I don't have the heart to get out for any fishing or hiking right now. The Gila is burning as the streams get lower and lower. The Lincoln is closed. The Organs have been burnt and we're still most likely 2 months away from rain. It's all a bit depressing. I guess I'll be heading to Northern New Mexico or Colorado for any early summer camping.Maybe the Fall will find me in my favorite places. Pray for an early and substantial monsoon.
I definitely hear you, Devon. I had hoped to be backpacking in the Gila right now. I can say, though, that I've seen a lot of big burns on the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho, and it's never as bad the next season as I expect. Not every inch in a fire's listed acreage gets devastated; there will be bad spots, but there will be a lot of better areas too. Likewise, I was just out in Oregon's Kalmiopsis Wilderness two weeks ago. That place burned big and hot in the Biscuit Fire in 2002, one of the biggest in Oregon's history. And it's still absolutely beautiful today, healing fast, even if there are a lot of dead trees.
ReplyDeleteCome up north for now! The Pecos is largely melted out and the aspens are leafing out.