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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Sep 16, 2014 - 07:34pm PT
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It got real smokey at trout creek today... Would that be weed or king fire smoke?
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 16, 2014 - 07:43pm PT
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CHP has just reduced US 50 Westbound to 1 lane, east of Pollock Pines.
That's a bad omen.
EDIT:
50 closed both directions between Sly Park Rd/Pollock Pines and Fresh Pond.
Going to be a long night for travelers.
EDIT:
June Lake update
June Fire Grows to 35 Acres
The June Fire, which started at the base of June Mountain, is estimated to be 35 acres. Fire behavior includes torching, spotting, and active runs.
Structures are threatened. Evacuations are mandatory east of June Mountain and south of Hwy 158. Highway 158 is closed at the south junction with Highway 395 and remains closed north to Rainbow Lane.
Structure protection resources are on scene and more are en route.
The June Lake Community Center is open as an emergency shelter. Southern California Edison has powered down power lines at the request of firefighters for firefighter safety.
Numerous resources from California Office of Emergency Services, Cal Fire, Mono County, Inyo County, local fire departments are assisting.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Sep 16, 2014 - 07:59pm PT
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hope all the june lake folks are out of harm's way. lots of homes along the fuel edge there.
surprised they didnt close 50 sooner. it'd be a nightmare staging along that road with tourist traffic.
there's a whole lotta fuel in almost any direction there when the wind changes. tomorrow could be brutal.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 16, 2014 - 08:20pm PT
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Fire alongside US 50!
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Charlie D.
Trad climber
Western Slope, Tahoe Sierra
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Sep 16, 2014 - 10:06pm PT
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King Fire as of 6:30 PM, it's alive and growing exponentially.
Essentially there is no containment as of yet.
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Dick Erb
climber
June Lake, CA
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Sep 16, 2014 - 10:58pm PT
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I heard some airplanes buzzing around this afternoon, went out see what's going on, and saw the plume. Judy and I got in the car and drove up canyon. It was already going pretty good and I got some pics. After dinner I went out for more but the closures were up and I couldn't get close but did get one looking up the road.
Down canyon where Flanders, Cragman, and I live is up wind and seems safe right now.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Sep 17, 2014 - 12:04am PT
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hey there say, Dick Erb... (and judy)
as to this:
Down canyon where Flanders, Cragman, and I live is up wind and seems safe right now.
whewwwww, glad you are so far, okay... prayers for all...
thanks for updating... me, myself, i may not know you all, in the same way, that many of the climbers, do, but i sure do care...
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Sep 17, 2014 - 01:11am PT
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It was surprising to me to see this graphic evidence of the smokiness in the SJV because of the fires in the mountains. There is a definite light/dark demarcation in this photo taken last evening about 6:30, due to the clouds to the NW blocking the sunset and casting strange light to the south and west.
The smoke showed up in this photo vividly.
If you're smart, you'll stay indoors as much as you can, like I'm doing till I leave for Facelift...except to take the garbage out, of course.
neebee's right, we all care because "it could happen here."
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 17, 2014 - 09:42am PT
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The #JuneFire is largely at the resort.
So far.
Posted last evening
This view is from the direction of Cragman's place.
Dean may be too busy helping out to post here.
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Dick Erb
climber
June Lake, CA
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Sep 17, 2014 - 12:50pm PT
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HT, Nice photo that one was taken from Northshore Drive, Cragman's place is off to the right a couple of miles down canyon. The fire started near the base of the ski area but moved up and left burning over one run called Canyon Trail but getting further away from any ski lifts or buildings as it progressed.
Because of road closures I can't get as close as I did yesterday. But I was able to get a few. It looks like it didn't expand a lot overnight.
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Tork
climber
Yosemite
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Sep 17, 2014 - 01:11pm PT
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Great shots Dick. You beat me to the punch... like you said, Cragman and Flanders are a bit farther to the west. I am in the Peterson Track and gotta say it is kinda creepy over here. Kinda a ghost town. Sounds like WWIII with all the air traffic.
