richw56 wrote:...This is very cool about the drones being used for fire fighting. I took off this morning to go get some gas over at Scappoose Oregon and I looked out to the north and the visibility was absolutely horrible with smoke.... the smoke moved into the Portland and Vancouver area about noon invisibility drop down to about 5 miles I had a hard fine finding my home strip ...

What a difference a few days can make!.
I flew down & picnicked at Daybreak thursday and conditions were pretty damn good.

IR flight yesterday Sept 5 at 20:30 Hrs. 92,779 acres. They evidently have reduced the acres from what I posted on Sept 4 (97811 acres) to account for the unburned area inside the perimeter around Devils Table. Yellow is scattered heat and orange is intense heat. The fire pooched out on the northwest corner yesterday afternoon. We could see the smoke from Ellensburg. Fire is about two and a half miles from the American River Guard Station now. It was built by the CCs in the 1930s at the confluence of the Bumping and American Rivers. I stayed there during fire season in the early 70s. I hope they have it protected.


Close up of northwest corner


American River Guard Station December 1970.


August 2019

This afternoon's operations briefing. Good explanation of the fire activity last night and today's plan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXFYMUuur_I

IR flown yesterday 9-08-21 at 23:20 hours. 99,398 Acres. Red is intense heat, yellow is scattered heat.


The area that pooched out in the northwest corner three days ago spotted across the Bumping River two days ago and burned up to the second switch back on the Chipmunk Creek road system. They thought they had it contained then but yesterday's IR shows it is now up to the fourth switchback.


In May this year we drove up the Chipmunk Creek road to take some photos to the south toward Little Bald Mountain. I'm glad we did. That area will never look the same. Little Bald Lookout sat on the high point right in the center of the rock cliff. It accidentally burned in 1978. The garage was converted into a snowmobilers warming hut and is still there...I hope.


Old Scab Mountain


The American Rive Resort was across the Bumping River road from the American Forks Guard Station. It burned down in 1969.

This Morning's Operations briefing. Apparently the slop over in Chipmunk Creek went over the hill (American Ridge) last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EA_zLRTg_mE



I took this photo in May this year. It's an old bridge across Barton Creek about a quarter mile upstream of where the Bumping lake road crosses the creek about a quarter mile below the Dam. My theory it goes back to the Keystone Mine and/or it is the original road to Copper City.

IR Flight this morning Sept 10 at 00:40 Hrs. 101,633 acres.


Looking South at the slop over on American Ridge. This is very steep and in the William O Douglas Wilderness. It is almost impossible to hold a fire on a steep slope like this. Burning material like logs, pine cones, burning snags that fall etc. roll down the slope starting spot fires.


Here's a 360 degree look around the fire area from the old Panoramic photos taken from the American Ridge Lookout on Goat Peak on July 22, 1934.

Looking southeast. Little Bald Lookout on the skyline at 125 degrees. Old Scab Mountain at 143 degrees.


Looking southwest. Bumping Lake at 200 degrees. It appears to already have been drawn down to the original natural lake level.


Looking north. Fifes Peaks at 310 degrees.

Thanks for the updates and the history. Living in the Tri Cities, I'm more than ready for this particular fire to be over. Hopefully the rain this afternoon will help.

jcadwell wrote:Thanks for the updates and the history. Living in the Tri Cities, I'm more than ready for this particular fire to be over. Hopefully the rain this afternoon will help.

Yes rain or snow is what it will take to stop the spread.

Here,s a video on the fixed wing drone they are using day and night. it flies at 10,000 feet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdjZPDxb5OY

That vertical takeoff

Zzz wrote:That vertical takeoff

Four electric powered rotors for vertical take off and landing. 100 cc two cycle engine powered propeller for forward flight. 12 hour duration.

There was no IR flight last night. Satellite imagery this morning shows no heat in the fire in the past 24 hours.

Weather stations around the fire had the following rain totals in the past 24 hours.
Goose Prairie Fire RAWS .09 in.
Bumping Ridge Snotel, .10 in.
Bethel Ridge Fire RAWS .12 in
Sawmill Flat RAWS .05 in.

The National Fire Danger Rating System (NFRDS) defines A"Wetting rain" as A widespread rain that over an extended period of time significantly reduces fire danger. One-tenth of an inch may be sufficient to reduce fire danger in grass fuel models. One half inch may be necessary for timber fuels under closed canopies.

So, fire activity should be reduced for the next few days anyhow.

