The big snow of 1922. An amazing true story

Oilslinger · Post by **Oilslinger** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 11:07 am

Just read this story and was blown away. Thought I'd share it with you guys
http://www.bigsantaanitacanyon.com/stor ... izzard.htm

PackerGreg · Post by **PackerGreg** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 3:06 pm

Al Foulds, in the middle w/ the dog, and author of this story, was a very good stone mason. The cabin you see here is still standing without a crack. Al used gneiss and solid (not decomposing) granodiorite. None of that naturally flat stuff. This meant that he had to carefully select and/or laboriously carve each rock; even hauling them from far off site. He was also one of the few who took the time to thoroughly wash all the organic material out of the "crick" sand before making mortar. None of his rock work was reinforced, but it is ALL still standing and in great shape.

He had a distinctive style that is recognizable throughout Big Santa Anita - Al worked for many other cabin owners. He did a lot of the fireplaces and a few of the cabin foundations.

His cabin (in this photo) is now numbered 17, First Water Section. It is the only cabin with a below-ground basement, and the site has incredibly sturdy retaining walls that have survived two major floods. It has nice hardwood floors and a piano. It's also the only cabin with a washer and dryer (obviously a new addition). The current owners are a young couple from Venice that operate a school for troubled kids, and they bring the little urbanites up for adventures.

Look for another built by him on the way to Sturtevant Falls: #46 at Slider Rock, near the Boy Scout bridge. It has a similar look.

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:16 pm

Fascinating story! Thanks for sharing! 8)

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 9:22 pm

crazy story. and the dude wasn't even there, ugh!

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:26 am

Very cool story. Makes me want to retrace the route!

Poor Smith. Major hypothermia...I bet he didn't fall into the creek, he went into it on purpose in that weird state where you feel too hot, even though you're freezing to death...

simonov · Post by **simonov** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 5:36 pm

cougarmagic wrote:Very cool story. Makes me want to retrace the route!

I was about to ask one of the experts around here to do just that!

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Tue Feb 09, 2010 6:05 pm

i was wondering about that. I mean I think before the ACH there was a trail in its place, that might have been part of the 'rim' trail, at least to Buckhorn. After Buckhorn camp I got confused.