Fire!

Bryce Canyon had a slow burning fire in the backcountry which had started back on June 15 with a lightning strike. Due to fire management policy, they allowed it to burn, which provides numerous benefits to the health of the forest. However on July 14, due to high winds and very dry conditions, the Bryce fire suddenly doubled to about 3500 acres, and jumped the main road in the park. The road had to be closed to the south, and 50 vehicles had to be evacuated, those with high clearance were led through a forest road and the rest were led through the burn area after it was controlled enough to allow that. When the fire had spread into a non-prescribed section, it became necessary to change course. The main part of the park remained open, but the southern end was closed for five days as 275 fire fighters and some helicopters and a plane were deployed to actively suppress the fire. It has left a scar in the southern end of the park and in our beloved Swamp Canyon area but will return to gandeur in a few years.

We were enlisted to work with educating the public on the fire management policy as now practiced by the NPS and other government agencies. We have ascribed to no fire or reduced fire in natural systems for so long that we now have a tremendous buildup of fuel. That fuel must be managed to reduce the danger of catastrophic fire. Most animals make it safely away from fires and in a few years the ecosystem rebounds and becomes more diverse and healthy. Wildland fire has been a natural cycle, and studies of tree rings from years ago show that fires were common as frequently as every three years, and forests had prospered before we started interfering. So in the long run it is better to let fires burn when there is no danger to people's safety or property.

Kathy and I also were able to check out a few nearby areas during our time off, Hell's Backbone in the Dixie National Forest and the Burr Trail which runs through the Grand Staircase Escalante and into Capitol Reef National Park. Hiking in the Hell's Backbone area reminded us of hiking on the Finger Lakes Trail back in NY. We hiked through a lush forest and hit a couple muddy areas. We got to a section of the Great Western Trail, and saw no other hikers during the whole trip. The section of Capitol Reef that we entered was spectacular, we descended part way down a long stretch of road that switchbacked a few miles down to the Notom-Bullfrog Road next to the Waterpocket Fold, and we had a good view of it all the way down. We decided not to descend all the way as we had a dinner reservation at the Hell's Backbone Grill.

A couple other interesting enounters we had at Bryce: I met a 97 year old woman hiking up the Queens Garden Trail with her 95 year old husband. They had made it all the way down, and looked pretty good on the way back up. She may be the oldest person to hike the trail. Kathy met a nine year old girl who had 178 Junior Ranger badges. Every year her family takes a six week trip to the National Parks. Her eyes lit up when Kathy told her there was a thirteen year old girl who had 235 JR badges. We may have a new record holder in the making.