Awesome hike but some bad conditions...it was super hot on the trail and Islip Saddle to Copter was very bad as far as the flying %$@#$ varmits.
Day 1 was supposed to be Triplet, but not paying attention to the journey had me going up close to Waterman summit and ending up on a trail down close to Buckhorn and not TPeaks saddle. Then I couldnt find the buckhorn trail to Twin Peaks from the topo, even though I was at Buckhorn ski club. Anyways I then hiked onward to Copter Ridge via the highway&PCT and met several PCT hikers. As soon as I left Islip saddle, the bugs started up amplifying at Little Jimmy camp(what a joke that place was with the highway about 200ft below). No mercy even at MtHawkins..very hot but even stranger patches of snow(which just amplified the skeeters who loved the slow snow melt). Copter ridge? no mercy here either and it was about 3pm. Luckily there was a nice cold wind occasionally blowing up from below . Snagged a nap, but it was too hot to really be comfortable.
View here was imense. Baden-Powell&Ross, Baldy..everything was around on a decently clear day. I left a summit register, but possibly was not even at the true Copter ridge..anyways there was a sizable drop to another point below. Losing elevation, the terrain changed significantly to very challenging(for me at least) and I arrived at the Iron Fork just as it was almost pitch black after one optional rappel I had just done. Light sleep as I was nervous about bears,m.lions around these parts...there was a full moon out that lighted up the section I was sleeping in...eerie.
Day 2 was just following the creek and I decided to bivy at the east fork, arriving there about 5pm. My feet would tell the story of what I was doing the next day and I had gotten some blisters from being in the water so long. So I suspected the best course was to simply return along the East fork and thankfully managed to waste a lot of time arriving at the parking lot at 3:00pm where my ride came to pick me up at 4:40pm.
A drive back to my home area(N.Hollywood/Burbank) and a delicious meal first.
Cloudburst to Heaton(3 days)
Some pics...
Trip...
Coming down from Waterman eventually angry with myself.....
Hwy guy just before the tunnels(yeah I know hikers are supposed to take the PCT to go around)......
View from Kratka Ridge...
Bad vantage point of Williamson Rock, but I like the red flowers...
Crystal Lake was down there somewhere from the very distant view at Windy Gap after all......and its open...sign on the ground relates to closure of 2003....
Mt.Hawkins....
Baldy&Ross...
Baden-Powell....heck basically everything can be seen, even MtWilson and stuff really far away.
Copter ridge....
Icewater vein time or something like that.....Iron Mtn in picture...
Coming in via Baden-Powell requires serious raps.... chasm is an apt word fot this creek...
Next day, me like an ant walking amongst the terrain.....all the sharp plants(name escapsed me right now
) throughout were blooming...
Next day, the East fork Narrows....
Great...the walk this early was not for naught...
Devils Gulch/Rattlesnake SE?...anyways...all the hills were green...
Taking my time before&after swimming....9 hours of time..yikes...but the waterflow was excellent for swimming(or rafting)...
Trip...
Coming down from Waterman eventually angry with myself.....
Hwy guy just before the tunnels(yeah I know hikers are supposed to take the PCT to go around)......
View from Kratka Ridge...
Bad vantage point of Williamson Rock, but I like the red flowers...
Crystal Lake was down there somewhere from the very distant view at Windy Gap after all......and its open...sign on the ground relates to closure of 2003....
Mt.Hawkins....
Baldy&Ross...
Baden-Powell....heck basically everything can be seen, even MtWilson and stuff really far away.
Copter ridge....
Icewater vein time or something like that.....Iron Mtn in picture...
Coming in via Baden-Powell requires serious raps.... chasm is an apt word fot this creek...
Next day, me like an ant walking amongst the terrain.....all the sharp plants(name escapsed me right now
) throughout were blooming...Next day, the East fork Narrows....
Great...the walk this early was not for naught...
Devils Gulch/Rattlesnake SE?...anyways...all the hills were green...
Taking my time before&after swimming....9 hours of time..yikes...but the waterflow was excellent for swimming(or rafting)...
I did go alone as usual(dropped off and picked up). All of the PCT hikers were coming from Mexico(reverse direction of me) and so I only got to chat for a little bit with them. Its an akward subject when you ask a canyoneer where are you going, but I just told em I was section hiking to Mt.Hawkins and change the subject. Granted I got an even worse reception at Heaton, as I was sunburnt from day1's striking heat....sort of strange that a film was being shot near the parking lot. I initally thought a group of people were from Arkansas and vactioning using a Uhaul trailer and other cars/RVs. So, the order of the day was for attractive women to be only be wearing swimsuit tops, etc...nothing strange there as other hikers were par for that as well. So then this guy comes out of an RV that was so stereotypical of a backwards hick....unshaven, long hair & long underwear with a bib over that..and boots...I was like you have to be kidding me....then another guy comes out of same RV with similar look only this guy is brandishing a long-azz machete(Im talking almost a scimitar)...and I was thinking Whoa! they going for bigfoot? Anyways shortly after these guys were giving a list of demands to a hard working woman, this althetic guy pops up from the creek where they had more people down there. He questions me about what Im doing becuase they are about to start shooting down at their tent....and I was dumbfounded as these people were just going to start popping off just for the fun of it?...and I was buying it considering the location....but the watch out and dont hike down there..jeez...no kidding I will take that advice considering....anyways shortly thereafter the woman told him that I knew they were shooting a film and these were actors....another day at the East fork parking lot.
Must have missed the summit then...there was a tin can but it was empty? I think I didnt go down that far then as the canyon travel was quite lengthy...that should get to the next group and perplex them somewhat.
The last elevation loss to the floor was only 20ft or so medium angle, and not any different then what a hiker would see as a small drainage finally getting to a canyon...it could have been downclimbed but was quite a chossy drop...now before that....I just went in the easiest way by sight which had declining slopes past 70%...steep ski runs with no snow? Heres my last photo during some easy downhill before the the gradient penetrates into the canyon....not a good pic but you can make out the side drainages below and just add another 500ft or so.
I did add some photos of the second day to Flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13833920@N03
all of this thankfully out of reach to the regular hiker...all though a miner slipped by and managed to trash the place and then abadon it.....
Heres what even a single person does in a place like this....
And that was a few months back....now its abadoned and even more junk, plus some extra damage to the confluence with the EFork....which was burial grounds for local indians...but hey who cares with gold at these prices, this area is back in play. Of course this stuff is not even the tip of the iceberg to what goes on elsewhere.
The last elevation loss to the floor was only 20ft or so medium angle, and not any different then what a hiker would see as a small drainage finally getting to a canyon...it could have been downclimbed but was quite a chossy drop...now before that....I just went in the easiest way by sight which had declining slopes past 70%...steep ski runs with no snow? Heres my last photo during some easy downhill before the the gradient penetrates into the canyon....not a good pic but you can make out the side drainages below and just add another 500ft or so.
I did add some photos of the second day to Flickr...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/13833920@N03
all of this thankfully out of reach to the regular hiker...all though a miner slipped by and managed to trash the place and then abadon it.....
Heres what even a single person does in a place like this....
And that was a few months back....now its abadoned and even more junk, plus some extra damage to the confluence with the EFork....which was burial grounds for local indians...but hey who cares with gold at these prices, this area is back in play. Of course this stuff is not even the tip of the iceberg to what goes on elsewhere.
Yucca I believe. They're blooming frickin' everywhere right now.AW wrote:Next day, me like an ant walking amongst the terrain.....all the sharp plants(name escapsed me right now
Nice pics (especially the rattler!) and gnarly route.