Snow Mountain Wilderness Post Fire Raw 07-20-19

Visited the Snow Mountain Wilderness for the first time since the largest wildfire in California history ripped through there. It's one of my most cherished special places to visit, so I was super bummed when it burned and have been jonesing to get back up there to see the damage.
It wasn't scheduled to be open to the public for another year, but I was stoked to hear it just did randomly. Was only able to cram in a day trip this last weekend even though I would have preferred at least an overnight backpack. It always was going to be a long and emotional roller coaster type of a day and it ended up being even more intense than I bargained for, with about 10 hours of driving and 15 miles of hiking.
It shouldn't have required that much of either, but I tried to take the shortcut route through the forest and a water crossing that was unseasonably too deep to risk in my Subaru turned a 3 hour drive to get there into 6 hours. Could have driven another hour on top to take the higher trailhead but opted to get the hell out of the car, take the lower TH and do the extra mileage with elevation gain required. Should be good for me anyway right? Only problem was I didn't start hiking till noonish and that would require me really hustling to get all the way up to the summits and back before dark.
Luckily i made it happen because I just had to and while there were some super depressing and completely scorched areas, the fire thankfully didn't do as much damage as I was expecting overall. Im bummed it burned hot on the ridge up, destroying some of my favorite old growth conifer areas, but it mostly spared the summits and nearby basins with plenty of green still around and actually some nice wildflowers in bloom. The hike definitely has a different feel going up from summit springs trail and not as pretty as it once was. The views are even more open now though and one selfish positive is that it will be better for snowboarding.
Anyway I'm happy to report, to those that love this area like me or have been wanting to visit, that not all was lost and you might be pleasantly surprised to see what beauty has survived. The video only shows a small portion of the wilderness and I mostly focused on the seriously burned areas I saw, so don't let my video bum you out too much and don't be afraid to go check it out for yourself.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

Thank you for sharing this. 2019 was the first summer since '14 that I didn't backpack Snow Mountain, and I've wanted to return. I'm glad that you gave a good tour of the fire damage.

[@Deeboskim]

You're welcome! Good to hear and happy to help out. It was a haunting change for me at first, but there's still plenty of beauty and life out there to be worth a trip, especially up near the top. Hopefully you can get back there soon.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

@@Deeboskim I'm really hoping to get back out there this summer. We'll see with everything going on.

[@MrJibmstr]

Thanx for the video. Nice look at the mountain after the fire. Will be interesting to see it this next winter.

[@Deeboskim]

No worries and yeah can't wait till next winter up there!

[@iansigman1651]

Starting over, one year later...Nice before & after footy! That complex got going just about a year ago. All the resources were going to Redding for the Carr fire. There were not a whole lot of available resources except volunteer agencies at the get go. Sign me up for a trip next winter!

[@Deeboskim]

Yeah I was backpacking up there a month before the fire started. Luckily it didn't burn as bad as I thought it did up high and overall the mountain is at least better for snowboarding. Can't wait to hit it next winter

[@DanaMite]

Thank you for getting up there to capture this area. I was up there a few months before the wildfire and bummed it burned so much of it. I really do appreciate the before and after shots. Your videos are great and I look forward to many more. I will be sharing this excellent video on my web site on the Snow Mountain page, so you may get more traffic soon.

[@Deeboskim]

Thank you for watching, commenting, and sharing!

[@tdrum21]

Great shots. Cool documentation of before & after

[@Deeboskim]

Thanks man!

[@luisespino7584]

Great video update, thanks. Have you been up there in 2022? I'm thinking of giving it a try before all the snow melts.

[@Huntingmydreams308]

Hi Dustin. How can I get to snow mountain? Does M10 gets me there?

[@firebufff8523]

We probably won't see that area green again in our lifetimes. All because a guy in Hwy. 20 decided to hammer a stake into the ground to get a wasp nest. You'd think that would make them go on the offensive. Fire in the middle of summer toasted those trees. Cedar Camp that I know of is a developed camp along the main road.

[@Deeboskim]

Yeah it seems like an elaborate story with him being allergic to bees and all, but you'd think Calfire would have done a very thorough investigation about it. Yeah I know the Cedar Camp campground you are talking about, which is not far from Lett's Lake and Goat mountain and probably burnt too. Still closed anyway like most of the campgrounds in the burn area.

[@firebufff8523]

@@Deeboskim Are you planning any more trips around Snow Mountain Wilderness this summer?

[@Deeboskim]

@@firebufff8523 Probably going to wait until after hunting season to go back up

[@firebufff8523]

@@Deeboskim I was in the Log Spring Ridge area I believe on 9/23/05 and couldn't even find a spot to pull over for the night because there were so many hunters. I gave up and got a hotel room in Corning then went back through the mtns. to Covelo the next day.

[@568843daw]

Great video. This fire, as well as others, is the direct result of decades of active,but ignorant, public interference in prudent and effective Forest management practices of the USFS. Through effective litigation, Sierra Club and others prevented USFS from managing the National Forests throughout California and other states in wise and mature means. Thus, the forests eventually became overgrown and dangerous fire traps. Now we see nearly a million acres being burned during intense wildfires. Sadly, when fires are put out their are no logging companies left to remove the dead trees. What happens to the trees that are burned? This video shows it vividly. Basically, the dead trees rot and while they rot they invite insects to infest them, breed and infest healthier trees. So when you see this sort of devastation, look no further than the ones who actually set the stage for the fire. Just say’n folks.

[@kevinfeckner3444]

What trail did you go in out?

[@Deeboskim]

Summit springs