10-10-2010 Matilija

The weather looked like it was going to be great for hiking this weekend. My regular hiking buddy Frank was up north, so I was on my own. I thought about an off trail adventure near Rock Creek. But, I got a little spooked by a couple of things. First, it's harvest time, and I've been hearing about busts in the Los Padres for the last month. One of my biggest fears of off-trail hiking is stumbling across some illegal farm, and getting murdered while no one knows where I am. The second factor was a co-worker of mines younger brother got bitten (twice) by a rattlesnake near the Gridly Trail. He spent a week in the hospital, and is looking at another month in a wheelchair. It was a close call, but it looks like he'll pull through okay. So I instead decided to hit a trail that I knew would have some people on it, in case something happened. I went up to Matilija, there's always people up there. I was saddened to find the new Forest Service signs up.

It makes it pretty clear, you're trespassing if you use the trail up the main fork past Blue Heron Ranch. You can't play dumb anymore. There's a sign at the trailhead for the Upper North Fork, and another at the entrance to the Blue Heron Ranch. Bummer. It's funny, in my last post I found a old sign that was used to mark a private holding, and I was really excited. Now this week I find a new sign that shows a private holding, and I couldn't be more disappointed.

09-18-2010 Piedra Blanca

I really wanted to get out this weekend and get some sort of hiking done. I just finished Ed Vistuers book, K2 Life and Death on the World's Most Dangerous Mountain. I thought it was a really good book. It recounts some amazing stories of people trying to summit the second highest peak in the world. It also got me fired up to get outside and put some miles under my feet. I had a few places in mind, and in the end settled on going to Piedra Blanca. I wanted to scout some rappelling routes, then go explore some of the rock formations nearby. I found an excellent 80-90ft rappel anchored by a super solid tree.

From the top of the rap I had a great view of Piedra Blanca Creek and Pine Mountain. I headed north up PB Creek for a bit, then I ditched the trail, and bushwhacked up a dry creek-bed that brought me above the canyon. I decided to head towards some trees to the northwest where my topo map said there was a spring. It was pretty choked with sagebrush up there. After about an hour of slow progress I came upon a trail. I was little bit surprised to find a trail up there. "What could it lead to?" I wondered. I wasn't sure it was a man made trail either. I couldn't find any bootprints in the dirt. But the trail definitely ran parallel to the dry creek-bed. I followed the trail for another hour or so. Then it just kinda petered out in to the brush. It was time for me to turn around anyway. So headed back the way I came. At the spot where I first picked up the trail I saw that there was a fork in the trail that lead back towards PB creek.

I decided to follow that instead of bushwhacking again. After a few hundred yards the trail brought me to a clearing where I found a an old rusty sign post. In welded letters it said "Spectrum #1 25-6N - 22W".

That was pretty cool. I always like finding old stuff. I thought it might be a old marker for an oil-well from way back when, but I really don't know what it is. (Update: After some research, and a helpful email, I've learned that those numbers correspond to The Public Land Survey System. I suspect that Spectrum #1 was the name of an oilwell.) The trail didn't seem to go back down to PB creek from there, so I had do a bit more bulldozing to get back to the creek-bed I came up. Then a short scramble and I was back on the main trail. I ran into a few people on the way back to the parking lot.

I had a really enjoyable day just wandering around doing my own thing. I want to go back up there again soon, and do some more exploring. Maybe even find a cool place to camp back there somewhere.

08-07-2010 Cienega Camp, Santa Paula Peak

I got an email last week from Dave Stillman asking if I wanted to hike to Cienega Camp. You bet I did. Last year Frank and I bushwhacked, crawled, and climbed through the Santa Paula Canyon East Fork in a vain attempt to find Cienega. We did find a ladybug orgy, a flowing spring, and dry waterfall on that trip. But no trail up Cienega was to be found.

Back to the present. I knew the hike up Santa Paula Peak would be a grueling one. The fog was still covering us when we got the trailhead at 8:00. After fifteen minutes of walking we were above the marine layer, and it was a bright, cloudless day from then on out. The trail up is pretty well maintained, and straightforward, and all uphill.

