[pct-l] Oregon Fire Info

[Wayne Kraft]

There are currently two fires of interest to PCT hikers in Oregon:

Elk Lake
A small (80 acre) fire is burning just west of Elk Lake (lat 43.9767  
lon -121.8258).  It looks to me like this fire is less that 1/2 mile  
east of the PCT and just about on top of the spur trails one would  
use to access Elk Lake Resort from the PCT.  This appears to be a mop  
up operation and I don't think it will be a problem in the future,  
but might prevent easy access to Elk Lake right at the moment.


Black Crater
This is a 5600 acre fire east of the Three Sisters (where the PCT  
runs on the west side of the Three Sisters) and moving eastward.  It  
is a serious threat to structures in the Tollgate community west of  
the town of Sisters, but should have no effect on PCT hikers EXCEPT  
that Hwy 242, the east/west access to McKenzie Pass is closed.  Until  
it is reopened,  PCT hikers would be unable to access the town of  
Sisters via Hwy 242.  It would be necessary to hike further north to  
Santiam Pass and hitch to Sisters from there.  Santiam Pass is the  
same distance from Sisters by road as McKenzie Pass and is probably  
an easier hitch anyway (busier highway).

For updates on this fire go to:
http://www.nworegonimt.com/standby.htm

Weather conditions in Oregon today are favorable to fire fighting  
with cool, moist air streaming in from the Pacific.  We just had a  
brief rain shower here in Portland as I write this, but Portland may  
be on the southern edge of the rain.  Unfortunately, the firefighters  
on these to fires may not get any actual rain.

Wayne Kraft