Yosemite – Motor Fire update 8/29 – 9 am PDT

Half Dome – Yosemite Musing

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     I drove up Sunday to give a Half Dome presentation at the LeConte Memorial Lodge. We had a full house with 2 Blog readers doing the hike today. Mary Beth and her husband will send us a trip report. The funniest question came from a 7-year old boy. He asked: “Do you smell up top?” I said you could smell the trees and perhaps some of the smoke. That was not what he was looking for. He pointed to his arm pit and asked if you stunk from sweating. LOL. 

    As I entered the park, the smoke from the “motor” fire was almost imperceptible near the Big Meadow. On Friday there was a heavy layer wafting into the western edge of the valley. Wonder why they don’t call it the “Motorhome” fire. 

     The fire is still at 35% containment and over 4700 acres have burned. A DC-10 aircraft  has been making drops of up to 12,000 gallons of fire retardant in 8 seconds.  Currently there is a mandatory evacuation of the government housing area in Rancheria and the trailer court. Employees are given Administrative leave. An evacuation center has been opened at the Red Cross Center/Lutheran Church in Mariposa. Highway 140 is closed from the Yosemite Bug Hostel to El Portal Road. YARTS is not running service. There is also a health alert for people living in areas affected by smoke from the fires. There is no current threat to commercial power.

 

Unrelated thought worth quoting: “The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” – John Muir 

*MrHalfDome™ – Rick Deutsch – www.HikeHalfDome.com

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