Looking down Timber Canyon

About two-thirds of the way up I saw on the side of the trail what I thought were bees. I had enough time to think to myself, "I've never had any problem with bees before" when I felt a red hot needle jab into my face, then another, and another. "Run!" I yelled to Frank who was a couple of feet ahead of me. They were all over me now. I felt a sting on my arm, my neck, the back of my leg. "Run!" I yelled again, "Bees!" Franks got the message and started running up hill. We got up a ways and stopped. Mistake, I'm still being attacked. Another sting to my face. We ran uphill some more. Finally they gave up. I found one last one hiding under my trekking pole strap digging his stinger into the back of my hand. I flicked him away, and saw that they were Yellowjackets, not bees. Whatever, my fucking face hurt! We sat for a moment and caught our breath. Hurt face or not we still had a mountain to get over. So we slogged on up. Frank ran out of water at the junction with the peak trail. We really hoped there would be water down at Cienega.

Looking down East Fork Canyon

The hiking was much easier now. The north side of Santa Paula Peak is a shady, tree (and poison oak) lined downhill hike. After a series of switch-backs I ran out of water too. But right then I heard the unmistakable sound of running water. There was a small creek flowing under a bridge someone had made from a fallen tree. We drank straight from the creek. Refreshed, we got up, and not to much further found Dave waiting for us at Cienega Camp. The campsite itself is huge. There's a gigantic picnic table, two large benches, and a bar.

We gathered wood, and Frank and I got our tents set up for the night. Then Dave took us up the trail a little ways to a enourmous boulder that had split in two. On top of the rock you could look down the entire East Fork and beyond.

Bear Heaven Bluffs

The Topatopa bluffs were off to the north-west. Back at camp we got a fire going and b-b-qued some amazing steaks.

Epic Grilling

Frank brought some homebrews and I brought a Prickly Pear Braggot. My face was starting to feel okay. We sat around the fire and talked until bedtime.

Enjoying a great fire

In the morning Frank made some bacon for breakfast. We filled up with water and headed back up 1200ft to the peak junction. We ditched our packs and scambled up to the peak.

It gets steeper as you get closer to the peak

It's an amazing view. We could see White Ledge Peak over Carpinteria, Hines Peak to our north, Cobblestone Peak, and Hopper Mountain to the west, and all of Santa Paula in front of us.

At the peak

Back on the main trail it took only an hour and a half to get back the trailhead. We said our goodbyes and headed back home. I'd like to thank Dave Stillman again for inviting us along this memorable hike.

The Most Remote Campsite in the Southern Los Padres

I haven't been getting out hiking much lately, so I thought I would see If anyone out there would be willing to share some information with us. I've been thinking about what is the most remote campsite in the Southern Los Padres National Forest. Almost every campsite here is within a days hike from its nearest trail-head. So I'm trying to think of camps that are more than a days hike away.

So, what I have come up with? How about Bluff Camp? I've never been there, but it looks like one would first hike up Santa Paula Peak, then stay at Cienega Camp, then the next day take a couple of hours to get up to Bluff Camp. It looks like if one were a real bad ass mofo they could probably get to Bluff in a long day. Has anyone out there ever been to Bluff Camp? I would appreciate any info you would like to share. Like when you were there, was there water, etc...

Then I found two other camps that I think are definitely two-dayers to get to. Cove Camp on Agua Blanca Creek looks extremely remote. From either Dough Flat or Lake Piru it looks like one would have to spend the night Ant Camp, or Log Cabin Camp respectively before moving on to Cove Camp.

The most remote campsite I could find would be Halfway Spring Camp. It's located way up some no-name tributary to Piru Creek. I think it would probably take a very long day hike to get Ellis Apiary Camp, then it looks like another very long trail-less hike up the no-name creek to Halfway Spring. I have no idea what you're halfway to once you get there. If you know any thing about Halfway Spring please let me know.

Do you know anything about these sites? Or if you know of a really remote campsite please share.

