“Keep to the boards. The mud keeps what it gets.” _{~ Waymaker crew chief}

Shroomshadow Mire lies at the northwest edge of Signal Bay, downslope from Myco Valley to the nearby river mouth. Still mornings bring a faint spore drift. The Waymakers keep a narrow road of corduroy and rough boards just above the waterline. It works when the weather does. After hard rain or king tide the path goes under and travel waits. The crossing runs about fifteen miles: one day in good weather, much longer when the water’s up. Some pools hold more than mud, and people who step off the boards sometimes do not step back.

The Waymakers charge a small fee per head and extra for animals, or you can take a deed tag and do a posted task.

• Light: replace faded ribbon tabs, shake out bug netting at the dry pullout, or replace a missing handline section.

• Medium: reset a loose board, scrape and re-gouge a slick plank, or carry a gravel sack to a churned approach.

• Heavy: haul spare planks to the mid-cache, move the tool handcart to the far booth, or stake a leaning guide pole.