Siskiyou Wilderness
It is no secret that the Siskiyous are my favorite place in the Klamath Mountains. I have spent many days and hiked numerous miles across this region. The Bigfoot Trail travels the entire crest of the range as well.
In early August 2017, lightning ignited a series of fires first named Oak, Cedar, Clear, and Prescott. These fires later grew together and were combined into the Eclipse Complex. Over the next month, approximately 100,000 acres burned in and around the Siskiyou Wilderness. Between last October and now I have had reason to visit much of this area for work and play. What follows are some of the pictures I have taken.
Preston Peak
Before and after the Eclipse 
Preston Creek 
View toward the Devil’s Punchbowl 
Stand replacing fire in a Jeffrey pine savannah. 
Meadow fire.
Bear Basin Butte and Devil’s Punchbowl
Buck Lake fire 
Near Bear Basin Butte
South Kelsey Trail
Tanoak regeneration 
Upper Kelsey Creek 
Approaching Baldy Peak 
Fern regeneration
Thanks for the photos. Fire is an amazing Force! I’m surprised that the trails looked open in the pictures, as I expected to see a bunch of downed trees blocking the trails. I have been trying to clean out some of the potential fire ladders in our small several acre Forest in east McKinleyville. We have mostly redwoods, but I do get nervous living in a forest during Fire season.
Brian- fire is amazing. It should always be in the back of our minds living in California — even in the redwoods.
We’ve been poking around in the Snow Camp area. I’ve taken quite a few images of where Chetco met Biscuit and perhaps even a touch of the Silver Complex (1987). I’ve posted some of our explorations at my blog and have two more visits to sort through and add.
I don’t have anything like your expertise in identifying what’s happening, but it’s interesting to observe the different stages of recovery. Oh yeah… and we happened to be on Sundown Mountain the day the Chetco Bar blew out (the day before the eclipse).
Enjoying your blog BTW as well as your book “Conifer Country”, too!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for reading the blog!
That is what I’ve heard too.
Been to Island Lake since the fire? Looks like it burned hot from Space:
https://www.planet.com/stories/happy-camp-california-united-states-fmVz6hNig
It is great to see that Cedar Basin was spared during the Eclipse fire. I have made several trips along the Cedar Crest and it is my favorite location in the Siskiyou’s. The place is untouched wilderness, a remote location with amazing trees and wild onion filled meadows and the purest water on earth. I once spent a week there in joyous isolation. I hope anyone who makes the difficult journey to reach this remote location in the Siskiyou’s respects the experience by leaving no trace.