Post Fire Images: Santiago Truck Trail-Luge

[KeepsWhatHappens]

First of all these aren't my images but were passed along to me from someone else. They are owed photo credit but I don't want to mention their name so they don't get busted since the forest is still closed.

IMG_0493_2.jpg
Burnt cactus.

IMG_0507_2.jpg
Looking east toward the flagppole at the top of the Luge. It appears flags are still flying.

IMG_0510_2.jpg
View from the flagpole. The Luge drops away to the right.

IMG_0512_2.jpg
The Luge. Note in the foreground a very tough Yucca plant that will probably go as if nothing happened.

IMG_0514_2.jpg
Farther down the Luge. It looks like some of the wetter brush in the canyon bottom may have been spared.

The destruction shown in these images breaks my heart but in a sick way look interesting to ride since you can see the trail flow in ways you couldn't before.

Let's hope and pray for a series of slow, soaking rains so the forest can recover in good fashion and not wash away all at once.

KeepsWhatHappens

[foofighter]

thanks for sharing John, that is some serious devastation...hopefully one day when we're there enjoying the greenery we'll this will just be a memory

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

First of all these aren't my images but were passed along to me from someone else. They are owed photo credit but I don't want to mention their name so they don't get busted since the forest is still closed.

Attachment 9368
Burnt cactus.

Attachment 9369
Looking east toward the flagppole at the top of the Luge. It appears flags are still flying.

Attachment 9370
View from the flagpole. The Luge drops away to the right.

Attachment 9371
The Luge. Note in the foreground a very tough Yucca plant that will probably go as if nothing happened.

Attachment 9372
Farther down the Luge. It looks like some of the wetter brush in the canyon bottom may have been spared.

The destruction shown in these images breaks my heart but in a sick way look interesting to ride since you can see the trail flow in ways you couldn't before.

Let's hope and pray for a series of slow, soaking rains so the forest can recover in good fashion and not wash away all at once.

KeepsWhatHappens

It is a bummer but it will be back. What can I say.....the glass is always half full in my world

[tbowren]

Wow chilling pics. Especially to see the flag still there gives me goosebumps.

I still find it hard to believe that the Luge was once a fireroad.
That's what somebody said.

Originally Posted by foofighter

thanks for sharing John, that is some serious devastation...hopefully one day when we're there enjoying the greenery we'll this will just be a memory

that whole area behind Cooks went up in flames in the early 90's. Some hillbilly was shooting his guns and torched it all the way to Old Camp.

The Fire fighters or ?? dozed the trail and you could not ride it because of the deep powder.

This time the trail is in unchanged except for the folage being gone.

[genusmtbkr5]

Thanks for the pics John. That really $uck$ ar$e! check this out:

Before and after, maybe someone can photo shop the before shot and lighten it.

[queenwilhelmina]

I miss the Luge... I hope it recovers soon. How long before it's open again? A couple months?

[Keith B]

WOW. Thats pretty mad.

[kanga]

I only got to ride the luge for the first time earlier this year.... I'm glad to have seen the before.... it is a bummer, but life goes on and we'll keep riding, right?

[KeepsWhatHappens]

A good source says the forest will re-open for this weekend, but obviously check with the USFS first before heading out.

Originally Posted by queenwilhelmina

I miss the Luge... I hope it recovers soon. How long before it's open again? A couple months?

KeepsWhatHappens

[genusmtbkr5]

Originally Posted by KeepsWhatHappens

A good source says the forest will re-open for this weekend, but obviously check with the USFS first before heading out.



KeepsWhatHappens

I called today and I was told that only a portion of the forest will re-open. They won't make an official ruling on which areas till Friday afternoon.

[mazer75]

Thanks for the pics. I rode the Luge on the Friday before the fires were started there. I'll probably be dead and buried before it looks the same again!

Any leads on catching the mofo(s) that started the Santiago fire?

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Originally Posted by genusmtbkr5

Thanks for the pics John. That really $uck$ ar$e! check this out:

Before and after, maybe someone can photo shop the before shot and lighten it.

WhitingRanch-1DEC01-03a.jpg
Before

IMG_0510_2.jpg
After

KeepsWhatHappens

[xhuskr]

sad to see......but proud to see the flag still flying.....that's a good sign and even more of a reason we should get out there and rebuild (once it's open). See ya with the shovels!

[genusmtbkr5]

Thanks John. Weird that the pics almost line up.

[bikelmo]

Thanks for the very sad pictures. I really miss the Whiting-Luge route. What I'm really wondering is if that little notebook is still there at the flagpole. Did the mystery photographer make it up there to check?

[shleppy]

Here are some more pics of the Santiago Truck Trail after the fire. (FYI.. I can't take credit for any of these pics except the first two.. the Mrs. found all the other pics on a local trail running blog. Apparently the guy who writes the blog works for the register.. thus the ability to access the trail)

Not sure if all of these have been posted before or not...

The STT has been drastically transformed all the way up to old camp. I think this bit of text from the blog (where I pilfered the pics) says it all: :"[FONT=Arial]the fire basically torched the first five miles to Old Camp. The last three miles have been transformed into a freshly bulldozed fireroad on which a bus easily can travel -- all the way to the fire pit at Old Camp[/FONT]."



Anywhoo.. here goes.


Here is a shot looking east onto the santiago truck trial from about 2/3 of the way up Modjeska grade.






The entrance to the STT.







This is apparently about a mile up the STT where the damage is really bad. Here is what is left of some of the cacti





This is a section somewhere below the flag... this shot is unreal. There is nothing left






Looking back down on the first 1/3 of the STT




The flag pole is still there.. not sure where the flag is.





Looks like the journal survived





A shot of the foschek fire retardent stuff dropped on the trail




This looks like the area near the climb just above the luge... this is freakin surreal....




Judging by the terrain.. this looks like the section just beyond the climb above the luge where the STT hops onto the other side of a ridge and parallels the upper end of modjeska canyon.




Apparently the fire caused a lot of terrain instability (duh.. all the vegetation is gone including roots) which in turn caused a lot of loose rock to end up on the trail in many spots.




Apparently the top section of the STT didn't burn but.... has been plowed. Here is a shot of the upper section that used to have a sweet chaparral canopy. The single track is plowed under along with all the vegetation.

[KeepsWhatHappens]

Seems very odd that the lower section of STT is not plowed but the upper sections are. I hope that doesn't mean they plwed down Joplin Trail from the Main Divide

Maybe they plowed up Cadillac and then back on the Main Divide?

I shudder to think about the damage they dozers and still weren't able to hold the fire back very effectively.

In my non-professional opinion...if they only had been able to have dozers on hand early on and bulldozed the STT up from Modjeska Grade Road and then down the old existing firebreak (1/2 mile west of Luge) down to Cooks perhaps they could have contained the fire much more effectively.

KeepsWhatHappens

[granny ring]

It was all bad seeing the photos but got really bad seeing the bulldozed section approaching Old Camp. Losing the canopy over the trail to a dozer sucks. I know they did what they felt theyhad to do but.......

[Pain Freak]

Please take heart people. In three to four years it will be hard to tell there was even a fire here. I've seen this a number of times now and like some of you, I was totally shocked when I hit my local trails and it appeared just like this. A good thing was that we got a better mental picture of how the trail was and ride it with a lot more fun today. This is only temporary and please don't be to disappointed, it's really a natural thing that has been held off by man's interference. That area probably would of burned a few times without mans envolvement.