A Brief Respite

Day 310: By mid-afternoon yesterday, the brief respite we had from wildfire smoke was in retreat against a new onslaught. Although the Mountain hadn't been clearly visible at any time in the previous 24 hours, you could at least distinguish glaciers from rocks, and that for the first time in two weeks. But as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. This morning once again, there is no Mountain on the horizon, only a blurry red disk rising in the east. I consider myself to be in good physical condition, yet the smoke in the air impairs my breathing, leaves me feeling tired, worn and, if the truth be told, not at full capacity mentally. On the other hand, I am grateful that it isn't worse. Ranger friends have been evacuated from both Yosemite and Glacier due to the wildfires there. As tinder-dry as the Pacific Northwest currently is, all it would take would be one lightning strike, one careless toss of a cigarette, one fool leaving a campfire smoldering, and we'd go up in a puff.