Hike Info : Description : Background : Animals
Trail head: Delilah Lookout
Type: Lookout
Not sure if I came up today because I figured this might be the last chance to be at Delilah for the season-I have been saying that for a month now. Or if I have been frustrated by all of the days I could not be up here due to the smoke limiting visibility or it could be just a sense of obligation. But now that I am up here, I am wondering if I should have just said “uncle” and not come. Optimistically, there is one mile of visibility with a bit of smoke smell, not as bad as the beginning of September. So the plan is to stay up here until at least lunch time.
This was to be a two day trip. But yesterday was even worse than today. So after looking at the cameras and the AQI for the area, I decided it was not worth coming up then. This morning when I got up, the AQI looked a lot better. And in a text I wrote, I thought the cameras showed a little better visibility. So that said, lets go. Sherri has a doctor’s appointment today, so she is staying home.
Road towards Delilah. Where is Jesse Morrow?
I left the house at 0700,
filled up with gas at Costco and made it up to Delilah by 0905,
without incident. You know when I was at Park
Ridge
last
week, I
said I need to pack less when going up to the day. I did better-only
one backpack full. One very full backpack, but it is better.
I sanitize the areas I will be touching. And then take the weather, not quite low RH, but close enough with 21%. I go inservice with an optimistic one mile visibility and RH of 21. Buck Rock has gone in with half a mile visibility and 16% RH. Sounds pretty bad all the way around. But in talking with Mich, she said yesterday the smoke lifted about in the afternoon. Optimism reigns!
Sun, Clouds and Smoke
Life returns to normal.
Listening to the radio and doing scans. Of course with only a mile
visibility, the scans pretty much consists of walking the catwalk,
about a minute, unless I pause for thought. Then there is no telling
how long the scan can take. At 1045 I noticed that there was a bit
more visibility, such as being able to see Luckett
Mtn-not
too clearly-or Davis
Road, at
least pieces of it. We will see-well, isn’t that the issue of
whether I will see or not?
Only piece of excitement-and this is what passes for excitement-is responding to the Sierra NF morning check in at 11. Greg calls to check in and make sure I am OK. I am, and we talked about various things like air quality, where to get this info. Also about the Creek Fire and the fire up in Yosemite close to Tuolumne Meadows. I have lunch and then call Buck Rock on the radio. The smoke has lifted a bit, so visibility is around 4 miles-I can see Sampson Flat and just barely McKenzie Ridge, but not beyond. So I will stay around another couple of hours and hope that it lifts some more.
Sometimes you wonder about the naming of fires. On the radio just now heard the Cow Training IC reporting the status. Thinking I heard it wrong, I checked to see if there really was a Cow Fire. Sure enough, there was one which started last Saturday. Now what self-respecting fire wants to be known as the Cow Fire? Also I wonder what the guy did to be assigned to being the trainee for the Cow Fire? Questions better not asked. But it is growing up into a respectable sized fire of 141 acres.
Late Afternoon Sun and Smoke
Just doing my scans. Then
reading a book between scans. Even at five miles visibility, which is
stretching the distance, I am doing unaided scans. Occasionally I
take to the binoculars if I see something of interest. I answer
Sierra’s evening lookout check in and take down the weather.
Shortly before 1700, a fire was reported, way outside of our area. But our ears always perk up. We try to understand where it is and what resources will be taken. But then, they issued the name of the fire: the Loco Fire. I am wondering what around there is named Loco? There is a Loco Bill Canyon. Of course, that means that they have a Loco Incident Commander and the most ominous is a Loco Air Attack.It was reported as 2-3 acres, but in brush. So who knows how big this might get-the original size up is 50-100 acres.
Sun as I was departing
It is time for me to get ready
to leave. Kathy calls, starting with where is the Loco Fire? But then
we just enjoy a general chit-chat time. After we are done, I get the
cab re-sanitized. Then go out of service close to 1800.
I was out of there pretty quickly afterwards, getting home about 1945. When I had radio reception, I listened to the vice-presidential debates. I hope I caught the answers at the wrong time, because what I heard was both candidates not answering the moderators questions. Now onto a sandwich for dinner and bed.
Background
AQI. Air Quality Index. There are a couple stations I pay attention to: Grant Grove and Pinehurst. Also I look at the AirNow site for Dunlap.
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