tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582 
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Post by tarol on Aug 22, 2015 0:54:22 GMT -8
Cedar Grove's been closed due to the Rough Fire, looks like Grant Grove is closing now as well.
Smoke from this fire is mainly going south and east - so I'd avoid Sequoia NP and Sequoia NF. Even the deserts and So Cal mountains are getting smoke now.
Of course the wind direction can change, so even if you're planning on hikes north of Kings Canyon, have a back up plan! Also please take a SPOT or PLB if you're going anywhere in the southwest or PNW. This fire season has been very scary and resources are tapped out. Any new starts aren't likely to get as many resources as they may need...
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speacock
Trail Wise!
I'm here for the food...
Posts: 378 
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Post by speacock on Aug 23, 2015 8:47:39 GMT -8
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
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Post by tarol on Aug 23, 2015 9:28:44 GMT -8
Are you referencing Kings Canyon Lodge? The private lodge surrounded by Sequoia NF land? The main lodge building was destroyed Friday. The fire was plume dominated that day and extremely dangerous. Hume Lake area itself looks good right now. Strategic back burns were successful. Still a chance the fire could wrap around the lake, but it's looking better for them. I've been following the camp on Facebook. As far as hiking in SEKI goes... "ROUGH FIRE UPDATE: Wilderness permits cancelled for specific trailheads Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is cancelling all wilderness permits that initiate in the Cedar Grove and Grant Grove areas due to trailheads being located in areas closed due to the Rough Fire. The parks are providing a refund of the permit fees. If requested, we will rearrange permits into other areas in the parks, or move them to a later date. It is important to note that hiking in wilderness areas in the parks does not provide the best experience right now—uncomfortable hiking with much smoke and little to no vistas. However, whether or not you go, where a trailhead is open and available is up to you. Some wilderness rangers are currently being reassigned to other areas of the parks due to poor air quality. Rangers in the Cedar Grove area are also being moved out. The park has limited staffing levels—and therefore very limited emergency response is available for the public. For example, with smoke, helicopters have not been able to fly into certain areas of the parks. In a worse-case scenario, an emergency could mean a litter-carry lasting several days per patient.There are two teams managing different sections of the Rough Fire. For more information about the Rough Fire, call 559-565-3704 or visit inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4456. In addition, there is a park-specific team managing how the Rough Fire affects employees and partners and communicating to the public how visitors could be impacted by the Rough Fire on a visit to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks." |
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 23, 2015 11:16:17 GMT -8
Ah that's a shame, I've stayed at that lodge for Nordic skiing and the owners were nice people.
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Post by cahiker on Aug 25, 2015 13:45:18 GMT -8
We got home from 8 days in SEKI on Saturday, and I would agree with the recommendation to avoid the area. In the afternoons and evenings the smoke got worse and was very unpleasant (and probably not healthy). We were at Ranger Lake, Cloud Canyon, Colby Lake, Deadman Canyon, Elizabeth Pass, Lonely Lake, Moose Lake, Lodgepole. The ranger at Roaring River evacuated with her horses mid-week. The smoke will vary somewhat with weather and wind and location (canyons worse, high areas better), but it might be more enjoyable to go somewhere else (until a fire starts there...)
Sad about the lodge. Hopefully the fire can be contained soon.
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
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Post by tarol on Aug 30, 2015 6:58:27 GMT -8
no not healthy at all, as far away as the Owen's Valley the air has been in the unhealthy category
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
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Post by tarol on Aug 30, 2015 7:00:08 GMT -8
fire is less active in Hume Lake, more active in Converse Basin and Boyden Cave area, also Wishon area on alert for evacuation now. Looks like temps will be cooler in the coming week. The Boole Tree and Ishi Giant Tree have been specifically listed as threats and firefighters have done fuels work and even installed sprinklers next to the former.
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
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Post by tarol on Sept 1, 2015 10:02:17 GMT -8
They've wrapped Knapp's Cabin in Cedar Grove, preparing for the fire to move through there
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
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Post by tarol on Sept 6, 2015 6:34:06 GMT -8
The fire has crossed Lewis Creek, smoke is bad in the southern Owen's Valley and very hazy down here in the High Desert
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Sept 12, 2015 18:35:07 GMT -8
The Tenaya Fire is looking hopeful. Perhaps due to early very aggressive suppression? There was a DC-10 doing retardant drops early on... wild to see the video of something that size flying low and appearing below Half Dome's top on its route out from the drop (there's a video of it on FB, one aspect is from the camera viewpoint the flight path seems to be straight through the thick smoke plume..,). The area has been constant for a few days, between 450 and 500 acres. Otoh the Rough fire is a lot tougher. inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4604/ |
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Sept 13, 2015 9:17:15 GMT -8
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tarol
Trail Wise!
Redding, CA
Posts: 582
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Post by tarol on Sept 18, 2015 15:05:05 GMT -8
Things are looking much better now - Rough Fire is 67% contained  General's Highway re-opened |
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General's Highway re-opened