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.