South Loop/North Loop Short Cut, Big Piney Trail — just a short way further along the trail it drops down towards Little Paddy Creek. In that section I encountered some very thick wood smoke. Even though I know from experience that smoke can travel miles and still be very thick, it was a bit disconcerting!
This is my last picture of the day, and I didn’t take any pictures of my camp in ‘Spring Hollow’ either. The light was fading as I got to the point where I leave the trail, and rather than scrambling over huge boulders and down very steep hillsides in the diminishing light, I tried another route cutting into the hollow from the south after I had passed the shut-ins and spring. That worked, and I arrived just as it started to get dark. I was very pleased to see water running in the creek. The spring must still be running, despite the drought.
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