So I arrived at Lake Tahoe today to find...actually to not find...the Lake due to substantial drift smoke from the over 800 forest fires going on in California right now. One of them, called the Foresthill Fire (earlier called the Mosquito Fire), is a 75 acre fire on Mosquito Ridge Road not too far from the Bath Road aid station (mile 60.6). It is contained as of this morning, but the smoke hanging in the valleys remains substantial. I took a jog this morning, and although I wasn't "hacking", I was as dry as a desert sandstorm at high noon in hell. Hopefully this isn't going to be a factor for the Western States 100 on Saturday...
The current weather forecasts for Foresthill (as accurate as they can be this far out) say this should all blow over by Friday, returning to the 95-100 degree heat we all know and love. However, the SpareTheAir forecast says unhealthy levels of smoke and particles will remain through the weekend thanks to Delta breezes pulling even more from the Napa fires, and high pressure over the area will create a heat vortex on top of that. There is also a slight chance of thunderstorms - sweet! Note to self...add Visine, oxygen masks, and rain gear to the Michigan Bluff drop bag...
- SD
