Late opening to Reds Meadow, June 29.

[PE395]

I've been confused by the USFS postings. It sounds like the whole area down at the Middle Fork is closed to all access, even hiking in via JMT or PCT? But I thought I read about access to Sotcher being open?

[maxpower88]

I've been confused by the USFS postings. It sounds like the whole area down at the Middle Fork is closed to all access, even hiking in via JMT or PCT? But I thought I read about access to Sotcher being open?

This is what I found on the PCTA website about the area...

5/31/2012
A wind storm that blew through California on November 30 caused widespread damage to the Sierra Nevada. From Mount Whitney to Tioga Pass, thousands of trees were affected by the storm. The PCT is not officially closed. Beware of difficult travel conditions presented by this unusual situation. Visit the Inyo National Forest website for regular reports.

The roaded portion of the Red’s Meadow Valley including the road to Minaret Summit and Mammoth Lakes is closed to the public at this time until clean-up work has been completed. PCT travelers may stay on the trail through the valley but are not permitted to hike on the road out of the valley to get to Mammoth Lakes. The trails from Upper and Lower Crater Meadows to Horseshoe Lake leads to a trailhead in the Mammoth Lakes Basin which is connected by paved road to the town of Mammoth Lakes. This is the best access point for PCT hikers to re-supply in Mammoth Lakes and return to the trail. Local bus service between Mammoth Lakes and Horseshoe Lake will begin on June 30th. Red’s Meadow Resort is closed at this time as well as all Forest Service campgrounds. There are no services available in the Red’s Meadow Valley. For more information contact the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center at 760 924-5500.

http://www.pcta.org/planning/during_tri ... osures.php

http://www.pcta.org/planning/during_tri ... asp?sect=G

[ESF]

If you want to see a bit of the tree carnage right now, do the Mammoth Pass hike past McLeod lake. Thousands of trees down, entire swaths of forest lying prone in certain spots. Although the FS has been out there, hacking through the debris and re-routing the trail as necessary. Big props for all the work they've put in.

[PE395]

Thanks Max. I guess as long as you get down there on foot, it's okay to be in the closed campground areas. (But not camping)

[grossskier]

Tomorrow is Sunday. The day to ride it.

[0LI]

I was in a meeting the other day with some higher ups from the usfs and nps. its sounding like 4th of July. its still a mess. needs more man power. lots and lots of work left to do.

[Sierra Lady]

^ Doesn't surprise me. I've heard some incredible stories!

Very enlightening article in the Mammoth Times about Mother Nature's destruction:

Bring a saw—Hiking in the backcountry is daunting this year

We're going to try and make this presentation tomorrow at the USFS Auditorium by the Welcome Center at 7:00 p.m:

RAW: NWS Meteorologist Rhett Milne to present about the November forest blowdown event

[Photoho]

The presentation tomorrow should be very interesting. Wish I could see it.

[FreshPow]

I wonder if there are any aerial photos out there?

[Sierra Lady]

^ Funny that's what a friend of mine sitting next to asked me, but she did not raise the question during the Q&A afterward. I went alone since SG was still too sick to attend. I did ask if they planned on providing public education in the form of a story board or exhibit at our Welcome Center and they are. There will be a display in the front window in front of the WC and more information inside. No one answered my question about whether there would be public information about the wind event damage in other Visitor Centers along 395 as one heads north.

The auditorium was SRO packed to the gills with interested members of the public. Excellent presentation by a female USFS scientist here to study the downed trees, the NWS Meteorologist (he called the wind event "Devils Windstorm") and Deanna Dulen, DPP Superintendent.

I took some photos without flash and will post them tomorrow night since I only have limited Internet access where we're staying.

In the meantime there is a one video on the wind event on the DPP website in this link:

http://www.nps.gov/depo/photosmultimedia/videos.htm

The Inyo National Forest website has some good images of the blow down in these links:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/home ... rdb5354687

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/home ... rdb5371460

And of course the status of the clean-up work in this link:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/inyo/home ... rdb5355082

[ofset]

I wonder if there are any aerial photos out there?

google maps has good images. i took some screen shots, have a look. what a massive massive weather event. holy crap!!

can you imagine if it had touched down over the town? whatever caused this could have wiped everything off the face. wtf!!!!









mother nature is no joke here.

[Grumpy]

That's the scar from the rainbow fire not from November's East wind.

[SurfnSnowboard]

That's the scar from the rainbow fire not from November's East wind.

Thanks, I was wondering about that too.

[Sierra Lady]

^ If there were any aerial shots of the wind storm damage, it would look FAR worse than the Rainbow Fire scar!


Sorry I haven't posted any of the images of photos and slides from that lecture yet. We're busy 8-10 hours each day trying to get our condo organized so we can move back in again and in the evenings have a very poor Internet connection where we're staying. I'll try and use our PC at home today to post what I was speaking of earlier.- A friend went hiking to Red Cones yesterday and took some shots of the downed trees along that trail and I'll post those, too.

[ofset]

FAR worse?!?! thats insane. please post pics! I cant imagine what more worse than that would look like.