Bryan Conant – Page 17 – Los Padres Forest Association

Hunting the Chorro Fire

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Alamar Camp, Fresh after a LPFA Summer cleaning, photo Humphrey
AlamarCamp

Hi Everyone – hope you are staying cool and enjoying your summer,

We’ve had another busy week on the LP, to say the least. Great work to the Forest Service and fire crews for knocking down the Chorro Fire, which started earlier this week near the junction of the Chorro Grande Trail and Hwy 33 above Ojai. At the moment the Chorro Fire has burned 282 acres and is 90% contained. The cause of the fire is under investigation. As a result of the fire, the following roads/trails/camps are temporarily closed: Pine Mountain Rd (Reyes Peak), Oak Camp, Chorro Grande Trail, Potrero John Camp and Trail, Boulder Creek Trail and the pine mountain portion of the Piedra Blanca Trail. Please be sure to use extreme caution with your campfires, outdoor equipment or other potential fire related activities. For more information on fire prevention and education, check the One Less Spark website below:

http://www.preventwildfireca.org/OneLessSpark/
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photo Humphrey

DEER HUNTING ZONE A

This weekend marks the start of deer hunting season in Zone A South. You can see a map of Zone A here, but it basically covers all the Los Padres other than the section in Ventura and Kern Counties north of Sespe Creek and east of Hwy 33. Zone A season is from August 8 (Saturday) through September 20. For those heading into the forest this weekend, expect to see a lot more people than usual, especially at the popular deer hunting locations. Depending on what activities you have planned, you may want to rethink your plans and be sure to wear bright colors. Hunting occurs mainly in the hours around sunrise and sunset. For those of you who will be hunting, be safe and good luck. More information on hunting regulations and Zone A can be found here.

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LPFA FACEBOOK

In case you weren’t aware, the LPFA has a small social media presence with both Facebook and Twitter accounts. We try to post forest-related news, updates, articles and stories every day or two. In fact trending right now is a topic involving the now infamous Lizard Man of Rancho Nuevo. Check us out on Facebook if you haven’t already.

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FOREST RELATED EVENTS

VENTURA COUNTY FAIR
The Ojai Ranger District will have a booth at the Ventura County Fair. The Fair starts today and lasts through August 16. Rumor has it that the Ojai District has won awards in the past for their great booths and that this years booth will be the best ever. If you’re in the neighborhood be sure to stop by and say hello. More information here: http://www.venturacountyfair.org/

RAY STRONG PROJECT
If you haven’t heard of Ray Strong, chances are you’ve seen his work many times. Ray Strong was a Santa Barbara based painter who is famous for capturing the soul of the Los Padres within his paintings. He’s probably most known for painting many of the exhibit backgrounds within the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum. In honor of Ray Strong, this summer there are a number of exhibits featuring his incredible work. For those interested in art with a Los Padres flavor, be sure to find your way to one of these showings. You can learn more about the Ray Strong Project and see a list of exhibit dates here: http://www.theraystrongproject.com/

Rain Rain, COME BACK!

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Cuyama River, Two Days After Flooding, Where’d It All Go?

Hello Everyone!

We’ve had some weather. Hurricane Delores did her thing and sent some rain and thunder storms our way last week. It was about as exciting as summer weather gets along the California coastal ranges.

The rain started Saturday with much of Southern California seeing an entire day of rain, very heavy in some places. Sunday through Wednesday was the more typical thunder storms with morning sun being replaced by fluffy thunderclouds and rain by the afternoons. As the map shows above, the rain hit hardest in the southern Los Padres but most of the forest did see some precipitation at some point over the week. Matilija in Ventura County saw the most rain with nearly 4 inches (in July!). Frazier Park recorded 3.5″ which resulted in flash floods and quite a few road closures. At one point on Saturday, all roads between Mt. Pinos and Frazier Park were closed due to floods. There were reports of people being stranded overnight due to the road closures. Santa Barbara didn’t see as much rain but the Sierra Madre received over 2″ at both Bates and SB Potrero. Interestingly, SLO County got more rain than SB with most places having over 1.5″ across the forest. Monterey up into Big Sur didn’t get much rain but did see some incredible lightning and thunder displays. We’ve had reports coming in showing new green grass sprouting across the forest and increased flow in the creeks. If nothing else, this most recent rain might extend the campfire season. We’ll say a fond farewell to Delores and see what comes next.

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Still Spring on Mt. Pinos

AROUND THE FOREST NEWS

Some stories and links you might find interesting from across the Forest:

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LOST BIG SUR HIKER
Earlier this month a hiker went missing at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Sadly, after nearly a week, the search was suspended. You can read more about it through a Google search or here.

