Day 42 - Defeated. Deflated.

Mile 672.8 to Mile 669.3 - 3.5 miles

Yep - that's a negative day.
We awoke to the view of a smouldering fire in the distance

The PCT passes to the back of the ridge in the foreground right & over the back if the mountain in the distance mid-photo. Fire has gone up the far mountain and behind the ridge where it is believed to have started at a campground.
While Becks & I considered our options a group of 6 appeared at the saddle with the same idea - apparently my non-return the previous night swaying their decision to carry on as everyone else was in retreat. The two groups put their heads together & identified that Cane Break Road would lead us around the damaged area and put us 6 to 8 miles upside of the fire - problem being that the road went right through the fire area.
Mountain Dew then decided that he would get closer sans pack & do the 8 mile there to do a recce. He set off and returned 4 hours later - dehydrated & exhausted. He got within 200 yards of the road just down from the campground where the fire started. The whole area was still thick with smoke & fire so that any attempt to get through was a no go. The group of 6 immediately bailed. This was not before we got more views of the giant planes dumping retardant to restrict the flare ups occuring

In an attempt to get more information I walked a mile along the trail to get phone coverage. News coming through said that over 300 were battling the blaze with no indication of roads being opened.
Becks & I could have stayed on the ridge to sit it out but made the demoralising call to pack up & head back down to the spring at about 6pm - defeated & deflated. To spice up the day I managed to stab a yellow & black Californian King snake by accident with my walking pole on the trek down!!! Otherwise we will re-evaluate things in the morning...Weta