warning: probable active grow site

walker · Post by **walker** » Thu Jul 30, 2015 12:06 am

Hi guys,

Be careful if you go into the upper west forks of Bear Creek, generally to the north and east of Twin Peaks.

On recent visits to the area, I came across some discarded black tubing, fairly well-established use trails and a potato chip bag in the middle of nowhere. Then on a separate visit, I bumped into a fellow who stayed to the side of one of these use paths, kind of in the bushes and seemed very surprised to see anybody on his path. We had a little conversation in Spanish where he told me that the path leading to the canyon bottom was really horrible, full of rocks and that it was much nicer and prettier on top of the mountain so that's where I should go. He mentioned other things and it was pretty clear immediately that he wasn't out there for recreation. I took all of this as his way of giving me fair warning, so I thanked him for his advice, turned around and left.

Anybody know whe growing season is over?

tarol · Post by **tarol** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:49 am

per FS LEO's growing season is just about year-round now, sometimes they'll get 2 or 3 harvests in

sesshin · Post by **sesshin** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 8:13 pm

I don't really understand people going through such great lengths to grow weed in the mountains when there are so many dispensaries around.

Joe_the_Hiker · Post by **Joe_the_Hiker** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 12:08 pm

I would definitely report this to the USFS.

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOC ... 800345.pdf

(626) 574-1613

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 1:40 pm

sesshin wrote: ↑I don't really understand people going through such great lengths to grow weed in the mountains when there are so many dispensaries around.

The farms in the mountains are the suppliers for the dispensaries.

scottawr · Post by **scottawr** » Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:44 pm

Dispensary pot is not grown in the mountains it's grown in houses with electricity and water.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Sun Aug 09, 2015 2:05 pm

scottawr wrote: ↑Dispensary pot is not grown in the mountains it's grown in houses with electricity and water.

I didn't know that! Huh...guess I have to stop giving people shit about ruining our forests with their 'medicinal' needs. I just assumed.

Mike P · Post by **Mike P** » Sun Aug 09, 2015 10:19 pm

scottawr wrote: ↑Dispensary pot is not grown in the mountains it's grown in houses with electricity and water.

I bet not all of that crap is grown that way...

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:55 am

Its difficult to compete with low production cost forest marijuana. Add into that a forest mgmt only concerned with political recreational directives.

Where is this grow located? Are we talking about the tributary near Buckhorn Spring that is used to approach peak 6320+? Polluting the headwaters of a major wilderness creek calls for an immediate intervention in my opinion.

Post by **HikeUp** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:44 pm

Do bears toke in the woods?

scottawr · Post by **scottawr** » Mon Aug 10, 2015 9:28 pm

yes forest grown crap is going to be cheaper and sold on the streets for cheap. But the amount of medical pot the dispensaries go through would be nearly impossible to do and isn't really worth the hassle, especially when you can do an efficient hydroponic setup in a back room of a house.

grown in the forest is gunna be an illegal Alien or some hippe looking to grow his stash for cheap. Both are bad.

walker · Post by **walker** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:00 am

Where is this grow located? Are we talking about the tributary near Buckhorn Spring that is used to approach peak 6320+?

I encountered this individual a little to the west of there on the steep rib that descends directly from the crest to peak 5878. I assume he was watching the area, on his way in or out, and maybe hauling some out with him. I did not see a grow with my own eyes, so it could be a number of places in the area below there.

On a visit about a week before that, I descended from Twin Peaks Saddle (the first saddle before peak 6816) and exited via the same rib/use trail. I found black tubing pretty soon in the canyon bottom below Twin Peaks Saddle, but it seemed more like discarded bits that fell off somebody's pack rather than remnants of a previous installation. Moreover, there wasn't any water in this part of the canyon, so maybe if there is a grow, it's further down canyon maybe after the tributaries AW mentioned join the creek.

I'd assume the use trail I encountered is an access or harvest trail since many branches and bushes have been pruned back so a person wearing a pack could fit through, or is it a preexisting canyoneering access?

On the other hand, I also had a near encounter with an individual while descending Devil's Canyon from the Twin Peaks Saddle a few years previous. I believe Sean was able to confirm the existence of a former grow site on that side as well:

https://eispiraten.com/a ... ght=devils

Polluting the headwaters of a major wilderness creek calls for an immediate intervention in my opinion.

Yes, I agree. I plan to report this. But I must admit I was a bit intimidated, you never know with these types. He didn't seem too eager to show his face and come out of the bushes, and I didn't really want to push my luck with him. I definitely got the vibe that he was a member of a certain kind of organization, but I don't think he wanted to escalate and he gave me a pretty clear warning that it was better to turn around, so I guess I should be thankful that I didn't walk right into the middle of their operations. It's disturbing to run into such an ugly situation and element in the middle of such a beautiful place.

Dispensary pot is not grown in the mountains it's grown in houses with electricity and water.

This is a few years old and not exactly local, but I thought it was an interesting twist on the pot business. I think they find operations like this in foreclosed homes in San Bernardino and vicinity all the time:

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/12 ... s-20111113

Post by **Taco** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 10:33 am

If you report it, let's delete this thread. Bad juju.

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:22 pm

In 15 months, it is highly likely that California voters will legalize recreational marijuana. That action will end the grow sites just as legal alcohol ended moonshine.

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:07 am

RichardK wrote: ↑That action will end the grow sites just as legal alcohol ended moonshine.

The forest will always be there for the outlaws LOL. And they still produce moonshine, despite the branding power of alcohol. They also produce meth and whatever else the black market demands. We could even see these guys try their hand at opium.

Its like we made trains legal, and that doesnt stop the high speed rail digging.

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Wed Aug 12, 2015 11:22 am

walker wrote: ↑I plan to report this.

Cool...I doubt anything will happen but at least the DEA will know someone is lurking/exploring the area. And likely expanding. Part of it could looking for somewhere other than the traditional cat and mouse game grow sites, but my gut sense is they are expanding.

tkane · Post by **tkane** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 12:14 am

The DEA will do nothing, as will the Forest service. If you want the site cleaned up or removed you will have to do it yourself. Don't let that criminal invader intimidate you in your own backyard/mountains. I am currently cleaning up a site around the lookout mtn area above the Baldy village. You should have let that criminal know that you would be returning with a group of friends and would be removing his operation and him as well. Some boulders raining down on his site would send a clear message.

EBruddah · Post by **EBruddah** » Fri Aug 21, 2015 1:56 pm

I wouldn't worry about reporting these things... USFS enforcement is already on top of most of these sites. It's best to wait till the grow hits maturity and then raid it and most of them will be raiding them during the fall time when the sativa growing season ends and harvest is into winter. Most indicas are grown indoors. This is low grade brick marijuana that is sold out of state. Also you don't want to jeopardize an on going investigation and alert these growers that they've been discovered because it may have repercussions on you in the future in the forest.

taktical · Post by **taktical** » Sat Aug 22, 2015 11:11 pm

http://abc7.com/news/exclusive-marijuan ... st/951728/

Post by **Sean** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 6:03 pm

I'd like to get a map of their use trails before the Feds bust them.

walker · Post by **walker** » Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:49 pm

I'd like to get a map of their use trails before the Feds bust them.

In that news clip, the site seemed to be near the drop in for skull canyon, or was it the next turnout/overlook? In either case, maybe they left a bit of a use trail there to access Devil's canyon, plus the grow has already been cleared out.