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CONDORS AND TAR CREEK
There was a recent article in the High Country News about the Tar Creek (Ventura County) closure and its influence on the condors in the area. The article highlights some of the Forest Service efforts to control the situation at Tar Creek. Certainly worth a read if interested.

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CONDOR IN SANTA BARBARA
This story made it’s way through Social Media land but in case you missed it, a wild/free condor made a rare visit to Santa Barbara late last month. Yankee Barbareno did a good job of documenting and sharing the information on his blog. You can read it here. Perhaps one day the condor will be feeding along the beaches again, that would be cool to see.

Running and Trail Working

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Fluffy Bear Tracks – July 2, 2015

Good Afternoon Los Padres!

This photo was taken earlier this morning showing some fresh bear tracks along the Buckhorn Rd in Santa Barbara County. The Buckhorn was recently graded, which resulted in a thin layer of fluffy dust atop the road. Yesterday there were a few sprinkles that fell in the area which added to the fluff factor along the road. Right smack in the middle of the road were bear tracks going from Upper Oso Camp up through the Oso Narrows and onto the Santa Cruz Trail. It was the observation of the photographer that the bear had been down near the camp getting at the water in the narrows and took the road back up-canyon. It’s going to be an interesting year watching how the wildlife deal with the lack of water across portions of the forest. If you come across anything interesting or different on your hikes, packs or rides – please send our way. We’d love to hear your stories and share if possible.

SANTA BARBARA RANGER DISTRICT
10 MILE TRAIL RUN
SB100Run

The LPFA has been partnering with the Santa Barbara 100 endurance trail run for the past few years. The event is a 100mile, 100k and now a 10mile run across the Santa Barbara Backcountry. Our participation has been hosting an Aid Station along the course. This year the event is Friday July 10 through Sunday July 12 and the LPFA will be hosting an Aid Station at mile 5 & 95 along the route. Basically we greet runners as they enter the Station, register them into the Station, check to see if they are doing okay, supply them with anything they might need (food, liquid, warmth, cold, etc….), show them the way towards the next Station and pump them up for the long miles they have in front of them. It might not sound like too much fun but it’s really a good time. The runners are genuinely thankful to have the support and it’s great to see these athletes accomplishing something as remarkable as running 100miles along trails. It’s very cool. If any of you would be interested in helping at the Aid Station, we’ll be there Friday night through Sunday morning and would love as much help as you could volunteer. Let us know: INFO@LPForest.org

AND, in addition, the LPFA will be receiving all proceeds from the registration cost ($35) of the 10mile run. All proceeds will be going directly to the LPFA Trail Care Program. So if you are at all interested in running 10miles next Saturday (July 11), please sign up knowing your money will go to a good cause! Plus you’ll see us at the 5mile Aid Station. For more information about the 10mile event, please see the link here.

ACE ACED SANTA CRUZ
SantaCruzAceWork

This past May, the American Conservation Experience (ACE) was hired to work a section of the Santa Cruz Trail in the San Rafael Wilderness. The LPFA helped set them up at base camp and then guide them up to the work site. Their mission was to work the southern slope of the trail that climbs from Coche Camp up to Mission Pine Basin. ACE had 8 workers out there for a week hammering away at the old trail, which hadn’t been worked in over a decade and was severely damaged by the 2007 Zaca Fire. They did great work, we were all very impressed with what they were able to accomplish. Don’t take my word for it, take a look at the photo above. We’ll be posting more photos in the coming days both on HikeLosPadres.com and also on the LPFA Facebook page. You can see the extent of their work on the map below.

Have a safe 4th of July!
Hope you can get out along the trail and please be careful!

Los Padres is Large

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Santa Barbara Canyon Washout, photo Humphrey

Hello Everyone,

The photo above was taken last week along Santa Barbara Canyon in the Mt. Pinos Ranger District. This was the area hit hardest by the micro-burst tropical storm from three weeks ago. Just up-canyon from here received over an inch of rain in less than an hour. This resulted in a flash flood that wiped out the road. Sort of ironic that too much water is causing problems for the Los Padres this summer.

