Oregon Hikers

Opinions are my own.

The location of this fire is very very unique. Millions of people live within an hours drive of the Gorge. Ten of thousands of people look at the Gorge as "Their special place." This ain't no "Out of the way event".

The authorities need to understand this, accept the situation and do their best to mitigate the unique dangers these circumstances create.

Tens of thousands of people are very concerned and curious about how the fire affected this special place. The USFS or similar agency needs to take the lead and quickly document the trails and publish the information. I'm guessing that many people, including myself, watched that video with interest (and then condemned the guy's actions). I'd also wager that a few here have already begun day dreaming about the best "back door" to use.

I'm not an expert at judging the danger posed by the current conditions, and I'm not particularly brave, but if the USFS knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to hike the Multnomah / Wahkeena loop to make sure it's safe I'd jump at the chance. I'm betting many people here would too.

So, if they want to keep people off the those trails for an extended amount of time, I would strongly suggest they start publishing a whole lotta pictures and videos.

Excellent post! My thoughts exactly. There is no way the "authorities" can keep us out of there and "they" must do an extraordinary fine job of keeping us in the loop or we will do it for them.

dn

Peabody wrote:Opinions are my own.

The location of this fire is very very unique. Millions of people live within an hours drive of the Gorge. Ten of thousands of people look at the Gorge as "Their special place." This ain't no "Out of the way event".

The authorities need to understand this, accept the situation and do their best to mitigate the unique dangers these circumstances create.

Tens of thousands of people are very concerned and curious about how the fire affected this special place. The USFS or similar agency needs to take the lead and quickly document the trails and publish the information. I'm guessing that many people, including myself, watched that video with interest (and then condemned the guy's actions). I'd also wager that a few here have already begun day dreaming about the best "back door" to use.

I'm not an expert at judging the danger posed by the current conditions, and I'm not particularly brave, but if the USFS knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to hike the Multnomah / Wahkeena loop to make sure it's safe I'd jump at the chance. I'm betting many people here would too.

So, if they want to keep people off the those trails for an extended amount of time, I would strongly suggest they start publishing a whole lotta pictures and videos.

I think the actions of "misguided idiot," (especially, but not limited to, his drone flight) are ample proof of the veracity of his internet moniker. However, I can empathize with his curiosity. I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment.

I would note, though, that even while the fire is still ongoing, the crew working on the fire has managed to provide dozens of photos, as well as open up the airways for local news stations to overfly the region. They've shared a lot of info, and have even tailored some of that information for those hikers who are watching specifically to learn how their "backyard" has been affected. So, it's neither reasonable or necessary to trespass into the fire zone right now.

Over time (in other words, after fall rains extinguish the fire), I hope the FS provides more in-depth information about specific features we know and love. Till then, we should just be patient, and watch from a safe distance.

Peabody wrote:...........

So, if they want to keep people off the those trails for an extended amount of time, I would strongly suggest they start publishing a whole lotta pictures and videos.

Yes spot on!

Agree, agree, agree. I don't mean to condone its making, but that guy's video served a keen interest. If half the people around here are half as interested as I am in the damage, then a lot of folks are itching for more news. I'm tempted to sneak in for a look myself. I won't, but the temptation is there.

So maybe the Forest Service should be making and posting their own videos like that one. Press conferences are fine, but people gotta see.

My guess is that those guys thought they were intrepid mavericks serving a public need (at least until the ridicule started to roll in). But the thing is, to an extent they were actually right.

.......and then I see this. Looks like a nice day to go for a hike. WTF.

I went and complemented the Forest Service, but then I saw this:
https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/map/5584/1/73914/
This map seems like a mess to me.

It's the "Eagel Creek Fire Closure Map," and it clearly shows that much of the Hood River Ranger District is closed, including the Cooper Spur area. Can someone explain that to me??? If Cooper Spur is on fire, I've yet to hear about it.

I see that Laurance Lake is closed. Maybe they're getting water from it (but isn't the Columbia itself closer?)?

I'm sure you'll all be surprised and happy to see that all of the north faces of the Gorge itself is actually open, at least according to the map. Seems like an oversight. If this map were true, then "misguided idiot" wouldn't have been violating anything to hike into Angel's Rest.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/photos/ORCGF/2 ... 5737-0.pdf

I thought I saw another closure notice like this one, only it had something about a $5,000 fine in the text.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 557743.pdf

Found it. From the 4th, but does not list Angel's.

Charley wrote: it clearly shows that much of the Hood River Ranger District is closed, including the Cooper Spur area. Can someone explain that to me??? If Cooper Spur is on fire, I've yet to hear about it.

Sounds like some of those areas (such as Cooper Spur) aren't closed because they are currently on fire, but because they COULD catch on fire. "This closure is necessary to provide protection for forest users, firefighting personnel and natural resources from the current fire hazards associated with the existing and predicted wildfire activity."

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 558580.pdf