Lamoille Canyon Road - closure update and recreational impacts

When they tell you that there's 6000 yards of debris covering the Lamoille Canyon Road, it's hard to imagine what that looks like.  The photos of the damage done by monsoonal rains just don't show the scale of what needs to happen to re-open Lamoille Canyon Road to vehicle traffic.  Nor does it give any inkling of how the Forest Service is going to get it done with the relative pittance (about $100,000 at the moment) they have to work with.  They have 20 - count 'em - landslides to clean up, most of which went from the ridge tops, over the road, and all the way to the creek in the canyon bottom.  There were more, but those smaller slides just created instability, not clean-up problems.

Ken and I toured the canyon this evening with hydrologist Robin Wignall from the USFS, one of  the professionals responsible for managing the response to the mudslides.  It was, honestly, fascinating to see the results of Mother Nature's handiwork.  And, as with all events like this, there are incidences of gobsmacking good luck, opportunities hidden in the debris, and a lengthy to-do list before full access to the canyon can be restored.

What Happened

For those following along at home - over the course of less than 72 hours, July 30th - August 1st, sections of Lamoille Canyon from about Pete's Corner to the Terraces Picnic grounds received up to eight inches of rain.  That's a quarter of the precipitation that Lamoille Canyon usually gets per annum.  In a matter of hours. That's the kind of storm that happens once in 500 years. 

In response, landslides came down from the steep slopes onto Lamoille Canyon Road, burying the road in massive rocks and silty mud as much as 10 feet deep.  At least half of the slide activity happened above the burn scar from 2018's Range Two fire, so while some of the damage is attributable to the fire, a lot of it isn't. Culverts under the road are blocked and/or washed away, and water continues to run down the road in places. Slopes above the road are unstable, and another sudden storm could have devastating effect. The Elko County Sheriff's Office had to mount an emergency evacuation effort to get campers out of the Thomas Canyon Campground, the first time because of fears of flash flooding, the second time because of the landslides blocking the road and threatening more rockfall. The Elko County Road Department also provided emergency response, including heavy equipment and manpower, to get the road passable by vehicles so that trapped recreationists could get out, and so that USFS crews could start working to rectify the damage.

Road damage at Pete's Corner

As of now, the road is closed to motorized vehicles at the first pullout, across from the Lamoille-Talbot trailhead. The closure is to allow construction/debris clearance crews to work more efficiently, and because there is significant instability above the road. At this point it's doubtful that an ambulance or other vehicle in a hurry could get through.  The road is open to foot traffic and bicycles all the way to road's end, and while we were there we saw bike tracks and a pair of trail runners fully enjoying the unusual solitude provided by the closures. 

The next steps

On our tour today, we saw four places where the road is damaged to the point where motorist safety would be compromised, but there is a lot of debris on the road with no inkling of what might be under all of that rock.  The USFS *just* finished a $900,000 chip seal project, so workers are doing everything possible to preserve the blacktop and not have to re-do a lot of road that just got rebuilt.

The agency has been able to rob Peter to pay Paul and come up with $100,000 from various pots, but that isn't close to enough money to clear the road and repair the damage.  They are working with other USFS districts in Utah and Idaho, that experienced damage from the same storm system, to apply for a grant from the Federal Highway Administration.  Unfortunately, the earliest those funds would come through would be after Thanksgiving, meaning that they'll be operating on a very slim shoestring until then.  There is other grant money out there that they can (and will) pursue, but none of that money will show up quickly, which means that repairs can't happen in a hurry.  It can only happen as the money comes in.  Since the road is officially a Forest route, not a state highway, state highway resources aren't available, and work done by either the state or county would need to be reimbursed.

The USFS is renting heavy equipment from all over the western US to use on the project - a hot commodity, as much of it is already committed to firefighting.  And - as a hot commodity, the price of heavy equipment rental is only going up.  In one instance, the USFS was outbid for heavy equipment by a large utility company, since the utility was able to pay more for the rental than the USFS can.  The first of the equipment the USFS has secured arrives tomorrow.  Because they have the equipment for such a short period of time, and because time is money when equipment is idling, the Canyon road will be closed to ALL traffic, including foot and bicycle traffic, while the equipment is operating.  The USFS just doesn't have the money to manage for any kind of ongoing traffic while repairs are going on.

