The gnarly Tatoosh shrouded in veils of wildfire smoke drifting in from fires east, south, and north. It isn’t the scene of majestic alpine grandeur I’d liked to have seen. These views with their hints of apocalyptic inferno mesmerize me anyway. Sometimes one has to go into it, aye, to go into it open wide to whatever happens. Open eyes, open mind, & with open heart. Such, however, must be one’s choice. I choose to go forward into it all despite the threat of spreading forest fires and trail closures.