8.3.18

The sky lit a flame after the smoke.

It was cold as my alarm blasted and I stirred in my sleeping bag. I didn’t want to move, but I knew the time had come an the “just 5 more minutes mom!” wasnt goign to work. Chilli bin was out of camp and both Happy and myself pulled doddled along.

Happy and I went on chatting on and on about all kinds of topics: the trail, the trail, Washington, gun control, differences in upcoming generations, all kinds of things. The Trail meandered through the woods and we were both taking our sweet time.

Before long I pulled over to call BooBooo Johnson, and Happy pressed on. I stopped for a good break and tried to see some good views through the smoke. After a few miles I caught up to ChiliBin and Happy refilling water. Breaktime again! We chatted on, then soon all pressed on our ways.

I felt in a daze for the next few miles, I was definitly still tired from the night before. None the less I pressed on. Finally I entered a large burn area that apparently had caught fire just the previous year. The soil was burned and it looked like sand almost. Only a plant here or there would grow in this area. We soon found a tree that had red sap seeping from it, it looked as though it was bleeding. Pretty cool actually, only slightly creepy!

Soon Happy and I were trekking together again chattin on, then turned the corner to see ChiliBin having a nice rest by the trailside. We hiked the last few miles together and finally found camp, surprisingly before the sunset! Going through the nightly ritual we all watched the sun lower to the horizon, turn big and red, and the briliant colors shown on the sky behind the burned dead trees. It was pretty cool way to end the evening!