They hope to have the road open to Thomas Canyon Campground in 4-6 weeks, obviously depending on what they find under the debris.  They are hoping to get at least parts of it open sooner.  Pete's Corner and points beyond are likely to be single-lane traffic until they can come up with money to repair the places where the slides chewed up the road and removed the retaining walls.  While it's likely that cars won't have problems getting through, people pulling camp trailers may have difficulties, and the USFS may have to limit the length of trailers that can pass that point.  It's all a big wait and see.

Groups that had the Lion's Camp rented still have access to that camp, and cabin owners still have access to their cabins.  People who had spaces rented at Thomas Canyon Campground will not be able to access the campground until the road is officially re-opened.  Terraces Picnic Area is inaccessible due to road closures, but Powerhouse Picnic Area is operating normally.

Some crazy good luck

The slides ran right through the cabin area - without burying any cabins

Even though the road is spectacularly buried in a lot of places, this event COULD have been a whole lot worse than it was. Nobody died, which was a very real possibility. Thomas Canyon Campground was undamaged. The cabins were mostly undamaged, although the slides came right through the cabin area and the cabin access road is impassable in places. The USFS had completed a scaling project in the Narrows just last year, and so a lot of rocks that otherwise would have been candidates for smashing into cars and bikes had already been removed. The Backcountry Horsemen and Friends of Nevada Wilderness had re-established the old Colonel Moore Trail after the 2018 Range Two fire, meaning that trail access to Liberty Lake and points beyond is still available. The dead mahoganies burned in the fire remain rooted enough to provide some slope stability, and likely helped prevent worse damage. The Scout Camp was undamaged, as were the hiking trails up Right Fork, Thomas Canyon, and at Road's End. The road damage isn't catastrophic, and with some work the road can be made passable again. Some of the dispersed camping near the Lion's Camp is inaccessible due to a road washout, but the road is repairable and the bridge over Lamoille Creek was undamaged. The storm cells don't appear to have been as ferocious above the Terraces Picnic Ground, so (perhaps amazingly) the Verdi Chutes didn't slide. The bridges on the Island and Lamoille Lake Trails weren't damaged. The Nature Trail was largely undamaged, as well.

What this means for recreation

HIKERS - The Lamoille Canyon terminus of the Ruby Crest Trail, as well as the Island Lake trail, aren't going to be accessible by vehicle any time soon.  Those planning on Ruby Crest Trail trips are best served by exiting/entering via the Colonel Moore Trailhead, on the Ruby Valley side of the mountains.  Would-be Lamoille Canyon dayhikers have access to the Lamoille-Talbot trailhead at the mouth of the canyon, or can walk up the road a few miles to access the Right Fork and Thomas Canyon trails - while the heavy equipment isn't operating.  The Lamoille Canyon end of the old guide trail from Pete's Corner to Talbot Canyon was washed out... hopefully money for re-establishing the trail can be part of the Pete's Corner repair project.

CYCLISTS - The road is open to bicycles to Road's End, as long as the heavy equipment isn't operating.  The road is passible by road bikes, but there is a significant amount of gravel on the road, and a gravel bike might be safer.  The road up to Pete's Corner is largely clear.  

HUNTERS - Those scouting hunts are going to face the same limitations as hikers.  The road is closed to all motorized vehicles just past the first pullout, so scouts will need to travel on foot or horseback.  Access to the high country for hikers and horsemen is via the Colonel Moore Trail, the Overland Trail, Krenka Creek, Secret Pass, Rattlesnake Canyon, Soldier Canyon or Harrison Pass.

The Dead Snag access trail is largely gone

ROCK CLIMBERS - The Sport Rocks area is largely undamaged, although there is significant instability and the risk of rockfall is real.  The Buttresses are largely unaffected.  The approach to Dead Snag Wall was one of the more damaged portions of the canyon - the small stream crossing on the approach trail became a raging torrent and dumped tons of rock and debris on the road.  The access trail is largely gone.  Odin's was a massive wash-out... conditions depending, it may now be a very interesting alpine climb/ski descent in the winter, to rival Terminal Cancer Couloir.

Odin's... need snow for this one.

