Moments in Dirt and Ink

Some rocks above the meadow in Cottam Camp . The low lake seen from Tequepis Trail. The low lake again, but this time looking from near Cachuma Mountain . The road ahead from the same location as the lake sketch. The first view while coming down Fall Canyon from Mission Pine Basin. A little waterfall off a little spur trail . Getting ahead of myself as this is actually Sulphur Spring Canyon at the junction of Hurricane Deck and Lost Valley Trails.

Los Padres National Forest Map link. After finishing the backpacking, I had one more thing I wanted to do, if there was light. I wanted to go up Ranger Peak. There is no trail up the peak, but it is close to the road and there is a very serviceable fuel break heading up it. Parking in the wide turnout at the junction with Pinery Rd. is easy to find. It turns out I am not even the only one doing it and I end up with a happenstance hiking companion. From here, it is a sometimes steep climb up about a quarter mile to the top. At the top, it is a great view, perfect for discovering poachers. The fuel break extends down the ridge to the south where the Ranger Peak Trail joins it. The hills to the west. Still more dried grass where there should be flowers. Looking north toward Hurricane Deck over the top of Ranger Peak. I take it very slowly on the way down, searching just a bit to the left of the fuel break for a section corner. It does not seem to be there any...

Los Padres National Forest Locate the trailhead. DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 The night in Lost Valley is almost too warm. There are many small trails around camp and I poke my way up a few before packing up and heading down the old road. While it is down in the bottom of the valley, it is less obvious this was a road. There are still culverts sticking out in various places, but there are also spots where the road bed has washed away and the trail takes a new route. There are a quite a few trees down on the trail. Along the way, there is one mucky puddle of desperation water and a tiny seep stinking of sulfur. Lost Valley is certainly dry. Following the trail down Lost Valley as it follows a good section of old road bed. Some of the rock structures in Lost Valley.

Los Padres National Forest Map link. DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 The nights are warmer down in the canyon and I left my hat off to keep a little cooler sleeping. The stove still needs a little hand warming to get going in the morning. A couple of times, I think I hear voices, maybe, further down the camp. From Lonnie Davis Camp, the trail leaves the south fork of the Sisquoc to climb along, then out of and above, dry White Ledge Canyon. Yesterday, the trail had a few dog prints, but today it is full of cats. Most of them are small, but there is one set of large mountain lion prints going my way. His claws come out a little when he walks down the few spots of short downhill. There seem to be many fresh people prints, but none partly obscure the cat prints. The shallow and wide flow of the South Fork Sisquoc as it flows by Lonnie Davis Camp in the still shadowed morning. Traveling along the bottom of Whi...

Los Padres National Forest Map link. DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 The morning sees a little difficulty getting the stove to light again, but the problem is temperature instead of wind and placing an hand under it quickly fixes it. The key to lighting an alcohol stove with sparks (in still air) seems to be it has to be warm enough to smell the fuel. That makes sense, it is the fumes that burn. It does not take much with the 50% each methanol and ethanol mix sold as denatured alcohol. With a warm breakfast in my tummy and everything packed up, it is time to see what today holds. The junction with Santa Cruz Trail is just a few feet past the spur to the camp. Not much further, there is a sign that says simply "trail" and points back the way I came. Many cairns extend ahead marking the continuation of Mission Pine Trail in defiance of the sign. Another set extend north, showing the way for Fall Canyon. Looking mor...

Los Padres National Forest Locate the trailhead. DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 It is a little less windy in McKinley Spring Camp in the morning, but building again. Get the stove going for breakfast with a little difficulty and then pack it all up again and get moving up the hill with enough water to get to Mission Pine Springs. Just as the hillsides are not as purple as they should be, some places aren't as wet as they should be this time of year. The walk up the hill to McKinley Saddle is quite short. The saddle is a junction with Mission Pine Trail and the fire road. A sign on the right points up the fuel break for "McKinley Peak". It is also initially torn up by motorcycles that do not want to stop where they are supposed to, but not for very far even though it is fairly open. After a bit longer hike than the one up to the saddle, I make it up to the rock outcrop at the peak. At the saddle, the fire road ...

