EISPIRATEN

Howdy All

In spite of Hikin" Jim's excellent suggestions for alternate routes Cindy and I took our customary route to Dobbs and Jepson peaks. The day was noteworthy due to several unpleasant encounters with Alex, the so-called Forest Falls picnic area "host" and the incredible weather.

We met several of our friends in the Big Falls parking area. Alex walked up to me and asked for my permit. I asked to see his badge, identifying that he is a USFS Ranger. As we walked up the dirt road, Alex hustled by us.

We took a picture of our permit at the sign at the bottom of the switchbacks. When we entered the forest after passing the wilderness boundary sign, Alex was waiting for us and asked to see our permit. I refused and asked to see his badge.

He pulled out his radio, saying that he was on patrol and worked for the forest service. I asked to see his badge. He called me by name and said he could contact the ranger via radio. I said, "Great, do that," then pulled out my cell phone and told him I would record the conversation. We kept hiking as this dialogue took place. The incident was creepy and made us uncomfortable.

We attained the ridge and it started snowing lightly.



We finally reached the steep grind up to west Dobbs.



Upon reaching west Dobbs, we were in white out conditions. Decided to make a go for Jepson.



Once on Jepson, we took a short break to eat and send out a SPOT message confirming that we had summited. Sort of hard to tell from this picture of Cindy.





Then we retraced our route back to east Dobbs, west Dobbs and down the ridge, marveling at the beauty of the winter wonderland.









Sadly, the snow turned into a light rain at about 8 K in our descent. Once we crossed Vivian creek, we met other members of the San Jacinto hiking club. They had gone up the main trail to about 10 K, then turned around due to the weather and short amount of daylight.

We learned that after checking their permits, Alex had lined them up in the parking lot and lectured at them for about 10 minutes about trail damage/erosion caused by such large groups

We had wonderful barbecue in Mentone before heading home.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

Howdy All

My e-letter to district Ranger Garcia -- I copied John Exline

To: ggarcia01@fs.fed.us, jexline@fs.fed.us

Dear Mr. Garcia,

I am submitting a formal complaint regarding Alex, the paid Big Falls Picnic area "host."

The first encounter with Alex occurred on Sunday September 22. Alex wouldn't let us pass the kiosk until my hiking friend had pulled her pack out of the trunk of her car and showed him the hiking permit for the Vivian creek trailhead. Both cars had Wilderness Passes prominently displayed.

The second encounter occurred on Wednesday October 23. As my friends went to the restroom, Alex walked up while I was alone in the dark (creepy) and identified himself as being with the Forest Service. He demanded to see our permit and we had a contentious conversation about improving access to the trailhead which held us up for about 15 minutes.

The third encounter occurred yesterday on Friday November 29. Alex walked up to me in the Big Falls parking lot and asked for my permit while I was speaking to friends. I refused and asked to see his badge, identifying that he is a USFS ranger. He did not show me a badge. As my female hiking partner and I walked up the dirt road, Alex angrily hustled by us. When we entered the forest after passing the wilderness boundary sign, Alex was lying in wait for us and asked to see our permit. I again refused and asked to see his badge -- he did not present a badge. He then pulled out his radio, saying that he was on patrol and worked for the forest service. I asked to see his badge. He called me by name and said he could contact the district ranger via radio. I told him to do that, pulled out my cell phone and told him I would record our conversation. We kept hiking as this dialogue took place. The incident was made us feel uncomfortable and threatened.

I have previously submitted a formal complaint regarding the locked gate which restricts parking at the Vivian Creek trailhead (and thus access to the trail) between 10 PM and 6 AM.

I look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely,
Ellen Coleman

Yeah, I got your permit here somewhere....{pulls out change petition with 200+ signatures and starts reading} ....just kidding....it sucks to hear of this.

Howdy All

Just to be clear, I have absolute respect for USFS rangers (law enforcement officers). I also appreciate the efforts of volunteer rangers and am happy to show my wilderness permit when politely asked.

This is the ONLY time that I have refused to show my wilderness permit. Alex was unprofessional, rude and threatening. He did not show me a badge (or any other identification) in the parking lot when I asked for a badge. He then went on ahead and laid in wait for us.

The incident was made us feel uncomfortable and threatened. In retrospect, I wish I'd recorded the confrontation in the forest but he ambushed us and we were more focused on getting away from him.

It is interesting that Alex didn't confront and threaten us until we were alone in the wilderness. I wonder if he would have acted the same way with two young, muscular men.


I've been warned that I may be cited/fined for refusing to show my permit.

The locked gate and the gatekeeper are two separate concerns.

No need to justify yourself Ellen. Alex sounds like a real tool.

I'm really glad I finally got around to doing the Vivian creek trail this past spring before the gate/access drama, this Alex guy sounds like the type of person I go to the forest to get away from.

Must have been a great hike, I haven't had a chance to get out and do a snow trek. I'm very jealous.

Very cool

That sucks. I was there 12-8-13 headed to Galena. There was a younger guy (20s-30s maybe, I'm a horrible judge of age) in the booth at the Big Falls parking lot. He seemed new and was curious about the jump off. No permit is required for it so if it was the same guy maybe that was the difference. It was a little annoying that about 2 minutes later I was sorting gear @ my trunk a USFS truck pulls up (older male, I assumed ranger), doesn't bother to look or get out, asks the same things, pass, which was on my dash, and objective. He didn't really bother me but it just seemed duplicative and unfriendly. The climb was fantastic though and all in all it didn't really register until I saw your report.

Howdy Aklackner

The guy in the USFS truck sounds like Alex. Most hikers assume he is a ranger (law enforcement officer) but he has not shown me his badge or any identification when asked.

One of my friends also had an unpleasant encounter. She parked, put her Adventure pass on her dash, and starting walking. A man came up as she starting hiking and demanded to see her Adventure pass -- she said it was displayed. He demanded that she return to her truck and pull it out -- she refused. When she got back, she found a ticket. When she tore it up, he drove up in the USFS truck and started harassing her.

Sort of takes the smiles out of the miles

Ellen