Moments in Dirt and Ink

The few for April: Hidden bottle of scrolls by a bench above Romero . Up along Camino Cielo on a lovely day, checking out the "castle" ruins from a random old road cut. Along the road above Montecito.  Bella Vista, I think. An ice can in Blue Canyon Camp evicted from its concrete base.

Los Padres National Forest Arriving at Middle Lion before 7 AM on a Sunday makes it hard to find a parking spot near the trailhead. The campground is full and active and cold. I forget how cold the microclimate of this canyon can get. There is a fair amount of jumping while waiting for Mark who underestimated his travel time by about 10 minutes. I go to grab my hiking sticks, which turn out to be... on Baldy? Actually, they probably found a new owner by this time the next day, knowing that trailhead. (I asked Pavel if he might have seen some about. He said no, and that he once let someone use a single pole on the way down. It was left by the gate and already procured a half hour later.) I really like to have my sticks if hitting the 10 mile mark, and today should be 20 miles. Mark lightens his own pack by one pair of sticks, which he carries but rarely uses, and we are off, around the campers beside the trail, across the creek, and climbing gently. Many of the flow...

Angeles National Forest Bernard went up Baldy (formally known as Mount San Antonio) last year on his birthday and has been wanting to go again. I was up it once, but that was more than 10 years ago before I had a digital camera to easily document when. Maybe 2003. The weather looks uncertain, but so it goes. Everything is thick with clouds, but we break through them just before parking. There are more clouds above, but they are far above the tallest mountain in the San Gabriels. Once packed and ready, we squeeze past a sturdy gate with maps and start up the road toward San Antonio Falls. There is a good view of them along the approach, but the clouds move with us as we take the little trail to the base so that we cannot see them up close. The clouds open up again as we leave. Start hiking up the gated road to get to the top. San Antonio Falls tumbles down a steep canyon from Baldy Bowl above.

Los Padres National Forest Romero Trail is quite well known along the canyon it is named for, somewhat less known as it climbs down into Blue Canyon from Romero Camuesa Road, and somehow even less known as it goes over the top between its meeting with Camino Cielo (in this spot, a narrow and poorly known trail itself) and Romero Camuesa. People often walk or ride Romero Trail with the long closed Romero Canyon Road in a giant figure eight, never actually realizing that they cut across on Camino Cielo back to the saddle. I decided to finally hike this section of Romero and then poke around Blue Canyon. I went for it, as it turns out, on the second day of work on Gibraltar and although I was not "thru" traffic, which the road is closed to according to the signs, they would actually only allow residents through. I headed up the long way, only to find road closed signs at Angostura Pass. This small section of Camino Cielo apparently is, although not in the minds of th...

Los Padres National Forest I decided to join the local Sierra Club for one of their organized weekend hikes. They were planning to go along Rocky Pine Ridge, but the closure of Gibraltar meant a change to The Playground. I do not seem to have bothered with The Playground, but everyone talks about it, so it seemed like an excellent way to get an introduction to the area. This means meeting at the bank at Hope and State at 9 AM to carpool up to the trail on West Camino Cielo. The trail is only signed by the popularity that produces large turnouts that are often occupied. A very distinct track leads into the brush from the largest turnout. There is no jumble of rocks evident as we start into it, and even less so as we drop down into a fragrant, green corridor that closes overhead. One of the more fragrant plants is currently decorated with very large flowers. A part of the brush tunnel that still allows some light in. No tunnel is unending and the brush tunnel ope...

Santa Barbara front country (map link) I have come back to this odd little trail to climb a little way in the shade (and a little way in the sun), visit the benches, and play with a couple very basic filters for the camera. The canyon is nice and shady, the trail as steep as I remember. At first, I think I can hear water, but then notice that the water starts and stops with the breeze. The reptiles are out, like this huge gopher snake. Up past the gaping mouths of carved sandstone. Crossing the dry creek bed. No water here. Shortly before the sign at the trail split, it turns out there is water flowing here after all. It is not much, but it is more than a trickle and does make a delightful sound. It is also quickly left behind and the trail climbs up out of the canyon to the end of the catway. The middle of the three pronged trail. From here, go up to the Edison Catway near Romero, or the same near San Ysidro, or drop back down to Montecito. Checkin...

Los Padres National Forest The cold air coming ahead of some Alaska sourced rain seems like the perfect opportunity to do a hike that I think, rightly or wrongly, will be a bit hot. One such neglected hike, for me, is up Sisar Canyon. Near the top of this is a destination that seems a poor one to miss, Topatopa Bluff. Sisar Road turns out to be a single lane private road with sharp speed bumps every 200 feet or so lined with signs imploring the traveler to go 5, 10, or 15 MPH at most. The pavement turns off to the left and a dirt road continues straight. The correct route is the dirt road. Any car can make it a little way up this road to a couple water tanks. Past that, it takes some fancy wheel work to coax a car up and the reward is only to save 0.4 miles. I elect to park and hike it. The air is a perfect temperature for hiking, a little chill for standing around in. Except for four men and a dog and one resident balancing a ceramic mug of caffeine while navigating a...