Smoky and safe.

Oregon | Portland

The air quality index in Portland has been well over 500 for days. The worst in the world for a major city. With smaller nearby towns, closer to the fires, registering in the 600s and 700s. A healthy ozone number is 50 or less.

As in any home, air sneaks in through door and window cracks. It smells like a campfire inside daily, with a few hours being too much and requiring a mask. Thankfully I had an N95 mask tucked away in Dandy, as a just in case, when there’s wildfire smoke during my travels. The air purifier I ordered will arrive in a few days. These fires will burn for months, even after contained.

There’s been so much devastation from numerous wildfires over the last ten days. Thousands of people have lost everything. And my heart is so heavy anticipating the coming days and weeks when search teams begin recovery efforts.

Many evacuees are here in Portland. The outpouring of generosity has been beautiful to witness and join. Calls for material items, food, and water are fulfilled almost immediately. Many of us outdoorsy folks have given some or all our camping gear to the people now living in tents across box store and private parking lots, because their homes are gone and it’s safer than being packed into a gymnasium or the convention center, due to COVID. Some people are even freely offering up their homes, guest rooms, and unoccupied rentals.

My range of emotions from the last ten days, and all of 2020 to be honest, has been overwhelming at times. This weekend offered a much needed glimmer of hope as the wind shifted, rain was forecast, a handful of evacuations were downgraded and the firefighters gained ground.