Lower Upper Big Tujunga, aka Mill Creek (?) 11/24/13
Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:04 pm
A friend of mine recently sent me photos of great bear tracks in the silt above the dam on Big T canyon road. It has been a couple of years since I'd been down there, so I decided it was time for a visit.
A brisk 43 degrees temp. had our jackets on and fingers quickly numbing as we hiked down the trail. We checked out the meager water flow over Josephine falls before heading downstream. We kept our feet dry on the first few crossings with some herculean efforts and lovely dance moves.
The wet sand was great for tracks, except that the recent rain made everything into indistinct craters. A short distance down the newly overgrown banks we came to the edge of where the reservoir level used to be, and hit dark silt. The heron tracks were the most fun - huge and somewhat frightening looking. We followed the meanderings of a small bear, many deer, one bobcat and a raccoon.
Found a set of deer legs. Not a complete set, just three, all below the knee. I suspect the bear was the culprit.
There are some dramatically buried trees still standing, making us wonder how many feet of silt had piled up, and what the canyon looked like several years ago. Or several hundred or thousand years ago.
Mmm, snacks.
A brisk 43 degrees temp. had our jackets on and fingers quickly numbing as we hiked down the trail. We checked out the meager water flow over Josephine falls before heading downstream. We kept our feet dry on the first few crossings with some herculean efforts and lovely dance moves.
The wet sand was great for tracks, except that the recent rain made everything into indistinct craters. A short distance down the newly overgrown banks we came to the edge of where the reservoir level used to be, and hit dark silt. The heron tracks were the most fun - huge and somewhat frightening looking. We followed the meanderings of a small bear, many deer, one bobcat and a raccoon.
Found a set of deer legs. Not a complete set, just three, all below the knee. I suspect the bear was the culprit.
There are some dramatically buried trees still standing, making us wonder how many feet of silt had piled up, and what the canyon looked like several years ago. Or several hundred or thousand years ago.
Mmm, snacks.
I mean what a meal!