One of the East Side Climbs - now steeper and more interesting

ICE CLIMBERS - The Canyon's ice climbers are likely to have a number of tasty new climbs to explore.  Many of the gullies that form ice are now a lot longer, steeper and cleaner than they were before the storm.  There is a newly-exposed formation below Scout Camp that looks long and steep enough to be interesting, with a short and simple approach (a real gift, there).  There were significant flows in a couple of the East Side Climbs, and the new climbs could prove to be a lot more interesting than their predecessors.  Ice Capades experienced some flows, but nothing that would change climb characteristics.  Upper and Lower Slabs, Delay of Game, and the other popular ice climbs appeared largely unaffected.

SNOWMOBILERS/SKIERS - The road will be open to snowmobiles and skiers all winter.  The slides had no effect on the approach to Terminal Cancer Couloir, or on the couloir itself.

RV CAMPERS - The Thomas Canyon Campground should be accessible again to RV campers in 4-6 weeks, although there may be some limitations to vehicle length.  Those using dispersed camping near the Lion's Camp will lose access to the most upcanyon campsites, until the USFS can repair the washed-out road.  Campsites downstream from the washout are unaffected.

Silver linings

Perhaps surprisingly, there are a few opportunities that this crazy event has presented.  One opportunity - all of the debris is now a whole lot of potential construction material that can be used to repair roads and trails.  As an example - with some forethought some of it can be used to repair the Lamoille Canyon end of the Ruby Crest Trail - the first half mile or so is incredibly eroded, and in need of material.  The potential is there for Historic Roads and Trails grant money designated for repairs to be used for building better trails than were there previously - say, for instance, the Talbot-Lamoille Trail, whose Lamoille Canyon terminus was completely wiped out.

Insert new trailhead here

As was the case after the Range Two fire, the slides are going to become part of the lore of the canyon, and will force people to look at the canyon in new ways. Our old friend is different now.  I remember after the last huge slide event more than two decades ago, when Thomas Canyon Campground was heavily damaged, the local talk was that the canyon would never be the same.  

A decade later those old slide scars were still findable, if you knew where to look, and the re-routed creek through Thomas Canyon Campground is a geology lesson, if anything.  The canyon ISN'T the same, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  The canyon recovered from the last slide cycle, it is recovering from the catastrophic fire, and it will recover from this, too. 

Lamoille Canyon Fire Recovery Update

Winter is heading this way like a big old freight train, and USFS road crews have been up in Lamoille Canyon trying to re-open the canyon road after the devastating Range 2 Fire.  A fair bit of work has been going on behind the scenes, with the goal of reopening the road as quickly as possible.  Winter is the deadline, though - weather that makes it impossible for them to work up there will shut road repair efforts down until spring.

Right now rocks the size of watermelons are releasing from above the road, but the unstable house-sized rocks have so far stayed put.  Road crews are clearing rockfall, putting up signage, repairing culverts, felling "widowmaker" trees, and soon will be rebuilding much of the damaged guard rail.  Approximately 90% of the existing rail will be able to be reused, which will speed rebuilding and save a bunch of money.

USFS District Ranger Josh Nicholes has assembled an advisory committee of interested locals, including representatives from Elko County, the snowmobiling community, cabin owners, the Lion's Club, and non-motorized recreational users.  It's a diverse group, and it's coming to the table with some good suggestions for ways of managing user safety, communications, community resources, and more.

USGS engineers have completed a slope stability study that purports to show the impacts of anticipated winter weather on the burn area above the road.  That study will be pretty critical in being able to anticipate slope stability above the road through this first post-burn winter.

Here's one of the USGS runoff maps showing risks of debris flows in the burn area from a "design storm" (the storm size used in the study... the USGS modelled seven different storm intensities). This particular map shows anticipated debris flows should we get one of the "pineapple express" rain-on-snow events that we get every five years or so, or a very heavy rainfall of about 1/2" in 15 minutes.

It's a damned sobering map.  Click on the image to look more closely.

Here's a map from another model, this time looking at what would happen after a typical monsoonal fall rain, like the kind we get every two years or so:

Keep in mind that this is an inexact science, and that the effects of precipitation are cumulative.  A few days of precipitation may accumulate to trigger the same effects as the shorter, more intense design storms in the models.

