Story

Approaching Ash.  Tucked away amongst the jagged Sawtooth, a haze of ash swirled around above, painting the sky misty shades of red.  “Damn,” I thought to myself.  “Hopefully this blows over.”  The 100,000 acre Pioneer fire burned ferociously in the distance, its destruction hidden from view by the copious mountain ranges that protected me from the vicious flames.   As I took my first steps at the trailhead I jokingly quipped, “looks like we won’t need to build a fire to get the requisite campfire smell.”  With each breath of smoke-filled air my uneasiness increased.  The allure of three days filled with tough, rugged hiking starting to fade into the smog.  It looked like scorching temperatures, infrequent shade, and thick, smoky, ash were here to say.  Our journey started to sound like an adventure through hell itself.  Ever the optimist, I convinced myself that forgiving winds were on the horizon, waiting to greet us at the first mountain pass.  Luckily I was right.  After checking and rechecking my pack I slowly hoisted the overburdened gear onto my back and set off into the murky unknown.  Within minutes the smoke began to fade away into beautiful blue bird skies.  Optimism paid off.  Although I did welcome the occasional return of darkened skies just to capture the eerie backdrops as the ash enveloped our surroundings.