Day 27 04/12 Safe Camp to Arrastre

We slept in as late as we could (8:00am) and began to pack. My tent was soaked in condensation so I laid it out in anticipation of the sun breaking through the trees. When it did, it was joyous... It was truly a beautiful thing to see after such a drab and miserable day holed up in the tent.
I sat and ate happily and let the sun warm my bones. I could feel the heat warming me at my core and I wanted to soak up every last minute of it. I didn't know if the storm was over or if this was just a lull. I could still see clouds whisking by on the edge of the saddle where our camp was.
I hadn't had signal in days, at least since Idyllwild and it was really beginning to wear on me. Not talking to family or Sara for a few days wasn't bad, but going day after day with absolutely no communication sucked. I didn't even have any way to confirm they were getting the OK messages from my GPS transponder. I was really beginning to miss everybody.
We packed up and headed off and even further up into the mountains. We would peak out above 9000 ft today before descending again. The plan was to divide the day into four parts and take decent breaks in between, and end up at Arrastre Trail Camp, a horse camp 16.4 miles away. We liked the horse camps, because they meant some flat ground and usually, an outhouse.
We were learning. Never pass up a public toilet. :)
To our pure and utter joy, we passed an old forest service camp at Coon Creek that we didn't know about. It had a working commode..... With toilet paper!!!
We might get two toilets in one day. Heaven.
We passed through the frost covered trees from the previous day's storm. It would break free and float down on us in the wind like fake snow. We didn't see a single person all day, and got to Arrastre trail camp just before dark. It was down in a dark canyon surrounded by massive ancient trees. Unfortunately all of the good spots had giant widow makers (dead trees that could fall or lose huge branches in the wind that could kill you in the night). I picked the trees that looked least likely to fall in the night and set up my tent.
If it didn't fall for the last twenty years, it won't fall tonight, right?
Which chances do I take, and which do I avoid? It's always about balance of risk. :)
I was a little worried about the cold air settling in the night, we were low in a canyon and it was already cold enough. I didn't worry too much though. There was another fire ring, and the wind hadn't picked up. I set up my tent and built a fire just as the sun went down.

By the way, I was an idiot and skipped the "restroom" at Coon Creek. (I didn't have to go!)
There was none at Arrastre.
All of you at home, you're lucky.
I envy you.
You and your toilets. :)