Major bummer. Fire season continues in Montana, thanks to very little rain.
The Gallatin National Forest is my “church”, and I am saddened to see all these fires. I had planned to be in the Rockies as of September 3rd, but I’ve been forced to push the trip back to the 25th. The following time lapse video is why:
Pine Creek Fire from Audrey Hall on Vimeo.
To offer some perspective, those mountains rise six thousand feet over the plains. That’s four Sears towers end on end.
The good news is the Pine Creek fire now has a 30% containment level, which is much better than the 5% from two days ago.
This is a special place, and incredibly rare in the lower 48. The Gallatin National Forest contains 1.8 million acres of mountains, forests, and streams, with the 944,000 acre Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness making up the core. The forest is home to numerous rare species such as grizzly bears, wolverine, wolves, lynx, fisher, and goshawk. Even cooler, the Gallatin National Forest borders Yellowstone to the south,in effect creating the 18 million acre Yellowstone Ecosystem, the wildest and most intact ecosystem in the lower 48.
I have traveled to many unique and interesting places, and the Gallatin National Forest is at the top of the list. Hopefully, September will bring cooler temps and much more rain.
More Pine Creek Fire videos:
