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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Aug 19, 2016 - 10:35am PT
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^^^
Yikes! Where exactly is that fire burning now? Sounds like its near Johnsondale or further north?
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 19, 2016 - 10:35am PT
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Just roughing it out from the inciweb map, it looks to be about 20 miles south of Ponderosa and The Needles.
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TomCochrane
Trad climber
Santa Cruz Mountains and Monterey Bay
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Aug 19, 2016 - 10:48am PT
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I belong to two local fire departments…spent last night running a fire hose on a forest wildfire near here…sent home for rest and still on standby...
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 19, 2016 - 11:02am PT
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I belong to two local fire departments…
That's gotta be pretty intense these days.
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EP
Trad climber
Way Out There
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Aug 19, 2016 - 11:07am PT
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Freebo, who played bass with Bonnie Raitt and others, bought the Californa Hot Springs resort a few years back. My son met him at Trader Joes in Bakersfield. Freebo and his LA pals would play in a local restaurant/ bar weekly for a while. I met him at NAMM and discovered he was close by.
I hope his place survives the fire.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 19, 2016 - 11:12am PT
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All we can do now is wait and hope. Pray if that's your way.
Positive thoughts to the fire fighters. Those guys are putting it on the line. Be safe.
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Radish
Trad climber
SeKi, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2016 - 12:02pm PT
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Lots of action going on over there in the Kern today! Some are calling it the hundred year tree kill. All the things combined to make this happen. When you look at old photos of Yosemite valley, turn of the century, there's hardly any trees. They used to be able to ride full speed across the entire valley of Kings Canyon on a horse without anything in the way at that same time. This may be the way it will be now and fires this big are probably the new normal.
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reach
Trad climber
Brisbane, CA
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Aug 19, 2016 - 01:28pm PT
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Just roughing it out from the inciweb map, it looks to be about 20 miles south of Ponderosa and The Needles.
Is there a good way to determine air quality at The Needles? Thanks.
-Matt
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Radish
Trad climber
SeKi, California
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2016 - 01:41pm PT
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You could call the Ponderosa Lodge and ask if they are getting Smoke and Ash. Its raining Ash in Visalia but you can see there's a line where its worse. The smoke is headed directly northwest from the fire so there might be a little impact there at the Needles.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 19, 2016 - 01:45pm PT
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Ponderosa Lodge: 559-542-2579
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Aug 19, 2016 - 02:07pm PT
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A while back (last year?) someone posted a link to a website that showed predictive smoke movement. Black and white map, smoke density expressed in red scale. Showed somewhere around 12-72 hours of projected smoke movement. I believe it was in the All Purpose Wildfire thread, but I couldn't find it. Sound familiar to anyone?
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Aug 19, 2016 - 02:39pm PT
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Aha! Thanks QITNL. Bookmarking it this time...
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reach
Trad climber
Brisbane, CA
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Aug 20, 2016 - 08:12pm PT
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Thanks folks. Planning to head out there next weekend and will call ahead to see how things are looking. Cheers.
-Matt
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 21, 2016 - 12:39pm PT
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inciweb.nwcg.gov/
It looks like Sequoia Nat. Forest is closed at Parker Pass Rd., about 14 miles south of The Needles. The fire's not there yet, but this sh*t is making my palms sweat...
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chainsaw
Trad climber
CA
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Aug 21, 2016 - 03:42pm PT
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We are seeing similar problems up highway 4 in the Stanislaus. Not as bad as Kern but definately happening. This is caused by three things. Obviously drought and hot temps are stressing our forests. More importantly, the forests are dying because of genetics. In the 1900s loggers cut all the best healthy trees, leaving behind the sick and genetically inferior trees. These genetically inferior trees were all that was left behind to reproduce in many areas. The result is that today we have forests of mostly inferior trees that are about sixty to ninety years old. And they didnt grow in a natural age stratified population. In a normal aboriginal forest, shade and competition limit the growth of younger trees. Fire burned regularly and thus only hearty trees survived, while slash was burned up. A person could walk and hunt in these forests. But in the clearcuts with the absence of fire and competition, the new forests grew huge swaths of what USFS calls "poodle-tails" which are tall, skinny matchsticks packed close together. You cant walk through them. They die and form slash that pluggs the paths and burns furiously. If wildfires had been allowed to burn for the last century we would not have such a fuel load today. It is in fact our reluctance to thin and burn these areas today that contributes to the problem. That is in fact the third and most manageable reason the forests are unhealthy. Unfortunately we will have to thin and burn for the next 100 years to restore a more age stratified and robust forest with trees that are genetically superior reproducing instead of the ones rejected by loggers which gave rise to our current germplasm (genetic collective.) Lastly, although the beetles and other bugs appear to be the cause, these organisms have been around almost as long as the forests. The fact is that beetles and most tree diseases are opportunists that capitalize on stressed and already dying trees. In the arboriculture business we see this all the time. People treat their trees for bugs with Lindane and other nasty injections to no avail. The trees die anyway even when bugs are gone. The bugs are not the cause, just the symptom of a weakened and vulnerable forest. Only a hundred years of thinning and burning will cull the weak, clear the brush and make way for a new stronger generation of robust and genetically diverse age stratified forest. Quite tragic really. The best recommendation I can give is to buy land in an area that has already burned. You will be amazed how fast nature bounces back, especially in chapparal which is very fire tolerant. Areas like Mountain Ranch will be on their way towards recovery while the rest is still burning. Where fires have raged, you will have less dry fuel and thus greater fire protection in the future. My heart goes out to the Clan Dykens and all those who lost homes in Mountain and Rainbow Ranches and the Land Trust. My prayers are with you.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Aug 21, 2016 - 10:03pm PT
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Fascinating post. Thanks.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Aug 21, 2016 - 10:25pm PT
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Thank you for that Chainsaw.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Aug 22, 2016 - 07:27am PT
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hey there say, jody, radish, ksolem, and QITNL
and all:
say, thanks for the updates, links, pic-demo, and share...
prayers, for all those concerned...
EDIT:
SAY, i shared the one link, and this link was just 'showed up'
as well, you may have it here, you guys,
but just in case, here it is again:
http://www.arcgis.com/apps/PublicInformation/index.html?appid=0c12ac1e89c24075a2be145f4db6caf5&extent=-122.8870%2C38.8386%2C-122.5478%2C39.0148
if you ZOOM OUT... you will see, whewwwww... LOTS of stuff going on, :o
and, this map shows BREEZES, too...
very detailed, wow...
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Climberdude
Trad climber
Clovis, CA
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Aug 22, 2016 - 08:06am PT
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neebee,
The link you posted is a bit deceptive since it also shows inactive fires. You have to look carefully at the symbols to tell which are presently active fires and which are inactive fires. However, no doubt that there have been and are many fires this season.
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Cragar
climber
MSLA - MT
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Aug 22, 2016 - 09:43am PT
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Hey there chainsaw-
Thanks for the well thought, well rounded and accurate post. It has an element of humble pie that really ties the meal together.
Is Clan Dyken still playing? I used to see them in the early 90's. My buddies place in Sheep ranch got some toasting. You ever run 1st, 2nd or 3rd saw?
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