EISPIRATEN

Sean: I'll be there at 7. As a veteran forum member, I hate to admit to never having been on the Devil's Backbone trail (I've only seen it from above), but it's true, and I've been meaning to remedy that defect. Anyway, I'll be happy to take you up on your offer.

It's a long drive from San Diego, but I think I can handle it. Especially since there's a Baldy Burger involved.
I hope the ski lift will be running, since I'm planning on bringing my wife. It's not me that's lazy; it's her. Really... ?

My wife and I hiked a 35 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) over four days in late April 2017. We started from Onyx Summit near Big Bear City and hiked southbound to the Whitewater Preserve. For particulars see my Caltopo Map of the hike. Along the way we passed through the newly reopened...

As a daily lurker/reader (and occasional poster) I would be willing to provide the admins with a modest donation to help defray part of the site hosting costs. If the regulars all chipped in it would be easy to cover expenses. Admins: PM me or post a link to a site that takes PayPal. Thanks! Doing t...

Great photos from the valley! Looks like you guys were doing some camping out there. Did you hit any of the local peaks? No peaks. We're way too wimpy to do that much climbing! :) Our goal was to do some Winter backpacking without the Winter, and the desert is perfect for that. Our main objective f...

Nice hike and TR! I've only seen Square Top from the Collins Valley side, and it's quite impressive from there. It's shape is very recognizable. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/c8.staticflickr.com/8/7146/6703770575_16912aa0fb_c.jpg Square Top and Sheep Canyon on the far left, from Coyote Cany...

We hiked yet another section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) over the Fourth of July Weekend, hiking the section just north of the San Gorgonio Wilderness, covering 27 miles over three days, from Onyx Summit on Highway 38 to Poligue Canyon Road, in the mountains above Big Bear Lake. It took some ti...

Great trip! I hiked most of that route back in August 2010, and you brought back some great memories. Thanks! Interestingly, I took almost the same exact shot in Lyell Canyon, except there was frost on the ground that morning! https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/c2.staticflickr.com/5/4141/4899609...

HikeUp, Taco, and Sean: Thanks for the kind words. It was fun to write. And hike! And if you want to visit the Hot Springs, I'd say to wait until fall or spring, when getting in hot water will feel the best. The short way in to the springs is from the north: Directions But it'll cost you $5 each to ...

We spent Memorial Day Weekend backpacking along a 35 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Big Bear Lake to the Mojave Desert in Hesperia. The trail followed both Holcomb Creek and Deep Creek, and included a visit to the (in)famous Deep Creek Hot Springs. It took some planning to make t...

I use the Gaia GPS app on my phone. It works great! The only downside is that it's $20. But $20 well spent. You can pre-download all sorts of different maps for free (USGS topo, USFS topo, Open Hiking Map, Open Cycle Map, Open Street Map, Nautical Charts, etc.) and then when you're out of cell range...

https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1973697/DSC02981.JPG Nice set of hikes! And a fun photo of a ladybug. But wait! I think I recognize that fuzzy flower! It's POODLE DOG! https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/farm1.staticflickr.com/402/19426000616_acd4059d52_c.jpg

Thanks, Mike! Pretty cool view. Looks like the nest is way out on the western end (Sauces Canyon), in the Nature Conservancy's section of the island. This camera is the only way the public is getting their eyeballs in there, as they don't grant unfettered public access to the lands under their contr...

Thanks for the great TR, Tarol! That son of yours sure is getting big. I once anchored in Bechers Bay in a friend's sailboat, and it was windy. We had 35 knot gusts all night long, and it was amazing that the anchor didn't drag. And that's why I wasn't surprised to see those excellent wind shelters ...

Living in San Diego, I don't get up into the San Gabe's very often, but when I do I always write a Trip Report. And now that there's no water in the high country, I haven't been backpacking much at all, which is sad, as I have fewer Trip Reports to write. But we needed to go hiking somewhere, and we...

Someone left THIS on the ridge above the Dawson Saddle Trail:



And now it's MINE!

I've been wanting to do that trip for awhile now, but coming out at Scorpion Harbor. I wanted to do it that way, myself, but the hot weather and my wife's inability to withstand the heat conspired against me. :( Oh well. Most of the others in the campground with us that night woke up very early and...

This is a seriously long-overdue trip report, but I've been busy lately, so please forgive me for being tardy! :) Better late than never! Many years ago, my wife and I spent three days sailing around the Channel Islands on a friend's boat, and had a great time. We anchored overnight, but never actua...

So my wife doesn't do so well with mountain driving, and that sucks because we all love the mountains so much. My wife has the same issue. We tried opening the window so she could stick her head out into the windstream like a dog, but this isn't much fun without goggles. This actually worked, but n...

Yep, now that you mention it, that second picture pretty much rules out the anemone. The anemones were all green and non-woody, just another low flowering plant growing in a grassy meadow. Now if only you could remember which plant this was next year during the spring and summer, and the ID might be...

They remind me of the Western Anemone post-flower seed pods that I saw up in Banff, Canada two summers ago. And it appears that there are some to be found in California:

http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species ... recnum=357

https://www.google.com/search?q=western ... 87&bih=952

https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/farm7.staticflickr.com/6017/5901221439_ab709c24b3_z.jpg My big old backpack leaning on an ancient cedar tree in Commanche Camp (Middle Fork of Lytle Creek). http://www2.fiskars.com/Gardening-and-Y ... wAtroWyl8E These lopper are light to carry and have good le...

Sorry for the delayed TR, but I've been busy having too much fun this summer. Anyway, here it is, better late than never: My wife and I spent two nights and three days in the Mount Baldy Area in late July 2013. Our goal was to become acclimated to high elevation preparatory to our trip (two days lat...

Long Lake and the Bishop Pass Trail are truly beautiful places. My wife and I spent a couple of days exploring upper Dusy Basin back in August 2011 (a very big year for snow - as you'll see in the pictures). http://www.flickr.com/photos/_jfr_/sets ... 894877083/ (The "new" Flickr page-styl...

Synopsis: We backpacked in to Little Jimmy, but stealth-camped on the ridge up above to avoid the crowds. We took a nice day-hike south on the PCT and bagged Throop Peak and Mount Hawkins. The next morning we bagged Mount Islip. Now for the longer trip report: Living in San Diego, I don't get up to ...

$60.08 And most of it was for buying freeze-dried food! I bought a few smaller pieces of gear, but mostly it was food. My wife and I slept in the tent for about a month all told. Great year for backpacking! The only big piece of gear I purchased was the $400 Big Agnes King Solomon two-person goose d...

Bumping this thread.

I'm also hoping that someone has a picture of THIS year's snow so that the forum can be fully prepared for the end of the world (and start of winter) this Friday...

"A Scottish brewery claims to have produced the world's strongest beer, Brewmeister's Armageddon, with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of a whopping 65 percent."

I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not...

5. I estimate the distance between Joe Elliot and the Etiwanda turnoff to be 3.6 miles. What do you think? (A GPX file would be much appreciated.) I'm unsure whether the Cucamonga Peak Trail begins at Joe Elliot or slightly beyond it. If beyond, what is the distance to the TH from Joe Elliot? Thank...

Over the fourth of July weekend I decided to divest myself of some of my significant holdings in Eispiraten Sticker Stock, by placing small packs of stickers in each of the nine registers on the San Gorgonio 9 Peaks Challenge. Sadly, all but one of the eight ammo-can registers have had their lids re...