I wanted to avoid a 5.5 mile / 2+ hour road hike (each way) to the trail head - hence the bicycle. Although there are two locked gates, they do not prevent bicycle passage - although be very careful of the barbed wire alongside gate #1 ! ! The road is paved - rough in spots - and suitable for road bikes - if you are careful. I rode my mountain bike. There is elevation gain / loss to the trail head.
Kevin C from Monrovia, a fellow member of the Outdoors Club, met me at 8:00 on a bright, sun-filled, early-May morning. We waited a short time for another club member who arrived. I had no cell service.
Departing the parking area we rode out to the trail head, passing the two gates, and enduring some elevation gain and loss. As there is little-to-no traffic past the second locked gate at the second boat launch area, we secured the bicycles to the trail head sign.
We set out on the Pothole Trail at 9:06 am. I had joined Alan Coles' Pothole Trail maintenance crew, in conjunction with the National Forest Service (NFS) Ojai Ranger District Trails Manager Heidi Anderson, on two previous occasions. I mention this because the vegetation really enjoyed the water we've had this year - and has shown it's appreciation by growing fat and tall.
The Pothole trail is marked in numerous places with the flat, standard brown NFS fiberglass-type markers. There are also plastic, pink-colored trial markers tied to some of the shrubs. Due to the vegetation growth, many of them were nearly invisible until standing next to them. Fighting through the grasses and mustard was challenging. The foxtails became so embedded in my boot laces that I needed gloves to forcefully pull the laces through the eyelets when adjusting the boot fit.
The trail generally follows a ridgeline upwards, at times traversing along the flank, gaining about 2,100' in two and half miles. Views, as almost always, become grander as elevation is gained. Lake Piru, Santa Clarita, the Sespe Wilderness, Cobblestone Mountain were all within view. The grasses became thinner and easier to manage the higher we went.
We readily found the right-hand turn the trail takes near the top of the ridge. The trip down this portion involved some minimal pushing through the brush as well as some route finding. In one particular location we missed where the trail goes downwards to the left side of this ridge. We arrived at a small knob from where we could see the trail - so we cross-countried about 50 yards downhill and were back on route. Not much further along we could see the top portion of the Devil's Gateway.
As the trail then winds around the hillside, the Pothole and Devil's Potrero come into view. These are areas that were dammed off by landslides eons ago. Although they naturally collect rainfall drainage, they were dry as it hasn't rained heavily for some time.
Once on the Pothole flats, the trail is easy to find due to the recent work in the area. The colored flags direct you downwards to the cabin - a tin-sided structure that's missing windows and doors, but is equipped with an old wood-burning stove. A bear box hangs from a nearby tree. A stone campfire ring is found under the oaks, although a fire back here could be problematic. Numerous period-piece farm implements dating to the last century (1800s) are strewn alongside the cabin. We arrived here at 3:25pm.
The trail segment from the cabin to the junction of the Agua Blanca Creek / Trail has received a lot of attention from Alan and crew and it shows. Easy to find and follow.
The Devil's Gateway is a small slot cut through solid rock by the Agua Blanca Creek. I'd say it's about 25 feet wide by 150 - 200 feet long by 200 feet high. Although the water level after rain would clearly make this impassable on foot, we were able to rock hop our way through with only a step or two in the water. I convinced Kevin he could climb sideways along the sidewall of the slot to stay out of the water, and with minimal verbal assistance at the end, he was able to do just that. Standing ovation, please.
The trip down and out the Agua Blanca Trail follows the Agua Blanca Creek. There are about 12 creek crossings and several places where the trail heads up the creek embankment and traverses the canyon wall. Previous explorers have marked the route and crossings with cairns and plastic flags (orange seems to be this year's color), and we found most of them. As long as you know and understand that if you can't find the trail in the creek bed - look to the hillsides, you'll be fine.
