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Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 26,285 Likes: 6
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 26,285 Likes: 6 |
The East Troublesome Fire has jumped the continental divide and is on the east side of RMNP. Mandatory evacuations for all of Estes Park. The Cameron Peak and Troublesome fires are now about 10 miles apart.
About 9 this morning the incident commander thought it would be highly unlikely the fire could get over the divide. Two hours later it jumped the peaks and ridges. The embers had to gain 1000 to 2000 ft elevation over rocky ground and come back down still hot enough to start fires on the east side. Air temps are in the 30's and 40's up there, maybe even colder. That's pretty impressive.........
Casey
Not being married to any particular political party sure makes it a lot easier to look at the world more objectively...
Having said that, MAGA.
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 557
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 557 |
Casey: That is amazing.... the fire had the momentum and ability to pass over the Cont Div to burn eastward. Just saw Estes Park residents are looking at evacuation ! The fire seems unstoppable. Stay safe Colo residents ! Denver 7 news 10/22/20 8 min video Grand county & Estes park evacuation and wildfire info ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cchfemonvw HH
Last edited by Hungry Horse; 10/23/20. Reason: info added
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,724
Campfire Tracker
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Campfire Tracker
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,724 |
My niece evacuated early. Was south of hwy 40 so they left before mandatory. Other niece is in tabernash/fraser so safe so far.
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2020
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I have not seen anything on inciweb map of fire crossing the divide yet, though maybe those updated images have not been put on map yet.
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 397
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 397 |
Can we now agree that closing public lands is appropriate?
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 12,651 |
We got the word yesterday that two groups of our extended family had to evacuate on a few minutes notice and may have lost their homes due to the East Troublesome fire. Still waiting on word on the homes and they may not know for days.
Is it inconvenient and discouraging to travel a couple days only to discover you can't hunt your area? Yes, but it is definitely a first-world problem. Twice I've had to abandon an elk hunt due to illness in the family back home. On another hunt we lost time because of mechanical failure. My brother, on multiple occasions, flew the bodies back from Canada when people died on hunting and fishing trips. Inconvenient stuff happens.
The closures are due to the Feds. CPW is, in MHO, being overly generous in providing a Preference Point in addition to a refund for those affected. How about a PP for those who, like me, have had an animal test positive for CWD? Or because the migration did not occur at the usual time? Or it snowed heavily? Or the moon was in the wrong phase?
Count your blessings, people.
Last edited by Coyote_Hunter; 10/23/20. Reason: Capitalization
Coyote Hunter - NRA Patriot Life, NRA Whittington Center Life, GOA, DAD - and I VOTE!
No, I'm not a Ruger bigot - just an unabashed fan of their revolvers, M77's and #1's.
A good .30-06 is a 99% solution.
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,627 Likes: 5
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 31,627 Likes: 5 |
Count your blessings, people.
This!!! My heart still goes out for those that have suffered and lost in this incident. And good words are still going up for you!!
Founder
Ancient Order of the 1895 Winchester
"Come, shall we go and kill us venison?
And yet it irks me the poor dappled fools,
Being native burghers of this desert city,
Should in their own confines with forked heads
Have their round haunches gored."
WS
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644 |
I had some old friends from Grand County send me msgs yesterday evening as I was sitting on the front porch of the dairy (which now just raises a few calves and heifers) drinking a cold one. I thought about all my friends who have lost their homes, the ranches I poured concrete on and later did some packing and guiding out of. I thought of all the hunts and the times in the backcountry, and felt blessed and fortunate to have seen it before the biblical pestilence arrived.Most of the troublesome basin and all my old hunting grounds are now one big , ugly ash tray. Unfortunately, this devastation needed to occur at such an epic scale to provide solace for future generations of mankind and critters. As most of Grand County knew, it was a matter of when not if. Stay safe folks and count your blessings for sure! An entire economy and way of life was just abruptly put on pause, for many years!
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 397
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Campfire Member
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Posts: 397 |
Turns out that the grand lake lodge wasn’t burned after all but their is extensive loss of homes outside of Grand Lake. Every place I have hunted in unit 18 over the past 13 years is burned out.
