East/Norse Peak Fire, Do not wear white up there!

Finally got around to hiking up there to scope out the damage.  Though our thoughts and prayers should really be turned to those in NorCal and Pueto Rico.  The Norse Peak fire impact is very bad, and sad.   You can see from the Crystal parking lot that most of the ~1-2 mile hill side is burnt nearly half way down toward the road.  The entire hillside where I skin up to E Peak from Bullion Basin is mostly burnt.  Totally blackened standing trees with straggly, bare, blackened limbs.  The Basin itself and the trail to Crown Point is thankfully spared.  Not many trees have actually fallen over but enough to make you look around for any that might be ready to go.  Most of the summit ridgeline is burnt and ~80% of the trees in the basin on the back side of E. Peak are burnt.  Lots more beyond that. There's some burnt trees heading down into Union Cr too.  Some earth is really scorched, other areas not so bad.  There are isolated pockets of wide spaced trees that were spared but mostly its a waste.  I wonder how stability and anchoring of the snowpack will be affected now.  If you are the type who occasionally brushes against tree bows while skiing down (yeah, we all do that) you will want to wear all black!  What ever touches the soot/char covered trees will turn black.  Its a mess.  

There is plenty of opportunity to ski/recreate in burnt forests here in New Mexico. 

Are you careful enough to change pants and/or jackets without cross-contaminating your vehicle or couch, etc?  It seems like this could lead to domestic conflict.  Perhaps it's better to just learn to live with the stains on your ski garments when they happen.

There is an area at about 8,000 ft AMSL just above the lab here where we climb often in the summer.  Saw two trees fall across the trail on separate days within the last month or two.  This was from a fire in 2011.  These hazards persist!

I know wildfires on the westside are a bit of an anomaly but wild fires are a natural part of the ecosystem. Plus it will probably open up some more ski terrain. I love skiing the burns over here on the eastside of the mountains.

Domestic conflicts are also part of the ecosystem. My house this weekend;
Wife: there is something really bad and chemically smelling in the laundry room. Did something spill?
RL: it's my socks
Wife: frowny face

Dreaming of the old days....



This photo was taken by Chuck Hessey in 1959 from the shoulder above the run now called Exterminator. A lot fewer trees back then!

I'm guessing there were huge fires in the old days. Fire suppression has enabled the trees to grow back in.

I'm not advocating for that sort of destruction, but you can sure see why folks thought Crystal Mountain was a good place for a ski area!

^ wow, that is almost unrecognizable. Thanks for drumming up the picture.