The fire we were finally able to get going is steadily being smothered by the leftover food and garbage. Cheryl and Merlin take turns fanning the fire until they are satisfied that everything has been burned. If it is food, it MUST be burned to avoid bears scrounging for an easy meal. Any cans must be burned and then crushed and packed out. Patty, Susan, Cheryl and I sit and yak and enjoy the last bit of warmth from the coals while Barry reads a book. All this time it is raining and I notice that the puddle at the bottom of the slippery outhouse slope is significantly bigger than when we first arrived. I am pleased that my rain gear has worked so well--cheap rain pants have kept me dry; raincoat doing its job. The only thing that has failed me is my boots--my right foot in particular is wet--so I hang my socks from the shelf in my tent and hope that they'll dry overnight. The tent is the most amazing thing--with all this rain and varied surfaces I've set it up--and still it remains dry inside. I'm impressed.