Hike Info:
Type: Lookout
Description:
Got up at 0600 and did my
lightning report-none as expected and none expected the next week or
more. Went down and tried to unscrew the screws on the repeater box.
No success. Somebody more proficient than I am will need to do this
job.
Went for my morning walk, but
not feeling very energetic. Only went as far as the Delilah saddle
before deciding that was enough for today. Got back and had my
granola breakfast. Then finished up a couple of tasks: finished
cleaning the windows and completed the inventory. The latter is not
really a lookout duty, more as a service so that Mich knows what is
on hand.
Took the weather and saw that
the RH was between 16 and 19%. This is getting low. When I went
in-service, reported as such.Buck
Rock
also had 19%. Mich from Buck Rock and I had a discussion about that
and about the tone 8 issue. More of letting each other know the
status and conditions.
Later Park Ridge and Buck Rock
had a discussion. Park
Ridge’s
RH was in the 30’s. I think he was feeling about what is going on.
Both Delilah and Buck Rock had low RH and he just wanted to make sure
that we knew he did take his reading. I know how this is. When
everybody around you sees something and you are going, where is this
thing? Where is this smoke? You wonder, particularly as a volunteer,
am I picking up what I should pick up? Most of the time, the answer
is yes. Buck Rock noted the differences in locations and environments
are probably the reason for the differences.
1000 comes and goes. The
weather and staffing are reported. I am so glad to pick these up
online. Mich calls me and lets me know that the techs-one from
Sequoia and one from Sierra NF will be here tomorrow. Oh good. I get
to pick their brains. Then Greg calls and we talk about the situation
and am I up to doing all four days. I do not think I mentioned this.
The person who was going to be up here Tuesday had to cancel out. So
I will pick up the day as well.
We also talked about the
viability of the electronics shed as an emergency shelter. Can we
radio out? Is it smoke tight? What about lights? Can we see out? Will
it get too hot? This would be the shelter of last resort.
And now back to regular
lookouting. Sometimes being a lookout is portrayed as a lonely and
pretty isolated time. With all of the modern technologies, it seems
like I am always in communication with someone. I listen to the
radio. Phones can reach me, as well as texts. Then there is the
Internet. And along with that we can even lightly Zoom. This is
definitely not a let's get away from everything gig, even if I am
physically isolated.
One of things which I have
been missing the last two days are clouds. There has not been any.
Two Christmas’ ago, Sherri got me Garvin Pretor-Pinney’s The
Cloudspotter’s Guide
and its companion book, The
Cloud Collector’s Handbook.
I had misplaced the handbook until this past week. So I have been
excited to start using it. But no clouds until today. I think what I
am seeing are cirrus fibratus. Sort of nice to be able to put a name
to it and maybe be right.
Sherri and I talk a bit more.
She is thinking she will be coming down. I have my lunch while I talk
with her. She will let me know what she will be doing. So it is back
to scanning. It has been a pretty calm day for the most part. Just
enough to keep things interesting.
 |
Beginnings of the Trimmer Fire
|
Did I say it has been calm? At
1245 I finished my scan, looking in the Tivy/Pine Flat. area last. I
set down and get ready to write up a few things. At 1248 Sierra tones
out a wildfire at Trimmer
and Big Creek. What??? I just checked over there. I look over there
and no smoke still. I tell Sierra this. Whatever it is, it sounds
big. My initial hearing of the legal location was off by about 10
degrees, but even with the correction, I am not seeing smoke. The
Trimmer ICT asks if the lookout has seen anything-negative. About
about 10 minutes later there is increased haze in the area. I call it
in. I am afraid I did not sound as succinct as I would hope to be in
these situations. But at least they got the information.
 |
Mystery Chopter
|
For the rest of the afternoon
I observe and communicate with our own people about the Trimmer Fire.
Actually once Sierra has their people going and the air support comes
in, it is more of a monitoring, making sure there is not anything
which they cannot see. But the planes should have a pretty good view
of what is going on. Since they are closer, they have a better idea.
Park Ridge and I talk some. He sees it as a very light smoke. As the
afternoon goes on, the smoke becomes more evident. It goes from being
thick haze in that direction to definite smoke, not really a column,
just very evident. Maybe billowing is the right word. Yeah looking at
some pictures, that is the right word. I get a ring side seat, well,
maybe in the nosebleed section. Only thing that ridge which Oat
Mountain sits on blocks my view of the aerial action.
 |
Gives an idea of steepness of the terrain the fire was being fought on.
|
I think with all the fires
going one, another big one started down south called the Stagecoach
fire, both Sierra and Sequoia call for extended hours. That is until
2000. Not a problem. I will be here anyway. I resume by scanning. I
will say the radio is a bit confusing. Yesterday I talked about one
of the repeaters is out, so I am using another one. But I notice
there is gaps in the conversation, so I set the base radio to also
listen to Sierra’s, along with its second command channel. I did
not hear any channel restrictions, but all the chatter seems to be on
the fire.
Also on the base radio, I have
the Air to Ground channel going. I think that is too many things for
my mind to listen to. So the Tuesday thing will be to figure out how
to bring order to that chaos. But it is interesting, particularly the
talk between the aircraft and the ground.
After 1800, I have dinner, and
listening and scan for additional smoke.Dinner: Same as last night, a
beerock. That seems to work out real well when I being a bachelor it
at Delilah. Nothing exciting. At 1840, Sierra’s Battalion Chief 32
calls up. He asks about the status of tone 8-it is still down, but
there is scheduled work to be done in the morning. We talk for a few
minutes, he mentions he was going to check the webcam for the smoke.
I sent him some pictures I took throughout the day. He is
appreciative. Maybe I am redeeming myself from some of my less than
stellar reporting of the smoke earlier.
 |
Full Moon
|
By the time 2000 rolls around,
the sky is darkening and so is the cab area. Since 1900, I have
telephoned in on Zoom to our House Church meeting. It is good to make
that connection. I am muted because I will be stepping in and out for
the first half of the time. Also the radio will be chattering as
well. Familiar voices are good. Being able to see folks would have
been better. But being able to see and hear them and be with them all
would have been the best.
After the meeting ends at
2100, Sherri and I talk for a while. It is after 2200 before we end
the call and I turn in. It is full moon night. While this washes out
the stars it is one which makes that wonderful. One disappointment on
this trip is that I have not been able to see Comet NEOWISE. But all
of this makes me think that if we are the stars how God’s light
washes out all of our good deeds.
Background
Trimmer Fire.
As the day goes on, it sounded like the crews and aircraft were
getting a handle on it. It started out with an estimate of 10-15
acres with a potential of 100. When \I talked with the Sierra
Battalion Chief, he said it was up to 150 acres, but they seemed to
have a handle. Tuesday morning when I looked over, I did not see any
smoke and none all day. But talking with Wendy on Thursday, she said
that it had exploded to 600 acres. I did not here the why, but guess
that wind came up driving the fire up Sacata Ridge.
IC.
An IC is the Incident Commander. That person is responsible for
coordinating resources, including aircraft. Where do you attack the
fire, how many people is needed and sizing up the fire.
