Hiker escapes Pine Creek fire by trekking over divide

Via commander_zero

Charles Worth was about a mile from his truck, parked at the trailhead for the south fork of Deep Creek Wednesday afternoon, when it became obvious to him that the Pine Creek fire could become an issue — a big issue.

"It was clear from where I was that if they didn't get it under control, there would be a problem," Worth, 54, said Saturday afternoon as he sat on a patio outside his Livingston home.

For the past couple of days, Worth, a longtime hiker and backpacker, had been backpacking with his dog, Brownie, in the Davis high country area and the Deep Creek area. As he headed to his truck, he was ready to get on the road.

"I was tired and I had potato salad waiting for me in the fridge at home," he said.

Instead, he spotted the Pine Creek fire.

Within hours of the fire's start and subsequent run toward the area he was in, Worth was in a race with the advancing flames — a competition that sent him overnight up over the ridge and down the other side of the divide to safety. Rescue workers who were looking for him say he's lucky to have escaped a dangerous situation.

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