August 9, 2021 - Delilah Lookout - the Great California Smoke Out

 Title: August 9, 2021 - Delilah Lookout - the Great California Smoke Out

Looking west from Delilah. Bottom is the expected view

Hike Info : Description 

Trail head:  Delilah Lookout

Hike Info:

Type: Lookout

Description:

Today Sherri and I were to go to Delilah Lookout . But when there is very limited visibility, it's sort of hard to spot any smokes. This morning when I looked at the webcam, even with the morning shadows, there was not much to see, except for the grayness of smoke from the fires up north. So after discussing things with Greg at 0615, we decided it was best to check again later in the day and see if things cleared up.

In the meantime, our sister lookout, Park Ridge, was experiencing the same smoke with the same visibility issues. There was a discussion about whether they should open or not. It comes down to, if we cannot see a smoke from a local fire and/or there are health concerns, then there is not too much point to staff a lookout. That was the conclusion

Don’t get me wrong, being in a lookout with low or no visibility is a special feeling. First of all, you are generally pretty isolated. But now you do not even have the visual references-the Kings River there, Tivy Mountain to the west, Alta Peak in the distance. But with no visibility, you see only white, like you are in your own special cocoon. It is a time of meditation, a time to be close to God, or just a time to read a book or clean up.

But no or low visibility is just pure torment. Generally we have windows and doors open to enjoy afternoon breezes and to cool down the cab. But with smoke, you now have a choice: breathe the smoke or close up the cab. When we have closed up the cab, the interior temperature gets over 100^o. Definitely not conducive to quiet introspection. So when faced with spending a day with those choices, we take the third option, wait and see.

At 1000, I check again and visibility is only a smidge better. Same way at 1300. At this point, I call it a day. Even if it clears up enough for us to go up, it will be about 1600 before Sherri and I get there. We will see what tomorrow brings. The Forest Service is OK with this choice.

Looking north east