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644 |
That is good to know on the Lodge. I imagine, just from my last time up there and the recent google earth photos I have been seeing these past few years that many homes will have lesser damage as the mitigation has been pretty intense since early 2000'. Hopefully , this comes true. One could not look at that night sky and the height of that monster and believe anything could have come through unscathed! Ya, the hunting grounds, all my camps, are now pretty crispy! Hope you get some relief of some sort soon, Riverdog! These were our hunting camps, some of my own, Troublesome basin; Lost Gulch, just west of there , Big Tree camp, Hay park, Just below Grimes, Between McBride and Deer Creek, mouth of Timber Creek (Samuelson's main camp for many years) I had an archery camp in Pony park, loved that spot till I caught a bunch of ATV phuques going off trail! Anyhoo, those are some of the camps we hunted out of.
Last edited by troublesome82; 10/23/20. Reason: wording
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,264 Likes: 19
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 20,264 Likes: 19 |
I've been evacuated from my place in Montana a few times over the years. It's a no joke nerve wrecking experience wondering if you'll have anything left to go back to or not.
I've always been anal about keeping fuels away from the house and barn but it sounds like those precautions aren't worth much with this fire.
Here's hoping everyone's worst is behind them....
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2020
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Unless one has been in this region, it is hard to explain to people how much fuel is available for the fire. As someone mentioned in some other post. All the way from Walden to Winter Park has suffered a beetle infestation , killing 90% percent of all the lodgepole pine. The Spruce bark beetle has destroyed a good number of the Spruce trees, from what a biologist told me. I have been pulling up images on Google Earth of my old stomping grounds and I had a hard time navigating by memory because I last spent time in the woods when they were all alive. Folks are telling me, second hand, (not vetted) that some folks up there have been refusing to evacuate causing even more problems for the firefighters and LEO's. A bad deal, but a couple of days of cooler weather and some snow should help, then followed by more dry weather with,higher temps...
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,597
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My prayers, thoughts, and vibes are with riverdog and all those affected by the Grand County fires.
I first hunted elk in the Troublesome in the 90s (choked when I had the chance at a nice bull on opening morning - Trail Creek area) and killed my first elk the next year up off CR4. My wife worked at GL Lodge for several summers, and it's glad to hear it's survived, so far. Such a beautiful piece of history. Family owns a place in GL (in town, so ok) and we own a piece of land down by Tabernash.
Grand County has been a tinderbox for 10 years due to the beetle kill. This is so sad. And even more depressing to know it may have been caused by hunters who just had to have a campfire.
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Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,096 Likes: 2
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 19,096 Likes: 2 |
My prayers and heartfelt sorrow goes out to all the good folks in these two fire's path. 6-7 years ago we we were evacuated for two weeks because of the Black Forest fire near Colorado Springs . Living in gut wretching fear for that time was terribly stressful. Not knowing if all we had was lost. We only had time to grab a few things and load the mules to leave.
When we did get back in, they had stopped the fire only four lots away from our place. A good friend was not so fortunate.
No one that has not gone through this and lives miles away can fathom the destruction. Now 6-7 years later we are reminded every day of it because of all the burned trees still standing and those that have fallen.. It was human caused and over 500 homes burned.
God speed help to all effected.
Vince
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2020
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I just found out today, Lyle and Marilyn Hileman were killed in their home in the fire.They were adamant about not evacuating . They had a beautiful home bordering the park NW of Grand Lake. We poured concrete there many years ago. Lyle was a retired Denver FD. He was a little stud, was on our SAR team for awhile and his grit was humbling. A few years later he and a buddy were running an auger to put in some footings, his sleeve got caught in the auger and ripped his arm off. He never missed a beat after that with only one arm and a prosthetic. Rest in Peace, old friend, till we meet again!
Last edited by troublesome82; 10/24/20.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 169
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Joined: Feb 2001
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This is all very sad. I pray for all the locals affected by this. Having never lived through this type of situation I’m having a hard time grasping the magnitude. I hunted Hay Park with Samuelson three times back in the early 2000’s and my fondest hunting memories are there.
