Traveling is so crazy. I was in Texas during Hurricane Harvey, and in Washington state while it is setting a record-breaking year of wildfires. Nearly 2 million acres are currently burning and that number is sadly growing. 2018 has been bad for the whole west coast - California, Oregon, Washington, and even British Columbia, Canada have massive amounts of acres burning this summer...just to name a few states.
The picture above was taken on 8/19/18 at 7pm PST from InciWeb.
I have never been so close to wildfires, and it is a really crazy experience! I have SO MUCH respect for all of the firefighters, volunteers and the brave civilians who face this threat head on each year.
During my time in Washington so far, the skies have been clouded with smoke from all of the surrounding wildfires. In the picture above, you should be able to see the Cascade Mountains, but the smoke is so thick there is no trace of them. The air quality has been unhealthy for the majority of my time here and it is advised to limit outdoor activity 😭
Although I haven't been able to hike or explore nearly as much as I like to, I am very blessed to only see smoke and not fire! Thank you to all of the brave people fighting these fires!!! Your courage does not go unnoticed.
Due to hazardous smoke and unhealthy air lingering for weeks, I was experiencing mild symptoms from the wildfire smoke - coughing, chest pain and a sore throat. I found this awesome guide that tells you all of the symptoms to look out for, tips to stay healthy and facts about exactly what you're breathing. Check out this WildFire Health Tips Guide.
If you want to take action, here's how you can help:
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!