Mt Whitney Webcam
Mt Williamson Webcam
Who's Online Now
1 members (1 invisible), 219 guests, and 8 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Fire in Lone Pine
#16497 07/17/11 08:32 PM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
B
Brent N Offline OP
OP Offline
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
I am getting this second hand, but a friend driving through Lone Pine told someone else in my hiking party that he saw fire in Lone Pine. The time lapse video looks like maybe some smoke appears in the way of the camera beginning in the early afternoon. However, I don't see any news reports indicating a fire in Lone Pine. Has anyone else heard or preferably seen anything that would confirm or deny this report? If there is a fire, was it structural or a wild fire? We are hitting the trail on Tuesday the 19th, so any intel would be greatly appreciated. If my question is based on false information or exagerations, my apologies in advance.

Brent N.

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Brent N #16510 07/18/11 06:32 AM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
B
Brent N Offline OP
OP Offline
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
Update--no fire in Lone Pine. Apparently the afternoon prevailing winds bring smoke from the Little Kern basin. That is probably what our second hand source saw. (Would that make this second hand smoke?) I called someone in Lone Pine this morning and they confirmed that there is no fire.

Relieved,

Brent N

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Brent N #16530 07/18/11 05:34 PM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3
E
Offline
E
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3
Just arrived in Lone Pine...acclimating for our day hike on Wednesday. No fire in Lone Pine but fire from elsewhere and it is way smoky here - can't see the Mountain at all. Hope the smoke clears up by Wednesday for us!!

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Brent N #16547 07/19/11 05:39 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
From dmatt

...the Lion Wildland fire, west of Olancha, continues to burn. This has dumped plenty of afternoon smoke in the Whitney / Williamson area. I have directed my office staff to place a PM monitor in Onion Valley today, to document this event. So far the smoke has remained above monitors in the Owens Valley.

His website.


Journey well...
Re: Fire in Lone Pine
+ @ti2d #16549 07/19/11 05:49 AM
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 215
D
Offline
D
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 215
+ @ti2d

you are "on the ball" this morning.

dmatt

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
dmatt #16552 07/19/11 09:44 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
I figured if anyone would know it would be you.

Sho nuff! Yeah buddy.

It pays to subscribe to your weather updates!


Journey well...
Re: Fire in Lone Pine
+ @ti2d #16577 07/19/11 02:00 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
CaT Offline
Offline
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
Smoke from the south clearly is showing on the Mt. Williamson webcam.

Hopefully it will be gone by the weekend when I am coming out from Ohio to hike in the Whitney area for a week.

CaT


If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
Re: Fire in Lone Pine
CaT #16580 07/19/11 02:52 PM
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 11
B
Offline
B
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 11
To what degree, if at all, did the Lion Fire affect any of you who recently were on the mountain? Ash fall? Breathing issues? From the looks of the webcam this afternoon, you can barely see the Alabama Hills in the foreground. The webcam was clear this morning and yesterday morning, but as was the case yesterday afternoon the winds shifted and smoked out the crest on down through the Portal canyon and into Lone Pine. DMatt has reported that thus far the smoke has remained above his Owens Valley monitoring stations. Heading up this weekend. Thanks in advance for any information you might be able to provide.

BruinDave

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
BruinDave #16592 07/20/11 03:31 AM
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
Offline
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 849
Likes: 3
BD,

Team Bruin and TeamScottLaurel, all of you went up last year when there was a fire to the west of LP about this time last year.

You might be able to judge the smoke elevation based on your experience.

Hopefully, a monsoon (long shot) will snuff out the fire or some kind of weather front will blow the smoke to the south.

Anyhow, have fun up there. In the meantime, if you want any updates on conditions during your jaunt the week of July 24, I will leave you a message on your cellphones. If you have texting capabilities, I will do that as well.



