EISPIRATEN

I need some fresh ideas. I'm sure you guys have all kinds of cool places you've seen animal tracks, or love to hike and wonder what uses the trail when you're not around. Let's hear some locations - we'll pick a couple of good ones, let them sit for a few weeks and see what we get. Here are some tips:

Water source - any reliable water source that is away from other water. (want to see what else drinks from Little Jimmy spring without filtering?) Places along major creeks are OK, but a place where animals have to go is better.

Saddles and junctions - critters are not peakbaggers. They (like me) prefer the easiest route between two points, so when crossing a ridge, they look for the lowest spot. Trail junctions get more traffic by default.

Ridgelines - I've read that mountain lions like to travel ridges. Pleasantview ridge is obviously a place I need to try...anything with a firebreak that makes for easy walking is perfect

Trail-less canyons - always good for hiding that fresh deer carcass!

I figure while the camera is out, the general location can be known (for instance "along the ski-hut trail"), and then the exact location can be revealed at the end. Anyone who wants to come with me and set it up or retrieve it, of course, will know where it is. That's cool as long as you're one of the "regulars" on the forum.

So....get out those maps!

How about a backyard in Altadena, north of Loma Alta, in a ravine? I went there last week and about an hour before I arrived, one of the horse owners saw and described a ringtail behind the barn. They thought it was a weird looking cat!

santa monica mountains...somewhere near the ringe dam

http://12feetunder.com/bin/59/3/spot.php

or barker dam in joshua tree

http://digital-desert.com/joshua-tree/barker-dam/

Mike - do you know people well enough there to ask if we could cross someone's property to place a camera? Getting a ringtail would be amazing, or even just that barn-dwelling bobcat.

Barker dam! Yeah!!

cougarmagic wrote:Barker dam! Yeah!!

Hey Johanna - I'll tag along and maybe do some climbing out there at same time (that is if you want some company).

I'd like to see what critters are near upper fishfork trail. It is a little used trail with a nice spring which flows pretty much year round. Last time I was up that way I came upon the bones of deer with bear scat nearby. The trail is accessed off of 3N39 from Lupine and follows the trail which heads up towards Dawson shadowed by Baldy to the south.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30922174@N ... 120488764/

Allison Mine/Gulch Area

Good water source up high and I've seen tons of bear scat up there but never the bear.

Could try the upper waterfall in Falling Rock Canyon at around 6,600 ft. There is a small, lush area there where a creek appears then disappears. I've seen deer up there and bear scat so I'd be interested to know if a mountain lion also roams that area.

I've seen a handful of bears in IHC to back that up.

The rangers at the Mt Baldy Ranger Station said that a cougar had been spotted down the canyon towards Upland last week. Maybe if you asked them they would give you the location.
It mght be the cougar is hunting baby sheep.

I took this picture thinking there were two sheep and only noticed the lambs after I downloaded the pictures and saw a larger size. The ridge in the background is Bighorn Ridge about half way up.

OT, but my favorite Barker Dam photo:

Upper Fish Fork - definitely. Any of you been wanting to hike to Baldy from that direction lately? Looks like a nice loop could be made (Dawson, Pine, etc)

Allison Gulch - good location, but I just did the East fork hike a couple weeks ago. Long hike, too many people & trash makes me depressed. Maybe in the fall.

IHC - this one is too popular with hikers, I think. it would be tough to hide the camera. But Falling Rock should be fine.

cougarmagic wrote:Mike - do you know people well enough there to ask if we could cross someone's property to place a camera? Getting a ringtail would be amazing, or even just that barn-dwelling bobcat.

Oh yeah, they would let you put a camera there. I already asked for permission

I know some good areas in the Santa Ana Mountains......if you wanted to travel

I've never been to Fish Fork. I'd like to do a loop with Pine, Dawson & Baldy, then loop by dropping down into Fish Fork. Seems remote enough!

Perhaps up the west fork of bear canyon off the bottom of the baldy village trail.

pleasant view ridge area - sounds good...i wonder what spots would be best. if animals like to cross saddles, and areas with less human traffic, perhaps the saddle east of Pallett or west of Will Thrall...

Zé wrote:I've never been to Fish Fork. I'd like to do a loop with Pine, Dawson & Baldy, then loop by dropping down into Fish Fork. Seems remote enough!

Did the hike from the other direction but did not include Fishfork. I have done the upper fishfork from 3N39 a couple of times. It's pretty remote. The campsite up there has not been maintained for what looks like quite awhile. That would be a good hike from the norh through to Baldy, and then loop down through fishfork and Lupine though. 8)

Past Cabin Flat along Parire Fork somewhere, would be a good spot. It doesn't look like many people go down there, and when I was there I saw animal tracks. Theres excellent waterflow in the creek, it's really bushy and looks like the kind of place bears and mountian lions live.........

Mike P - I sent you a PM about trying one of the horse properties - let me know when is a good time.