07-17-2010 Matilija Creek

I've been going a little stir crazy the last few weeks. I haven't done any hiking since early June. So, Frank and I decided we needed to get out this weekend and do something fun. We thought about heading out to Dough Flat, and going to Agua Blanca or Alder Creek, but with the forecast predicting 90+ degree weather we settled on the old familiar Matilija Creek.

There has been a lot of buzz in the local media about this area recently. One particular property owner doesn't want the public to use the trail that goes through his family's private property. Since there is no other way to get into the canyon, the public is denied access to this incredible place. To me it seems like this guy is basically trying to claim ownership of the 30,000 acre Matilija Wilderness because he owns the last plot on the road. This really irritates me. I've run into this same issue in Lake Piru as well. I think it's just fundamentally wrong for one property owner to block access to Federal, public land for no other reasons then they're cranky, and bitter. Thankfully, the good folks at the Blue Heron Ranch are still cool, and let people pass through their section of private property (I'm in no way speaking for them. I only say this because they have kept their gate open).

There are a ton of websites that will tell you all about the Matilija trail. The first post on this blog is about our hike up Matilija in January. So I won't bother with stuff that's been well covered before. We figured with it being summer time and all that there would probably be quite a few people heading up to the falls to swim. So we decided that to bring our rappelling gear, and drop down past Lower Matilija Falls.



Lower Matilija Falls a.k.a. the main falls

We climbed up the river-right side of the main falls. There is usually a rope set there to help you get up. I set our anchor in a crack in the rock near the point that looks over the upper pool. If you look at the picture above there's a little bush sticking out into the blue sky. That's where we set our anchor. There's a smaller pool right above the main falls I call "The Trap", we dropped in right above it. My anchor got stuck when we tried to pull it, so we left it there, and Frank said he would go get it when we were done.


A view from above The Trap


Rappelling past the main falls

After getting past the main falls there is no trail. Sometimes we had to find our way through the growth by crawling, climbing, or bulldozing our way through. It takes only a couple of minutes to get to the next swim hole from the drop in point. We have called this swim hole "The Wedge" because of the dramatic geology around it.


The Wedge

It was really hot when we got there. 94 degrees to be precise. The creek however, was a cool 63. It's been about two years since I've been to this spot. This used to be a great place to jump into. We were able to jump from perches about 15ft up from both sides and not touch the bottom. I'd guess it was probably 12 feet deep. But now the water is only about waist deep. I guess it got filled up with rocks over the last two years. I was kinda bummed.


View of Matilija Canyon from above The Wedge

We climbed up the the steep rocks on the side to a similar, but more shaded pool right above The Wedge. It too is only about waist deep water. We hung out up there for about an hour then went back down and got ready to head back.


The Wedge's sister

A swift footed fellow named Matt had climbed down using my pull-cord, and had gone exploring further up creek. He returned to The Wedge at about the same time as we were getting ready to head out as well. Matt was able to climb hand-over-hand back up. I don't like climbing hand-over-hand, so Frank and I decided to hoof it out via a rocky slope on the river-left side. Matt was kind enough to throw us our anchor so we wouldn't have to come back for it. I really appreciated that, thanks Matt. The slope is a pain in the butt. It's really choked with sage brush and manzanita on the way up. And the way down is a steep scree run with lots of loose rocks.

The hike back was pleasant enough for how hot it was. I'd like to go back up there sometime, but I think I'll wait for it to cool down a bit before I try again. I like comments, feel free to leave one.

06-10-2010 Tar Creek

The Big Pool, Bear Heaven in the background

Frank and I decided that a day hike to Tar Creek was in order. We figure the water levels will be getting pretty low soon. And as the water heats up with the summer the algae will really bloom.

We got to the lower falls quickly, and easily. I finally worked up enough courage to jump from the 40ft perch. It was the highest jump I've ever done for sure.


Trying to work up some courage

Frank brought my boat, and floated in the big pool for awhile.


