Fires in Oregon

imported
#1

Does anybody have any info on how the fires in the Jefferson Wilderness area are affecting the trail? The one at Bear Butte seems to be burning just a couple miles from the trail.
Thanks.

cal

#2

I was able to find some more information off the Web:
Bend.com is reporting that the Booth Fire at Highway 20:
“burned actively through the night, spotting and torching ahead of the main fire line, and reached the Suttle and Blue Lake areas. It also crossed the Pacific Crest Trail as it moved from the Deschutes National Forest into the adjacent Willamette National Forest.”

The Bear Butte fire 13 miles North seems to have not crossed the trail yet, from what I can gather. The fires are still zero percent contained.

cal

#3

A portion of the PCT in Oregon is officially closed. The entire Mt. Jefferson Wilderness is closed to all uses. The
forest service is offering a shuttle service around the closed section of the trail. Mail drops send to Big Lake are currently inaccessible.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/newsandevents/news/030821mtjeffclosed.html

Craig Milo Rogers

#4

The Mt. Washington Wilderness is also closed. PCT shuttle service will be available.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/newsandevents/news/030821mtjeffclosed.html

Craig Milo Rogers

#5

OK Gang this is not good. I am not a PCT hiker but I wound up being a trail Angel Wednesday 8/20 and Thursday 8/21. I found Meadow Ed, Kingston, and section hiker Sandi at Elk Lake Resort Wednesday night. The Resort had received word that hiking north of McKenzie Pass has been prohibited. The fires are out of control and growing fast on the Santiam pass and in the Jefferson Wilderness area North of the Santiam Pass as well all. The Forest service was picking up all hikers via helecopter on the trail through these sections. Meadow Ed and Sandi decided this morning to head South on the PTC from Elk Lake. I took Kingston to Hood River to stay with relatives until he can figure out how and where he is going rejoin the trail to continue north. How you get around these two sections… I have no clue I am not a hiking expert… But the sections are not going to be open for the forseeable future. These two fires are Ugly getting worse and as of tonights news 7800 acreas burning, Growing fast and Zero percent containment. All built fire lines at this time have been jumped by the fire. Good Luck. Greg Cody

Greg Cody

#6

How you get around these two sections

Well, one way ought to be to hike eastish to U.S. 97 (from the closed southern trailhead, hike on state 216 to Redmond?), northeast on 97 past the burning areas, then northwest on U.S. 26 (or U.S.197, then state 216, or etc.) to rejoin the trail. The main problems are likely to be no water and no camping. If there are trail angels available to, say, help hikers slackpack around the fire, it might work out.

Craig Milo Rogers

#7

See Meadow Mary’s journal for on-the-spot reporting on the Oregon fires. Billy Goat (#1? #2?) and Snake Charmer are walking around the fires via trails and dirt roads.

Craig “Computer” Rogers

#8

meadow mary is billygoat’s wife. this is billygoat the triple-crowner who has 20,000 miles. he looks like santa clause. the other billygoat looks like col. sanders. both are great men.

the fires have taken over our hikes. most hikers skipped from mckenzie pass hwy 242 up to olallie lake. that’s about 60 miles, i think. i haven’t heard of ANY PCT hikers being evacuated by helicopter. i think those hikers must have been non-PCT hikers, cause news travels fast on this trail, and we would have heard of something that exciting.

i agree with the above post that meadow mary’s journal www.trailjournals.com/meadowmary is a good source of hiker information.

i’m 99% sure that no PCT hikers were caught in the fires. everyone got out okay. we’re just pissed that our continuous hikes have been interrupted because of some careless people. there is NO WAY these fires were caused by lightning, because there weren’t any clouds in the sky for several days before the fires started. in fact, i have great video of the sisters, jefferson, washington, and three-fingered jack from early in the day that the fires started, and there were NO CLOUDS. an hour later, i couldn’t see jefferson because it was blocked out by smoke.

hikers who i know are north of the fires: apteryx, the clean machine, steven, moutain house, garlic man, kingston, hatchet, paul from england, alistair & gail, choo choo & long haul, white stag, tin cup. SEVERAL MORE HIKERS skipped up after i passed. i’m sure everyone’s okay.

yogi

yogi

#9

I can add that from a North of the fire perspective my Dad, Al L., was the Northbound through hiker camped closest to the fire Tuesday night. He was camped 6-10 miles north of the Bear Butte fire. There was one section hiker going South who got closer to the fires but I don’t know his name. I’m thinking he was the person quoted so often in the press by the Sheriff’s office the next day because the style of the quotes seemed (to me) to match the style of conversation the hiker had with Dad. There were no other hikers Dad is aware of immediately north of the fires the night it crossed the trail.

I echo Yogi’s sentiments that two fires starting within three hours of each other by seemingly un-natural causes sure caused a lot of disruption. Not only to hikers but to the people still dislocated from their homes, the people forced to drive many hours out of their way to get home, etc. If these fires were started to disrupt President Bush’s visit to the area or to give support to the selective logging effort he was arguing for as many in the press has questioned, then someone needs to take a long hard look at their values and hopefully justice will be served.

cal

#10

Yogi updated me with some more hikers that she knows for sure are now ahead of the fires:
The tent inspectors (huff-n-puff, kingston, ian), garlic man, t-bone, rusted root, hatchet, sandsmurf, troll & lafey taffey, tuna & numbers, ajax, walkdad, al.

billygoat & snake charmer are road-walking around.

Everyone seems to be getting around safely.

Jitterbug

#11

I just noticed a note in the Trail Conditions section of the PCTA Web site. Posted 22-Aug-2003, it says that the shuttle service has been discontinued.

Craig “Computer” Rogers

#12

Here in Bend after reaching McKenzie… definitely NO shuttles are available now. We are going to try to hitch to Detroit Lake, and then past Brightenbush to Olallie Lake.

From the Sisters, we could see the smoke very well and it does not look good folks. FS personell told us the trail might not reopen till next season. Bummer, people.

Also there is another closure in Washington near the northern border due to fire, so I have been told. Keep heart, and remember what Guy Waterman once said: “Bad trips make good stories.”

Otherwise, this trail is doing me and Island Mama right. Peace folks.
Definately no s:boy

THA WOOKIE

#13

Check my journal www.trailjournals.com Meadow Mary search date 9/4 for Billy Goat’s route around the fires. Get to Sister’s Ranger station, get an updated fire map and Willamette Nat Forest map. I have printed copies of the written description at the registor book I left at McKenzie Pass. Also left some at the kiosk at the Clackamas Ranger Staion at Rt 42 north of the fires. Make sure that route is still safe or improvise necessary changes.

Meadow Mary

#14

The B&B Complex website has been frozen. It says that the status of the Mt. Jefferson and Mt. Washington Winderness areas and closed PCT trail segments should be found on the Deschutes National Forest website. According to

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/news/2003/09/030918willamette.shtml

the PCT north of the Hunts Creek trail junction has been reopened.

Craig “Computer” Rogers

#15

Also visit the Willamette NF website for more info on the
status of the PCT in central Oregon.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/willamette/partnersites/eicc/bandbwest/bandbwestnews/030918bandbwest.html

Craig “Computer” Rogers