From "Place Names of Washington" by Robert Hitchman;
Nile Creek
"The stream of the creek rises in Clover Spring, 5 miles east of Bumping lake; flows 15 miles east to Naches River at Nile, northwest Yakima County. The creek, valley and town were named by early settlers for its fertility, resembling that of Nile valley in Egypt."

jcadwell wrote:Thanks for the updates and the history. ......

x2

TCJ, I see your from Ellensburg. Little inside info, if that airport fuel truck was a bit more on the ball (quicker) to service the jet fuel burners they wouldn’t over fly the place. I was also told the self serve fuel pump is slower than molasses.
I’d like to hike those places you mentioned, looks beautiful there.

It is so sad to see this area burning. I have hunted in this area for over 40 years. An old friend we called buffalo chip owned a cabin between wistling jacks and Nile where the fire station currently is. We always got our deer and climbed the hills form dawn to dusk. When chip died the cabin was sold. As I said so sad to see this happen.

IR flown last night Sept 12, at 2315 hours. 102,047 acres. 414 acre increase in the past two days. The spread has slowed due to rain three days ago plus lower temps and higher relative humidity (RH). Remember, yellow is scattered heat and red is intense heat.


Close up looking south at the slop over on the north facing slope of American Ridge. You can see a spot fire half way down on the left. It could be from burning material rolling down slope (Rolly) or an ember thrown ahead of the flaming front as the fire ran up the other side of the ridge.


Edgar Rock taken from highway 410 below Cliffdell last summer. They have tied a burnout to the river into this rock to protect the homes in Cliffdell.


Hay Stack Rock from the Lost Creek Trail up to The old Lookout site on Edgar Rock. August 2016. A tough place to fight fire.


Little Bald Mountain from the Trail.


Stacked rocks on the trail. Paul Bunyan must have been here. Is the tree holding the rocks up or are the rocks holding the tree up?


The Old Edgar Rock Lookout site. Edgar Rock was named for John Edgar, an Army Scout. Go to this link for the interesting story.
https://uppervalleybb.com/info/edgarroc ... kpass.html


Looking southeast down the Naches River. The clearing is the Jefferson Ranch. Known as Jefferson Heliport by the forest service. Back in the 1950s my Grandpa called it the Anderson Ranch. It was owned by the Andersons, descendants of the original homesteader.


Edgar Rock Panoramic Photo taken in 1934. Looking southeast at the "Anderson Ranch"


Looking northwest up the Naches River. The community of Cliffdell is in the foreground. The red trees on the left is the 80 acre Halfway Flat Fire The red is is retardant.


Edgar Rock Lookout in 1942. Built in the 1930s by the CCs to watch over the Cliffdell summer homes. You could see it from the Highway. My Great Grandma had a cabin At Indian Flats, on the Bumping River. On our way up there we would always look to see if the Lookout guy was up there. If he was there the flag wold be flying.

IR flown last night 9-13 at 2235 hrs. 102,562 acres. 515 acres increase in the past 24 hours.


Close up of Goose Prairie. Fire is down to the Bumping River. On the far left of the Prairie you can see the Boy Scout camp (Camp Fife) swimming pool. The building just to the right of the pool is the Curtis Gilbert Lodge. The large building back by the timber is the main Lodge. My. My dad was in the Yakima Carpenters Union and in 1956 they volunteered all the labor to build both those buildings. The Oval looking feature out in front is what is left of the dike for a lake the Army from the Yakima firing center built about the same time. It never did hold water. William O Douglas's former Summer home is in the timber just off the right side of the prairie.

tcj, you're a living database of PNW history and knowledge.

Zzz wrote:tcj, you're a living database of PNW history and knowledge.

I was just thinking the same thing!
TCJ, your archive of photos and in-person knowledge of this area is awesome.
Thanks for sharing with the rest of us.

+1 its very interesting, thanks.

Zzz wrote:tcj, you're a living database of PNW history and knowledge.

Thank you Zzz. I take that as a complement. I credit Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas for peaking my interest in the mountains west of Yakima. He grew up there and so did I. I read his book, "OF Men and Mountains" as a young teenager in the 1960s. It's about his exploits hiking and riding a horse in those mountains as a teenager and in his later life.

If I could be king for a day of the Naches Ranger District I would make that book required reading for every employee on the district. I can't wait to get back into the Scheidner Springs burn area and check out some of my favorite places and things. it will probably have to be this winter on snowshoes.