A little news about the Lake Fire

[zippetydude]

They re-opened Hwy 38 this morning, so I took a drive up to talk with some of the people actually working the scene. There was general agreement that in the areas at lower elevations the fire had been fairly successfully kept to the understory. There were exceptions, of course, and the flames had crowned in places, but the overall tone was more optimistic than I had expected. The further east I went, the bleaker it got. HJ's picture of Grinnell pretty much says it for that area, but it does not look like that was the story for the whole burned area.

Also, the actual burned area is not as big as it is shown on the map, at least not on the northern perimeter by Hwy 38. I drove up to the WIldhorse trailhead, and at no point along the highway could I see any burned area at all. Up high, in the distance through the trees, I could see very little due to haze, but there is nothing by the road.

There was very little traffic with all the camps closed, and since Jenks Lake Loop is closed, you can't actually see very much at all. The fire fighters and sheriffs were the only real source of info. Whenever they re-open Jenks Lake Loop we'll have a chance to see the situation, but from what I heard it is really probably better than most of us feared, at least at the lower elevations.

z

[Ed]

Thanks for the news. Sounds more like what I had hoped for than what I had feared. Please keep up the posts on this, particularly if you have any more first-hand information. Fire perimeters on maps, excited media coverage, and terse statements from fire-fighting authorities leave out a lot.

[Pitownpi]

"The home and outbuildings, owned by Diane Best on Burns Canyon Road, burned Wednesday when the illegal drone flying in the area grounded all the firefighting aircraft with fire retardant and water."

http://www.z1077fm.com/one-home-lost-evacuations-lifted-lake-fire-over-30000-acres/

[Hikin_Jim]

That's very good news, Zip. I've been encouraged by multiple photos showing areas that weren't utter destruction. Unfortunately there are other areas that were basically cremated.

HJ

[momphrare]

As of 8am this morning USFS posted:
Containment 65%
Size 31,359 Acres
Cost $34M
Injuries 5
Personnel 1,714
Residences Burned 1

Looks like with this rain and no wind they will likely be able to get it where they want it.

-jN

[hayhiker]

I rode over to Tulakes yesterday with SGWA and was able to see the burnt area close up on the south side of Jenks Lake Road. I was very heartened to see that while many trees were destroyed, some were only partially burnt, and other practically unscathed. I have been especially saddened by the destruction of Aspen Grove but was informed that those trees should begin to grow back fairly quickly because of their root systems. I'm feeling a little more hopeful than I was a week ago.

[zippetydude]

Hey! Hi hayhiker! I just saw your post about actually going on Jenks Lake Loop. Did you take any pictures? That area going up the SF drainage is my favorite area in the entire Wilderness so I'm waiting with baited breath, hoping for the best. Your report echoes what I've heard...I'd love to see any pics you took. Thanks for the positive post.

z

[MACgyver]

FYI:
My wife I had have had 3 permits to hike the Vivian Creek Trail to SG Peak in late June and early July. Of course, all of the permits were cancelled due to the Lake Fire. I phoned the Mill Creek Ranger Station last Thursday to find out the expected reopening of the Vivian Creek Trail, and I was told by a ranger that it is closed until OCTOBER when they plan to do another assessment to see if it will opened then. Does anyone know if the fire even touched that trail, and if not, why such a long delay in being able to hike the trail. Thanks for any information that you may have...

[gdpalmer]

I talked to someone in at the Mill Creek Ranger Station during the fire as I had a permit for the San Bernardino trail and camping overnight at Limber Pine Bench for July 17-18. I wanted to get a permit in for the third weekend in September as well. I was told the problem is, once someone is in the wilderness, how far will they go? There could be unsafe areas and they do not want anyone having the possibility of getting there. I get the feeling that it is thought to be safer to draw a huge circle around potential dangers to limit the possibility of anyone being put in danger. I am willing to bet the wilderness may sit all winter untouched to make sure everything is out and anything that may fall over has the opportunity to fall over. I would love to go to Aspen Grove this fall and see a bunch of one foot trees with golden leaves against the somewhat blackened earth. We can only wish.

[Hikin_Jim]

Does anyone know if the fire even touched that trail, and if not, why such a long delay in being able to hike the trail. Thanks for any information that you may have...

The fire didn't touch the summit. To me, this is yet another example of the Forest Service's overreaction to an event. The San Bernardino Peak Trail, Momyer Creek Trail, Alger Creek Trail, and Vivian Creek Trails were not touched at all. There's no reason to close them for multiple months, particularly in the height of hiking season. In other areas such as the San Gabriels and San Jacintos, the whole area isn't shut down, just those areas specific to the Station and Mountain fires, respectively.

HJ