Sunday October 30, 2005

Where: First Water Trail to Falling Sign Junction
What: 11 miles
Sharon says: little shoots of grass make it seem like spring but where are all the bats?

San Gorgonio

Sharon on San Gorgonio

San Gorgonio

Last week Sharon and I were turned back from the lovely Kenyon-Devore Trail because of hunters. Sharon immediately reversed the negative energy by taking on San Gorgonio. This mountain stands 11,500 ft in the San Bernardino mountain range and in my humble opinion, is one of our most beautiful trails. It's about 2+ hours from Los Angeles but I think Sharon would agree that it's well worth the trip and she sends the following report of her trek.

"Well San Gorgonio was the best of both worlds. It made me laugh, it made me cry. There was anywhere from four to six inches of snow which slowed me down quite a bit. I made it to the ridge, a little over ten thousand feet in elevation and had the good sense to stay there, eat my lunch and enjoy the view. It was, as you know, spectacular. On the way down I was comming to a blind curve in the trail and as I got close to it who should be ambling towards me but a big , brown bear. We both froze when we saw each other. We were very close and it was very exciting and a little unnerving at the same time. The bear was beautiful. I turned around slowly and started walking back toward Richard who was not far behind me. The bear started down the mountain. I kept motioning for Richard to be quiet and look down because I didn't want to scare it away. Richard said it was the bigest bear he had ever seen. It was great. We started up at 7am and were back down at 7pm. It was a long day. I left my house at 4:30am and got home at 8:30pm. Then my sister and I went biking on the beach yesterday. It was like some triathelon. I refused to swim to Catalina this morning and slept in. I needed the sleep. It was great fun but somewhat difficult. Two people went to the summit but didn't make it because of the snow. I can see why you love the place."

Joe, Chris and the Megatransect!

For four days in September, explorers Joe Tortomasi and Chris Kasten toured a remote, wild and forested part of rugged ridge and canyon country called Devil's Canyon. Their cross-country journey followed an uninhabited swath of territory that runs for miles through the San Gabriel Wilderness – an area that contains thick forests, swamps, rivers, lowlands, an incredible array of wildlife, and few, if any, permanent human settlements. The land is too foreboding for most. It's hot, infested with insects and snakes, and home to large animals that can be dangerous. For Joe and Chris, its paradise.

We had the opportunity to talk with Joe and Chris as they remembered a frightening moment on the trip when they encountered a ferocious black bear!

"We approach within a hundred feet of an oblivious female as she works her way through a wild berry bush, nipping off the tender red fruits, tossing the rest aside. Her face is tranquil, with dark eyes shaded beneath the protrusive brow. The long nose sniffing out the sweetest bulbs. Her paws are huge but she tread carefully in this ritual. When she suddenly raises her head to look straight in our direction, the intensity of her stare seems to bring the whole forest to silence. For a minute or two she looks puzzled, wary, menacingly stern. Then she resumes eating. Every muscle in our bodies froze during those seconds she glowered at us. We couldn't lift the camera, not daring to move, while mosquitos were dining on our arms and legs."

So, unfortunately there is no photo of this particular moment but we are assured that treacherous river rafting as well as an exhausting battle with a black rattler have been well documented.

Well, someone's got to do it.

Until next time.

The Rim Trail

Mt. Wilson: 5715 ft. (1742 meters)
Sturtevant Camp: 3200 ft. (975 meters)
Five hours (including a short visit with Chris)
Magnificent.

Sharon winces when she hears me mention the Rim Trail loop. I've been slipping it into our conversations of late trying to get her used to the idea of it so when the weather finally cooled I could suggest it without her being too surprised. Still, she gasps. It's not the winding six miles, gently dropping 2500ft into Sturtevant Camp that makes her uneasy but the climb out, being less than three miles straight back up to the top, which causes her resistance. I know we can do it, even if we suffer just a little, and I convince Sharon that thinking too much of it is the real enemy here anyway. So, we set forth to conquer with all we've got and hopefully have a few laughs along the way, if only at ourselves.

This is one of my favorites and the best part comes as we approach about 4,500 ft. We no longer have to think about poison-oak or rattlesnakes. The trees up here are more considerate and allow each other a little more space leaving us with the chance that we might see a deer or even a fox. I could lie down and smother myself in the scent of pine, the screech of the mountain blue jays and the gurgle of the ravens. In fact, I almost do so unwillingly, as the trail is covered with acorns like marbles beneath our boots. We climb higher and stop on a ridge with a view of Mt. Baldy just as I remember the tangerines in the bottom of my bag and dig for them. The trail becomes sandy and hot but the views become more spectacular and we remember the time, almost one year ago, when we surprised a big white owl.

Up on top, we conclude that it's all in the pacing and Sharon agrees to let me put it in writing that it wasn't that bad after all and she would definitely do it again. So, there.

High-fives and gingerbread men all around.