Journey well...
Re: Fire in Lone Pine
BruinDave #16601 07/20/11 09:57 AM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6
K
Offline
K
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 6
We went up Monday, got to the summit on yesterday and back down to portal last night. The smoke rolled in during the afternoon both days and really stung my eyes. They were blood-shot when we got back to the portal. You couldn't see very well down the mountain. It was beautiful while we were on the summit though- good timing I guess? smile

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
BruinDave #16681 07/22/11 11:40 AM
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 5
G
Offline
G
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 5
Originally Posted By: BruinDave
To what degree, if at all, did the Lion Fire affect any of you who recently were on the mountain? Ash fall? Breathing issues? From the looks of the webcam this afternoon, you can barely see the Alabama Hills in the foreground. The webcam was clear this morning and yesterday morning, but as was the case yesterday afternoon the winds shifted and smoked out the crest on down through the Portal canyon and into Lone Pine. DMatt has reported that thus far the smoke has remained above his Owens Valley monitoring stations. Heading up this weekend. Thanks in advance for any information you might be able to provide.

BruinDave


I summitted Tuesday July 19th at 1 P.M. During the early evening of Monday, July 18th, smoke filled the Portal, stung my eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. Ash was falling like snow and accumulating on my gear. It was wheezy up until I fell asleep at about 9 P.M. When I woke up for the hike at 2 A.M., things had cleared for the most part. During the ascent, the views were unspoiled early but by 11 or 12 A.M., smoke began to affect views southward, southwestward, and as the day progressed to the west. North and northwest remained clear, as, if I remember correctly, did eastward views. However, the view on the climb down was affected. Smoke had accumulated in Lone Pine, but, fortunately, had not moved into the Portal by the time we got back at 7:40. Lone Pine at 8:30 P.M. was hellish.

The word on the street was "summit by 11". The wind pattern seems to be clear days through about noon and then smoke and haze moving into the area thereafter. Interesting how predictable the wind pattern is.

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
geomarty99 #16689 07/22/11 08:36 PM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
B
Brent N Offline OP
OP Offline
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
Ditto what geomarty said. Summit early and you will get less ash. The wind wasn't bad on the 20th or 21st, but the smell of smoke became pronounced on both days in the afternoon.

Brent N

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Brent N #16692 07/22/11 09:09 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 660
Rod Offline
Offline
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 660
There was no smoke this afternoon at the portal.There is more smoke from the campsites fireplaces than smoke from the Fire in the air. It was very clear.

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Rod #16717 07/24/11 03:00 PM
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 47
D
Offline
D
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 47
The fire is not in Lone Pine. Fire is way north on tne Sierras and is getting carried south into Whitney on windy days. There was significant ash/dust fallout at Whitney Portal campground on Monday. Tuesday was much better. There was little to none on Wednesday and none on the eastern side on Whitney on Thursday. Our group summited Thursday, July 21st, at 12:30pm and you could see some smoke related haze out west... see photo below...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/doncoqui/5970623484/in/set-72157627270039954/

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Brent N #16749 07/25/11 06:38 PM
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 659
Offline
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 659
We were on the mountain July 23-25, summitting on July 24. We experienced no smoke during this period except a little bit of smoke in Trail Camp on Sunday evening (July 24) from about 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. -- nothing significant, just a bit of haze and slight smell of smoke. During the climb from Trail Crest to the summit on July 24, you could see smoke from the fire and huge haze in the Kern Valley. Leaving the summit, you could see the haze spread. But visibility was terrific, overall, the entire trip.

The wind changes everything, of course. That said, the conditions we experienced this weekend could not have been better.

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Akichow #17377 08/09/11 09:53 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
I drove through Yosemite today, and smoke was the worst I have ever seen there. There is a fire in the Glacier Point / Badger Pass area, and it is really making things bad. Driving Tioga road, I could smell the smoke and it bothered my eyes.

Hoping for clear skies at Thousand Island Lake later this week, or it could put a serious crimp in our fun.

Re: Fire in Lone Pine
Steve C #17379 08/10/11 05:13 AM
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 595
Offline
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 595
Was at Kearsage Pass Saturday, and Woolyback (Cottonwood Basin) yesterday - Lion Fire still very much evident.


Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.089s Queries: 48 (0.082s) Memory: 0.6541 MB (Peak: 0.7720 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-29 08:56:50 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS