Meriwether Fire in Gates to the Mountains WildernessMeriwether FireMontana: Boat ride on the Missouri River through Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area 19-miles north of Helena July 26, 2007. We are staying in Lincoln Road RV-Park Helena, MT less than a mile west of I-15 at exit 200. Lincoln Road RV-Park is about 10-miles north of downtown Helena but in a very good position access everything in the area. $25.04 with Good Sam discount plus-taxes for FHU in nice gravel pull thru sites with some shade. Free wifi was available but no cable TV.
A big wildfire has been raging in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area a few miles north of Helena. We hear about it on the news every night and see smoke from it during the daytime. It is officially referred to as the Meriwether Fire. I think the "Meriwether" name has something to do with the "Meriwether" Campground located on the Missouri River in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness.
Unfortunately, the smoke and anticipation of what lies ahead was taking our attention from the otherwise wonderful scenery.
It is difficult to keep my attention on the history and geology when this helicopter is swooping down on our boat to scoop up water then deliver that water to the hot spots you see in this picture.
It is difficult for locals to explain "fire fighting" efforts since it is policy to let forest fires in Wilderness Areas burn unless they present danger to structures. There must be much more to this policy that isn't spoken or understood to the general public since this fire is located in a "wilderness area" and resources are obviously being expended in fighting the fire. Some obvious (at least to me) reasons we are seeing these resources fighting this fire is that they are trying to keep the fire from jumping the river where it will be on PRIVATE property. So this helicopter may just be putting down "hot spots" that could start the canopy ablaze. That would result in a HOT fire that could send embers across the river. The vast majority of what we are able to see from the river on this trip is fire in the understory which is a cool fire and generally considered to be beneficial.
I am totally mesmerized by the way this pilot drops his helicopter down to the river then runs along the river scooping up water only to ascend and dump his load of water on the fire.
I wonder who is directing where the water is deployed. Fires stretch for 5-miles along the river and there are only so many helicopters.
On occasion the helicopter would fly through clear sky.
Even though this picture has a helicopter in it I want to direct you attention to the layers of limestone in this formation. The layers of sediment are vertical for all practical purposes. Not only are they vertical you can see the tremendous forces exerted on this formation that would cause it to have the curvature it does near the summit.
From geological formations our attention is quickly diverted to the fire beside our boat.
As you can see from this picture most of the fire is on the ground and not up in the canopy.
Our boat just emerged from that area and we will be returning through that area in a few minutes.
These fire fighters were located in the Meriweather Campground located on the eastern bank of the Missouri River within the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness.
It appears to me that these troops are here to protect infrastructure in the campground. Two pumps are operating on the dock and you can see two hoses leading inland. The pumps were running so I suppose firemen are dispensing water somewhere out of our sight. I wonder if they are "wetting" a perimeter around the campground or possibly running a sprinkler system on top of buildings. I would appreciate hearing from knowledgeable individuals that can shed light on these activities.
These cliffs are located not far from that Meriweather Campground and these cliffs are what Meriweather Lewis described when he named this section of the Missouri River "Gates of the Mountains".
The entire side of this mountain is on fire but it is mostly ground fire that is creeping along rather than one of those super hot fires in the canopy. Easterners that can not understand why these fires are so difficult to put out should get a better understanding of WHY by studying this picture.
Back on land Joyce took this picture of the truck furnishing fuel to these helicopters.
This helicopter is preparing to join the effort. Note the orange water container that will be used to transport water to the fire.
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Mike & Joyce Hendrix
Mike & Joyce Hendrix who we are We hope you liked this page. If you do you might be interested in some of our other Travel Adventures: Mike & Joyce Hendrix's home page Travel Adventures by Year ** Travel Adventures by State ** Plants ** Marine-Boats ** Geology ** Exciting Drives ** Cute Signs ** RV Subjects ** Miscellaneous Subjects
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