Are we worried? You bet. But not so much about Tuscarora or our guests today.
The Pagami Creek Fire started by lightening on August 18th–down near Ely.
Yesterday was a big windy dry day, and the fire made a run. Today is a little windy too but not nearly as dramatic, or alarming.
We know that the woods need to burn. We love our BWCAW lakes and our blueberries- our new forests and our old ones–it’s such a mosaical experience these days. But this fire feels out of hand, on all fronts. Please pray for the safety of the fire fighters, and of those on the west end that are evacuating. Our hearts go out to our friends on the edge of this thing—and we’re wishing them peace and calm until the rains will come. They always do.
Today, the USFS closed all BWCAW entry points west of us—including Cross Bay, Brant, Missing Link. We can set people up on the east side of the Gunflint Trail, but it is not a good day to start a canoe trip headed south and west. Not until we get some rain.
Forecasts call for cold weather–frost advisories starting on Wednesday night. We’d prefer cold and wet, to calm that fire right down.
Detailed updated information available: http://www.inciweb.org/incident/2534
Please call us if we can re-book your permit to the east side, or Quetico or if you would like to re-schedule your trip. Thanks for your flexibility.
That fire is so big that the smoke and especially the smell made it all the way down to Milwaukee. Heck, except for one night on Blackstone during the 1995 fires, this fire was more noticable than that one.
I’m so glad everyone at Tuscarora is ok.
Prayers for everyone involved.
Keeping an eye on Sawbill and hoping…..