You people keep safe out there-
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Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 397
Campfire Member
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Campfire Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 397 |
A lot of people I know don’t really understand this but I know you guys will. When the pre-evac order came my wife was out of town so I got the llamas out to what I thought was a safe place, then loaded up photos, documents, etc, then The better guns, all into my camper truck along with a few clothes and some food (canned elk form last season!) And whiskey and Gun Gack III. The fire was moving slowly for a couple days. Fortunately a good friend arrived and helped me load more into our other truck and a utility trailer. Got the rest of the guns, our new Seek Outside tipi and 3 tipi stoves, spotting scope, binoculars, backpacks, boots, and about 10,000 rounds total of rifle and pistol ammo. Then reloading components: about 10,000 primers and similar numbers of bullets and a lot of brass. Also all the llama tack and various boots. Poor truck was sagging a little under the ammo load. Anyhoo, after the house burned some other friends were helping me unload, organize and store the stuff. People asked repeatedly “Why did you take all this stuff? Why not art, books, etc etc.?” Well, the answer is this stuff IS what is important and that the ammo and components cannot be replaced. Even with insurance money there is no ammo available.
Sad: after the house burned I remembered that there were about 1500 rounds of shotgun ammo that I forgot and an unopened bottle of Very Very Old Fitzgerald bottled in bond, 1962.
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,198 Likes: 4
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 8,198 Likes: 4 |
Is the snow up there doing any good today?
I know your house is already gone and I’m sure sorry, just wondering if the weather is helping slow the fire any today.
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Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 2,644 |
A lot of people I know don’t really understand this but I know you guys will. When the pre-evac order came my wife was out of town so I got the llamas out to what I thought was a safe place, then loaded up photos, documents, etc, then The better guns, all into my camper truck along with a few clothes and some food (canned elk form last season!) And whiskey and Gun Gack III. The fire was moving slowly for a couple days. Fortunately a good friend arrived and helped me load more into our other truck and a utility trailer. Got the rest of the guns, our new Seek Outside tipi and 3 tipi stoves, spotting scope, binoculars, backpacks, boots, and about 10,000 rounds total of rifle and pistol ammo. Then reloading components: about 10,000 primers and similar numbers of bullets and a lot of brass. Also all the llama tack and various boots. Poor truck was sagging a little under the ammo load. Anyhoo, after the house burned some other friends were helping me unload, organize and store the stuff. People asked repeatedly “Why did you take all this stuff? Why not art, books, etc etc.?” Well, the answer is this stuff IS what is important and that the ammo and components cannot be replaced. Even with insurance money there is no ammo available.
Sad: after the house burned I remembered that there were about 1500 rounds of shotgun ammo that I forgot and an unopened bottle of Very Very Old Fitzgerald bottled in bond, 1962. Am glad you got what you did, sorry about the whiskey and I can't believe you did not think to grab your wife's shoes!  Keep hanging tough! Your llamas reminded me of a dude who hunted one of our drop camps west of Lost Gulch many years ago. His name was Don. Years later this same dude and his llama's camped north of our camp. We called him Donny Llama!
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 46,121 Likes: 6
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 46,121 Likes: 6 |
A lot of people I know don’t really understand this but I know you guys will. When the pre-evac order came my wife was out of town so I got the llamas out to what I thought was a safe place, then loaded up photos, documents, etc, then The better guns, all into my camper truck along with a few clothes and some food (canned elk form last season!) And whiskey and Gun Gack III. The fire was moving slowly for a couple days. Fortunately a good friend arrived and helped me load more into our other truck and a utility trailer. Got the rest of the guns, our new Seek Outside tipi and 3 tipi stoves, spotting scope, binoculars, backpacks, boots, and about 10,000 rounds total of rifle and pistol ammo. Then reloading components: about 10,000 primers and similar numbers of bullets and a lot of brass. Also all the llama tack and various boots. Poor truck was sagging a little under the ammo load. Anyhoo, after the house burned some other friends were helping me unload, organize and store the stuff. People asked repeatedly “Why did you take all this stuff? Why not art, books, etc etc.?” Well, the answer is this stuff IS what is important and that the ammo and components cannot be replaced. Even with insurance money there is no ammo available.
Sad: after the house burned I remembered that there were about 1500 rounds of shotgun ammo that I forgot and an unopened bottle of Very Very Old Fitzgerald bottled in bond, 1962. Sorry for your loss riverdog, but glad you got most of the important stuff out. I didn't see fishing rods on the list, but hope you got those out too. Too bad about the old Fitz.
A wise man is frequently humbled.
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