Day 313: I have only the evidence before my eyes to convince me that there is no good news regarding the Alder Lake Fire. The Forest Service has not released a bulletin since yesterday, but it is obvious to me that the involved area has spread toward the east (left side of the photo). The smoke column at that end was quite active, and as I stood watching, I heard the crack and explosion of a large tree falling, taking out more timber as it went down. The smoke is so thick here at home that I can barely make out the outline of the first ridge between me and the Mountain, a mere two miles away. I'm coughing, sneezing, my eyes are watering, and my breathing is affected. Even my neighbor's house has a pall of smoke surrounding it. From Elbe, the view west down the length of Alder Lake is like looking through the heavy fog of an October morning. The ridgetops and valleys are filled with clouds of smoke holding close to ground. Fine ash drifted down in the air on my vantage point near old Reliance, a spot now popular with locals and visitors alike (and undoubtedly much to the frustration of the people who live at the blind end of the formerly peacefully rural Lillie Dale Road). With no rain in the forecast for at least ten days and fire crews engaged on the larger, more threatening fires in eastern Washington, I fear that good news regarding the Alder Lake Fire may be painfully slow in coming.
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