Round spots below Noonmark

[Backpacker]

Can anybody tell me the history of these two circles or link me to a site that knows?
I'm thinking about hiking to these spots I belive the trail to Dial via bear den will get me there.
Backpacker

[Mavs00]

Sure, I'll tell ya

Those round spots represent the "healing" scars of a forest fire that burned for something like 10-14 days in, I believe, 1999. Also, Yes, the Leach trail to Dial/Nippletop takes you right through part of it (the upper section). Don't know any specific sites about the fire itself, but if you google it, you might come up with something.

I went through it last year and it was pretty cool. Just be careful not to tromp around much off the trail. Nature is revegitating, but much of the area still appears pretty fragile.

[mike1889]

Yes the fire was in August-Septemter 1999 and consumed about 90 acres. It was contained by firefighters and ultimately doused for good by Hurricane Floyd. It was caused by some careless campers who didn't completely douse their campfire. The burned area is healing quickly. Here's a link to a story from just before Floyd came along in mid September.

[lumberzac]

Yup those are the scares left from the 1999 forest fire on the shoulder of Noonmark. About 90 acres were burned and the fire wasn't full extinguished until Hurricane Floyd came through the area. Here are some photo's I took form the area this past spring along the Leach Trail.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...50322019aRQZsa
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...50322030LRSXEd
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...50322244DeFHrg
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...50322258zJsKHx
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...50322186sFhpzv
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...50322271DfquTu

[Backpacker]

Thanks for the info, Lumberzac your picks look good, When I hike Dial and Nippletop I'll check it out (and stay on the trail), If the fire was in 99 the area is recovering fast. I took my picture from the range trail in june.
Backpacker

[Martin]

It's actually pretty nice on that part of trail. It's different and the views are very nice. Not many places in the High Peaks where you can have a clear view from a flat section of a trail.

[lumberzac]

I forgot to mention that the fire was cause by a hiker's illegal campfire.

[tgoodwin]

The campfire wasn't illegal in the sense that fires are now illegal in the eastern High Peaks. At the end of a very dry summer, the individual built a fire at a new location on organic soil . He may have put out the fire where it was built, but by that time the fire had migrated sideways in the loose, dry duff. All it took was for the fire to find the roots of a dead tree, run up that tree, and the rest is history as they say. At the time the Noonmark fire started, there were six or seven other areas wher the duff was smoldering due to lightning strikes. Any one of them could have also erupted into a full-fledged fire, but in the end only the Noonmark fire did.
This year there would be no problem, but next time it is dry, build at an established site, on a rock, or on sand. In the Adirondacks, new fires should be 150 feet from a trail or water, but the danger of organic soil burning exists in many places both east and west.