Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Smoke Coverage?

The Rough Fire just won't quit. Now 60,000 acres (about 100 square miles!). This afternoon I could see TWO wildfire thunderhead clouds from Fresno. One is in the Wishon Reservoir area, northwest of Kings Canyon, the other deep in Kings Canyon.

The Owens Valley and Mammoth Lakes got blasted again yesterday and last night with smoke and fine ash. Early mornings haven't been too bad, but around 11 AM the smoke arrives. It is started again as I write.

I feel sorry for the backpackers I see going toward Bishop Pass: the land of the big smoke.

TR to follow, but I did end up at Cottomwood Lakes from Wednesday until yesterday (8/26 - 29). It was smoky in the evenings (coming in around 7) until probably midnight or so, but the days were quite clear. Up OAP on the backside of Langley looking down the valley was pretty clear as well. Driving into Lone Pine on Wednesday I was nervous about all the smoke I saw, but up that high it wasn't much of an issue those days. The wind did seem to be shifting as we exited yesterday and I imagine it was quite smoky yesterday evening.

We did the SE Buttress on Cathedral peak Friday. Smoke was moderately annoying. It got better and worse again several times. When we topped out, we looked down on a four-acre fire within 50 yards of the Cathedral Lakes Trail. It was fascinating watching a helicopter scoop up water from Lower Cathedral Lake and then dump it on the fire.

Was at/around Bishop Pass this weekend, it was pretty awful when we got there the afternoon of 8/29, but not so much early this morning (8/30). Every hiker we passed coming out said something similar, "Okay in the morning, pretty awful in the afternoon'.

I can't really recommend going, it isn't predictable and it spreads quite quickly.

Rough Fire now at 72,300 acres with still only 25% containment. According to the map it's only about 5-6 miles from the Cedar Grove area. Hopefully late season weather will help stop it before it gets that far.

Checking the latest map, it looks like the fire has recently grown at an alarming rate towards the east, well into the central part of the canyon.

http://abc30.com/news/rough-fire-at-more-than-66000-acres-25-percent-containment/960198/

Update Sept 30:

The Rough Fire is nearly out. Current report:   9-30-15 Rough Fire Update
(Link from Main InciWeb page)     Link to Gmap4 map of the fire area.

344 personnel working on it. Crews are working on extinguishing remaining burning stumps. In the North zone, a large interior island continues to creep and smolder into the John Muir Wilderness area.

Total burned area is 151,623 Acres (237 square miles!!!)

There was also discussion on the Rough Fire here:   Satellite Photos: Rough Fire