Monday August 5, 27.1mi/43.6km

Taylor Lake (413.4/2185ft) to Profanity Ridge (440.5/5728ft) (WA)

I started very early, at 6:45am, in an effort to beat the heat. And I mostly did! The climb up to 5000ft was gradual, and I was at the top at 11am. And then I entered a burn area from a 2015 wildfire.

I love these cattle guard devices in the roads. I want one for my driveway!

I stopped for a break to enjoy the last of the shade, before I entered the main part of the burn area.

And a few minutes later…

Even though I was up at 5000ft, with no shade it got warm fast. Still, it was better than being down in the valley where it was almost 100F/37C!

The Kettle Crest Trail is nice, and I can tell much work has been done to improve it since the fire. And new bridges!

I hiked to my planned camp spot, but it was full of standing burned trees… too dangerous. Camping near these “widowmakers” is usually a terrible idea, as they can easily fall over and crush the tent. So I kept walking. And walking… the burn area wasn’t ending, and it was almost 7pm. I finally found an area that was out of range of any nearby dead trees.

And with all that extra mileage today, it looks like tomorrow I’ll be heading into the next town a day early!