Forward to up the midway ridge, just past the bridge to nowhere canyon. OK, there is the really stupid way to the Stanely-Miller mine, and then there is the northbound no way to the mine anymore LOL...worse, I forgot to bring my topo map. After struggling for a few hours, I managed to grab a hold of the pipe in some brush signifying Stanley-Miller territory..yay! Losing a few hundred feet in elevation brought me to the regular sightseeing. I walked to the ore cart as the typical tourist, but my flashlight was illuminating a lot of dust in the air...something a lower level light wasnt picking up, just saying.
Heading back down to the river, I did regret not visiting the cabin, but I needed to focus on getting down....which ended up being OK considering. I dont think anyone actually uses the 'less than one strand' twine, but I only got one trash out of there...still one left.When I got to the river, shortly thereafter I was met by 1 of 2 rescue air5s...who seem to be focusing from the bridge to just upstream. I pushed onto Fish Fork camp.
Next morning I set out for Alder Gulch and got there in 2 hours or more. I headed up Alder Gulch in hopes of seeing that darned Blue Jay cabin but turned around 1/2 an hour of travel in. I had imagined a wild unassuming creek, but fairly easy travel. Nope....instead its a steep rock canyon. Once I saw there was no mercy I was out of there.
Overall from Alder Gulch to Heaton, it was nice. Maybe I was there at the right time, but from Alder to Fish Fork there is a tricky trail....tricky in that typically when it crosses the river, a person has to go upstream to find it again, but it was there and a huge time saver. Most of the rivers were flowing nicely...the east fork, FF(kinda strong flow), IF(spring time conditions), Falls Gulch even has a small flow. The only other thing is there was a flash flood in the past year, as evidenced in the section between IF and the bridge. Some miners were at work, just mucking it up even worse....ridiculous stuff.
Midway ridge
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898993/tr1.jpg)
The BTN canyon area seen from the ridge...the topo says the trail went to that grey scree area lower middle and went up to to Allison ridge, top mid.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898994/tr2.jpg)
View towards the Angeles Crest, the predominant view.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898995/tr3.jpg)
Ross
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898996/tr4.jpg)
The end of Iron Fork
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898997/tr5.jpg)
East Fork past Iron Fork
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898998/tr6.jpg)
Known as a grotto on Ross side, but I havent seen any ferns here.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1898999/tr7.jpg)
Previous spot as seen from Falls Gulch.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899000/tr7A.jpg)
The tinniest bit of narrows past Fish Fork
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899003/tr8.jpg)
Views of the terrain on Ross/subpeak 5599
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899006/tr9.jpg)
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899007/tr10.jpg)
Bypassing a cascade in Alder Gulch early on.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899016/tr11.jpg)
Looking down cascade
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899017/tr13.jpg)
Turn around point. The cabin is listed as 1 mile in and I probably did less than 1/4 mile.
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899018/tr12.jpg)
Flash flood remains and the miners
![Image](https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/gallery.myff.org/gallery/1899021/tr14.jpg)