We made our last creek crossing and entered Kester's Camp - a private holding within the Los Padres National Forest at 7:05 pm. There were a few vehicles at the house but we saw and heard no one. I still find the large pit dug in the ground to be fascinating. The singed oak trees that surround this pit suggest the world's largest BBQ pit. A small herd of cattle could fit in this hole and the trees do stand back away from the pit. It must have been a BIG bbq.
Crossing the Agua Blanca Creek leaving the property was a dry rock hop.
We passed by the farm house at Whitaker Ranch without seeing any vehicles or people. What a beautiful setting.
And then it was time to ford Piru Creek twice. There's no way to do this without getting wet - which in the wet season might present a real adventure in itself. Although I had waterproof socks along for a test drive I decided to not try them as we were losing daylight. So it was water in the boots and soggy until reaching home.
We walked the last two miles or so in fading light.
You know, I like horses. At least I think I do. However, I'm beginning to think that in a previous life I owned a glue factory. Horses DO NOT LIKE ME. They approach me as they would anyone. But then…THEY KNOW.
So there we were, hiking along the now paved portion of Piru Canyon Road, having just passed the eerily closed Blue Point Campground, when we saw two horses moseying along the road towards us. We're in the middle of proverbial nowhere. We slowly approach the small and BIG horse. Kevin offers his hand to them and all's well. The BIG one turns to me and I slowly offer my hand and…HE KNOWS. He turns more towards me with that BIG head and then steps towards me. I continue to talk slowly and softly to this BIG horse, but…HE KNOWS. He begins and continues to push me backwards into the roadside brush with his BIG head. A passing thought was to put the carbide point of my new hiking pole into his BIG nose, but visions of Silver rearing up with the Lone Ranger astride his back brought me back to reality. No trampling here, thank you very much. It was all I could do to slide past him - remembering that a kick in the head could result if you don't keep your hand on a horse's side to let him know you're there while you're behind him - but there was no way I was going to touch him because I knew for sure that he'd certainly kick me then as he'd know exactly where I was - Oh hi, Mrs. Smith, Brad did fine on the hike so you don't have to worry about that, but there's this horse we met, see…..
Once past the side of this BIG thing, I ran a few steps. Yeah, right, like I can run, let alone run faster than a horse. Good thinking. Fortunately, he knew better than to mess with me, and did not follow us.
The rest of the hike to the bikes was uneventful, except for the dark. We arrived just at civil twilight. 8:16 pm. Dark. We changed shoes - Kevin, put on helmets and a headlamp - Brad, and set out for the cars.
OK, it was my fault. I thought surely we'd be back to the cars by 5:00 pm. And Kevin had relied upon my estimate in not bringing along his headlamp. Do you know it's possible to ride in the complete dark - no moon tonight - on a gated, paved road with zero traffic with only one headlamp for illumination? Quite nice, actually. Five and a half miles in the dark.
We arrived at Kevin's vehicle - having parked it in the parking lot outside the first locked gate which is locked at sunset - a few minutes after 9:00 pm.
I want to thank Kevin C of Monrovia for being such a great sport and one of the best hiking companions one could ever meet by chance. I also want to apologize to his wife for my inaccurate hiking time estimate. I'm sure she worried.
I am still picking the foxtails out of my boots, my laces, my knee-high gaiters which I put on way too late, my pants and my socks.
The headlamp - which I always carry - my new hiking poles - a new purchase made for today's trip - and my knee-high gaiters made this jaunt into the forest possible.
Now you know what it takes to do this hike - and it is such a beautiful hike through a very varied landscape in a place where no one goes.
I had a great time. A long day, but worth every minute.
mo pix here: http://picasaweb.google.com/bardley.smi ... guaBlanca#
Excellent TR. Really enjoyed it! Glad you both got out of there safely. This must have been the hike you had mentioned to me about using bikes to speed up the distance traveled. Now that you are familiar with the hike, do you think you could shorten the time it takes to do it?
