Fire Camp 19 to Bichota and Burro Peaks
Posted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 9:46 pm
I woke up early today with the sole purpose of checking off Burro Peak on my to-do list. Sitting in the car along the East Fork Road at 7am, the outside temperature gauge indicated 33°F.
I put on gloves, a beanie, and a couple extra top layers, though still only in shorts, and walked down the road to the unmarked trailhead across from Fire Camp 19. The inmates' workout trail climbs the west side of Susanna Canyon and offers great views of the canyon below.
I used the trail to reach the ridge between Burro and Susanna canyons. The trail ends at a saddle overlooking the Burro Canyon Shooting Park.
I picked Tuesday for this adventure because the Park is closed to the public on Tuesdays, but there were still some private parties occasionally firing guns during the hike.
I reached the saddle overlook and started up the steep ridge.
There was a rifle target high up on the ridge, perhaps for sniper practice.
This seemed like a bad place to hang out, so further up the ridge I scrambled. The bushwhacking increased in intensity.
Branches kept striking the same bloody wounds on my legs, causing involuntary cries and curses. And the ridge seemed to go on longer than expected.
The pain subsided at Bichota Peak (3560'), where I encountered an open fireline cut during the Cabin Fire last August.
There was a can on the peak with register paper inside. Only six names since June, and four of them were firefighters who worked on the fireline.
Once again I forgot to bring a pen and had to sign the register with a piece of charred branch.
Despite being drained from the prior bushwhacking, the walk over to Burro was easy, given the fireline.
On Burro I found only an old post bent over,
and decided to give it a lift.
I put on gloves, a beanie, and a couple extra top layers, though still only in shorts, and walked down the road to the unmarked trailhead across from Fire Camp 19. The inmates' workout trail climbs the west side of Susanna Canyon and offers great views of the canyon below.
I used the trail to reach the ridge between Burro and Susanna canyons. The trail ends at a saddle overlooking the Burro Canyon Shooting Park.
I picked Tuesday for this adventure because the Park is closed to the public on Tuesdays, but there were still some private parties occasionally firing guns during the hike.
I reached the saddle overlook and started up the steep ridge.
There was a rifle target high up on the ridge, perhaps for sniper practice.
This seemed like a bad place to hang out, so further up the ridge I scrambled. The bushwhacking increased in intensity.
Branches kept striking the same bloody wounds on my legs, causing involuntary cries and curses. And the ridge seemed to go on longer than expected.
The pain subsided at Bichota Peak (3560'), where I encountered an open fireline cut during the Cabin Fire last August.
There was a can on the peak with register paper inside. Only six names since June, and four of them were firefighters who worked on the fireline.
Once again I forgot to bring a pen and had to sign the register with a piece of charred branch.
Despite being drained from the prior bushwhacking, the walk over to Burro was easy, given the fireline.
On Burro I found only an old post bent over,
and decided to give it a lift.
