The Stove...

How many men does it take to move a 400+lb stove 3 greuling miles on a steep and narrow trail?

Let's take a look at the men who did it.

Chris Kasten, Canyon Dave, Gary Keene, Rich Cageao & John Peel

**All photos courtesy of Steve Burns.**

On The Trail With Ted

This week we had the good fortune of hiking with our friend Ted. We haven't seen Ted for several months and we were beginning to wonder if he'd run away to join the circus or what. We gave him a ring to remind him how much fun we are and he agreed to meet us at the trailhead at 7:30am. Tweenie was not as easily coerced and opted to stay in LaCrescenta.

Ever alive with useful bits of knowledge, Ted gave us his recepie for the preparation of Acorns in return for our help in gathering four pounds of the nut being careful to choose only the ones without the little holes. While kneeling on Zion surrounded by a plethora of the largest acorns we had ever seen and carefully inspecting each one for tenents, Ted indulged the following:

Remove the shells and soak the nuts for five days in fresh water, changing the water each day to remove the tanins. After five days remove the nuts and dry them. You can put them in an oven for about 30 mins at 250^ or just let them sit in a dry place. Ted includes Liquid Smoke in the soaking process but says you can also add that at the point of baking. Be certain to check the nuts for mold which can occur within one day if a person is not careful, nut mold being a serious condition which renders the nut inedible and, in fact, has been linked to some kinds of cancer.

We hope Ted can join us again soon and perhaps instruct us further in the edible forest.

Cheers!

Meet Steve Burns!

On the latter portion of our 10 mile loop, we ran into Steve Burns. Steve has been a cabin owner in the lower Winter Creek since 1975 and can often be found out this way on the weekends enjoying the solitude. Steve took the trail back with us making us a group of four for the final three miles. It was a pleasure to hike with Steve as he is a source of seemingly limitless information on the history of the Canyon, as well as what its like to be a cabin owner, which involves far too much brush clearance for us. Steve is also currently the president of the Cabin Owner's Association and oversees matters involving the cabin owner community. We also learned that Steve is an avid knife and sword collector specializing in modern styles which incorporate oriental styling and we are anxious to someday view his display of swordery.

Maybe the best way to get to know Steve, however, is through his photography. An accomplshed photographer, Steve has been photo-recording moments in the canyon for many years and, in fact, we knew of him through his photos long before we ever had the pleasure of actually meeting him. Uninhibited even by the severe flooding of this past winter, Steve was able to bring us some amazing shots exhibiting various stages as the road collaped and the the canyon reclaimed itself leaving all but the most determined locked out. In contrast, some of his other work captures the beauty and serenity of the canyon when nature is at its most assuring. Steve's talent and fierce determination in documenting the complicated layers of nature's expressions prove Steve's heart is firmly rooted in the Santa Anita Canyon.

The Mt. Zion Trail

Mt. Zion Loop Trail

eleven miles

welcome overcast

lots of bugs

four hours

not another soul on the trail

 

Beware:

ticks embedded in the flesh

cause a nasty sting