Thanks to negligible snow pack in my local Olympic mountains – and the driest May and June on record here – one can (and should) anticipate a fire-filled summer on the Olympic Peninsula.
Things are just as dry in the N. Cascades.
Already in the Olympics, there's a stubborn, 1,000-acre fire burning in the Queets River valley on very steep slopes. It's mostly spreading across tree tops, dropping hot cinders to the forest floor. There's little firefighters can do about it for now except map it, hope for cooler air and rain, and drop helicopter-flown buckets of water on limited areas. It continues to grow. And grow.
Below is part of the steep area in blaze.
Last weekend, I was in this general region (the Peninsula's west side, near Forks, Washington). I smelled smoke – and saw it as a thin, whitish haze lingering in the lower elevations; however, I was also aware of the ongoing Queets River fire well to the south of me. But how could I be 100% sure of the source? After coming out of the woods – curious and concerned – I checked with the local Nat'l Forest office, as I had on my way in.
The field ranger confirmed there were no new fires reported in the area.
"Not for now," she said with emphasis. "But there's a long summer and fall ahead of us."
These conditions raise a question about safety, especially for LFers in the drought-stricken Pacific coast states – California, Oregon, Washington.
Let's say that before you head into the woods, you check with the local FS office. You learn of no special warnings in your area. But once in the woods, you smell smoke.
What precautions have you taken, and what are your first steps?
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