The Fire Thread

I had a pretty interesting weekend. I'd planned to do some exploring in the area above Shaver Lake and Huntington Res. Apparently the Creek fire started about an hour after I left home Friday evening. Got up to that general area late Friday night. On Saturday I made my way up from the Kings River towards Dinkey Creek and Shaver Lake. As I came around a corner this came into view, more or less in the exact direction I was heading. Didn't look big, but I figured my plans would be changing.

Another driver I talked to said the fire was near Tamarack Resort (by China Peak). He'd been turned around at a CHP roadblock on Hwy 168 so he went back to Pine Flat Lake and up the back way.

Near Dinkey Creek I saw some sheriff deputies unloading side by sides from a truck. Asked where the closures were and they said Bald Mtn was being evacuated along with everything between there and Huntington Res.

IMG_20200905_124831.jpg



There was a short ride I'd wanted to do closer to Shaver Lake so I checked it out. Emerged from the trees at one point to this view. The fire was burning just beyond the ridge, less than 2mi away. Yikes

IMG_20200905_175530.jpg



Wider view. Looks like the spot I took this pic from has now burned.

I'd been told areas south of Dinkey Creek Rd were not being evacuated and there were still tons of people camped there. I decided to head out of the area after my ride anyways. With fire that close I figured the whole area would soon be shut down.

PANO_20200905_175756.vr.jpg


I headed south down towards Camp Nelson. There has been a fire burning in Golden Trout Wilderness by Forks of the Kern for a month or so but it didn't seem to be growing much and I figured it wouldn't be an issue. I spent Sunday riding. Waking up this morning smoke was much worse. Went out for a ride around 9am. When I got back to the truck around 11 I found a note on the windshield saying the area was being evacuated and to leave immediately.
 
SingleTrackJB said:
Never heard of a gender reveal party until this weekend. Sounds pretty dumb to me. Putting a national forest, precious habitat, on fire, is even more dumb. Sigh. Deep sigh. :(
Click to expand...

I had to ask my wife what a gender reveal party was. I thought it was a LGBT thing :) Sounds to me like a baby shower with a fancy 2020 name. Tho' not sure who brought the fireworks... fireworks and baby showers during a pandemic(?)

Stay safe out there! Try not to breathe too much of that crap.
 
Last night I skated past a lady wearing Forest Service tactical gear as we shopped at Vons. She looked like she had a long day, but she was still smokin’ (pun). Anyway, I offered to buy her groceries comprised of Gatorade-type hydration and food for on-the-go. She declined (ostensibly because it is part of her per diem) but seemed to appreciate the gesture. I looked at her fondly but with a thousand-mile-stare on my face and blurted out that I miss the field. Is that insensitive?
 
What a season. And it’s not even prime time yet. I feel for those who have lost property or been displaced, as well as the firefighters working an unprecedentedly grim situation.

Thanks for the reminder, @evdog; David, the air up here right now is exceptionally bad, so maybe this week is just not meant to be.

I’ve gone well beyond being disappointed about how this has impacted my/our recreation. Down to hoping for as close to zero fatalities as possible and minimal property loss. I can’t bear to think of the habitat and wildlife losses.

Stay safe, everyone.


PS: Good on you, @DangerDirtyD.
 
Just saw on MTBR that the King-Castle area in Oregon is burning as well. If you haven’t ridden that area, you missed out as it’s what you finish on when you do the Olallie-O’Leary loop up there which many consider to be the best trail in Oregon. It’s down the road a bit from the MRT. Just another example of why people need to quit saying “oh I’m going to ride that next year”. As this example shows, it may not be there next year!!
 
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evdog said:
I had a pretty interesting weekend. I'd planned to do some exploring in the area above Shaver Lake and Huntington Res. Apparently the Creek fire started about an hour after I left home Friday evening. Got up to that general area late Friday night. On Saturday I made my way up from the Kings River towards Dinkey Creek and Shaver Lake. As I came around a corner this came into view, more or less in the exact direction I was heading. Didn't look big, but I figured my plans would be changing.

Another driver I talked to said the fire was near Tamarack Resort (by China Peak). He'd been turned around at a CHP roadblock on Hwy 168 so he went back to Pine Flat Lake and up the back way.

Near Dinkey Creek I saw some sheriff deputies unloading side by sides from a truck. Asked where the closures were and they said Bald Mtn was being evacuated along with everything between there and Huntington Res.

View attachment 68883


There was a short ride I'd wanted to do closer to Shaver Lake so I checked it out. Emerged from the trees at one point to this view. The fire was burning just beyond the ridge, less than 2mi away. Yikes

View attachment 68884


Wider view. Looks like the spot I took this pic from has now burned.

I'd been told areas south of Dinkey Creek Rd were not being evacuated and there were still tons of people camped there. I decided to head out of the area after my ride anyways. With fire that close I figured the whole area would soon be shut down.

View attachment 68885

I headed south down towards Camp Nelson. There has been a fire burning in Golden Trout Wilderness by Forks of the Kern for a month or so but it didn't seem to be growing much and I figured it wouldn't be an issue. I spent Sunday riding. Waking up this morning smoke was much worse. Went out for a ride around 9am. When I got back to the truck around 11 I found a note on the windshield saying the area was being evacuated and to leave immediately.
Click to expand...

Speaking of Shaver Lake, here’s a photo of Cressman’s, an iconic stop up there on the way to the lake.

38BBD0F5-E8C7-41C6-9AFD-1DB06A67EF64.jpeg
 
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