Relaxing in style


Snakes in love

A family of nude hikers made their way down from their camp at the cascades. The mom and the kid put some clothes on when they saw us, but dad was not about to cover up. What got me wasn't the lack of clothing, but that they weren't wearing any shoes. You have to be pretty dedicated to your nakedness to walk through the rough, and jagged boulders of Tar Creek without any foot protection. They hung out for a bit, and then they headed back to their camp, barefoot, and bare-ass. We took off shortly after the family did. I think we were both feeling pretty good because we made it up the Tar Creek hill in 38 minutes, a personal record. If you're thinking about hitting up Tar Creek this year, the countdown is on, hurry up. Contact me or leave a comment if you have any questions or anything.

05-16-2010 Sespe Gauntlet

Tar Creek, Sespe, Bear Heaven, The West Fork, Topatopa Mountain

I've been thinking about this hike for a long time. I think it started a few years ago when I was looking around on the internets for info on Tar Creek when I came across Christopher Brennen's web-book. In it he describes a hike that starts at Dough Flat links up with the Sespe at Alder Creek and ends at Tar Creek (or Devil's Gate). The most intriguing part of the hike to me had to be what he called "The Squeezes", three deep pools on the Sespe that had to swam across to be passed. The idea of floating alongside my pack in the Ventura backcountry has fascinated me since I read about it. I know that Frank and Zach had made a sort of ill prepared attempt at this hike ten years ago. Only to be turned back by a raging Sespe and to be driven out of Lions Camp by the late Tony Alvis.


Sleeping Indian Rock

Instead of starting at Dough Flat, I wanted to start at the Piedra Blanca trailhead (Lions Camp)and then camp at Willett Hot Spring, then Sespe Hot Springs, then in the Sespe Narrows, and finally camp at the Tar Creek / Sespe confluence. So, armed with Brennen's directions we headed out for six days of adventure on the Sespe. The hike out to Willett is nothing special. I described it in my last post. What I didn't mention in that post was that we had stashed supply's and eight beers up there. That allowed us enough room in our packs to bring fresh food for dinner the first night. What a meal we had. Frank brought Fillet Mignon (wow!), I brought some Tri-tip and Zach brought Bulgogi. Jeremiah rolled into camp with some fresh veggies.


Zach and Jeremiah grill it up

We had so much food we were able to feed the two other people staying up there as well. One them told us he was a runner in The Coyote Two Moon, a crazy looking race. After diner we headed up to the tub and relaxed with our beers for a bit. The four of us were able to sleep in the bunk beds at the condo that night. In the morning we had a big breakfast and then got ready to head on to Sespe Hot Springs. At one of the creek crossings along the six mile trail to the Hot Springs we ran into a group of upbeat kids from Thacher School. They had spent the night at Shady Camp and were headed towards Willett. What awesome school to go to. We walked past Cottriell Flat. I didn't stop to see if the camp was still there.


Cottriell Flat

Right as we got into Hot Spring Canyon it started to rain lightly. We made our way up to the Hot Springs and pitched camp at spot with a couple of palm trees. Frank measured the temperature, and the hot water bubbles out of the side the canyon walls at 189 degrees Fahrenheit! Right next to the Palm Tree Camp are a couple of one person pools that were a nice 106 degrees, perfect for a nice morning soak. It continued to drizzle rain throughout the night. I was a little scared that we might have to postpone going into the Sespe. The threat of flash floods is real. But the rain was light, and didn't really raise the water level at all. In the morning I got up and took a nice bath in one of the hot pools. Jeremiah earned canyoneer of the week honors for packing out a bunch of Keystone Light cans that some jerk had left behind.


Relaxing in scalding hot water

Right where the Upper Sespe Trail starts to head up over a saddle towards Shady Camp there's a sign that says, "Devil's Gate: 15" this is where you should take off your hiking boots and put on your water shoes (I'd also recommend some heavy wool or neoprene socks).


A good sign

We spent the next five hours walking down the middle of the Sespe. I think trying to find a way through here without getting your feet wet is next to impossible. Slogging through the creek was actually a lot of fun. The water was only about shin high most of the time. After a couple of hours we could feel the cold water of Alder Creek mixing in with the Sespe. We saw our only Condor of the trip circling above the Stone Corral.



Contemplating my next move

Finally we reached the campsite described in Brennen' guide. It's actually not a campsite per say, but more of a beach with a stone fire ring.



