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Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Thu Jul 14, 2011 3:44 pm
by cgundersen
http://inciweb.org/incident/2400/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The webcams facing Farewell Gap have shown significant smoke accumulation from this fire, which is projected to consume up to 6500 acres! If anyone has any first hand experience with this (particularly, Farewell Gap or Franklin Pass), please chime in, because I think the smoke may affect a broad swath of the lower Kern Valley.
cg

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 10:36 am
by ManOfTooManySports
Do you have a link to the webcam? We are thinking of going to either Farewell Gap or to the eastern part of GTW next weekend. Thanks.

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 11:56 am
by maverick
Hi ManOfTooManySports

Welcome to HST!
Here is the link to the web-cam: http://www.mk-webcam.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Fri Jul 15, 2011 3:50 pm
by ManOfTooManySports
Many thanks! That's a bit of snow still in Farewell Gap. We'll probably have to do something east or south of there instead.

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 5:07 pm
by maverick
Well, it is up to 8500 acres, and estimated to get to 22000 acres before they can
contain it.
Current web cam towards Farwell Gap shows smoke getting worse, and may effect
those with trips scheduled to the Western Divide's southern area's.
http://www.mk-webcam.net/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
With the monsoonal flow starting up, and bringing thunderstorms this weekend
and next week, we may have more fires starting up in the Sierra.

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:25 pm
by MADgenius
Did a loop on the Kern Plateau within the Golden Trout last weekend - July 16th-19th. No local sootiness until the final morning, near Trail Pass, but while along the PCT from Olancha to Mulkey Passes, smoke was extremely thick within the entire Kern Valley to beyond Mt Whitney.

I'll try to link to some snaps once uploaded to the web.

My info is a bit dated (sorry ManOfTooManySports - only saw your query in response to my skeeter report today) and obviously weather circumstances and fire behavior will dictate how smoke conditions develop. Still, last weekend the Lion Fire was only a third of its current size.

Looked bad enough to lead me to reconsider a trip to Kaweah Basin permitted for August 5-12 (route follows HST to Pyra-Queen Col, returns via Triple Divide Pass and Tablelands). Will keep an eye on InciWeb updates and webcam imagery (as well as snow on the passes, of course).

http://sierrafire.cr.usgs.gov/swfrs/pages/WebCam.htm

I value the ecological role of wildlife in the Sierra, but I'm no fan of hiking through smoke, neither my lungs nor my photography appreciate it much. Seems that in a worst-case scenario, the Lion Fire will impact much of the eastern half of Sequoia NP for the next several weeks.

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 7:56 pm
by maverick
MADgenius wrote:

Looked bad enough to lead me to reconsider a trip to Kaweah Basin
permitted for August 5-12 (route follows HST to Pyra-Queen Col, returns
via Triple Divide Pass and Tablelands). Will keep an eye on InciWeb updates
and webcam imagery (as well as snow on the passes, of course).
Hi MG

Was planning to re-visit KB & Red Spur Lakes Basin to, but will delay till another time.
My Observation Lakes Basin>Dumbbell Lakes Basin>Amph Basin trips photography a few
years back was ruined by the smoke, and in DLB it was difficult to breathe during the
afternoon, and visibility was very bad.
Know of someone else who is considering delaying there trip to this region because of
this fire.

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:39 am
by Hobbes
MADgenius wrote:(The fire) looked bad enough to lead me to reconsider a trip to Kaweah Basin permitted for August 5-12
I've got a permit for a quick 4 day loop through the GTW the same weekend. Like you, I'm going to have to evaluate whether or not to go depending on the situation.

Allowing lightning initiated fires to burn seems a reasonable policy. The only issue is these 'natural' wild fires still seem to have excess fuel available due to prior decades of suppression. Once the undergrowth is finally cleared out, then these types of fires should burn less excessively, and be vulnerable to smaller (monsoonal) rainstorms.

I guess, in general, we have all become conditioned to many services/features that have been available in the parks during the 'good times'. As the state rides the crest down, I would expect things will start to become a little bit more 'raw'.

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:50 am
by ronhales
the fire has grown to 14,000 acres. I am suppose to leave next week from Crecent meadows in kings canyon/Sequoia to Whitney. It sounds like the Kern River valley is smokey and the view from WHiteny may be as well. We also learned that the road to the Crecent Meadow trailhead is closed (possibly for consruction)......
looking for another hike now...any suggestions??

Re: Lion Fire impact on southern Sierra?

Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 12:45 pm
by Troutdog 59
Hey folks. I know nothing about this fire (size, where burning, etc), but as an FYI; this mornings (7/26 @ 10:15 or so) image on the Mineral King Farewell Gap web cam looks just plain out horrible. Thick smoke in the Farewell Gap area.