Bighorn Fire

[SpiderLegs]

Pulled out of my driveway and noticed the orange glow in the pre-dawn hour coming from Pusch Ridge. Then drove down the block and noticed the same glow coming from the Tortolita's.

The fire in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness is below Bighorn Peak and doesn't appear to be hitting Pusch Peak or the Cleaver yet. Luckily it's not windy this morning or we could have a huge mess on our hands.

Over in the Tortolita's as best as I can figure it looks like the fire is at the very end of the Wild Burro trail near where it intersects with the Ridgeline trail.

Last news report I saw was that the Pusch Ridge fire is being monitored and can't be accessed due to the terrain. Our local fire crews are all over in the Tortolita's working on it.

--------
2020-06-29 Changed Subject from Two Fires In NW Tucson to Bighorn Fire since the other was contained long ago and did not affect hiking much if any.

https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6741/

[Mountain_Rat]

@LindaAnn
So bummed about my mountain. It has been the thing that's most anchored me to Tucson. The Rincons and the Ritas are fine too, but have serious limitations. The Catalinas were the perfect fit for me and I miss the hell out of them already.

[SpiderLegs]

I have a friend that owns a house in Summerhaven and he invited a couple of us up for dinner last night. So I got to drive up Catalina Hwy (because he was in the car and had a Summerhaven resident pass). There is a roadblock at the base and sheriff's deputy's are checking for the pass before they wave you through. Another one of our passengers had been on a wildland fire crew in college and knows just enough to be dangerous and gave us his assessment on the drive up.

From mile marker 0 up to Windy Point we couldn't see any evidence of fire from our vehicle. Once past Windy Point there is evidence of controlled burns up to Summerhaven and I was shocked at how well everything looked. My guess is the FS did everything in their power to keep the fire away from Catalina Hwy and the major recreation corridor along the road. There is already evidence of new growth from the limited rain we've had the past week near the ski area.

What we couldn't see and are afraid of is what the front range canyons look like Pima, Finger Rock and Ventana.

Did make a very, very brief stop to peer northward towards Oracle. Samaniego Ridge and Oracle Ridge appear to have caught the brunt of the fire. That side of the mountain is scorched earth from our vantage point.

[azbackpackr]

@SpiderLegs
Interesting post, and lucky you, got to go up there and check it out. I had figured from the map that there would still be some hikes available near the first part of the highway.

[LosDosSloFolks]

Bighorn Evacuees...
Open the first video in this link and turn on the volume

https://twitter.com/SallyShamrell/statu ... 2648530944

[Jim]

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 806614.pdf

Not sure if this was posted elsewhere, but portions of the some trails, Finger Rock for example, and probably Pusch Peak, too, are open to the edge of the burn area. Pusch isn't an official trail, so they won't tell you it is open, because the Coronado doesn't think it even exists. That said, it should be, as Finger Rock is open to 1.5 miles from the TH, or roughly the burned area. Pusch is completely outside of the burn.

[Mountain_Rat]

@Jim_H
I saw that order and was at the Finger TH at 05:30. Signs still suggest it's closed, so I poked around a little on the phone and found this
https://www.kold.com/2020/09/18/sabino- ... ns-monday/
...gonna be a lot of pissed off hikers and campers. FS could reeeeeally use a press officer, everything they put out contradicts everything else they put out, every order supersedes the other in circular fashion so that nothing you do is right, it's like trying to decipher an M.C. Escher doodle, now you need to pack extra food and water for your lawyer and hope he can keep up. It's absolutely ...well, govern-mental.

Additionally, I have yet to confirm that the Linda Vista trail is open giving access to the Pusch Trail. Maybe I'll stop by there if I get a chance, but Finger Rock first.

[chumley]

MC Escher was a graphic genius. I thoroughly enjoy deciphering his art.

On an unrelated note, the Forest Order that Jim linked to in the post above clearly states that it becomes effective beginning on 9/21.

IMPLEMENTATION
1. This Order will be effective on September 21, 2020,at 12:00 a.m., and shall remain in effect until November 1, 2020,or until rescinded, whichever occurs first.

[chumley]

Conveniently located on the Alerts & Notices page of the Coronado National Forest website is a link to Exhibit B referenced in the forest order -- a map that displays the open/closed status of forest system trails. (Links to view exhibits A and C of the forest order are there too.)
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 806617.pdf

[Jim]

I'd really like hike up Kimball, but will settle for Pusch until the summit of Kimball is open later this fall.

[SpiderLegs]

Settling in with a mug of coffee in my own bed while I go through a week of HAZ forum posts after my trip. This is great news, I'll be up on Pusch this week for sure.

[chumley]

Coronado NF has updated the Bighorn FIRE closure order for March and April 2021. Whether or not they intend to enforce the order or if the local rangers are aware of the order is up for debate as always.

Highlights:
The fire scar area is open ... EXCEPT if you are ON a trail or IN a developed recreation site. Those are closed.
The AZT is open through the fire scar (Oracle Ridge #1, Sabino West Fork #24, WOR #44) as are Box Camp #22, Aspen #93, and Palisades #99.
Other numbered trails are indicated to be closed on the forest order.
There's a nice map in the order.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/coronado ... EPRD890977

Note: Due to the separate Bighorn SHEEP closure -- which restricts users from being more than 400 feet off a trail, even the open part of the fire closure is effectively closed due to the sheep closure! According to the textual description in the official closure orders, you have a 400 foot corridor on either side of a trail (but not ON the trail) where you are legally permitted to be. Everybody got that!?

Hopefully May 1 will pass and we can put this bureaucratic cf behind us forever!

[andrewp]

The fire scar area is open ... EXCEPT if you are ON a trail or IN a developed recreation site. Those are closed.

Yeah, this contradiction has been in place for a while (since at least November / December).

Hopefully May 1 will pass and we can put this bureaucratic cf behind us forever!

That's what I was saying back in October (when the order was supposed to expire in November) and they extended the date by 60 months. At the rate they're going I'm willing to bet they extend it again.

[DixieFlyer]

Note: Due to the separate Bighorn SHEEP closure -- which restricts users from being more than 400 feet off a trail, even the open part of the fire closure is effectively closed due to the sheep closure! According to the textual description in the official closure orders, you have a 400 foot corridor on either side of a trail (but not ON the trail) where you are legally permitted to be.

the 400 foot corridor is not mentioned in the current closure order: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 670251.pdf

[chumley]

@DixieFlyer
Thanks for clarifying. I was looking at the previous order which included the 400-foot stipulation, but was replaced by the one you linked when it expired in 2019. (for those curious: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 561663.pdf)

[big_load]

The fire scar area is open ... EXCEPT if you are ON a trail or IN a developed recreation site. Those are closed.
The AZT is open through the fire scar (Oracle Ridge #1, Sabino West Fork #24, WOR #44) as are Box Camp #22, Aspen #93, and Palisades #99.
Other numbered trails are indicated to be closed on the forest order.

That sounds like an awkward compromise.

[SpiderLegs]

Trying to understand closures down here is futile at best. Tucson has a reputation for world class rock climbing as well, on some of the climbing sites you have people that are almost out there with a tape measure trying to figure out if their favorite crag is within 400 feet of a trail.

[Jim]

Retards gonna retard. What else is new?

[chumley]

@SpiderLegs That sounds made up. Anybody who knows any rock climbers realizes that they can’t read and don’t follow rules anyway!
(Relax, it’s just a joke, folks!)

[SpiderLegs]

@chumley - Except for Lee of course.

[Pivo]

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DO ... 899402.pdf