coastal Zaca fire plaguing Sierra air clarity

[rightstar76]

Thanks mountaineer. It's not fun going to the Sierra when you can't see anything. Hopefully the winds will change and the smoke will go elsewhere.

[mountaineer]

I am leaving to go up right now to Edison. Will give a smoke report when I return this weekend. Going to do Graveyard Peak hopefully(for the third time).

[quentinc]

We went up South Fork Big Pine Creek this weekend (inspired by Tomcat's wonderful report on Middle Palisade). The smoke was up and down, almost by the hour. The mornings weren't bad, but by midday you couldn't even see the White Mountains across the valley. It was absurdly windy on Sunday (windy enough to discourage me from trying Middle Pal, for which my heart is still aching!), and that only seemed to kick up the smoke.

[SSSdave]

Sunday morning I noticed that despite the dry cold front passing, it wasn't enough to really clear out all the smoke in the San Joaquin Valley. Note without that valley air clear, afternoon light in the crest areas is doomed. That was reflected in the air quality links I check from that area. I went over Sonora Pass but was pessimistic. Hoping for the best drove the 30 miles south to Conway Summit for a peek south and it was horrible. Could not even see Mount Morrison. Thus went with plan C and drove north to Tahoe where I backpacked 4 days in Desolation. Air up there was extra clear with no clouds and breezy to windy most of the time. Very dry though like late September with little flow in even the permanent streams and vegetation long since dried brown. ...David

[mountaineer]

Just walked in the door from a short trip into the Devils Bathtub area out of Edison. Not an iota of smoke anywhere! I climbed the unnamed peak behind Devils Bathtub(directly across from Graveyard Peak) and could see some distance south past Seven Gables. Some very slight haze down that way but nothing that impaired the sights. Beautiful clear days and sparkling nights...AND NOBODY AROUND! Only six cars at the Edison trailhead. Edison nearly empty and didn't see the shuttle running. If it was, there is about a mile walk from water up to the resort.

[mountaineer]

By the way...in three days up there the temperature at 9200' was 77-80 in the afternoon and 53-55 in the morning just before the sun came up. Fishing sucked but didn't see a single skeeter, even in the marshy areas.