July 3, 2024
This morning we are hiking the Storm King Mountain memorial trail. July 6,1994 the South Canyon Fire resulted in 14 firefighter fatalities. We are joined by my parents friend Carol. My parents are on the right in white.
The trail rises quickly above Highway 70 and the Colorado River. The trail is a very steep uphill climb.
I arrived at the overlook. It sits opposite the canyon where the fire spotted and ran. Mid slope you can see the fire line that is now turned into a trail. This is where the firefighters were cutting the line when the fire spotted below them. They attempted to run up the hill towards the saddle and we’re overrun. The first picture is a panoramic. The second picture is the diagram plaque showing all of the notable sites. The third, fourth and fifth picture are looking left to right corresponding to the plaque diagram. The last picture is the fire line they were constructing.
From the overlook, I will drop down into the canyon, cross it and go up the steep slope on the other side, in hopes of reaching the monuments at the fatality sites
I have reached the bottom of the canyon. It was an extremely steep downhill, followed by an equally steep uphill.
I reached the top and am now heading off to my left to look for the memorial site of the two Helattack crew members. A sign partway up shows the path the firefighters took to try to escape the fire coming up the canyon behind them. The canyon pitcher is looking the opposite direction from the escape route. A little past this location is a marker identifying where some of the team parachuted into.
As the two helitack members attempted to flee the fire it was coming up the canyon directly below them in this picture you can see a burnt juniper trunk a little below the trail I am on now.
I reached the memorial site of the two heli-tack members who were overcome at this location. The fire came up the valley below them and went over Storm King Mountain behind me.
From this memorial site I will double back for the memorial site of the 12 hotshot crewmembers. On my return I took a full picture of the valley. The fire was located in the green area rapidly moving uphill.
Marker with the H2 signifies the hell spot where crews were dropped off, it had been cleared of brush burned out as an identified safety area that I believe the hot shots were attempting to reach
I’ve reached the location of a memorial above where the 12 hotshot crew members perished. It is very somber and somewhat emotional. From the memorial site, you can look back down into the valley again. The fire spread up through the green portion of the hillside. There is a small Ridgeline directly in front of me. The fire had spotted behind that, and it is thought that the crews did not realize it had blown up behind them and was roaring up the hill.
From this location, I will travel down the line that they had constructed and were attempting to travel back up to safety. As I continue down, there are multiple locations indicating where each of the members perished. At each of the individual memorials, I will take a picture down slope showing where the fire was coming from.
After leaving the memorial site, I dropped down into the valley again, just before reaching the bottom I can look across and see the observation point monument signs at the top of the hill. I will scamper back up the side. In retrospect having now seen all of the memorial locations I wish I would’ve done the loop in reverse and gone uphill in the Firefighters direction of travel to each of the memorials rather than going downhill.
1-1/4 miles further and I’m back at the trailhead. Only 4 mile today, but 1585 feet of elevation up and down.
