Sometimes I have rants of pure angry, but then there are others which are also filled with sadness. If you have been outside lately it is hard not to notice the smoke that is coming from Forest Fires raging across the Southeast. Our region is in the grip of an extreme drought that has caused the mountains in the area to become tender boxes and they are now on fire. Right now there are fires in Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia, including near the
Great Channels.
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| View from above... |
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| ...& below the Great Channels. |
Then there are a number of large fires in my old stomping grounds in North Georgia which has caused the closing of
Raven Cliffs Falls and the
Arkaquah Trails. The Rough Ridge Fire above Ellijay is one of the largest at over 20,000 acres burned. However, the worst, by far, are in the mountains of Western North Carolina. While there are some in the
Pisgah National Forest the most serious are in the
Nantahala National Forest. These fires have caused the closing of almost 70 miles of the
Appalachian Trail (AT) from
Dick's Creek Gap in Georgia to the
Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC), which has also closed and is a staging area for firefighters (Saturday it was even in danger at one point). It is said I was there back in June for
Wilderness Training. I just hope where I camped,
Lost Mine Campground is still there. This fire (as of Monday as burned almost 14,000 acres. It has also closed Highway 19E in the Nantahala Gorge, plus other roads and one fire near Lake Lure (the Party Rock Fire) have closed
Chimney Rock State Park.
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| Because of fire Raven Cliffs is closed. |
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| From the Arkaquah Trail, this is how close the fire has gotten to Brasstown Bald. |
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| The Rough Ridge fire in North Georgia has burned over 20,000 acres (photo from InciWeb) |
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| More regional look at the fires (from Wildfire Today). |
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| AT is closed from here at Dick;s Creek Gap to... |
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| ...to the NOC... |
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| ...fires threatens the beauty of...... |
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| ...this cool place. |
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| The Lost Mine Campground... |
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| ....is under threat. |
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| Map of the Tellico Fire (from Wildfire Today). |
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| The Party Rock Fire (from Wildfire Today)... |
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| ...burning near Chimney Rock (photo by Cathy Anderson). |
East Tennessee has been hard hit also with fires all across the eastern part of the state. When I first became aware was back in mid-October when I noticed a fire on
Chimney Top Mountain while drive home on I-81. The mountain straddles the Hawkins/Greene County line (it is the highest point in Hawkins County) and the smoke bellowing was noticeable from the interstate. This fire was the result of a campfire, not properly extinguished.
With the extremely dry conditions and leaf fall, fire bans of all kinds have been issued for the region. In the
Chattahoochee, Pisgah, Nantahala and
Cherokee National Forests plus the AT, there is a campfire ban. In Tennessee, a total fire ban was in effect for 12 counties, but as of
today it now covers 51, including all of East Tennessee. North Carolina has the same bans in effect, but for 25 counties in the western half of the state. Unfortunately, campfires are not the main cause of most of the blazes it has been arson. Right here in Hawkins County some of these reprehensible cowards started a blaze near
Laurel Run Park which sits between Bays Mountain and the Holston River near Church Hill. I wonder how long before someone started one on Roan Mountain and that happened this weekend. These are just examples of what I have come to call "people shit where they eat."
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| Arsonist (shitbags) have put.... |
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| ...this under threat. |
Up until Sunday, the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park had been spared. The park had issued a ban on campfires in the backcountry and only in fire rings in front country campgrounds. However, early Sunday morning some shitbags decided to start a fire on Chimney Tops. It has caused the closing of the Chimney Tops, Sugarland Mountain, Husky Gap and Road Prong Trails. I was just up here just about three weeks ago in late
October. It is one of the most iconic spots in the Smokies and well deserved. Now some bottom feeders decided to get their jollies off by lighting this and other mountains on fire, but I guess this is the result of having a micropenis.
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| What would possess someone... |
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| ...to put this one fire! |
Not only does it destroy wilderness areas, it also put homes, business, and property in danger. Then there is the risk to human life directly from the fire (those fighting it and innocent bystanders) and the effects of the plumes of smoke which can affect those with respiratory problems (it has even aggravated my allergies & sinus infection). Knoxville and Atlanta are just two major metropolitan areas that have been inundated by smoke. The effects have been felt as far away as Nashville and Alabama.
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| Satellite view of the smoke from the weekend (from Wildfire Today). |
Besides banning all fires, North Carolina has even taken the step and closed state parks, like
Mount Mitchell, to keep these arsonists out. Who knows the Park Service may have to do the same with the Smokies. I have seen first hand what these fires can do hiking stretches of the
AT near
Hot Springs, which closed part of the trail and even threatened the town back in April.
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| Some of the burn damage on the AT. |
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| This spot, on the AT, was cut for a fire break last spring... |
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| ...here is what it use to look like. |
It is just heartbreaking because these are my mountains and seeing them on fire would even bring
Smokey the Bear to tears. What we now need is rain, but until that happens we need to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the local authorities. I also have a plea to just stop the burning! Like Smoky Bear says "only we can prevent forest fires."
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| Mt. Mitchell closed to keep the vandals out. |
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| You need to listen to Smokey! |
Awesome Blog Russell!
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