Service/Middle Trail(Trout Lake, WA)-July 20th 2008 DAY TRIP!

Hello ORV Friend's

Service/Middle Trail Ride in Troutlake, WA

Who: Anyone interested in riding with SWWAT- http://swwat.com/index.html

What: Good day of riding in a different area - snow should be clear now but the trail is just opening for the year.

When: July 20th - meet at KJ's restaurant. Be ready to leave there to go riding no later than 8:30. (If you are eating breakfast - be there early because it is a tiny little place.)

Where: Service Trail in Gifford Pinchot National Forest just west of Troutlake, WA
http://swwat.com/Trails.html
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation/trails/Quadtrails.shtml

Is anyone interested in making this a campout still. It's a really long drive for just one day trip. What say You?

We can't, we have a birthday party on saturday night.

News Page- http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/news/2008/index.shtml


Cold Springs Fire near Mt. Adams estimated at 8,000 acres



VANCOUVER, WA – Gifford Pinchot National Forest fire officials estimate the Cold Springs Fire has grown to be 8,000 plus acres. The wildland fire in the Mount Adams Ranger District of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest has closed access temporarily to the Cold Springs/South Climb Trailhead which serves as a primary access point for climbers of Mt. Adams (12, 276 elevation) in southwest Washington.

Forest Road 8040 accessing the trailhead has been temporarily closed. Forest Roads 80 and 82 are also closed at the Forest Boundary north of Trout Lake, closing access to all roads, trails and campgrounds east of Forest Road 23.

The fire is currently 0% contained with no estimated date for containment. The fire is burning on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the Yakama Reservation, and is threatening Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) managed land.

The Central Oregon Interagency Incident Management Type 2 Team is scheduled to take over management of the fire at 6 p.m. today.

More than 387 personnel are working on the fire. This includes fire crews from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest with support from Yakama Nation and Washington State DNR. Personnel are continuing suppression of the wildland fire with hand crews and wildland fire engines. Eleven 20-person crews including three Type 1 hot shot crews along with 11 engines and five dozers are working the fire today.

Air tankers, one heavy firefighting helicopter, and one medium sized firefighting helicopter are assisting ground crews in the suppression of the fire.

The fire is within an area affected by spruce budworm infestation which began in the late 1980’s. The area was analyzed in the 2004 Gotchen Risk Reduction and Restoration Project FEIS. The Record of Decision for the project was signed by Mt. Adams District Ranger Nancy Ryke in January of 2004. Approximately 400 acres of fuel reduction (cutting of dead trees) has been accomplished. The dead trees were felled and either left for wildlife habitat or offered for firewood. In addition another 400 plus acres of dead, dying or diseased trees have been harvested before their commercial value for timber was lost, these areas were planted tree seedlings. The fire has burned north of all the Gotchen treatment units.

The fire is located about 11-miles northeast of Trout Lake, Washington. Smoke from the fire is drifting east towards eastern Washington and Oregon. No structures or communities are immediately threatened.

The fire was first reported on Saturday evening, July 12. A lightning strike from a thunderstorm on June 29, 2008 is thought to be the cause of the fire.

If you are planning to visit the Mt. Adams area please contact the Mt. Adams Ranger District for the latest information or visit the Forest website.

Two web sites that show maps of the Cold Springs Fire and the closure areas. None of this is near the Service and Middle Trails where we want to ride on Sunday. We are currently checking with the Mt. Adams Ranger Station to see if there are any restrictions, but as of the 18th, nothing is posted on the web that we have been able to find.

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/fire/documents/cold-springs-fire-progression-map-20080717.pdf

http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/fire/documents/final-cold-springs-special-area-closure-20080717-1530.pdf


IT'S OPEN WITH NO CLOSURES PER THE RANGER STATION