EISPIRATEN

I have never night hiked in the San Gabe's, but have in the Sierra. You have to watch your step a bit more carefully. It can be upsetting to see a glowing pair of eyes in the distance. Is that a rabbit or a cougar? Be sure to take extra batteries and a back up flashlight. If there is a full moon, yo...

Yosemite Falls were dry when we were there in September, 2008. We do I see about getting a refund of my admission fee?

I took a little time to place impediments in front of a few of the cut switchbacks, I doubt if they do much good but I feel a little better about myself now. We came across a uniformed trail maintenance guy a few years ago who told us the he placed logs only to have the switchback cutters move them...

We hiked Icehouse Canyon for the first time this year today. It was dry. The creek level was low. The small spring just below the Saddle was dry. It usually has water in May. Mercifully, Columbine Spring is still flowing. Other reports say the Kellys Camp spring has very low flow. If there are a bun...

We saw it while hiking the Harding Truck Trail in the Santa Ana Mountains.

Are you still allowed to drive up those trails or are they protected now? I wonder what SAR thinks about the ResQLink vs. SPOT? Think the additional radio transmitter helps them? The road has been closed for some years. I don't know when it was last driven, 1940's? 1950's? Tracks last a long, long ...

We visited Death Valley last week just in time for the valley floor to hit 100. So, we went to the Panamints and hiked the old jeep road that leads from Emigrant Pass to Pinto Peak. I was in the middle of a mega dose of steroids for a medical issue. Not wanting to push it too hard, we stopped at poi...

We saw two people hiking barefoot in Chino Hills Park today and one last week. It must be the new fad.

Did you see any sign of missing hiker Bill Ewasko?

See here for details: http://www.mtsanjacinto.info/viewtopic.php?t=3554

Would it kill the Angeles National Forest to at least put up a trailhead sign like this one in Yosemite

On the NOAA page (weather.gov) with the 7 day summary, there is a link "Forecast Discussion." This discussion is worth reading and gives the reasoning behind the forecast. For the southern Sierra in late summer, I always check the direction of the prevailing winds. If southwest, the air is...

The Dow Villa is the place to stay in Lone Pine. It has historic hotel and modern motel sections. I think the hotel has bathrooms that are down the hall. We have always stayed at the motel. There is a Comfort Inn (formerly Alabama Hills Motel) one mile south of town. We stayed there once when the Do...

Congratulations!! That is a super report, really a guidebook for the hike. Thanks for posting.

Taco wrote: ↑I'm not sure, but I don't think bear hunting is legal in the ANF/SGM.

According to DFG's 2011 report http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/ ... Report.pdf (see last page), 5 bears were taken in LA county. If not from ANF/SGW, then where else were these bears?

cougarmagic wrote: ↑Someone also spray painted switchback numbers on the trees on Baden-Powell.

Ouch! Are all 40 something switchbacks defaced? This sounds like the same moron who spray painted Icehouse Canyon.

The Mt. Baldy experience was not complete unless you bought a jar of honey from the Hansens. They had the house at the entrance to the Icehouse Canyon parking lot. Mr. Hansen kept the bees and made the honey himself. After he passed away, his wife continued making the honey. We stopped by a few week...

I think there is confusion as to what location "below the hut" refers to. I notice that as you are hiking up the ski hut trail to the ski hut you pass one (sometimes two) locations on the trail where water actually is seeping (sometimes flowing) across the trail (this point is actually ma...

We never filter the water from the springs just below the hut. No problems, ever.

I have never seen Columbine dry even late in drought years. Unfortunately, Kellys Camp spring does dry up by September most years.

Excellent blog and trip report. It made me feel that I was there with you.

The first of a great series of Yosemite reports. Keep 'em coming!

We spent the time around Labor Day at the Glacier Lodge cabins above Big Pine. We hiked to Brainerd lake and the Baker Lake Trail as far as High Meadows. Here are some observations: 1. The Sierra is DRY. The shoreline of the small pond near Brainerd has shrunk 20 feet. The smaller pond just past it ...

West Valley SAR tweeted this post. Not much info in it, though.

West Valley SAR working a search in the Lytle Creek area.

There are of course many peaks, such as Etiwanda, which have no official name in the eyes of the USGS but whose names are recognizable by locals. HJ Near Mt. Whitney, these come to mind: Mount Carl Heller - the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group petitioned to have an unnamed peak near Mt. Whitney nam...

It is a topic of discussion among climbers as to what is a peak and what is a bump on a ridgeline. I don't know if Peak 8923 qualifies for independent status under whatever rules they are using. If it is considered separate, then the geographic naming board would have to approve a name, a process th...

This is really sad news. He was only 54. I always enjoyed reading his posts on the various boards. He will be missed.

We hiked to Ontario Peak Saturday, 8/11. There is still water flowing at the Kellys Camp spring. It seems to have slowed just a bit from our last visit 3 weeks ago. Water was also pooling a few feet below the spring. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/richardk.smugmug.com/Other/Ontario-Peak-2012...

You manage to live in some of the best places on the planet. Nice work! You are the envy of every fool punching a time clock, chained to a cubicle and slave to a mortgage.

I would not want to do any hiking after pounding down a few at 10K feet. It's a long fall from the Backbone to Mankers. Nice pictures.

By the way, I like Torpedo!

I have read various reports about other unpiped springs in the Kellys Camp area, but I have never been sure about their locations. Where is this spring located? Since this was a low snow year, I expect these springs to dry up at some point. So, frequent reports are very helpful for trip planning. Th...