A Hiking Blog for Southern California
Mount Baldy Road remains closed today as the Big Horn Fire continues to blaze in the Angeles National Forest.
So far, the fire has burned 430 acres, and was only 25% contained as of this morning. And of course, the next few days are supposed to be hot and windy.
Keep your fingers crossed for the firefighters working hard to contain the latest entry in California’s new pre Fire Season Fire Season.
Under the weekend heatwave, I was enjoying my first post-surgery hike just off the Pacific Coast Highway. Further east, however, a wedding at Sturtevant Camp was interrupted when a wildfire started tearing up the mountains just north of Sierra Madre.
The fire began just off Santa Anita Canyon Road and spread northwest toward Mount Harvard, burning over 400 acres (as of Monday morning) and causing Sierra Madre officials to evacuate a large chunk of their city.
Nothing has been posted to the Angeles National Forest web site yet (that site is sloooow to change), but I think it’s safe to assume the Santa Anita Canyon should be off your list of hiking destinations for at least a week or two.
Via the LA Times.
Image by gtiboogieman
We are closing in on the one year anniversary of the start of California’s devastating 2007 wildfire season — a time of scorching that lasted well into early November and basically closed down all the hiking areas around L.A. for several weeks.
Gallery drkrm in Glissell Park will open an exhibition of photographs taken immediately after the Griffith Park Fire. While most of the news stories of the time focused on the fires’ effect on people and their property, “Aftermath: The Griffith Park Fire” will focus on how the inferno affected the wildlife and landscape.
From the few teaser images released on the exhibition’s web site, the photographs look stark, moving, and fairly depressing if you’re anything of an animal lover. But the press release does promise a dose of hope and regrowth in the gallery as well. So you don’t leave in a total downer.
The exhibition runs from May 3rd to the 18th at drkrm.
2121 San Fernando Road :: Suite 3 :: Los Angeles, CA 90065
Image by Mercy, Mercy Me
via CurbedLA
If you’re reading local Los Angeles news, the forests around L.A. are portrayed as a dumping ground for bodies and playground for drunken vandals.
I swear, it’s not that bad.
The LA Times story is really interesting, if you’ve ever wondered just how they track down people who start forest fires. Long story short, some good ol-fashioned electronic detective work.
The Angeles, San Bernardino, and Los Padres National Forests are open again!
The Cleveland National Forest is scheduled to re-open tomorrow.
So go out, enjoy the mountains again — but be sure to check to make sure the area you’re going into isn’t closed down from fire damage.
… Well, relatively clear, that is.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued a statement today saying the air quality has improved to the point where they’re no longer recommending limiting your outdoor activities. They note, however, that there are still some fires burning, and several areas that still have smoke advisories in effect. (Here’s a clue - if you smell smoke or see ash, you’re still in a smoke advisory area).
Don’t lace up those boots just yet, though - the National Forests are still closed due to extreme fire hazard. Here’s hoping we can get back to the mountains by the weekend!
While the fires are getting under control in (most of) Southern California, the air here is still pretty nasty. According to an MSNBC story, officials recommend limiting strenuous outdoor activity for at least 7 days after the fires are quelled.
My allergies have been going at full blast all week - sore throat, burning eyes, runny nose - the total package. Way worse than the 2003 fires. Normally I’d retreat to the mountains to get away from air like this, but right now the only option I’ve got is hiding inside my apartment with my Xbox and air conditioner.
Oh well. I’m still fortunate enough to have a place to sleep. I can’t wait for this smoke to clear so I can at least see my San Gabriels again.
The Angeles, San Bernardino, Cleveland, and Los Padres National Forests are all closed until further notice. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area is also closed, although the visitor center in Thousand Oaks is still operational. Violators are subject to fines and imprisonment.
Not that you really want to be hiking in the smoky air, anyway.
Leave it to Google to take a regional disaster and make a slick web 2.0 web app about it.
The Big G is working with the L.A. Times and Twitter to highlight the billions of fires in the area. The map has clickable fire icons for the L.A. and San Diego area, each showing the percent containment, damages, possible origins, and other pertinent information.
The information’s useful, and the map helps put into perspective just how far-reaching these fires are.
A telling weather forecast snapshot, from the Flickr pool of HikingLA.
Click here for a Google Map of Los Angeles hiking trails.
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