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[pct-l] Burning Deserts



Actually what we are mostly talking about here is California's Mediterranean
coastal chaparal, which is not really very desert, getting plenty of rain
in the (normal) winter.    In most of San Diego county, the PCT is either
going through recently burned land with good views, good wildflowers in
spring, and too much sun, OR is a trench through a green tunnel of chaparal with
few views and few flowers but better water trickles and occasional
shade.   And this zone is indeed well adapted to fire.

One could thank the intransigence of the Tejon Ranch real estate development
company for the fact that the trail does pass through some real desert
in Antelope Valley.    Here, fire is quite rare, because there's not enough
to burn.

The most catastrophically combustible zone is that at the interface,
such as around Mt San Jacinto, where the wet winters and scorching summers
are competing, with the effect that in one year there will be relatively
lush growth, and a few years later a drought and incendiary fall fire season.

Hiking from the the San Jacinto River down to West Palm Springs can be done
in one day and one can see it all.