Kevin Rooney
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Several people on this board have trips planned/in progress for the PCT or portions thereof such as the John Muir Trail, Mt Whitney, etc so be aware this very large fire may impact on your plans. Here's what's going on at 9:45 PST, 7/8/07:
A series of wildfires were started by a small thunderstorm Friday afternoon in the Owens Valley along US 395 north of Lone Pine, CA (location of Mt Whitney) and have burned approx. 40,000 acres thus far. The Owens Valley is a long valley beginning about 50 miles south of Lone Pine and extending north toward Bishop, Yosemite, etc. It is bordered on the west by the Sierra Mountains and the east by the White Mountains, and located within Inyo County. Inyo is a large county (about the size of NH) but sparely populated - less that 13,000 at the last census. As times US395 has been closed due to the intensity and proximity of the fires, and quoting from an AP story earlier today "... Firefighters were searching for and evacuating hikers and backpackers on and near the popular trail to Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states.
At least 200 people from the small town of Independence were evacuated, officials said, and a section of Highway 395, which runs along the eastern spine of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, was closed. Campgrounds and a lodge had been evacuated." The towns of Big Pine and Independence are threatened, and many structures have burned.
Since the fires are in multiple locations in the Owens Valley, it is being referred to as the 'Inyo Complex'. You can get more info online here and here and a thread on the Whitney Portal BB here.
This is a big, ugly fire, and a long way from containment. I read a report this morning that said the conditions are so dry and the fire so hot that brush is spontaneously igniting up to 1/2 mile away from the fire.
Reports are that both the Whitney Trail and the Mountaineers Route are open, but as noted above, north of this the backcountry area may likely be closed for the next week or two, perhaps longer, due to extreme fire danger risk. If you have a trip planned anywhere from Lone Pine north and past Yosemite, check with the USFS and/or USPS for more info.
Will post more info as it becomes available.
Kevin
A series of wildfires were started by a small thunderstorm Friday afternoon in the Owens Valley along US 395 north of Lone Pine, CA (location of Mt Whitney) and have burned approx. 40,000 acres thus far. The Owens Valley is a long valley beginning about 50 miles south of Lone Pine and extending north toward Bishop, Yosemite, etc. It is bordered on the west by the Sierra Mountains and the east by the White Mountains, and located within Inyo County. Inyo is a large county (about the size of NH) but sparely populated - less that 13,000 at the last census. As times US395 has been closed due to the intensity and proximity of the fires, and quoting from an AP story earlier today "... Firefighters were searching for and evacuating hikers and backpackers on and near the popular trail to Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48 states.
At least 200 people from the small town of Independence were evacuated, officials said, and a section of Highway 395, which runs along the eastern spine of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, was closed. Campgrounds and a lodge had been evacuated." The towns of Big Pine and Independence are threatened, and many structures have burned.
Since the fires are in multiple locations in the Owens Valley, it is being referred to as the 'Inyo Complex'. You can get more info online here and here and a thread on the Whitney Portal BB here.
This is a big, ugly fire, and a long way from containment. I read a report this morning that said the conditions are so dry and the fire so hot that brush is spontaneously igniting up to 1/2 mile away from the fire.
Reports are that both the Whitney Trail and the Mountaineers Route are open, but as noted above, north of this the backcountry area may likely be closed for the next week or two, perhaps longer, due to extreme fire danger risk. If you have a trip planned anywhere from Lone Pine north and past Yosemite, check with the USFS and/or USPS for more info.
Will post more info as it becomes available.
Kevin
