biglakejake Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Rick Law or his family took this photo at ice-out 2010. Makes a very good screensaver during these sad times. The forest has to burn-always has-but take it from someone calling hisself a biglakejake for the last 30 yrs this is not a good fire. My parents were fire bosses and i am glad they don't have to see this. They would always embarrass me by pointing at me across the big, community campfire whereever we were and brag about making me in a tent at Big Lake on the 4th of July. Just lost a best friend of 40+years this winter and this could be just as tough. Fingers 'n toes crossed boys and girls fingers 'n toes..... lee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kennyazman Report post Posted June 5, 2011 biglakejake i really feel the same way you do about big lake. This has been my favorite place in the world since i was just a little boy. my dad has been taking me there every year and i am now doing the same with my family. we are planning our annual trip for the end of this month, i really am praying that this fire leaves our precious big lake alone. I am finding a hard time getting any updates about the path of the fire but i keep looking at the big lake website and their facebook page under the information center. so far they say the store and the main campgrounds have not been touched. I'm hoping for even better than that since we normally camp other places than the main campgrounds. This is really hard on me(harder than i thought it would be). I will look for some of our pictures to post of our big lake trips. I know its not like i have a home that i am in danger of loosing like i know some of you guys have but i just cant help but feel like I am loosing something here. this just sucks. I hope this all ends soon and none of you guys lose any of your beautiful homes that you have posted on similar threads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kennyazman Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Here is me and my oldest out on the boat getting ready to catch some trout here is a pic of my dad with my youngest boy. i think they are catching crawdads. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dodger2 Report post Posted June 5, 2011 This isn't Big Lake, but this is a picture of my son at Crescent Lake last June...I was planning a trip to Big Lake/Crescent Lake at the end of the month and my son asked me if we could go to Crescent Lake....that was tough question to answer.... This is the Chiricahuas before the Horseshoe 2 Fire...another one of my favorite places...this is my wallpaper on my computer screen.... Some tough times right now for sure..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bradne Report post Posted June 5, 2011 I don't have any pictures, but I love the ones that have been posted already. Usually this time each year I head to the west fork of the black river for a week. This year I was delaying it due to a scheduling conflict. I would have been up there now normally. I doubt I will be able to go at all now. I have been horribly upset for the last couple of days. A family tradition that I look forward to all year. We also made it a tradition to visit the big lake fire tower, which I understand has burned over already. The woman that manned the tower (I cant remember her name) always remembered us. The pictures of Crescent lake are fantastic. Coincidently last year in mid June, the hill in the picture (behind the store) was on fire when I was up there. Crescent was always my dads and my uncles favorite place when I was a kid. I have never been in a place where the wind blew so much and was so cold all the time though (even in June and July). Some of my favorite memories were freezing to death in a tiny boat with my dad, uncle and cousin on the eastern side of the lake, fighting weeds, watching for storm clouds and lighting and catching trout. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted June 5, 2011 is it true that the store burned down? this may be one of the saddest days of my life. i have some really good friends, but that mountain in general and big lake in particular are some of the best friends i've ever had. this is heart breaking. about 54 years ago i caught my first trout at big lake. when i was an infant we camped at big lake the weekend it opened. every one of my kids caught their first fish at big lake. we used to keep the water churned up several days a week, every week it was open with my junky, leaky ol' boat with a 7.5 horse sears gamefisher on it. ice fished there many times. camped and hunted and cut wood and picniced all around it. we have caught thousands of trout and made more memorys than can be listed at big lake. i know the lake is still there, but this is a sad, sad deal. selfish people need to think about what can happen by being stupid for a few minutes. i really hope the folks that started the fire understand what their selfishness and stupidity has done and understand how many folks lives have been harmed by this fire. homes are lost, livelihoods have been lost, businesses have been lost, millions have been wasted on something that was completely avoidable and caused by selfish and lazy and stupid actions. and the forest circus sitting on their stupid, fat butts saying it would burn itself out just compounded the stupid and lazy actions of others. the land will recover and in some cases will be better for it. mother nature always wins. but the human toll here needs to be taken into account also. and it is large. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZ_XL7 Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Some pics over the years. Sorry for the quality there from my phone. big lake north part just off the 249 about a mile east of biglake 249 and 406 looking southwest if you ever wonder who got stuck off the 276 3/4 mile south of the 249. ME pic speaks for its self middlemountian rd looking south fr 26 bout 3 miles west of the 191 just past the gas station in alpine looking west 191 before the 249 bird i killed last year. 403 just east of the 276 249 looking south into 27. By far my favorite pic to date Sorry for the long winded post. Most of these areas have burned or are burning now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outdoor Writer Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Big Lake circa late 1960s: Me at the back and from left to right: Keith, Stacey and Scott. They are now 49, 48 and 46. Keith and I on the lake. Scott ready to catch a few trout from shore. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AzHuntingAddict Report post Posted June 5, 2011 I wish I could find the family pics from our camping and fishing trips over the years. Some of the best fishing was on big lake for me, even with the rental row boats without motors! We loved driving just down the road by the vast stretches of grass lands and watching the herd of elk and antelope. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bradne Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Lark, I don't think the store has burned. Everything I have read or heard is that the fire went to the east side of Big Lake by the lookout tower but has not made it down to the lake itself. Obviously there is good access in there so I am sure the crews are in there in force. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pine Donkey Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Here are a few of the 1000s of pictures we have built up over the years. Even the "bad days" like the last photo, hold special memories. View from the back porch. Black River is a family favorite. We have had a lot of good days on Tobaggan Hill What made me think I could make it through? Chrystie and the kids still remind me of this day. All good memories in God's country. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeardownAZ Report post Posted June 5, 2011 Things might not be the same, not as scenic, but it will be good again. Alot of great times up there as a kid and adult. And more to come with my kids. It is sad but something we all know could happen and will happen again in different areas. Mother natures way of cleaning out the forest, even if it was probably man made. Just trying to put a positive spin to it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biglakejake Report post Posted June 7, 2011 At 7pm google earth fire detections showing Rainbow campground at Big Lake is ablaze. Sure would like to go back to about 1965 right now. lee Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MattMan Report post Posted June 9, 2011 Best Big Lake pic is EASY, I have kids... and they played "hookey" one spring friday. Best WM pic is a toss up between the two... first elk for each. All that aside, with current politics, policies, and procedures (The other "3P's"), it HAD to burn. And it likely HAD to burn this way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
