When the day started, the fire was 14,200 acres spreading eastward without any imminent threat to Idyllwild.(By Wednesday night, it was over 19,000 acres and a mandatory evacuation was in effect.)
We awoke to smelling smoke for the first time and seeing the haze of smoke over the ridge. The wind had shifted slightly to the west bringing the smoke over the ridge to us.
By the early afternoon, this was the view from up our street. The billowing smoke coming our way was quite frightening. We decided at this point that we needed to leave.The fire was not as close as it appeared but the wind was causing this dramatic scene. The official evacuation notice did not come for a few more hours.
If you have been following my blog, you will recognize Tahquitz Rock - A popular place for climbers.This time it is surrounded by smoke.
We headed down the mountain through Garner Valley for the first time since the fire began on Monday.
We saw helicopters carrying water from Lake Hemet up into the wilderness fire. Although they are working incredibly hard at what they are doing, they seemed so small in comparison to the blazing fires on the mt.
The Fobes Trail leads to the PCT trail. We have hiked up this road and road our bikes on the paths nearby.This is also where we watched the international bike race in May.
Garner Valley has been cattle ranch country for hundreds of years. The firefighters are working incredibly hard at preventing the fire from coming down into this land.
It brings us much sadness to see this fire raging through the wilderness. Since last year, we have embraced this new land. We have hiked the mountain trails; trained to be volunteer Wilderness Rangers with the USFS and trained to be volunteers with Tahquitz Peak Fire look out tower.Along the way, we have met incredible people. Our pain is only a fraction of what people who have lived here their entire lives must be experiencing. We all hope and pray that this land will be free of the fire soon and that the lives of those who are fighting these fires will be protected.
