Two days ago Rob M and I hiked Holy Jim trail to the top of Santiago Peak and back. We stopped for a few minutes to work on the trail when we crossed a random shovel. Today, the Holy fire is raging on the mountain and has already gobbled up over 4,000 acres of Saddleback Mountain. As of this writing, It is zero percent contained. It's reported that this area hasn't burned in over a century. One thing I know having run this canyon dozens of times is that it is extremely dense with thick shrub and chalk full of evergreen and deciduous trees. Throw in the hot and dry weather we've been having, this is going to be a difficult fire to contain.
Holy Fire Burning in Trabuco Canyon.
Rob M working on Upper Holy Jim with random shovel. Trabuco Canyon in the background.