up everywhere. The electricity pops and cracks. After a while, Kerouac realizes that the visions are simply illusions and goes to bed.

The next morning possessed a gray sky from which rain continues to fall. Kerouac peers out the window and sees a brown patch that had burned the night before. Luckily, the rain put it out and held promise that other fires would not be allowed to exist.

The wind off of Mount Hozomeen has a definite feel of winter to it, although it...