September 2014 – Los Padres Forest Association

LPFA Transverse – HOTEMBER

Posted on September 17, 2014 by Bryan Conant

Whoa, has it been hot! September is usually one of the hottest months across the Los Padres and 2014 is no different. Most of the backcountry has been baking and taking the remaining water with it. We’ve been getting reports of places drying up that we didn’t think was possible. Reports of the Carmel River drying up, Upper Indian Creek dry and everything else at all-time low levels. There was a backpacker last week in the Sespe that had to be airlifted out due to heat stroke and dehydration. If you are heading to the mountains and are unsure if there will be water, it’s best to be on the safe side and plan on there being no water – bring every drop you might need. And of course, before you head out, contact your local Forest Service and ask them for any recent reports. You can always ask us as well and we’ll see if we can dig anything up.

Now all that being said, the forecast is changing and temperatures will be going down over the next few days and into next week. And don’t look now, the northern reaches of the Los Padres even have some rain in the forecast.

NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY

September 27 is National Public Lands Day (NPLD). NPLD is the single greatest day across the United States for volunteerism and the Los Padres is no exception. There are a series of projects scattered across the forest including trail work, invasive plant removal, sign installation, trash cleanup and Visitor Center maintenance. We put together a webmap to help highlight all the projects. Check it out:

http://bit.ly/1mfyU6j

Hope to see you out there somewhere and if you have a project you’d like us to include on the map, let us know.

Devils Gateway, Agua Blanca – September 2014

W O R K I N G V A C A T I O N

Each year the LPFA hosts a larger-than-normal trail project that we call a Working Vacation. The Working Vacations usually involve a cook, stock support and an ideal location for volunteers to work the trail while at the same time feel a little more pampered than a usual trail project. This year we’ve been asked to support the Ojai Ranger District by hosting a Working Vacation on the Potholes Trail outside of Lake Piru. The Potholes Trail also happens to be a key component of the Condor Trail. We scouted the trail a few weeks ago and the project is taking shape for sometime in November with Log Cabin Camp along the Agua Blanca being the basecamp. Details to come in the next weeks. If you are interested in hearing more, please let us know and we’ll get you on the list: info@LPForest.org

S A N T A C R U Z S C R E E

For those of you who have hiked the Santa Cruz Trail from Upper Oso up towards Little Pine, no doubt you remember the scree slides along the southern face of Little Pine. These slides have been terrorizing trail users and frustrating trail builders since Hector was a pup. Last week the LPFA headed out that way to install two short lengths of rope to aid hikers and bikers as they cross the infamous slides. We’ve been hearing tales of people refusing to go through the slides out of fear. If nothing else, the rope should provide confidence and assurance that the slides are safe to pass. So far we’ve heard compliments from both the hiking and biking community. In the meantime the search for a permanent solution to the scree slides goes on…….

LPFA Transverse – First Week of September

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Bryan Conant

WBP View, photo Masticator

Good Afternoon. I thought we’d start right off with the eye candy. Great shot taken a few weeks back looking west from the top of West Big Pine (WBP) in the San Rafael Wilderness. You can barely see the tip of the Hurricane Deck if you know where to look. There was water at Big Pine Camp but the best time to visit WBP is fall through early summer when the nights are cold and there is a chance of snow. Lets get to it…….

F I R E R E S T R I C T I O N S

As mentioned last week, the fire restriction order has been amended to allow persons with valid California Campfire Permits to use portable camping stoves in the forest. The official orders are attached. There are still no campfires allowed in the forest but you can bring a portable camping stove or lantern. I do want to apologize for any mixed messages that might have been received with the order and subsequent amendment. At the end of the day, this is a great gesture by the Forest Service in trusting that the forest users will be responsible with our camping stoves. It’s dry out there, be careful everyone. One last note, the State Parks along the Big Sur Coast are also not allowing campfires. The nights are still warm, enjoy the stars………

W I L D E R N E S S A N N I V E S A R Y

Earlier this week, September 3 to be exact, marked the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. Congratulations to all of us. Really, the whole world should celebrate this day. There have been quite a few events planned In recognition of the Wilderness Act turning 50 and there will be a bunch more through the Fall and into 2015. We’ll keep everyone posted as the events come up, which segues nicely into the SCAPE Wilderness art event on the weekend of September 19-20 – see attached. Come on out and see some beautiful art pieces highlighting the Los Padres Forest Wilderness areas. The Forest Service and LPFA will have booths setup at the Friday night event. Hope to see you there……….

F I G U E R O A S I G N S

Super volunteer Mike Smith, he of goat fame, continues to chip away at new signs along the Figueroa Mtn network of trails. The signs are hand cut out of steel and designed to match the style of signs that have frequented these trails for the past 70 years. Very cool! There are 5 new signs installed to date. If anyone would like to donate to the sign cause, please let us know: info@LPForest.org

R E F U G I O F I R E , 1 9 5 5

A friend of the LPFA forwarded us an interesting video showing the Refugio Fire of 1955. It’s a classic old news-clip showing why fire prevention is necessary, what methods were used to fight the fire and how post-fire prevention was handled nearly 60 years ago. If you are in Fire or like to see old video of the Santa Ynez Mountains, you’ll like this. Some of you will even notice Los Prietos from back in its glory days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0n-_lP9iGs&feature=player_embedded#

And of course, Ray Ford has a writeup of the Refugio Fire for those who want to dive a little deeper:
http://www.independent.com/news/2007/jun/28/refugio-fire-1955/