Pretty obviously, the biggest risk from debris flows is on the canyon's northeast aspect, across the creek from the road.  However, there could be moderate to significant risk of debris flow from sources uphill of the road, depending on the storm... and any debris flow that originates there can be anticipated to run across the road, possibly damaging it even further.

The committee is working under the premise that, once the road is reopened, it will remain open until conditions warrant closing it for safety reasons.  To that end, the USFS is installing a temporary gate at the canyon mouth, above the Powerhouse Picnic Area, so that the road can be opened (and closed, if necessary) more easily that it can with the current physical barriers.  USFS and community monitors will tour the road after significant storms, assessing safety hazards and considering any potential need for a road closure.  One of the ideas is to use a "green light, yellow light, red light" system, similar to the one avalanche forecast centers use to communicate avalanche danger, to rate potentially dangerous road conditions.  It's all still a work in progress, but progress is indeed happening, even if it doesn't look like it from behind the Jersey barricades.

Today, Nicholes stated that he anticipates opening the road to snowmobiles, if not automobiles, should road crews be unable to finish before winter.  Subject to change and subject to conditions, of course.

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Progress on raising money to rebuild the ravaged Lion's Camp is encouraging, as well.  So far the club has raised $40,000 of the $1,000,000 they're trying to raise to rebuild the camp.  They are one of the beneficiaries of this year's Festival of Trees, so that number can be anticipated to go up. 

There are a few other options for donating right now, as well:

• The Elko Host Lion's Club has a GoFundMe page specifically for rebuilding the lodge and camp.  Click here to donate.  All proceeds go directly to the project... GoFundMe is NOT collecting a service fee.
• The Club is receiving donations for the rebuild through Elko Federal Credit Union.  Contributors can also mail a check to the club at PO Box 19, Elko, NV  89803
• The club is doing its annual See's Candy sales, at the old Spoon Me location across from JoAnn's Fabrics.
• The club is selling raffle tickets for a special edition Elko Centennial rifle.  Tickets are limited to only 250 sold, for $100 each.  Pick up raffle tickets at the club's Festival of Trees booth, or at their See's Candy sales location.

The re-build will happen in three phases, and the club obviously has a lot of fundraising to do to get even the first phase off the ground.  So give.  Even if you've already donated, buy a raffle ticket or some See's Candy.  Makes a great Christmas gift.

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And then, there's the reseeding.  More than 140 volunteers turned out to help collect and plant mahogany seeds in the Canyon a couple of weeks ago, and volunteers will have another chance to help with reseeding this weekend.  The Nevada Department of Wildlife is hosting a sagebrush seed collection event on Saturday, 1 December, at the Spring Creek Campground.  Call 777-2391 on Friday, or check NDOW's Facebook page if the weather's not great to find out if the event is going on or has been postponed.

Devastating... and yet...

I had a chance to tour the burn area in Lamoille Canyon this morning, as the USFS is allowing very limited vehicle-only access to the area for the next couple of days, before closing it again to visitors.

It was devastating to see, and I was repeatedly in tears.

It was fascinating, as the bones of the canyon, and its history, were laid out and vulnerable.

It was powerful, and timeless, as if I were seeing the canyon for the first time.  I was often disoriented, as familiar landmarks became strange... or disappeared.

And it was stunningly beautiful, in an austere, moonscape way.

As you approach the canyon, the heroism of the firefighters is on display, as time after time, inch after inch, you can see where they fought back the fire, where they held the line, at roads and trails and the dozer line they created.

The juxtaposition of what remains of this gorgeous fall and the hideous scar from the fire is heartbreaking. In some places, the fire still makes the recent rain turn to steam.

Very quickly, it becomes apparent that this fire was a fury, not only killing the brush but erasing it from the moonscape it created.

Most of the lower canyon recreation sites burned.  Oh, they were able to protect the USFS picnic ground, and Thomas Canyon Recreation Area, too.  

But the climbing areas burned, and burned hot. The grasses and brush that stabilized the climbing trails are gone. The anchoring trees are gone. 

Sport Rocks

Dead Snag wall, with the namesake dead snag burned.

Colossus. 

Sunshine, an ice climb whose approach is now rubble.

Scout Camp, probably the most popular ice climb in the canyon, with its tree anchors gone. 
This photo also shows the Beaver Tail ski area, along with much of the route for the Talbot-Lamoille Trail.  

