Report From the Fire Zone
The Thomas Fire is finally coming to an end, but not before it grew into the largest wildfire in modern California history. I personally was never in any danger, but the smoke was pretty bad for two full weeks, even forcing us to close the factory area in day-job land once or twice and send people home.
All through that time, I kept an eye on the fire's progress as it moved through the Ojai Valley. Thankfully, the city of Ojai itself was spared, but the trails I hiked through last spring weren't so fortunate. I knew they were hit hard, and yesterday I drove out there to do some scouting, to see just how bad it was.
There's a lookout point along Highway 150, where you can stop and gaze across the entire Topatopa range. A plaque points out all the peaks and canyons, including the ones I visited. All of them are thoroughly blackened now. Here's what the three spots looked like, with links to my old posts if you'd like to see what they looked like before.
Gridley Canyon to Nordhoff Peak
Horn Canyon to Chief Peak
Topatopa Bluff
Of the three, Gridley Canyon looks the worst. The sign at the trailhead is intact, but that's about all. Apart from a few patches the fire missed, everything past the trailhead is burned, all the way to the summit from the look of it. Here's a before-and-after.
But it wasn't all doom and gloom. I couldn't reach the trailhead to Horn Canyon because it's on the grounds of the Thacher School, and the Thacher School is still closed. But the school was spared, and so presumably at least the beginning section of the trail was, too.
My third stop was also the most promising, up Sisar Canyon Road to the trail leading up to Topatopa. I was a little puzzled driving up the tight, narrow street, because it looked like one house had burned down but all the other houses were undamaged. The trailhead is burned in spots, but is largely intact. The first half-mile isn't even closed. I hiked in as far as the second gate, and along the way I passed a woman walking her dog and a truck driven by a man from the fire department who simply waved at me. I'm sure things along the trail get much worse eventually, but there could be as much as a couple of miles of decent terrain.
The entire burn zone will probably be closed until sometime in the spring, until they can clear any large trees that are in danger of falling on people. Even then, the ground will be pretty barren, and will be incredibly hot in the summer with no shade. But it can be interesting to see the landscape grow back. I've been watching the regions hit by the Springs Fire in 2013 and the Station Fire in 2009. The land may be down, but it's not out. Not by a long shot.
All through that time, I kept an eye on the fire's progress as it moved through the Ojai Valley. Thankfully, the city of Ojai itself was spared, but the trails I hiked through last spring weren't so fortunate. I knew they were hit hard, and yesterday I drove out there to do some scouting, to see just how bad it was.
There's a lookout point along Highway 150, where you can stop and gaze across the entire Topatopa range. A plaque points out all the peaks and canyons, including the ones I visited. All of them are thoroughly blackened now. Here's what the three spots looked like, with links to my old posts if you'd like to see what they looked like before.
Gridley Canyon to Nordhoff Peak
Horn Canyon to Chief Peak
Topatopa BluffOf the three, Gridley Canyon looks the worst. The sign at the trailhead is intact, but that's about all. Apart from a few patches the fire missed, everything past the trailhead is burned, all the way to the summit from the look of it. Here's a before-and-after.
But it wasn't all doom and gloom. I couldn't reach the trailhead to Horn Canyon because it's on the grounds of the Thacher School, and the Thacher School is still closed. But the school was spared, and so presumably at least the beginning section of the trail was, too.
My third stop was also the most promising, up Sisar Canyon Road to the trail leading up to Topatopa. I was a little puzzled driving up the tight, narrow street, because it looked like one house had burned down but all the other houses were undamaged. The trailhead is burned in spots, but is largely intact. The first half-mile isn't even closed. I hiked in as far as the second gate, and along the way I passed a woman walking her dog and a truck driven by a man from the fire department who simply waved at me. I'm sure things along the trail get much worse eventually, but there could be as much as a couple of miles of decent terrain.
The entire burn zone will probably be closed until sometime in the spring, until they can clear any large trees that are in danger of falling on people. Even then, the ground will be pretty barren, and will be incredibly hot in the summer with no shade. But it can be interesting to see the landscape grow back. I've been watching the regions hit by the Springs Fire in 2013 and the Station Fire in 2009. The land may be down, but it's not out. Not by a long shot.
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