For the Fourth of July, a friend and I intended to hike up to Mt. Charleston (12 miles) and watch the fireworks from far above the city. It just so happens that this turned out to be a bad idea. Just prior to Independence Day, I felt disinclined to go and thought it was just lazy. Then, we learned about the fire.
At about 3PM local, the Carpenter Canyon Fire, which was 18 acres on Tuesday, crossed the escarpment into Kyle Canyon, which is where the trail is where we would have been hiking. The fire is now 1300 acres and 0% contained with 40mph sustained winds out of the west fanning it forward. Highway patrol closed the highway to Mt. Charleston 10 minutes before we arrived, turning us back, and by sunset, the plume was high, thick, and reddish hanging over the north end of the city with its black color and putrid odor. Our bushes evoke dangerous chemicals when they burn.
Here is a collage from the escarpment. The trail runs near the ridge now engulfed in flame.
It turns out that it was a good thing I didn't go hike this trail this week. If we had gone, we would have been up in exposed country without anyone knowing exactly where we were without many supplies and very near the flames. It might have been a good view under other circumstances, but I thank God for being spared the suffering and stress of trying to escape a wildfire, particularly after the 19 hotshots died in AZ just the previous week. I hope that things go better for our folks, and I even wish the inmates who may assist best wishes and Godspeed.
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