El Prieto at risk!/Station Fire (merged threads)

thats a great old bike!!! i need something like that in my stable for when im feeling classy and not wanting to shred the gnar!

during the day the hot sun will be an major problem!!!
but i think the trails will soon recover : )

those pictures are amazing!!!! i liked the one where it looked like there was a firey waterfall

thanks for all the hard work fyarfyterz!

 

Agreed... that bike is bitchin.

 

Clear Creek

on fire.

Hoyt?

Switzers-Boyscout trail

Shortcut

 

MTBMaven i know who owns that green bike! I believe he is a regular on the tuesday brown mountain rides! looks like he finished buidling it finally! Thanks for the pics...

 

A good friend of mine (and Bionicon rider) just got assigned to the Station Fire, relieving one crew who had been working ten days. He's a firefighter with the Hotshots based in Kernville.

 

Juat wanted tol say thanks for the updates as I am in Hawaii still.

As per usual, the best info on the fire and the mtns can be found here.

We left on our trip the day after the fire started and really didn't think it would move our way much. Within a day the fire came within a couple of blocks of our house.

We were lucky.

Fortunately, my Dad was able to come and get our cats just as the mandatory evac was made. 2 days later the same evac was ordered for his area in Tujunga. The staging area was at his corner at the top of Apperson.

It's been a different type of Hawaii vacation for us and now we are just starting to relax and enjoy it.

Durng the worst of it we were staying with my wife's family on Oahu. She barely slept for the first week - having family there kept her from being totally freaked out.

Now we are on the Big Isle and suffice it to say I haven't rode a single wheel spin yet.

Thanks for the info and pics.

See you all in a week or 2. We might extend a week just so we can actually be on vacation. Then again, my wife is really jonzin' to be with her cats.

Yeah, I miss them too!

\o0o/ 's

 

I hope they catch the person/people responsible for all the senseless destruction.

 

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST - Authorities are hoping to open the forest to visitors in a matter of weeks, rather than months or years, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Nathan Judy. Forest Service teams will be investigating burned areas for the next week, said Judy, to assess how much work they will need to reopen.
When it does reopen, visitors will be looking at a much more limited recreational area. Some trails and campgrounds could remain closed for much longer, as erosion will lead to trail collapses and potential for flooding during winter rains.
The fire appears to have burned much of the easily-accessible areas along Highway 2, though Judy said he was not certain what areas might have been spared.
Local hiking areas near Pasadena fared much better, with Echo Mountain, Henninger Flats, Chantry Flats all intact. The fire did burn trails in the Millard Canyon Campground area, and in areas above Echo Mountain.
Though the entire area is closed at present, the Forest Service has already found people in burn areas, according to Judy.
"I don't know why people would want to recreate in a burned area, but we've already found people doing it," said Judy.
Visitors to burn area risk further eroding soil and bringing in invasive species, added Judy


Hey, there mountains and people have innate ability to want to climb/ride/exercise in 'em! Maybe like watching a car wreck, we are drawn to them regardless of what it may hold in store for us. . .

 

I took a short walk down the arroyo this morning and I did stop at the gate about 1/4 mile from the trail fork up Brown Mt fireroad. However, I did not notice any signs or gates keeping people off Brown Mt. Has anyone gone up Brown Mt or El Prieto and is this within the ANF closure areas?

 

I have not been able to update my map in a few days. You can see where the fire has spread east in this new map (thick red line) as of data posted on 07-09-2009 at 23:24. Looks like the fire has burned right up to Mt Waterman, clear through Three Points, and points north.

 

Was thinking how this might help our efforts to open up something in other areas (such as some of the city/county parks) to bikers.

Just something to ponder and digest...

 

All LA County Trails are multi use. All LA City Trails are off limits to bikes.

What did you have in mind?

 

Yes it is closed. FYI: It is a $5000 fine if you are caught in the Forest while it is closed!

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/news/2009/news-2009-09-03-station-fire-closure.s...

 

Inspiration Point Saved!!!!

 

To my untrained eyes it looks like most of those trees in the canyon bottom will be alright. I wonder how many of shrubs in the area will sprout from the roots? I was at Chino Hills last week and it was nice seeing so many of the walnut and sycamore trees growing so quickly.

 

The shrubs and trees will most likely survive. It is always amazing to see the shrubs sprouting green branches from the roots when everything above it is burned to a crisp. Fire is a part of nature and many plants actually depend on and thrive after a fire. Hopefully we will learn a lesson from this and have more prescribed burns and not let an area go for 100 years with out a fire.

 

I never Tweet'd prior to the fire, but the ANF Tweet has the best updates. Yesterday, the fire flared big-time north of Sulphur Springs and even onto Pleasant View Ridge (yikes). Last night you could also see on the Mt Wilson webcam the fire still burning near Twin Peaks Saddle (alas...

Today's ANF tweets are as follows

-Chilao-fire calming down; Mt Waterman-crews going direct; N of Hwy 2-building fireline, continuing this evening

-Burn operations (i.e. back-fire) in Mt Wilson/Cogswell Dam area are postponed-unfavorable conditions. Will try tomorrow.

-Fire decreased-favorable weather conditions. Several hand crews inserted by helicopter on east flank.

and from theskichannel.com. Waterman ski lifts and buildings still standing? Not sure how current this info is.. .

The Station fire is now at the base of Mt. Waterman. The ski area is on the north side of Mt. Waterman, and the fire is at the base of the south side. I checked in with Rick Metcalf, co-owner of Mt. Waterman and neighboring Kratka Ridge ski areas, to get the latest.

"They've got a 300-person crew on top of the ridge, air tankers... they've got fire ridges, they've got hot shot crews. All assets are right where we are. It's the last piece of the fire they're battling. I am cautiously optimistic," Metcalf told The Ski Channel. "

 

don't know if anyone else has posted this. Checked but I didn't see it. here is the ANF twitter address:

http://twitter.com/angelesnf

this one is good too, la county fire dept:

http://twitter.com/lacfd

 

I've done some googling but to no avail......
Does anyone know if the public can donate to add to the reward offered for the capture of the low life that started this thing?

The arsonist killed two people. Many of my favorite haunts have gone up in flames. This subhuman needs to be brought to justice. Currently looking at maps. The fire is now on beautiful Mt. Waterman

 

Was getting ready for the Rose Bowl ride today and overheard a guy talking about El P. Said his friend took a ride up Brown fireroad on Saturday(must have been one of the cars parked in the lot someone mentioned)and El P is indeed Ok. Everything North and west is toast. Unconfirmed but just thought id pass the info along.