It was an unpleasant scene. I'll spare you the details.
Anyway, we ultimately decided to brave the impending heat and try our luck on the CCC Ridge. The old Dark Canyon Road was overgrown, but really child's play for two grown adults.
Where the road makes a U-turn into Dark Canyon, we continued forward, dropping down an overgrown, steep, use trail.
This went on for a few hundred feet of loss.
I suppose there are a couple different ways to negotiate the final scramble off the ridge and into the Arroyo Seco. We probably found the most difficult, which still was only hard class 2 climbing down some rocks and a loose gully.
Brad found the entrance to the Ken Burton Trail.
I don't think it sees much action. Poison oak has taken it over.
We then continued a short distance down the dry streambed, attempting to locate the historical site known only as "Oakwilde," where well-dressed couples used to rest in the cool shade and nibble on wild berries, while the boisterous children splashed about in the sweet stream water.
Not much of Oakwilde remains. We found the wide bench where it must have flourished once upon a time. But it was all overgrown. Amongst the vegetation we found this...
and this...
Unfortunately we did not find a picnic table. Nor were there any informative signs like "Only you can prevent forest fires" and "Give a hoot, don't pollute!"
After drinking some water, we briefly considered going up Dark Canyon but quickly decided against it. Instead we found a slightly different way back up the CCC Ridge, taking the poison oak-infested toe directly above Oakwilde to the main ridge.
The use/animal trails on this ridge are pretty well-defined and easy to follow. But they are very steep and loose in parts.
Once at the towers, we followed the beautiful service road back to the car.
