Re: The Rocky Point (YV-15) and Bridalveil (YV-4) Valley fires

The Rocky Point (YV-15) and Bridalveil (YV-4) Valley fires are in mop up phases. Fire Management is still planning to burn the Ahwanhee Meadow, but no earlier than mid-October. The next planned prescribed fire are segments of the Mariposa Grove during the week of September 29 through October 3, 2008.

Periodic smoke may be visible due to the Tehepite fire in the southern Sierra National Forest and north part of the Kings Canyon National Park. That fire has slowly grown to 10 thousand acres.

One of the disadvantages to October visits to the valley are the controlled burns. Last year, I think it was Leidig meadow behind the Lodge, and though the burns were already completed, it's not so scenic for a while. Looks like there'll be a few more this year, though I don't know where Rocky Point is.

We spent a week in Big Sur after the Basin complex fire this summer, and though most of the trails were closed, there was one trail up through a section of the burn area. While a lot of folks found it depressing or thought it looked "devastated", I really didn't think so. It was very educational getting a firsthand view of the natural (lightning-caused) process so soon after the fire, and amazing to me to see how quickly things began recovery

http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/bigsur

I think I'll do a follow-up on that same trail next May or June to see how it's done.

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Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

I also heard from somewhere that a Sentinal Meadow burn was in the works for this fall. This really seems like an inordinate amount of in-valley burning for one year. I understand the whole ecology thing, etc., but the NPS really does a disservice to people who are flying thousands of miles across the country to see Yosemite by not making this a more public notification. I will be taking my parents to Yosemite (their first time!) in the 3rd week of October, and it would have been nice to know that the whole valley will be charred and smelling of soot BEFORE deciding to spend our time there. I was in Yosemite just after they burned Cooks (I think....) meadow in 2007. The air smelled burned all the way from the tunnel to Yosemite Village. The Yosemite NPS Fire section is a joke; rare updates with last minute notifications of burns that have surely been planned all year long. Anyway, enough of my rant. I will still be in Yosemite and enjoy things, burns or not. Tuolomne Meadows, here I come. (Unless I get snowed out, of course).

Ryan