EISPIRATEN

The last few times I've been up there, I noticed a sign that read "campground closed". I did not get out and walk up to the campground area (I was just turning around after mtn biking fom Sunset Ridge).....but curious if Millard is actually closed? Maybe it's just a drought thing due to all the animals coming down looking for food/water? Anyone know the status?

I seem to remember that a few weeks ago, a bear tore up some tents there. That would be a likely explanation, though I don't know for sure.

Bears ripping up tents???!!! Damn, just when I was feeling more comfortable running up Mt. Lowe RD after sunset.
I found the following info:
"Millard Trail Camp may occasionally be closed due to bear activity. Please call (818) 899-1900 for current conditions and open/closed status."
http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/angeles/ ... 6&actid=29

Yeah, the animals are in the foothills. Probably from the drought. But I've seen more animal activity in the foothills this year than ever before. Supposedly someone encountered a bear on Echo Mountain too.

VermillionPearlGirl wrote: ↑Supposedly someone encountered a bear on Echo Mountain too.

I did a few months ago. He was sitting at one of the picnic tables eating some hapless hikers' lunch. Their car keys were in the backpack he was rummaging through, so they didn't want to scare him off, afraid he'd take the backpack (and the car keys) with him. He ate all their food (they brought way too much) and scampered off.

What time of day was the bear stealing the lunch? I thought they were mostly at night. I have been going up the ridge DIRECTLY on top of Lake Ave. a few times a week.
From there, making that connection to Mt. Lowe road, up to the Mt. Lowe Railray Trail, and down to echo......by myself, beginning at sunset. I have never actually seen a bear, or lion in the literally thousands of trail runs, over twenty years. I believe I was perhaps close twice from the sound of a bear running off. Now I am not feeling comfortable running at night by myself around there. If you ever hear someone singing loud, off key, and whacking a stick at rocks after sunset, its probably me singing to scare the animals off as I am running. I always felt easy enough to put my headphones back on at the Sam Merrill trail, since others are always on it after sunset......and of course all the people down in the cobb estate screaming and scaring each other because it "Is haunted".

fortified wrote: ↑What time of day was the bear stealing the lunch?

Maybe noon

Well the weather is finally, finally, finally changing so it shouldn't be much of an issue anymore. I just feel like this has been a particularly active year for animals in the foothills, from what I've experienced personally and from weird stories like these, and I assume it's drought related.

fortified wrote: ↑What time of day was the bear stealing the lunch? I thought they were mostly at night. I have been going up the ridge DIRECTLY on top of Lake Ave. a few times a week.
From there, making that connection to Mt. Lowe road, up to the Mt. Lowe Railray Trail, and down to echo......by myself, beginning at sunset. I have never actually seen a bear, or lion in the literally thousands of trail runs, over twenty years. I believe I was perhaps close twice from the sound of a bear running off. Now I am not feeling comfortable running at night by myself around there. If you ever hear someone singing loud, off key, and whacking a stick at rocks after sunset, its probably me singing to scare the animals off as I am running. I always felt easy enough to put my headphones back on at the Sam Merrill trail, since others are always on it after sunset......and of course all the people down in the cobb estate screaming and scaring each other because it "Is haunted".

Remember, black bears are harmless. Mtn lion.....not necessarily.

I've been hiking and biking the San Gabs since shortly after moved to CA (2001). I've never seen a bear or lion. Only deer, coyote, tarantula and slithering things.

The most dangerous thing out on the trail is NOT a bear or a lion.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

Uncle Rico wrote: ↑The most dangerous thing out on the trail is NOT a bear or a lion.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

no kidding. WTF is this about?? A "critical" attack and injury on a hiking trail? I have my theory on just the type of person who would pull this and why.....we'll see.

The 2200 block of fern Dell looks like more city than mountain area, unless that is where the police gave their location, while the "hiker" was on a trail.
Straight up from there is "the bird sanctuary" (real name) and was a gay hang out for strangers meeting up. I think they cleaned that up some 5-6 years ago, but not sure.
The women in the article of earlier attacks I think were early morning, and on a real trail
But yes......... I would agree with your suggestion that you have a higher chance of having an issue with a strange human animal.

Millard is a hosted campground, because of the traffic and the potential for trouble. If the water supply to the host (still Lonnie?) ran dry and they had to evict/relocate him then they may have officially closed the campground. Of course, that doesn't hold much legal water, and the trails and Brown Mtn Rd are still open, but the closed signs would give Altadena Sheriff deputies an excuse to clear the location of suspicious characters. Also, there is a neighborhood near the Chaney Trail gate to Millard, known to FS as "the Alzada Group" for Alzada Drive, that typically makes enough noise that they can coerce the FS into closing the area when they want it closed; say, for example, fire hazards in drought conditions from unsupervised partiers in the campground. I highly doubt they would close the area because of animal threats. They had better not, it is one of the many risks we assume upon entering the forest.

THE FOLLOWING is from the government, and hey if its the government....it must be true!!! sometimes.......
"Millard Trail Camp may occasionally be closed due to bear activity. Please call (818) 899-1900 for current conditions and open/closed status."

http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/angeles/ ... 6&actid=29

And never forget...
"We're from the government, and we are here to help".

A bear with no fear, came up to a group of fifty people.......for food.
Some group that goes up to Echo Mtn every Wednesday, and has pot luck.
Bears must be signed up to the "meet up" groups, or perhaps have calendars.........or perhaps have a good sense of smell.
They get into the subject of the bear about half way down the blog.
One person stated he brushed up against the bear........Uhhhhh, I kinda doubt it.
I met the guy who brings his Vuvuzela horn to Echo Mtn quite often.
I might bring one for trail running at night. Hey, If I break a leg running solo, that horn probably would get better reception than any cell phone.
http://www.meetup.com/happy-hour-backpa ... 204803902/