Stahlman Point loop…
Stahlman Point post fire. Curiosity got the best of us and we just had to check out the trail up to Stahlman Point. We decided to do our loop clockwise, starting from our cabin. First stop was to check out the Stahlman water cistern and holding tank… The cistern at the spring was gone…melted as was most of the piping leading down hill to the holding tank. Luckily the holding talk seems untouched.
As we continued along the old abandoned trail, we came across a couple smoldering logs, one was still flaming. We spent the time to dig and burry the hot flames and coals. We ended up extinguishing a total of three fires today.
From the top of Stahlman Point we could really get a good look at the areas of total burned areas from both the Lionshead and Beachie Creek fires. The total burns being black and brown. Surprising there is still a lot of green patches…hope.
Stahlman Point’s summit ridge is now exposed, and looks pretty rugged.
IMO, the Stahlman Point trail shows no real dangers other than one obvious hazard tree that needs to come down.
The evening before…here’s a look at the only gas station between Mill City and Sisters…so sad.
The old trail tread…
This is the first smoldering log we found…
…still flaming…
We dug down and smothered it with soil.
15-minutes later we came up to this one…
…and this one was also still ablaze.
Not anymore, we filled this one with soil too.
Continuing along the trail…
The trail tread is in very good shape.
Here’s the hazard tree that we saw…
Hazardous because it’s right next to the trail.
View from the trail…Piety Island in the middle of the drained Detroit Lake. Across the lake is Tumble Creek canyon, and right of that is the slopes just behind the Detroit Ranger Station.
Looking down an unnamed drainage at some of the old growth logs that were laying there before the fire…
Survivor…
At the big switchback we call Cedar Bend (after the big Cedar tree I’m standing near). We’re hoping the Cedar survives…
At the summit of Stahlman Point, looking North.
Looking down at the town of Detroit…so many residences burned to the ground.
Zoomed in at Tumble Creek Canyon. You can see Tumble Lake Falls, Elephant Rock, Split Spire, and Tumble Rock. Sardine Mountain is back in the clouds…
Stahlman summit ridge is now exposed more than ever. Very craggy…
Saw this smoldering snag in the distance…about 50′ up and no way to put it out…
On the way down the trail we noticed this smoldering log several hundred feet down the hill…
…still pretty hot…
Not anymore 🙂
Another hearty survivor…
…and another
