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I remember years ago when I moved from Colorado to Moab thinking good, no real fire danger here. Now I'm back in Colorado, and where I live now there's a small campground just down the street and every time I smell smoke, I wonder if it's from a campfire or a real fire, since I'm on the edge of town. I lived here when the Storm King Fire took 19 lives. The first I heard of it was when I went out on my deck and heard my neighbor on his deck talking about setting up a temporary morgue at the hospital (he was the administrator). I could see the smoke plume over the hill. Since the town sits in a deep canyon, there's no way they could evacuate it in a timely manner. I actually know people who have rafts so they can take off down the river if need be.
 
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Janice said:
So sorry you have to deal with this. My son is somewhat nearby (2nd & R) and hurt himself mountain biking yesterday afternoon so he's not as mobile as I'd like. Mom's hoping everything will be ok... for him and all of you... Meanwhile it's raining right now in Michigan...
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I hope he recovers from his injury quickly. If he should need anything just let me know. I'm on 9th between L & M.

Send some of that rain out our way! :)
 
Rockskipper said:
I remember years ago when I moved from Colorado to Moab thinking good, no real fire danger here. Now I'm back in Colorado, and where I live now there's a small campground just down the street and every time I smell smoke, I wonder if it's from a campfire or a real fire, since I'm on the edge of town. I lived here when the Storm King Fire took 19 lives. The first I heard of it was when I went out on my deck and heard my neighbor on his deck talking about setting up a temporary morgue at the hospital (he was the administrator). I could see the smoke plume over the hill. Since the town sits in a deep canyon, there's no way they could evacuate it in a timely manner. I actually know people who have rafts so they can take off down the river if need be.
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Stay safe Skipper!

Here are some shots from the air of the Bonneville Fire on Van Cott from yesterday afternoon.

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This morning they are saying that it is 5% contained. It is supposed to start heating up again temp wise here in Salt Lake this week so conditions won't be optimal, though this morning from my house it seemed to be in better shape than yesterday.
 
On my walk home from the office this afternoon, I can tell that conditions on Van Cott have improved. I do not see any smoke on the Dry Canyon side of the mountain, and I can't see any smoke above the Van Cott ridgeline from the Red Butte side either. On an update at 3:00 pm fire officials have lifted the "Ready" order for people in the eastern upper Avenues which is a good sign. They also said that it is still only 5% contained, but they expect that number will go up when firefighters report in this evening. They have also established a perimeter and fuel break around the fire.
 
Last year, I rolled my ankle really badly in my living room and ended up with damaged ligaments and 6 months of pain, air casts, and ankle braces. In May, I finally recovered enough to start hiking and speed walking again.
Yesterday I ran my first 5K since the injury and was so excited when I set a personal best and took 1st place in my age group. I walked the 5K in 40 minutes, and there is still more room for improvement.
It felt good to even pass runners. Even though it was mega hot and humid, I guess it is always hot and humid in Hilo, lol.

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Hopefully, at one point, I can hit the long-distance hikes again or do more challenging cross-country hikes. One step at a time.
 
I might need to write up a trip report in Everything Else at some point, but the family and I finished the drive up to Deadhorse, AK a few days after the summer solstice and got back home to CO last night. Pretty epic trip that surpassed my wildest expectations, but I'm still happy to be home.
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Side note: anyone ever done a backcountry trip in/around Kluane NP? We saw some incredible places along the way, but that's the one that feels like it's calling me back most of all.
 
TheMountainRabbit said:
I might need to write up a trip report in Everything Else at some point, but the family and I finished the drive up to Deadhorse, AK a few days after the summer solstice and got back home to CO last night. Pretty epic trip that surpassed my wildest expectations, but I'm still happy to be home.
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Side note: anyone ever done a backcountry trip in/around Kluane NP? We saw some incredible places along the way, but that's the one that feels like it's calling me back most of all.
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Incredible! You drove all the way there from Colorado? Looking forward to that report.
 
TheMountainRabbit said:
Side note: anyone ever done a backcountry trip in/around Kluane NP? We saw some incredible places along the way, but that's the one that feels like it's calling me back most of all.
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The whole stretch from Haines Junction to the border looked incredible. I guess looking at the map that is all Kluane.

I really regret not driving down to Haines.
 
mike_offerman said:
I thought the same thing when I did the drive up there!
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wsp_scott said:
The whole stretch from Haines Junction to the border looked incredible. I guess looking at the map that is all Kluane.

I really regret not driving down to Haines.
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We drove down to Skagway, took the ferry over to Haines, and then drove up to Haines Junction - that whole section was incredible. Chilkat State Park just outside of Haines was probably our favorite campsite of the trip.

I've already starting looking at hiker shuttles out of Whitehorse for next year... :lol:
 
Haines was one of our favorite places to stay when we drove back from Alaska a couple years ago.
( we didn’t camp but stayed in a B&B).
Did you happen to stop at the Village Bakery in Haines Junction?
 
TheMountainRabbit said:
Side note: anyone ever done a backcountry trip in/around Kluane NP? We saw some incredible places along the way, but that's the one that feels like it's calling me back most of all.
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I floated the Alsek River, with Alaska Discovery,in 2004. The trip starts in Kluane NP and then the Tatshenshini Alsek Wilderness Park and then Glacier Bay NP. We had 11 nights on the river and did 188 river miles. We also did the helicopter portage over Turnback Canyon. I would recommend that trip 100% but I can't imagine what the cost would be for a family. There is a bunch of stuff on you tube if you want to check it out.
 
@TheMountainRabbit - I, too, am eager to see your report when you have time to create one. We've talked about doing this someday, but prior to reading your post and the responses I knew almost nothing about it. Now I know to look into Haines Jct, Kluane, and Chilkat, and I'm sure there are many other great spots along the way. Thanks!
 
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