Cima Mesa - Twin Peaks Trail

[Elwood]

After studying FM 21-75/Appendix F for a while, my evil twin brother Jake decided to see what the Three Points area and the trail to Twin Peaks were looking like post-fire / pre-winter. He parked by the former beehives above Cima Mesa and hiked up and over the adjacent saddle. There's a faint use trail down the gully on the south side that leads down to 4N15. He was on the hoof at 0713 and back at his car (which looks strikingly similar to mine) at 1755.


Looking down the use trail and Little Rock Creek. That's 5N04.3 heading towards the dam.


Little Rock Creek crossing 5N04.3 at Little Sycamore CG. Teeming with more MYLFs than an O.C. subdivision.


Pleasant View of PVR from Little Rock Road.


Southern perimeter of the Station burn in Little Rock Creek.


Crispy Winston Ridge and snowy Winston Peak.


Winston Ridge and Squaw Canyon separator.


Road through Pinyon Flats (5N04.4).


Sign from when shooting sports had a respected place in the Angeles.


Pacifico Mountain, somewhat toasted.


Apparently someone didn't get the e-mail about hibernatin'.


The area around Three Points burned up a bit.


Area above Devil's Canyon, below Waterman Mountain.


Conditions adjacent to the first mile or so of the Twin Peaks trail.


More Twin Peaks trail on the west side of Waterman Mountain.


Looks like the flames were lapping at the bottom of Twin Peaks from this side.


You can almost imagine the fire running up the trunks of these pines.


Looking east towards that main summit of Waterman Mountain.


Jake left the 'pons in the car, otherwise...


Bottom of Twin Peaks, upper Devil's Canyon.


Looking west, with Mt. Lukens at the left of the picture .


More upper Devil's Canyon.


Second mile of Twin Peaks trail on Waterman Mountain, headed towards Three Points.


Unrestrained soil carried over the trail by rains.


A more productive result of recent precipitation.


Thank goodness these guys are doing alright.


Area north of Three Points and Waterman Mtn, viewed from PCT.


Sulphur Springs picnic area looks inviting, if not closed.


Something ironic about these deer tracks through the former Pinyon Flats shooting area.


Winston Ridge from 5N04.4.


Winston Ridge, Winston Peak, Waterman Mountain and one of the drainages to Little Rock Creek.


Squaw Canyon activated charcoal filter.


Jake liked the texture of these rocks as he was losing light.


GPS track and elevation profile.

[Taco]

Yet another long hike. 8) Great pics as always. Did you do it in SERE style?

[cougarmagic]

Give my thanks to Jake, next time you see him. I think he knows my evil twin, PumaPower.

Cool bear mama & cub tracks.

It looks like the fire there had a more reasonable pattern - leaving patches, while burning others. That is supposed to be 'healthy'. (As opposed to the complete leveling of the rest of it)

"Activated charcoal filter" - funny.

[HikeUp]

my evil twin brother Jake

So, does Jake bring "Four fried chickens and a coke" for lunch when he hikes?

Mrs. Murphy: Help you two?
Elwood: Do you have any white bread ma'am?
Mrs. Murphy: Yeah.
Elwood: I'll have some toasted white bread please.
Mrs. Murphy: You want butter or jam on that, honey?
Elwood: No ma'am, dry.
Jake: Do you have any fried chicken ma'am?
Mrs. Murphy: Best damned chicken in the state.
Jake: Bring me four fried chickens and a Coke.
Mrs. Murphy: You want chicken wings or chicken legs?
Jake: Four fried chickens and a Coke.
Elwood: And some dry white toast please.
Mrs. Murphy: Ya'all want anything to drink with that?
Elwood: No ma'am.
Jake: A Coke.
Mrs. Murphy: Be right back.

[Elwood]

Jake tells me that he's into the latest thing from Berkeley: Fried Chicken and Coke flavored CLIF Bars. He also listens to BOTH kinds of music while he's hiking.

[Rumpled]

Give my thanks to Jake, next time you see him. I think he knows my evil twin, PumaPower.

Cool bear mama & cub tracks.

It looks like the fire there had a more reasonable pattern - leaving patches, while burning others. That is supposed to be 'healthy'. (As opposed to the complete leveling of the rest of it)

"Activated charcoal filter" - funny.

I liked the charcoal filter comment as well.

CM-
Is that mama and cub or front and back? I'm not so good at tracks. (I'll have a puma track question later today or tomorrow when I d'l my pics)

Pass this on to Jake
Is FM 21-75/Appendix F the closure order or regulations pertaining to it?

[Elwood]

Another view of the same Ursus Americanus tracks:


Taco had it correctly. Appendix F of US Army Field Manual 21-75 = SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape).

[EnFuego]

Nice photos. Hella long hike - no thank you.

What is MYLFs?

[Elwood]

Mountain Yellow Legged Frog; the stated reason for the Williamson, Rattlesnake Creek, Little Rock Creek and adjacent closures. Also useful fodder for a bad pun.

[cougarmagic]

Is that mama and cub or front and back?

It's mama and cub, since they are both back foot tracks.

http://www.bear-tracker.com/bear.html

The front track only shows the 'top' half of the paw. Like most animals, they walk on what is the equivalent of the ball of our foot and our toes. Bears walk on the full length of their back foot (it's called 'planitgrade'). It gives them that waddling, moseying gait.

I think Jake & Elmore were joking, and know this too, but black bears around here don't really hibernate. They do get super hungry in the fall, and then slow and groggy through the winter, but they may only sleep for a week at a time and then get up and find things to eat again for a while.

Man I gotta get out in some snow - love to see the big long series of tracks like that, instead of one print at a time!

[Rumpled]

Mountain Yellow Legged Frog; the stated reason for the Williamson, Rattlesnake Creek, Little Rock Creek and adjacent closures. Also useful fodder for a bad pun.

I actually thought it was a play on MILF, like maybe substituting You for I like a married man might think.

[Taco]

Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Google it.

Lol.