Not much to report at all! It was purely a rest and organizing day!
The Germans packed up in the morning and headed out; Vivian moved on to her hotel room in Coleman.
Somehow the day passed with just weather research, cleaning up more, finishing off town food and some dog walking and swimming.
This morning the tent wasn’t as soaked as the morning before, maybe I vented better. Slept fine with earplugs.
The smoke was on and off … during the night it got better, then worse again in the morning. I really do feel bad about the damage it does when one is living outside 24/7, especially when breathing hard. It’s being considered.
In the afternoon another hiker arrived who I met before in the Waterton campsite. He is from Kelowna and his wife was updating him on the fire developments in the Okanagan. It’s not that he needs to be home but he has the same thoughts about the smoke … what’s the point of hiking in smoke with no views, damaging your lungs. He can get a convenient ride home on Thursday so is trying to decide what to do.
So again, the plan remains the same. Start section B tomorrow, passing the worst weather days in the areas before Tornado Saddle and do that climb on Friday if possible. If the wet weather or the smoke create risks, we will hike back to Coleman. If we can’t see anything, we will hike back to Coleman.
Even though there is a lot of planning that goes into the hike, it should still be fun and not be unhealthy. So I’m willing to make that decision to stop if needed. It’s still a vacation. 😁
More soon. As nice as the rest was, this campground is BUSY and not in a good way 😁 and I’m ready to leave. Besides the campfires smoke (on top of wildfire smoke) and tight sites, it’s just so noisy … So many trucks driving by, doors being slammed, screams and coughing, traffic, train, etc. It’s supposed to be 5km/h speed limit 😳 Earplugs to the rescue 👍🏻😁
Happy Trails …
Hi Biggi. Leslie and I are enjoying following your adventures on the GDT. Too bad it is so smokey. We hope the smoke clears and you can continue the hike as planned. Best wishes and stay safe.
Mel and Leslie
Thanks 😍
Hey Biggi. Looking forward to reading your blogs chronologically. So far I’ve read bits and pieces. A tough decision to retreat but the right one if smoke continues. The Shuswap today is clear and sunny.
Today Crowsnest is clear too … but rainfall and thunderstorm warning which isn’t great either.
Hi Biggi – I wondered how you’ve been coping with the smoke. The first few days looked spectacular and I was hoping you’d manage to get that the whole way – but no such luck. Darn it. I would totally understand you wanting to take a pass. I get out for short walks with the dog and mask up when it’s really bad. Yuck. Dislike this very much for you. Just say the word!
Looks again really bad in Kimberley this morning … I wear a mask during those times too. But living outside 24/7 it’s just impossible. Rain coming so we’ll see!
Smoke is a wee bit lighter here…hope that bodes well for you. And yes, hiking that hard with no views is tough. We’ve had no qualms about rain checking when that happens.
Yeah I don’t want to hike it in smoke and see nothing. This next section has no reservations so can do it any time.