Weather: 55ยบ, sunny
About this Hike: On July 13 I visited West Webber Trail. It was hot that day, but I noted the large stands of maples along Webber Creek. I made a plan to return in the fall to see some color in those maples.
September came along, and with it the West Fire. I watched the fire maps nervously as the fire perimeter inched ever closer to West Webber Trail. Eventually it got into the canyon.
Now that the fire is extinguished and at least some of the closure order is lifted (East Webber remains closed), I decided to return to West Webber to see what is left. There was one trail report posted on All Trails that indicated the forest in this area is largely intact.
This proved to be true. Most of the fire that went through Webber was likely low intensity. Most old growth evergreens seem to have survived. That said, there are occasional stands of pine where the roots must have gotten scorched. The canopy is unburned, but still the tree has died. This is also true for many of the aforementioned maples. Some are still alive, some are still green, but many have died with just a little bit of scorching at the base of their trunks. Some of them were beginning to change color, albeit the fall color is much more pale and muted compared to the color show in See Canyon.
All through the canyon some trail maintenance is going to be needed. There's a lot of deadfall. As those scorched trees fell over, they often tore huge holes in the ground. The burned sections of black soil are often soft and easy to sink into. You definitely want to use some caution right now on this trail.
The smell of fire and ash hangs heavy in the air, in stark contrast to the usually pleasant fragrance of a conifer forest. A winter of rain and snow will likely help to wash the ash away, while a little trail maintenance will fix the deadfall issues.
The fire damage seems most noticeable near the top of the rim where West Webber Trail is a series of extremely steep switchbacks. Here the ground is very black, although it improves by the time you reach the top of the escarpment.
I'm glad I was able to come back here this fall. Watching the West Fire from Payson, I had my doubts this ecosystem would survive at all. And in a short amount of time this area should heal itself and continue to be a beautiful Rim Country hike.
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