Full-on cowboy attire was required for the dense smoke we encountered this morning as we climbed the steep Bear Ridge. We used bandannas to cover our nose and mouth, but had to remove them as we climbed, since we couldn't breath in enough oxygen with them on. We could taste the smoke. Bear Ridge went through a quiet, serene forest with some old growth trees. This one was likely 500 years old. We struck up a conversation with Bellingham Dude, a smiling gentleman from Bellingham, Washington during a break halfway up the ridge. He was amused by our (especially Bob's) cowboy look. Descending the ridge on the other side we found a natural water slide, and smartly deciding to break and slide! We contemplated using our plastic bag pack liners to increase our speed, but thought better of risking our only rain protection to the rock. Sliding felt wonderful and so fun, like a kid at a water park, but with the added solace of the outdoors. ...