EISPIRATEN

This was the first rattler that I've seen on the Ski Hut trail. Icehouse Canyon has a lot more. Sometimes it seems like there is a rattle behind every bush in the canyon. I don't know if the snake rattled at the guy - I was sitting too far away. The snake was quiet by the time it crawled into the ho...

Fran and I were on Baldy Saturday. While resting at the Ski Hut, we saw a guy tossing rocks under a tree. What is this fool doing? Then a rattlesnake crawled out from under the tree. Now the idiot lifts a huge rock over his head. We both shouted out "No, no, don't kill the snake!" He said ...

Super trip report. Thanks for posting.

Here is another little one getting a drink near Lone Pine Lake, August 16, 2000.

I wonder how many times group members pass each other on the trail without realizing it. I remember your group. We will have to introduce ourselves next time.

Chino Hills State Park, which burned in its entirety last year, has recovered nicely. The grass lands resprouted quickly. The old oaks were spared because, I think, the wind driven fire blew by them so fast. There were some 6 foot deep gullies cut by the rains before the vegetation regrew. These wer...

We did our standard Baldy hike yesterday: up the Ski Hut trail and down the backbone. There was a lot of haze. So, the views were not that good. The moon was setting behind the bowl. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/richardk.smugmug.com/photos/676519278_2vKjs-L.jpg Some of the Sheep Fire burn ...

Yeah, the hike was illegal, but the burn area pictures are sobering.

lilbitmo's source for this story is worth reposting: http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/forum/in ... ic=14483.0 Note the corrected address for contributions at the bottom. Lytle Creek Volunteer Association (LCVA) 1209 Lytle Creek Road Lytle Creek, CA 92358 If you can spare a buck or two, it sure looks l...

It looks like we and the forest dodged a bullet.

I couldn't get NG Topo to import it either. Thanks for the alternate version.

At the rate that the Sheep fire is expanding, I fear that this map will soon be out of date. If you are planning any hikes in the ANF open area, do them soon.

From the KTLA web site: Downwind and west of this fire lies the unburned half of the San Gabriel Mountains, which was saved from the Station Fire last month. But winds in between the two burn areas were clocked at 28 miles an hour at 8 a.m., blowing the Sheep Fire towards the Station Fire's charred ...

We hiked Mt. Baldy today going up the Ski Hut Trail and down the Devils Backbone. We saw the sign on the gate, but ignored it as did many others. The Sierra Club has posted a fee schedule at the Ski Hut. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/richardk.smugmug.com/photos/669157530_hBNNk-L.jpg The Reg...

AW wrote:I had written a lengthy post but got caught by this forums timeout period

Type your post into Word or Notepad. Then, just copy and paste into the message. No running into the timeout.

This story is a perfect example of why America needs daily, local newspapers. Neither CNN nor the weekly news magazines have the resources or the contacts to dig into an event like this one.

HJ - you are the man!!

HikeUp wrote:At this time of year can't you just drive up 1N34 from Lytle Creek Road?

I called the SBNF this morning. 1N34 is closed due to the overall fire danger. There is no specific reopen date.

Am I correct that there is no way to hike from the end of Etiwanda Avenue to 1N34 without plowing through sticker bushes? That is how I am reading these trip reports.

edenooch wrote: The angeles just doesnt compare to some thing like yosemite, grand cyn etc!!

Isn't this the same thing that the LA Times said and everyone objected to: dissing the San Gabriels???

lilbitmo - since you asked... I found the post to be offensive. For starters, there is the headline "You Didn't Challenge". When did it come down on stone tablets that I was supposed to challenge anything? And the consequence of "Bend Over"? You get bent, Mr. PackerGreg. I hate t...

Give a thought to decaf.

Astonishing video! Now, if Steve Fossett could not handle the Sierra downdrafts, what chance does a glider have?

We dayhiked Mt. Whitney on Labor Day and followed up with a nice loop around Horseshoe Meadow on Thursday. The portal waterfall is always a welcome sight. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/richardk.smugmug.com/photos/646940294_SKYiQ-L.jpg Sunrise at 13,000 feet. That's Venus in the upper right....

Hikin Jim - Congratulations!! Please post pictures.

The big ski area parking lot at the Mt. Pinos trailhead is full of telescopes on the Friday and Saturday nights around new moon when the sky is dark. It is a favorite spot for amateur astronomers.

We reached the summit at 11AM and stayed 45 minutes. The air was fine. No smell of smoke. The only smoke we did smell was at the Ski Hut where someone was cooking pancakes on a wood fire. I settled for a Clif Bar. The sheep were in the saddle between Baldy and Harwood.

We hiked Baldy today going up the Ski Hut trail and down the Devils Backbone. A lot of stuff was happening. For starters, the fire smoke dominated the western skyline. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/richardk.smugmug.com/photos/633862905_3cNfd-L.jpg https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/rich...

We were on Baldy today Saturday Aug. 29 via the Ski Hut trail. Air was good - no smoke.

Wow! Super pictures and report. Thanks for posting.

We did Half Dome the day after Labor Day, 2008. There were people around, but the cables were not crazy crowded. I had no problems going up, but on the way down both feet slipped out from under me. I was wearing a pair of leather palmed rope gloves bought at REI just for this hike. They saved the da...

If I ever do Half Dome again, I would wear a climbing harness and clip into the cables. One of these days, someone up high on the cables will slip and knock the people below off like bowling pins. There is not much footing when the granite is dry. When it gets wet, it is like motor oil.

A high school buddy I have not seen in a long time came up from Oceanside to hike the Devils Backbone with me. Who else should we run into approaching the summit but our very own Liz. Believe her Whitney Portal to summit time of 4:45. She went past us like we were standing still. That's me in the mi...