A Hiking Blog for Southern California
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.
While reading up on the Hetch Hetchy Damming/Undamming Perpetual Controversy, I was alerted to another dam project a bit closer to home.
In Orange County’s Cleveland National Forest, Nevada Hydro is trying to get the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve plans to flood either Morrell or Decker Canyon to build a new hydroelectric power plant.
The dam would be as high as an 18 story building and the reservoir would be surrounded by a ten foot chain link fence. The site would also need up to 30 miles of new transmission lines.
Opponents of the dam are upset not only because the project would destroy one of the most popular hiking trails in the forest, but also because it would destroy prime hang-gliding airspace, eradicate a diverse riparian canyon, and wreak havoc downstream as far as Lake Elsinore. They also criticize the project for being purely for-profit. The company would pump water from downstream to the canyon reservoir at night, then use it to generate electricity during the day, when rates are higher.
The Sierra Club is leading efforts to fight the dam, favoring increased power conservation and smaller-scale projects near high-power-usage areas. There’s a Chapter Meeting on February 22nd and a group hike through Morrell Canyon on Sunday the 18th. Visit their site for more info.
Click here for a Google Map of Los Angeles hiking trails.
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