The trailhead for the Secret-Lamoille Trail is ravaged, and the first half mile of trail is denuded. The fire made runs at the northeast aspects of gullies farther along the trail, meaning future users will be in and out of burn areas for the first two-plus miles of their trip.

The trees and brush that stabilized the Y Chutes are gone.

The approach to Terminal Cancer got much easier,
as a lot of the heinous bushwhack at the base is gone.

It goes on and on. You get the picture. Think of a recreation site in the lower canyon, and it burned.

And yet...

And yet...

The Canyon has changed in my lifetime, several times. And now it has changed again. You can see the remnants of the Canyon's history now that once was lost to the trees.

Here, you see a bit of the old road up the canyon, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression.  When I was a child, the narrow, scary road was the only way a vehicle could get into the canyon.  I still remember how terrified I was when we drove through the Narrows... the road one skinny car wide, with no guard rail.

There, you see the remains of the old flume line, the foundations from the power generator, from the CCC barracks.

Pete's Cabin, there for all to see.

The fire slowed as it climbed uphill, and largely spent its fury by the time it reached Thomas Canyon.

And that's where they made us turn around.  Not safe, they said, even though that was the part of the canyon that didn't burn.

It was enough, though.  My heart and my eyes were full.

Even injured, the canyon was beautiful.  Majestic. The melted guard rails will no longer stop your car from plunging down the same steep cliffs that were there before. Mankind's nod to safety is fleeting.

The same stone sentinels soar overhead, framing a changing sky of clouds. The scars from the flood year are there, vulnerable, waiting to be ripped open again by the spring flows.

And the sound has changed.

The birdsong now echoes from the cliff faces, with no trees to stop the music.

The cliffs made sacred by time, and by the ashes of a friend,

stand guard while the mountains heal.

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Rebuilding the historic Camp Lamoille lodge, and other fire news

Before the burn

I attended a meeting this evening of the Northeastern Nevada Stewardship Group, where representatives from the US Forest Service, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, the Nevada Division of Forestry and NNSG reported on current conditions and potential directions for restoration after the devastating Lamoille Canyon fire.

There are a lot of updates to report:

CAMP LAMOILLE - The Elko Host Lion's Club has started a GoFundMe account to rebuild the historic Camp Lamoille Lodge.  Click here to donate.  The club is trying to raise $200,000, and the effort is just getting off the ground.  Donate, and share that you did on your social media accounts.  Every nickel counts.

The camp is on the National Register of Historic Places... no word on whether the Lions will be chasing potential funding sources through that listing.

The USFS district ranger, Josh Nicholes, stated that the USFS is "100% behind" efforts to rebuild the historic lodge.  It was originally designed by USFS architects, and built in 1939 using funds provided by philanthropist Max C. Fleischmann.

LAMOILLE CANYON ROAD - Right now, the road is the USFS' biggest concern in the canyon.  The guard rails on the road burned, making it much easier for drivers to plummet down steep cliffs while they're gawking at the burn area.  In addition, house-sized rocks above the road have been destabilized and there is major concern that one or more of them will come crashing down without warning.  There is also significant smaller rockfall - smaller than the huge rocks but still large enough to smash a windshield and take out a driver.  The USFS has experts working on the problem, but it won't be solved in the next day or two.  Right now the tentative date for reopening the road is November 30th.

RESEEDING - It's critical that reseeding be done quickly in order to minimize the spread of invasive weeds in the canyon.  The agencies plan to reseed with a mix of native grasses, and don't plan to introduce non-native species that may be more attractive to specific wildlife species (for example, mule deer).  Unfortunately, seed availability for forbs (broadleaf plants like native wildflowers) is very, very limited this year, with poor growing/seed gathering conditions and the huge demands on seed supplies from the many western fires under restoration.

Right now NDOW plans a sagebrush seed gathering day for volunteers to be held December 1st, with the location and volunteer information to be determined.  NNSG plans on hosting a seed gathering day targeting mountain mahogany in November, date and location TBD.  Unfortunately, mountain mahogany will be very, very slow to re-establish, but seeding will at least give them a chance.

