AZT 40: Dragon Bravo Burn Scar

 I opted at the last minute to get a room at the Jacob Lake Inn after the big ride to Stateline CG the day before. Small cabin was perfect. Another meal at the Inn served me well too. One thing I learned from the prior day's ride was I wasn't quite ready for a bikepacking loop on the singlespeed at elevations hovering between 8000' & 9100'. So, the plan for the day was to drive south towards the Grand Canyon Nat'l Park and stage near the North Rim Country store. I could then make a 20-ish mile loop using forest roads and the Arizona Trail, AZT, from the park boundary heading north through the East Rim Overlook area. This section of AZT was the area I really wanted to see after the Dragon Bravo fire.

Driving south on SR67 it was obvious: the Aspens were on full display.

I staged off FS611 & FS3784. A short climb to get the blood pumping as I crept over 9000'.

Now on FS610, Dog Saddle Rd. The amount of tree clearing through here was staggering.

Bright yellows and deep greens.

Trailhead that connects to the AZT.

On the AZT heading south to the GCNP boundary.

As expected, the AZT inside the Nat'l Park was still closed. Turned around here.

Back on the other side of Dog Saddle Rd.

So glad to see this view is unchanged.

Beautiful skinny trail through the high meadows, this is the North Rim.

Hints of the burn area start to appear after a mile or so.

Relatively unscathed alley.

A little over 2 miles from the GCNP boundary, the Dragon Bravo unveils its destruction.

Note the small tufts of green already poking through the charred landscape.

AZT blaze, wiped clean.

Small pond near Sourdough Well.

Rough tread on this hike-a-bike section.

Poor fella.

Golden splendor abounds!!

The Aspens were a bit past peak color at the higher elevations, here over 9100'.

Stark, yet trail is clear. Let's give it up for the post-fire cleanup crews. Not one down tree in all the miles of burned forest I went through.

Burn pattern artwork.

The winds must've shifted as the next quarter mile or so was unscathed.

The mosaic burn pattern continued.

Onto another open meadow.

Exiting another burn section with the intact Trail 101 sign.

A few corridors like this were very interesting, the immediate area next to the trail didn't burn, while both flanking hillsides were torched. It had a calming sense in the midst of the storm.

A path leads through the destruction.

Another hike-a-bike uphill.

Nearing the East Rim Overlook. The wind was making the distant mountain fade into the dust. PeakFinder app.

The downslope areas appeared to have fared worse.

High intensity burn, where the soil is charred.

The fire ripped down into the Canyon.

This one was tough to see. A glorious stately giant of a tree, gone.

This is a 'before' photo, taken in September 2016.

The East Rim Overlook has a different feel to it now.

Yet, barely 100' away, the fire relented.

Green areas in the Canyon are hard to find.

The vista is still awe inspiring.

AZT sign standing strong.

Dog Lake survives, a quarter mile away from the East Rim Overlook.

Fringe of the burn.

A lone tree succumbed.

Upon further review, it almost looks like it melted. Never seen anything like that before.

Back to your regularly scheduled Kaibab Plateau.

Crossing Dog Canyon.

The aroma of pine trees replaces that of a fireplace.

Back on Dog Saddle Rd. to close the loop.

FS3784, mostly downhill back to the car.

Talk about a rollercoaster of emotions on this ride. I covered about 10 miles of AZT, 5 of it burned, maybe 3 1/2 badly. Still not as bad as I feared. This slice of Arizona is still worthy of a visit and the local establishments greatly appreciate the business. 

I was glad I shortened my ride option today. I finished around 3p, leaving enough time to drive into the park to see some Canyon views from the popular lookouts. See the upcoming post for that.

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