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klk
Trad climber
cali
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Sep 17, 2014 - 02:02pm PT
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video feed of the plume from the NV side of Tahoe-- from the UNV Seismo lab's new cam
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Tork
climber
Yosemite
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Sep 17, 2014 - 02:13pm PT
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The air traffic sure seems to have died down here in June, hope that's a good sign. The wind seems to have picked up though.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 17, 2014 - 02:14pm PT
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King Fire:
US 50 is now open. One lane only westbound in the area of the fire, between Sly Park and Fresh Pond.
Well over 18000 acres now.
By comparison, the Rim Fire was 257,000 acres.
Latest MODIS imagery.
Fire is moving NNW into sparsely populated country. It appears that whole area has previously been logged.
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bergbryce
climber
East Bay, CA
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Sep 17, 2014 - 04:13pm PT
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Ron quote from another thread currently making the rounds....
For instance, I could say that right now, a large portion of the Eldorado NF is burning , due to the fact it fell decadent and over stocked by NON treatment. And that its torching right now in an un-natural way due to those conditions. And that is 100% truth. BUT to those so opposed to "logging" it will be considered inflammatory and then abused, condemned and insulted.
What are all those polka-dot looking things in the northern half of High Traverse's map right above? That region of Eldo NF sure looks like it has been seeing some pretty active timber management.
FYI... those are forest clear cuts for non remote-sensing pros. The whole northern half of that map is a patchwork of forest in varying stages of regeneration (look at google maps of the area).
The canyon next to the highway is steep (read: more difficult to log) and probably full of fuel, hence the rapid initial growth. Hopefully if the fire continues to move northward it will hit these areas that appear to have less growth and it will get tamped down some.
Edited to add: I don't have any problem with logging forests. Forests grow back. Much of the demise of N. America's logging industry is due not to environmentalists but because of global economics. Malaysia and other Asian countries got into timber products in a big way in the past 20 years and it's a lot cheaper to get raw materials from there than here. The timer industry has paralleled the steel industry somewhat.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 17, 2014 - 04:35pm PT
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bergbryce
Thanks for picking up that logging info. Of course once you've clearcut, then the forest grows back with all trees the same size. So about 20-40 years later you've got a dense forest of smallish evergreen trees. Few of them can grow large due to the crowding. Deciduous trees, especially oaks, can't grow quickly beneath the canopy of evergreens.
Perfect Storm fuel load.
King Fire has grown a LOT in the past 2 hrs 15 minutes.
Significant expansion North and NW.
Town of Volcanoville (upper left of this pic) now under voluntary evacuation! Or possibly mandatory. Sources are conflicting.
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bergbryce
climber
East Bay, CA
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Sep 17, 2014 - 04:43pm PT
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I actually have no idea how previously clearcut areas would react to fire. I was hoping younger stands = better suppression, but I really don't know.
This month has gotten really bad, fast. I feel for the town of Weed, those pictures are terrible.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:04pm PT
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Opposite sides of the Hetch Hetchy road, last Nov after the Rim Fire:
This was apparently an old clear cut that was then left to grow. The area beyond the trees is still meadow.
This is what we do on a shaded fuel break. Take out all the small stuff (less than 8" diameter) up to 10 feet above the ground and leave all the big stuff. Now you have a healthy forest of mixed age trees.
Can it burn? yes......
but it sure slows the fire down and gives the fire crews a chance to stop it.
And yes, 3 or 4 years later you have to come back and give it a haircut.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:12pm PT
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In Tecoya, Yos Village, looking up at Half Dome.
Zero smoke, clear skies.
Got two pitches fixed on Bad to the Bone with fellow Hosers Jon and Dom. Woo-hoo!!!
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Sep 17, 2014 - 05:25pm PT
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hope you don't get any wind changes or inversion layers!
Good luck up there.
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