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Fires!

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    • Fires!

      What a bad year it has been to attempt a thru-hike on any trail. I know the Covid restrictions/ requests stopped most thru-hikers this year. But on the PCT, the ones the virus and the regulators did not stop, now have the fires to contend with.

      The PCT is closed in ALL CA National Forests due to fire. Hikers have been emergency evacuated out of the Vermillion Valley Resort (VVR) in the Sierras. I'm hearing the beautiful footbridge that crosses the Middle Fork of the Feather River may have burnt down. Here is a photo I took from that bridge...

      Potholes! That is a steep gorge and a short swim. That will be quite a river crossing if the bridge is gone.

      Large sections of the PCT in Oregon are closed due to fires.
      Doubt there are going to be more than a handful of true thru's this year.

      Of course, this is just a minor inconvenience compared to the loss of life and the loss of homes and livelihood.
      RHJanes alerted us to the loss of gear-maker Kat 'MountainGoat' 's home.

      Hoping that soon the weather will cool and the rains will come and 2020 can be put to bed.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • On a selfish note, I was going to section the area North of Agua Dulce this June, but then the Covid came.

      So now I am hoping I will be able to do it next year, but it looks like I will be walking through a fresh burn area from the 'Lake Hughes' fire. That is if they will let me, sometimes these burn areas stay closed for years.

      I feel like this hike is going too slow with all these delays and my 2-3 week chunks. I am growing old and running out of time.
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier

    • IMScotty wrote:

      On a selfish note, I was going to section the area North of Agua Dulce this June, but then the Covid came.

      So now I am hoping I will be able to do it next year, but it looks like I will be walking through a fresh burn area from the 'Lake Hughes' fire. That is if they will let me, sometimes these burn areas stay closed for years.

      I feel like this hike is going too slow with all these delays and my 2-3 week chunks. I am growing old and running out of time.
      If you need to take a break from the PCT next year, maybe you can climb Katahdin with me next summer as I finish the AT, and then we can swing over to Colorado and do the Collegiate Loop together. :)
      The road to glory cannot be followed with much baggage.
      Richard Ewell, CSA General

    • IMScotty wrote:

      On a selfish note, I was going to section the area North of Agua Dulce this June, but then the Covid came.

      So now I am hoping I will be able to do it next year, but it looks like I will be walking through a fresh burn area from the 'Lake Hughes' fire. That is if they will let me, sometimes these burn areas stay closed for years.

      I feel like this hike is going too slow with all these delays and my 2-3 week chunks. I am growing old and running out of time.
      I’m sorry. It’s been very frustrating.
      Lost in the right direction.

    • Let's put out the political fires and talk about the western fires...

      oregonlive.com/crime/2020/09/m…southern-oregon-fire.html

      An arrest has been made for arson for one of the Oregon fires. With many people still unaccounted for, I'm thinking this may also lead to additional charges (homicide). Meth or no meth, what is wrong with some people?
      “Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
      the saddest are these, 'It might have been.”

      John Greenleaf Whittier