Los Padres National Forest Locate the trailhead. DAY 1  |  DAY 2  |  DAY 3  |  DAY 4  |  DAY 5 The morning is cool and windy and the National Weather Service is saying it'll be highs of 73°F and lows of 45°F over the next few days. This seems like a very small range to me. I make the last choices on what to bring and what to leave, then cinch up the straps and haul onto my back all that will support me for the next five days. The plan sees three mountain peaks in the next two days, then dropping down the the Sisquoc along Fall Canyon, climbing over the east section of Hurricane Deck, then down Lost Valley and out NIRA. Since I'll be coming out on Sunday, there may be opportunity for a ride, but I'll be pretty rank smelling by then and will probably prefer to get back by my own power rather than subject someone to that. For now, I cross the paved road and start up the fire road toward McKinley Springs. The road seems to allow moto...

I have a pair of low hiking boots, which would have been considered a contradiction in terms when I was little. They're light and fun and almost stiff enough, but they sure let in a lot of dirt. Days with a bit of off trail miles especially leave my socks full of burrs and shoes full of rocks. While I'm sure the stretchy gaiters are great against a bit of scree, they really don't keep the grass seeds out. The waterproof gaiters are wonderful when trying to keep out the snow, but just hold in sweat when the temperature rises. These seem to be my choices for gaiters, so I made my own. The first pair were out of a canvas fabric the weight of denim. I cut at least three different shapes before deciding I liked one and sewing it up. They attach to my boots in a quick and dirty way: bits of string. I pulled one length through the top hem to close off the top against dirt, I attached a short piece to the toe end to tie around my laces, and I attached a loop on the outside edge a...

Los Padres National Forest Map link. The day starts with lovely clouds spilling over the mountains. It seems peaceful and idyllic until hitting the bottom of the pass where winds start buffeting the car around. I can only feel sympathy for the pickup dropping back behind me who is probably feeling each torque from the wind about four times worse. It would be fine if it was a constant gale, but this is intermittent blasts and requires constant recalculation. Hitting those cresting clouds at the top is initially a minor mist, but then becomes random blasts of heavy drops and so thick that most of the Cold Springs bridge is invisible even as I start down it. I'm worried I won't be able to see the sign when I emerge into gentle sunlight and everything is idyllic again. There is a turn for Outdoor School, location of the week long field trip we had in sixth grade, and then a sign with a V enclosed in a circle. I follow this symbol up to a large turnout with a small ...

Los Padres National Forest Map link. Who could ignore an offer to keep one from having to watch some big football game with some trail work? Well, I couldn't, especially if on a trail I've never hiked. The plan: go in at the Deal Connector to trim a couple bad spots full of willows and one spot of a particularly stabby ceanothus in the Dick Smith Wilderness, then out Rancho Nuevo. This is a generally downhill route. Along the way, we can do a little walk and lop, but the main goal is these three spots cleared. The area is the far eastern reach of the Zaca Fire in 2007 and that seems to have kept quite a bit of the area cleared so far. It is just a bit crisp on arrival, and my legs feel it instantly, so I yank on the long johns. We start down the trail toward Deal Trail proper and the short uphill climb to the Dick Smith, and we start to see snow flakes before we are out ten minutes. The flakes are rare, but when they hit the ground they are staying in their extrem...

Los Padres National Forest Map link. The night before, I packed up the backpack and started up Cold Spring Trail in the dark to meet people at Cottam Camp. I thought I was going to Forbush Flat, but that got sorted out eventually. There are a few spots along the trail that are a little sketchy for night hiking. Arrival meant pasta, berries, chatter, and wine with a lot of stars overhead, then setting up and shuffling into bed out on the meadow. Waking up in the predawn light, I can see a group of stones on the hillside between the trees that looks a bit like adults holding the hands of children. Frost sitting on everything near me shows the accuracy of the National Weather Service's prediction of a low of 49°F, made using a point in Montecito where the relatively warm ocean helps keep things warm. The predicted wind is also missing, which is nice. As we start to move about, we notice that our water is busy freezing as well. I manage to light my single hand operable fl...