I made light of some grassfires sparked by a bicycle dragged behind an RV last week in Idaho, but wildfires are serious business for bicycle tours.
In addition to the obvious danger of being caught in a conflagration, there's the hazards of emergency equipment speeding along winding mountain highways and lung-choking smoke from fires that could be many miles away.
The Adventure Cycling Association has posted 2006 Fire Season Road Closures page on its website. As of Tuesday, three routes in Oregon and Montana are affected by fires.
The Red Eagle Fire, pictured above, in Glacier National Park, Montana, is just one of four fires in Montana and 40 large fires in the western states reported on Tuesday that are burning about a half-million acres, according to the National Fire Information Center. The incidence of fire is so great that the information center has posted a Level 5 (its highest level) preparedness level for fire teams.
Major fires in 14 states
The center reports major fires in Arizona, California, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. I'd recommend checking that website if you're planning a bicycle trip in any of those states.
That fire in Glacier National Park had forced the evacuation of St. Mary, but that town was reopened on Monday. More importantly for cyclists, however, it closed a portion of the Great Parks North Route and the Northern Tier Route published by the Adventure Cycling Association.
The bicycle touring group, originally named Bikecentennial, has issued warnings for several of its routes in the West because of fire. They recommend checking the National Fire Information Center for up to date information.
In addition to the fire along the Northern Tier and Great Parks North routes in Montana, three fires are reported along the Oregon portion of the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. They are the Foster Gulch Fire east of Baker City, Maxwell Fire west of Mitchell, and Black Crater Fire west of Sisters.
Route options
Adventure Cycling has alternative routes for these sections posted on its website. Even though the three fires were 95% contained on Tuesday, check the information center for current conditions.
You don't have to be cycling within sight of the flames to feel the effects of wildfire on a bicycle.
Smoky air
Cycling through the Okanagons on a Ride Around Washington a couple of years ago, I remember at least two people out of 200 suffered some shortness of breath due to smoke from a fire across the border in Canada. They had to be sagged into that day's finish. No black smoke drifted across out path, but it did lay down a haze we could see and an odor we could smell.
As for breathing smoky air while cycling, the American Lung Association doesn't recommend it, especially if you smell smoke or your throat or eyes become irritated.
Is there anything you can use? The ALA says ordinary dust masks, designed of filter out large particles, don't help as they allow smaller smoke particles to pass through. If you can't avoid the smoky air, the association recommends breathing through a damp cloth to help filter out fine particles in the air.
The association also says to be on the alert for wheezing, shortness of breath, difficulty taking a full breath, chest heaviness, light headedness and dizziness.
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