The good news, if you can call it that, is that the fire spread so quickly that much of the canyon's root stock survived the blaze.  The fire spread more than 150 acres every 15 minutes... the entire 9000+ acres were on fire in only 12 hours.

TRAILS - The news is less good when it comes to trails.  The USFS is considering closing the Secret-Lamoille Trail for a year in order to prevent people from cutting the (now very visible) switchbacks in the first half mile, and letting the seedings get established.  I suggested that there might be other ways of approaching the problem, as are often used in Colorado and other more trafficked areas where many feet need to stay on the trail.  It's all very early in the process, but decisions are being made so now's the time to pick up the phone if you'd like to see another solution.

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION - NNSG plans on doing research into fire effects and recovery at a couple of different sites in the burn area.  In addition, they plan on partnering with the agencies and Friends of Lamoille Canyon to provide education and information on the effects of fire and how nature recovers after a burn.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW - The fire remains 90% contained.  Crews are working to mitigate hazards in the burn area, in addition to the road.  They're felling hazard trees in the campgrounds, clearing streams to prevent spring flooding (thank you, says this Lamoille resident), repairing dozer lines, treating noxious weeds and working on slope stabilization - where they can.  It's steep up there and there isn't much they can do in a lot of places.

Overall, the agencies are very much facing a triage situation given the number of massive fires this year, including the South Sugarloaf fire in Elko County earlier this summer.  That fire burned a popular USFS campground just below the Wildhorse Dam, as well as thousands of acres, hundreds of miles of fence, and hundreds of miles of roads.  All of the dozer line needs to be reseeded, firebreaks and green breaks need to be established, invasive weeds need to be treated.  All while the agencies are robbing Peter to pay Paul.

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I spoke this afternoon with a woman whose friend was at the Spring Creek Rifle Range when the fire started.  Apparently there were a number of people using the range to sight in their rifles that morning - every table was in use.

That gives me hope that the fire investigators might have more than tracks and casings to work with.  We'll see.

Black is the color of my heart today

Lamoille Canyon burned.  This photo is from around 3:30 PM, September 30, 2018.

The canyon was sacrificed to stupidity. To people who didn't have the common sense to put a rifle range someplace where a fire could be contained, and to close it down - or at least staff it - during extreme fire danger. To people who ignored another, smaller, fire started by shooters using the range a couple of years ago, who ignored another, smaller fire just west of the range a couple of weeks ago.

To people who ignored red flag after red flag after red flag.

The people who started the fire were the apex of a huge heap of people making stupid, selfish decisions all based on their BY GOD given rights TO SHOOT THEIR GODDAMNED GUNS ANYWHERE AND ANYWHEN THEY BY GOD FEEL LIKE IT.  High winds and extreme fire conditions be damned.  And reality be damned, too - it's been amply demonstrated that many, many people in this area aren't at all responsible when it comes to firearm ownership and use. People who consider themselves responsible firearm owners have a responsibility to face the FACT that a large percentage of people who own guns AREN'T responsible.  DON'T make good decisions.  Since our Constitution says that any Tom, Dick and Harry can buy a gun, responsible gun owners need to be responsible enough to establish and maintain boundaries that safeguard the rest of us from these asshats' complete fucking stupidity.

The Second Amendment crowd goes on and on about onerous firearm regulation.  Bullshit.  I fail to see the regulation, here.  Whoever started this fire likely bought their gun legally by flashing a drivers license and passing a laughable joke of a background check.  There was no requirement for education, no requirement for the most rudimentary demonstration of skills and knowledge.  No requirement that this idiot show that he knew enough to not be out there shooting in high wind in dry grass on a red-flag fire condition day.  On a day when we hadn't had rain in months.

Spring Creek Association posted a few rules for their rifle range, assuming these idiots would read and follow them.  Well, guys, they didn't.  Nor did they use an iota of common sense.  And that, my friends, was entirely predictable.  As were the consequences.

Lamoille Canyon burned.

Road at the mouth of the canyon.  The Secret-Lamoille trailhead area burned, as did the remains of the historic flume.  Firefighters saved Ruby Dome Ranch... the fire burned down to the corrals where cowboys were scrambling to finish the work they'd started early in the day before the fire overwhelmed them.

Right Fork Canyon

The access point for Terminal Cancer Couloir.

Scout Camp, including the ruins of the lodge built during the Great Depression.

