EISPIRATEN

10-13,14-08

PCT Section, Vincent's Gap to Mill Creek Summit: I left in the windy cold, and returned in the windy cold. Some hunter in between switchbacks up to Baden Powell was a little pissed that I said hi out loud. Seriously though, right in between switchbacks, the bullet's trajectory would have covered a dozen more. What kind of jackass...The ridge meanders down to Islip Saddle, then up towards Williamson only to psych you out and descend right back down. Pass the road a few times. Into endangered toad land. So many old and good times with my family has been spent on these very trails. Slog up to the road, descend again, and find some camping before Three points. Windy. Cold. The wind increases in consistency overnight. At times I am convinced I've been transported to the base of Yosemite Falls in spring time, or lying in front of the ocean. In the morning I find another PCT stash of water. Thank you PCT guardian. Colder, windier. Back and forth I go on the trail, this chunk doesn't see much action. Up to Pacifico much faster than anticipated. Call for ride, thumb a ride, rearrange ride, call everyone I know for a ride so as not to spend a fortnight at east Palmdale Burger King. Things end well, the end.



Documentation

Nice trip! All those familiar places! Look real good.

thx,

Kim

Nice pictures, thanks for posting.

Step on any yellow-legged frogs?

Thanks folks,

Frogs: Although I'm sure they are probably there, I didn't see any. They are thinking about shutting down south fork of Big Rock Creek for the same reason. They sent letters to all the residents asking if they thought this was a good idea. The real reason I think they want to shut it down? Overuse. The place gets abused in summer. Residents get tired of it too. So maybe its just an excuse or those frogs really need their space, I don't know. Doesn't mean that I'm gonna start climbing on Williamson Rock though, people are still holding out that it will be reopened, I'm skeptical but we'll see.

BTW: Hiking down the PCT/Cooper Canyon Trail from Cloudburst or the Buckhorn Trail gets you to the same place without any closed signs. Maybe they just want Williamson Rock to be closed.

The road leading to Pacifico from Mill Creek Summit is closed right now for removal of a tree that fell down from the winds.

amazing. Did you see other footprints on the rattlesnake trail section?
What a joke that whole closure section is. Almost all the signs are down and look like they have been down for a long time. If they were serious about keeping it off bounds then they would at least put them back up. They just don't really care.

awesome TR!

ive seen a yellow toad in the East Fork Narrows. thats the only one in the SG's.


I also saw one about 100 ft below Muir Pass(12000ft!) in the Sierras!
it was swimmin in the water that was coming out of a glacier ten feet above it.

The rattlesnake trail section looks like it sees a couple visitors every week. Some spots are overgrown and eroded, but I probably saw more footprints here than the backside of Pacifico.

I've seen them in the Sierra's as well, apparently they do very well in cold climates. They've always said trout were the problem, but recently I've read that they might not be. Hell, these frogs have their own website, those adulterous bastards: http://anuranblog.blogspot.com/2008/07/ ... ffair.html

MikeSash wrote:The rattlesnake trail section looks like it sees a couple visitors every week. Some spots are overgrown and eroded, but I probably saw more footprints here than the backside of Pacifico.

Was this sign at the rattlesnake section where it meets the ACH?

MikeSash wrote:Thanks folks,

Frogs: Although I'm sure they are probably there, I didn't see any. They are thinking about shutting down south fork of Big Rock Creek for the same reason. They sent letters to all the residents asking if they thought this was a good idea. The real reason I think they want to shut it down? Overuse. The place gets abused in summer. Residents get tired of it too. So maybe its just an excuse or those frogs really need their space, I don't know. Doesn't mean that I'm gonna start climbing on Williamson Rock though, people are still holding out that it will be reopened, I'm skeptical but we'll see.

Oh Great!

I wonder if the closure will be "temporary" like Littlerock Creek Canyon that has been closed since 1999

Before I get to pissed, did they provide a map of the proposed closure? It is the closure going to be South of the Southfork Canyon, or a bigger area? I sure hope we will still have access to the Punchbowl trail, and the Manzanita trail.

Fight on: that looks like the one

Kit Fox: They did not provide a map. I would hope they just mean from the south fork campground up, leaving the manzanita and the punchbowl trail available. Seems to me if they were gonna close down anything it'd be the lower section of the creek near the cabins, but maybe they'll work their way down. I got a ticket for exploring up Little Rock Creek 5-6 years ago. It was 50 bucks.

maybe it'll all be over once this happens:

Frogs? Frogs are for sissys. It's the plague of the first born that scares me. (guess what position in the birth order I am)

MikeSash wrote:Fight on: that looks like the one

Kit Fox: They did not provide a map. I would hope they just mean from the south fork campground up, leaving the manzanita and the punchbowl trail available. Seems to me if they were gonna close down anything it'd be the lower section of the creek near the cabins, but maybe they'll work their way down. I got a ticket for exploring up Little Rock Creek 5-6 years ago. It was 50 bucks.

I was told it was a $500 fine, i've never crossed that fence, not even once. I used to love to fish up there, but the "bathers" came out in force, ripped down all the fences, then they played in the water. The Forest Service was threatened with a lawsuit for not doing a better job of protecting the Toads. The FS response was to permanently lock the canyon up.


I'd love for them to close Big Rock Creek to swimming and "rock dam" building. The rock dams cause the stream to silt up, which ruins the trout habitat. Not to mention the streamside diapers, and other trash would be lessened.

MikeSash wrote:Fight on: that looks like the one.

So I gotta ask. When you read this sign, and walk past it, what goes through your mind?

I thought "man this is gonna get me a lot of chicks"

http://www.summitpost.org/image/453741/MikeSash.html

MikeSash wrote:I thought "man this is gonna get me a lot of chicks"

http://www.summitpost.org/image/453741/MikeSash.html

That's a new one! I've heard quite a number of personal preference reasons for ignoring posted signs and this ranks up in the top 4 or 5, I'll have to check to be sure. Well, thank God you were solo.

FIGHT ON wrote:...thank God you were solo.

yikes, that cat looks like it used steriods....

Mike-nice pics...thanks