Overhang Falls Camp

There was plenty of room for the four of us. The site was so nice, that we decided to spend the next day there too. So we spent our forth day just exploring and swimming in the canyon. Late in the afternoon two other hikers passed through (Jen and Wes? Sorry, I forgot your names). They were real cool, and we would see them a few more times before our trip was over.


Sunset on The Sespe

That night it was really windy. None of us got a good nights sleep. Part of it was the wind, and at least for me, it was partly the excitement of the next days hike keeping me up. We packed up early. I lined my bag with a garbage bag in case I took a dunking in the creek. Soon after we started out, we passed by the two other hikers at their camp. They had had a close call with a falling boulder in the middle of the night, and seemed pretty shaken up by it. We wished each other luck, and our group continued on. The area near the First Squeeze is known as the Sespe Gorge. The power of the Sespe is on full display here.





The creek picks up speed and thunders over the boulders into a narrow chute, the First Squeeze, then spills out into a wide pool. We were able to get through this section without swimming. As a matter of fact we were able to get through all the "squeezes" without swimming. I don't think the water was low, but rather the dep pools had been filled with sediment. I don't know if these will get washed out when a really heavy storm hits, or maybe that's what filled them up. We were all a bit disappointed that we didn't have to float our bags and swim the narrow sections.


The First Squeeze


The Second Squeeze

We had been taking turns carrying my 3lb inflatable boat for nothing. I guess it's better safe than sorry, though. As we trudged on through the Sespe we refilled our bottles with water springing right from the base of Topatopa mountain.


Pure clean water


Approaching the Third Squeeze

The river water got cloudy-er as we neared Grassy Flat. And there's nothing flat about Grassy Flat. It's just a lot of rocks and brush. The West Fork is so overgrown I didn't even notice it as we passed by. When we found several nasty open pits of bubbling oil seeping into the creek we knew we were getting close to Tar Creek.


An open oil pit

As we made our way closer to our camp I turned back to see how everyone was doing. Right at that moment, maybe a few hundred feet away from us and a black jet roared through the canyon at a ridiculous speed, pulled a high-G bank straight up near Tar Creek Falls, did a couple of barrel rolls, leveled out, and then shot off east like a bat out of hell. The sound of it rushing by was incredibly loud, and scared the piss out of me.

Soon after that we got to the two gigantic boulders that I call Patty and Selma. They block the way to Tar Creek. Where they meet in the creek they form a formidably powerful waterfall. The only way past them is to balance your way down a log placed on the east side of the creek. A few minutes later we were at the Tar Creek camp. Like Willett we had hiked in a few weeks before and stashed some beers and food. So that night as we ate up the rest of our freeze dried meals and drank our hard earned beer. We talked about what we wanted to eat when we got back civilization.




The next morning we packed up our stuff for the last time. We made sure our camp was completely clean. My policy is to pack out any trash (within reason) I find in the Condor Sanctuary. Zach dubbed the trail up from the Sespe to Tar Creek the Donkeyballs Trail because it's such a bastard. Jeremiah was able to cut over from the trail to the bottom falls of Tar Creek. We all met up at the Cascades.


Grace in motion

At first we were the only ones there. Jeremiah and I cleaned up the make-shift campsites at the Cascades. We found a bunch of beer cans, a disturbing number of Blow-Pop wrappers, and even an old rope. As we made our way up the Tar Creek hill I kept finding more wrappers and cigarette butts. And then at the top of the hill our ride was waiting for us. A few minutes later Wes and Jen rolled up. We had made it. Thirty some-odd miles (twelve or so in the water)over six days. I thought I would feel totally beat after such a long haul. But to the contrary, I felt supercharged.




So to sum it all up, I had a great time. Despite not having to swim through the squeezes this was a really rewarding trip. We all worked as a team, helping each other out when we needed to. In the past I was proud of making it through the Stone Corral, and "finding" the Upper Matilija Falls was pretty cool, and I've completed some other hard hikes, but this was the most satisfying hike I've ever done. I'd love to try it starting from Dough Flat some time.