Fire crews struggled against the wind today to contain the fire's northeast flank in steep, hard-to-reach terrain.
The brush fire is being fueled by tinder-dry vegetation and is in steep, hard-to-reach terrain.
With temperatures in the upper-60s and continued low humidity, the fire's march through rugged, hard-to-reach terrain remained virtually unchecked.
Aside from the hot, dry weather and the rugged and hard-to-reach terrain, another difficulty was the blaze's tendency to burn the tops of trees, creating a "crown fire" with long, intense flames that skip across forested land faster than a wildfire that creeps along near the ground.
The extra time has allowed the Spirit, which is exploring the 95-mile-wide Gusev Crater, to reach hilly terrain about 1.5 miles from its landing site in search of exposed bedrock.
At its lower reaches, the terrain grows flatter and less rocky, supporting oak, mesquite and juniper.
Its 2,900 acres of lift-served terrain reach as high as 6,400 feet and include 84 trails and open bowls.
At both areas, she said, she can reach the best terrain yet always be a short ski away from the base area.
At Winter Park, another Colorado resort, there is now intermediate backcountry terrain reached by the resort's new Eagle Wind chairlift.
The Opportunity, left, has almost reached a mottled terrain, where scientists hope to find rock layers exposed by wind erosion, while the Spirit continues a climb through ancient hills on the other side of Mars.
