EISPIRATEN

We hiked Middle Fork yesterday and it was quite beautiful.

This was another car shuttle hike for us. We left one near the end of the pavement on Middle Fork Rd., then drove the other to Icehouse Saddle. At 6 it was already a total zoo there. The parking lot was full, masses of people all over. The hike up the canyon is really nice but next time I'd do it on a weekday. This was the first SG's section I'd walked that just felt too crowded but oh well -- we were clogging the place up as much as everyone else.

Compared to other high points the saddle felt like Studio 54; lots of groups hanging out and socializing. But as we'd hoped, nearly everyone was going up one of the ridges or heading back down to Icehouse, so we had the Middle Creek trail all to ourselves. It was very green, forest-y, and shady, and the creek had a nice clear flow. It was breezy and a bit cool; great for hiking.

We saw a few tents at Third Stream CG and a few hikers passed us but overall it was very quiet and peaceful the whole way down. At one point Kurt and I came around a corner and spotted some odd, fluorescent red plants on the hillside that resembled something from a sci-fi film. After posting on Flaura, Fauna, Fungi I learned that they were snow plants. Very cool sighting. You learn something new every hike, it seems.

At Middle Fork before the hike, we saw fresh snow on Baldy and the upper peaks. We didn't hit any along the way but there was a lot of frost. And compared to the last 2-3 weeks the air was quite clear. Lots of scattered clouds, but the air was very fresh.

The gravel portion of Middle Fork Rd. has a couple of steep rutted sections just past the end of the pavement which discouraged us from driving further up, but actually after getting past those bits, the road is quite easy. I'd probably just go for it and drive the whole thing if we head up that way again.

EDIT: I should add that hikers visiting the Cucamonga Wilderness are required to fill out and carry a Visitor's Permit. There is no fee. Blank forms are available at the Icehouse Canyon trailhead and online. On Saturday a ranger was stationed about 2 miles up the trail, checking permits. Those without one were given a mild reprimand before continuing up.

Thanks for the report. I need to finally go check out that trail sometime.

Thanks for the TR. That's the first time I've heard of a ranger checking permits in the Cucamonga Wilderness. I wonder how many people bother to fill out that form these days. When I first started hiking that area you had to get the form from the visitor center. It was annoying.

Middle Fork is a gem because it's harder to get to than Icehouse. I hope it stays that way for people who prefer a little solitude with their wilderness experience.

I've never once bothered to actually get this permit (like last week!) But that whole area is so overrun now (allegedly), that maybe some enforcement isn't the worst idea.

dima wrote: ↑I've never once bothered to actually get this permit (like last week!) But that whole area is so overrun now (allegedly), that maybe some enforcement isn't the worst idea.

Haha! I don't think you need it for entering from Calamity Ridge.

Sean wrote: ↑Thanks for the TR. That's the first time I've heard of a ranger checking permits in the Cucamonga Wilderness. I wonder how many people bother to fill out that form these days. When I first started hiking that area you had to get the form from the visitor center. It was annoying.

Since I'm older than you..... I hiked up there some time between 91 and 93 and had a ranger ask for a permit just about the time I got to the boundary at the giant rocks in Icehouse Canyon. At the time I didn't know anything about the permits but he gave me one and a pencil to fill it out.

I've been asked for my permit a few times over the years. One time they were looking for a lost hiker and wanted to record who had been through a particular area and what they had and had not seen. The permits are free, so a good idea to pick one up at the trailhead