EISPIRATEN

It's so darn hot, I wanted to hike near water. But I also wanted to not see throngs of people. So I hiked with a friend from Fillmore, up the Sespe to 'Devil's Gate', and a bit beyond.

We planned to hike farther, but past the Gate there is no trail anymore. (Apparently there was one, or some semblance of one, as recently as a year ago.) The still-flowing river is getting choked with algae, and the banks are full of dense new willows.

It was a nice day - with a breeze, not too hot at all. I like 'new' (to me) hikes and also creek walking, and that's what it was!

The bears like it there too.

Edit - oh geez, I forgot the interesting part: tar! Still weird to me to see it just oozing out of the ground.









bouldering:



Trail:

love it. there's so much tar out here in ventura/sb. we live near carpinteria beach and when i go in the water, it just sticks to me. crazy.

love the bear track. thanks for sharing.

Interesting that you say there's no trail past Devil's Gate. I have always wanted to do the Sespe as a one way car shuttle hike from end to end.

Wow, can't believe it wasn't totally roasting back in that drainage CM. Them is some hot parts.

I have always wanted to do the Sespe as a one way car shuttle hike from end to end.

David Stillman and Jack Elliot made the trek last fall. Stillman has a pretty good write up with photos of the section from Piedra Blanca to Fillmore here:

http://davidstillman.blogspot.com/2012/ ... lanca.html

Those guys are my heroes!