Craig Ballenger visited the McCloud River just after the roads were reopened by the Forest Service after the Bagley fire swept through, and wrote it about on the CalTrout site.

The short version? The whole canyon could have gone up in flames, but the winds stayed calm and we got lucky.

The fire mostly burned away underfuel and largely spared the bigger trees, and while burning debris rolled down the steep canyon walls to the edge of the river (I would have loved to have seen that at night), the fire only reached the banks of the McCloud in a few places.

The Nature Conservancy cabins were never touched.

We still have to worry about a super-wet winter storm, which could create sediment issues on the river (especially around Hawkins Creek).

Still, we should be grateful we aren't doomed to become the geezers who remembered the McCloud River canyon before the great fire ruined it for a generation or so...

See you buying a firefighter a beer, Tom Chandler.