What remains of the historic lodge.  It makes me want to cry.  So many memories there.

See a single word about fire safety or extreme fire conditions? 
I don't either.

As of today the USFS anticipates the canyon road will be closed through November 30th.  The Spring Creek Rifle Range and Campground are closed until further notice.  That means access to the following trails is closed:  Secret-Lamoille Trail, the Ruby Crest Trail (Lamoille Canyon trailhead), Island Lake Trail, Right Fork Trail, Talbot-Lamoille Trail, Thomas Canyon Trail, Hennen Canyon Trail (accessing Griswold Lake and Ruby Dome), Seitz Lake Trail.

Ready for roadies!

Spring is here - on occasion - and the road biking up the Canyon is primo right now. The snow is clear from Lamoille Highway up to the "official" closure just past Pete's Corner, somewhat more than 6 miles one-way. It's melting out quickly above the closure, and as of today you can get a passenger vehicle up to Terminal Cancer (if you're a skier) or Dead Snag (if you're a climber). The road to the Scout Camp is melted out... the snow starts just past the main lodge, currently, but if you want to skin or snowshoe higher you're going to enjoy either a good bushwhack or an annoying creek crossing. There is a fair bit of wet slide activity on the climber's right wall, so if you're going to stay right of the creek be cognizant of time and temperature.

I have to say that the new, improved road is a lot of fun on a road bike. You can certainly tell where they switched from new pavement to a chip-seal job over the old pavement... that said, it's very rideable and a HUGE improvement over the crumbling piece o' crap we've "enjoyed" in recent years. If you're up there on a bike, be aware that the downhill lane has quite a bit of rock and gravel in it along the Narrows... control your speed and be ready to swerve into the left lane.

The Secret-Lamoille trail is clear but muddy. We're supposed to have rain/snow again this weekend, so it may be a few more days before it dries out and stays dry for the season. All the rest of the trails up there are still under many feet of snow.

If you're going to be heading up climbing, be aware that tick season is here in full force. Fortunately it doesn't last long, but you're likely to end up with more than a few of them if you're out there playing in the brush right now.

So where the hell have you been lately?!?!?

Skiing, that's where.

Ruby Mountain Ski Days

Ruby Mountain Ski Days started out as nothing more than a place for me to upload photos. I and several of my friends used to post trip reports over on Telemark Tips - it was a great way to share photos, ideas, updates on conditions, etc. Unfortunately, the TTips photo server went down and if we wanted to post photos they had to be linked from a non-TTips url. Thus, Ruby Mountain Ski Days.

It's kind of taken on a life of its own as Google Analytics tells me that people are visiting pretty regularly. Don't know why, there are much better places out there to find local ski photos and info on conditions, including the website for Ruby Mountain Heli-Ski. But hey, if people are interested in lurking and watching the backcountry ski adventures of a slow 50-year-old woman, well, I'm not going to argue. I put it out there after all.

I will admit, though, that the pictures are pretty good.

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Trail update - they're all covered with snow - duh! Bring your skis or snowshoes. ;) The road's closed at its usual winter closure place, just past Pete's Corner. The snow on the road is very whooped out from all the snowmobile traffic right now, which is usual for this time of year. Snowshoes are NOT necessary for a hike up the road right now. The snow is OK for XC skiing, as long as you don't mind dealing with the whoops.

You can also take your touring skis up Right Fork. The jeep tracks have enough coverage for short tours, and you can always make your way across the creek and through the willows up above the Scout Camp. Be aware that the climbers right wall does slide, so if you head up that way have an eye to avalanche conditions.

The first couple of miles of the Secret-Lamoille Trail are quite suitable for snowshoeing right now, and there have been snowshoe tracks on it on several occasions. A friend of mine told me recently that it was an excellent snowshoeing day trip. I've been focusing on skiing recently and haven't broken out the snowshoes, but on high avalanche danger days (like today) it's a good winter workout alternative. Might just head up there myself today. ;)

Quick road and snow update

As of yesterday, they have Lamoille Canyon Road plowed up to the entrance to Ruby Dome Ranch, and you can drive up to the first pullout. You could likely drive farther if you wanted to push it but I didn't really see a need. The official closure barricades are up at their normal spot just past Pete's Corner.

