August 22nd, 2018
Donomore cabin mm 1691 to mm 1660.5
Distance: 30.5 miles
0700-1930
I was so comfortable on the cot that I slept soundly the whole night. I also slept on my inflated sleeping pad, because as I found out in the yurt on the Colorado Trail, it gets cold underneath. Unfortunately this made my normal movements in the night a bit noisy, which apparently kept poor Plants up all night. He said I was also talking in my sleep, which I don’t doubt. He made sure to remind me of his lack of sleep all day. Well, what can I say? Might I suggest some earplugs? I’ve got lots of experience sleeping in communal spaces, so I always have my earplugs handy. They work!
We all set out by 7 am and I broke for a few minutes to chase salamanders in the nearby stream. I had seen a huge one the day before and on this morning I found 3, all out of reach in a big pool. I will be on the lookout for more.
The rest of the day was spent walking up and down ridgelines. I gained 5000′ and lost 7000′. It was a big day. There would have been great views too, if not for the smoke. It was the worst I’ve seen yet and a lot of people are hiking with masks on. I should probably get one, as I was starting to develop a cough. So much for the fresh air of the outdoors.
It looks rainy but it’s just all the smoke.
I ended up at a campsite about 4.5 miles from the Seiad Valley store and cafe. It would make for a short walk to get breakfast the next morning but was not the nicest campsite. Plants joined me later but made sure to camp a good ways uphill of me. It’s still nice to have his company.