For those that live outside of the Teton County and haven’t experienced it, it’s been pretty wild to see how the forest fires in and around Grand Teton National Park have reacted to the weather conditions over the past week. Shifting winds have really kicked up the flames and have blown the smoke plums towards Jackson, filling the valley with smoke and forcing closures of both roads and trails. (Click here for updates.) At times, the view of the Grand Teton has nearly been obscured completely from the town of Moose, which is only about 8 miles away, due to smoke from the fires near Bearpaw Bay, which were started from lightning strikes. Today, the Bearpaw Bay fire is estimated at about 2,800 acres. Visit TetonFires.com for more info on all the fires in and around the Tetons.
Also, check out these photographs taken by Erik Kimball late
last week…when the Bearpaw Bay fire was really kicking.
It’s a pretty interesting philosophy in relation to the Forest Service when you think about it. They spend millions of dollars starting fires with fire-balls dumped from planes and millions of dollars putting out fires by dumping water from helicopters. Go figure?! Either way, here at TetonAT, we thank the fire crews that work hard in an effort to save and preserve the resources that bring many of us here to Jackson Hole in the first place. Good luck out there!
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Hey Steve , Yeah we have our share of smoke up here in Northern Yellowstone as well. Great shots from Colter bay , Accuweather says winter storm on the way tomorrow … THINK SNOW ! Crazy how we have these late season fires, seems to me that the seasons start a month or so later and last a month or so later every year. Climate shift , global warming ? Who knows …. I just know I want winter to start asap ! BRING IT ! Great web site btw as always I enjoy the work that you do even if sometimes I find ways to pick on ya, you do a good job Steve ….
JIM
Yo Jim! We all have our moments…and I’m a pretty forgiving guy so…thanks for the words!
Either way…I’m glad to see the wintry weather coming and I just scraped the storage wax off my rock skis today. Don’t want to be caught off guard!!
steve,way to go! those shots are awesome.
thanx
Late seasons like this fall aren’t necessarily unusual. Over the last twenty years in the northern rockies, three years (1991, 1998, 2009) tended to have wet summers and then a “late” fire season. I look at it as the law of averages for precipitation. Not unusual to have a dry spell after a rainy spell. Great pictures, thanks!