Hoping to head up for some skiing and ice climbing today and tomorrow... will post an update if possible.

UPDATE: Went up skiing today (Wednesday, 12/1/10). Was able to snowmobile from the house. The Canyon road is starting to melt out. People haven't tried to drive their vehicles above the first pull-out, but if we don't get more snow then Pete's Corner will be fairly reachable soon, perhaps even by tomorrow if we get the warm day that's forecast. You could probably get that far right now if you had chains and weren't pulling a trailer.

About 64" of snow at Ambrosia.

Quick road and snow update

Good news - they're largely finished with the Lamoille Canyon Road project! There are still a couple of odds and ends they're finishing, but the semi trucks rushing up and down the road are mostly gone and peace has returned to the canyon, by and large. There's still some striping to do and I understand that they're going to put some more emulsion over the chip-seal part to try and tighten up some of the loose material on top. They'll be doing traffic control for another ten days or so... after that, they'll have a small crew up there if needed to take care of punch list stuff, but that's it.

For my money, the chip seal stuff is still too loose for a road bike... hopefully it'll be better after they spray the emulsion over it. The bottom part, from Lamoille Highway up to the Scout Camp, is good to go. They've largely finished the shoulder work, so between the safe shoulders, the smooth pavement and the lack of potholes it should be enjoyable on road bikes and mountain bikes both.

Also - snow has started flying and there's currently snow on the trails at the Lamoille Canyon trailheads. That will likely come and go a time or two before winter sets in, but if you're headed up there be prepared.

If you want to go for a hike and keep your feet dry you can head up the Secret-Lamoille Trail construction project - you can hike in about 3.25 miles before you hit the end of the line that the firefighters cut this spring. It's a lot lower altitude and so won't be seeing snow for a while yet. You can also hike for a while on the Right Fork and Thomas Canyon trails before you hit snow, but once you get up to the tops of the benches you can count on mud, at the very least.

On the (Lamoille Canyon) road again...

Quick road update - they're chewing up the Lamoille Canyon road right now from the intersection of Lamoille Highway, up through the turnoff to Scout Camp. It's open, but expect delays. The chip seal portion of the project is happening up top... it's closed about a mile from the turnarounds but you can still hike in to the trails, if you're so inclined.

One of the flagger gals told me that I'd been misinformed by the last guy I talked with, that the project was due for completion at the end of September. That makes more sense to me, otherwise they'd be flirting with weather.

Lamoille Canyon Road update

Well, since Google Analytics tells me that there are still a lot of folks coming to this blog for information on Ruby Mountain trails, I guess I should pass along updates as I have them on topics other than the Secret-Lamoille Trail.

I had a chance to ride my bike up the Lamoille Canyon Road today - a friend of mine likens my riding a 35-lb mountain bike on that road to pushing a barn door uphill for eleven miles, but I digress - anyway, the road is still open to the top and all trailheads accessed via the road are still reachable by car. The snow melted out significantly during my trip to Iowa, and the trails are open and in good shape.

So far they've replaced a lot of the culverts that went under the road, have installed some new ones, and have done some drainage improvements. They're also in the process of replacing the guard rails. The road is still driveable... on a bike, it's a little sketchy on the downhill... lots of gravel and a few places where the pavement has been cut out all the way across for culvert installation. They've also done some work cleaning out the shoulders, so the previous 2" or so dropoffs are bigger. I'm not sure I'd take a road bike up there... will stick with my cross bike when it's running again. YMMV.

They're using a pilot car system, so if you're in a car plan on some delays during work hours. They've been letting me through on my bike, which is nice.

One of the crew guys told me that they planned on starting chip sealing the road in another week or two, starting from the turnaround and heading downhill, and that they are planning on digging up and repaving the road from Lamoille Highway through the Narrows. Completion date as of now is scheduled to be November. They are not planning on widening the road, which is good news IMHO.

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I was interested to see that they've replaced the no hiking sign (hiker with a red circle and slash) at the S-L trailhead with a couple of signs that say "Trail under construction - please do not use. Unsafe." That's funny as hell considering that half of the system trails in this forest are nothing more than blazes and rock cairns. It's more dangerous riding my bike down that piece-o-crap pothole-riddled road. Give them credit for trying, at any rate.