Smoke vs. Mist

Friday, September 18th was a teacher inservice day, so the kids didn't have school. I was planning on driving the kids to the mountains for an adventure. Since the smoke was beginning to lift down in our valley, I figured it would be even better air up high in the mountains. It was supposed to be cloudy with a chance of rain in the mountains, but we were desperate for outside time, so we decided to go anyways.

Jeff got up and went to work bright and early, only to discover that the high school teachers did not, in fact, have an inservice day. They had the day completely off! Jeff returned home and joined the rest of us on our mountain adventure instead. It was an awesome surprise to have him along! From our limited options, we chose the Naches Peak Loop trail in trusty Chinook Pass as our destination. We've done that trail before, but this was not an exploration; it was an escape.

When we arrived, Jeff went running while I hiked the first half of the 3 mile loop with the kids. Jeff met us halfway around the loop and took over while I went running down the Pacific Crest Trail to Dewey Lake. It was an unexpected bonus, to go on a second trail run in a week! I forced myself to be responsible and only ran for an hour while Jeff finished hiking the loop with the kids. I didn't have my hydration vest on and I felt so light and free, running down the trail in the gathering gloom! The normally expansive views were all completely shrouded in mist, but it was clean, cool, and wet rather than musty, smoky, and choking like the air back home.

Everyone felt a little weak and creaky after nearly two weeks of smoke-induced house arrest, but it was good to stretch our legs and lungs on the trail. We discovered that the girls have no pants that fit, since we never went back to school shopping this year! Amber wore a cinched, rolled pair of Rose's old pants, and Rose wore a cinched pair of baggy jeans that will never fit her little hips before they get too short. [tall girl problems] Jay does have pants that fit, and he decked himself out in his favorites: camo pants, forest green shirt, and camo vest. He was quite the outdoorsman.

Due to a slight mid-run distance miscalculation on my part, Jeff and the kids got back to the car 20 minutes before me. We drove homeward and picked up pizza for dinner on the way, per our Friday tradition. 

Jay really was quite camoflauged.

Braided maidens.

Amber, always up ahead on the trail.

Jeff finished his run and we hiked all together for  a little bit before I peeled down to my shorts and went on my run.

Family selfie on the trail, after Jeff's run, before my run.

Pictures from my run to Dewey Lake:

All week at home, my brain kept trying to tell me that the smoke outside was mist. While I was on this trail, my brain kept trying to tell me that this thick air was smoke. Come on, senses! Get with the program!

Mist is so much friendlier than smoke, although this was some incredibly thick eerie mist.

Eventually I came out the other side of the misty cloud.