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CONDOR TRAIL HIKER UPDATE
BrittanyCT

Left, Brittany May 13 at the iconic Piru Condor Tree
Right, Brittany June 19 wearing a few pounds of dirt at Bottcher’s Gap

The idea of the Condor Trail started just about 20 years ago with the dream of creating a hiking route that connected trails from Lake Piru to NIRA through Ventura and SB Countues. Since then the dream has grown and the Condor Trail now spans over 410 trail miles covering the entire length of the Los Padres from Lake Piru (southern Ojai Ranger District) up to Bottchers Gap (northern Monterey Ranger District). While hikers have done large chunks of the Condor Trail (CT) over the years, no one had ever hiked the entire thing, until now. Brittany Nielson became the first finisher of the Condor Trail earlier this month when she completed the hike from Lake Piru to Bottcher’s Gap. She solo-hiked the trail and finished in 37 days. It was interesting talking with her before and after her hike. I think she gained an appreciation for the Los Padres and a respect for how challenging our forest can get. She tackled long sections with no trail, heavy bushwhacking in deep canyons, temps ranging from freezing to triple figures, 15mile stretches with no water and day after day without seeing a single person (less than 20 people along the entire trail). But, she also hiked under old growth redwoods, covered elevations from over 7,000ft to sea level, saw incredible wildlife, ocean views, deep pools and got to experience the solitude the LP is famous for. She basically took a crash course in Los Padres Backcountry, learning things in a month that many of us took years and years to learn. Speaking on behalf of everyone involved in supporting her journey, we’re all so proud of Brittany for her resiliency, tough skin, happy go-lucky attitude and ability to fight through the hard times. This is quite an accomplishment and one that will no doubt put her somewhere in the LP hall of fame. What’s next for the Condor Trail and/or Brittany? She would like to return next season and do the hike again. Perhaps when she does there will be some other thru-hikers following in her footprints along the Condor Trail as well.

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DAVY BROWN TRAIL PROJECT

Happy Trail Workers

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The Sierra Club offers a variety of service outings that are organized through their national charter. These service outings take their volunteers across the country doing volunteer work with various agencies and organizations. When the Sierra Club was told that their service outing to pull non-native plants at El Capitan State Beach was going to be cancelled due to the Gaviota oil spill, they quickly changed their plans and instead spent a day doing volunteer trail work in the Los Padres. The LPFA got an email saying there were 13 volunteers needing a trail to work, and we knew right where to put them. Last week we led the 13 volunteers up the Davy Brown Trail in the Santa Lucia Ranger District. While the temps were hot, we were able to work about 2miles of trail. It was great seeing people from outside Central California spending their free time helping our forest. They were impressed with the Los Padres and we’ve already started a dialog where we’re hoping to lead future projects with the Sierra Club service outings throughout the Los Padres. Lemons into lemonade for sure.

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LPFA Big Sur Wilderness Celebration

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Bryan Conant

BIG SUR WILDERNESS CELEBRATION

For those of you in the Big Sur area or wanting an excuse to cruise Hwy 1, the LPFA is hosting a Wilderness Celebration at Big Sur Station on Saturday June 27 from 10am – 4pm. The event will be held outside the Big Sur Station and will feature bluegrass music by the Zach Brough Band, a climbing wall for the kiddies (and non-kiddies), informational booths (Ventana Wildlife Society, Ventana Wilderness Alliance, California State Parks, Forest Service, etc….), food, local photographer exhibits and a children’s arts and crafts area. Gonna be a great time! See here for more information. Hope to see you there…….

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KIOSK INSTALLATIONS

The Santa Lucia Ranger District was able to design and secure new kiosks to be placed at 7 of the San Rafael and Dick Smith Wilderness trailheads. This past weekend, a group of volunteers installed three of the new kiosks at the NIRA and Cachuma Saddle trailheads. Up next is McPherson Peak, Rancho Nuevo and Santa Barbara Canyon. If you are interested in helping with the next wave of installations, please email INFO@LPForest.org

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WOODPECKER TRAIL PROJECT
SEQUOIA NATIONAL FOREST

Mike Smith is leading a trail project in the Sequoia on June 26-28. The work will be along the Woodpecker Trail and will be mostly chainsaw bucking fallen trees that are blocking the trail. For more information or to sign up, contact Mike Smith at: michael.d.smith@ulalaunch.com

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Upcoming Events and Projects
June 27: Big Sur Wilderness Celebration
July 10-12: Bear Sisquoc Crosscut
July 10-12: Santa Barbara 100 Endurance Run Support
August: Madulce Trail Crosscut
September: Alamar Trail Crosscut

Thunderstorms, Thru-Hikers and National Trails Day

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Old Man Thundercloud

Hello Everyone!

What a crazy weather week we enjoyed last week, especially in the Santa Barbara and Ventura backcountry areas. It started with a tropical storm last Tuesday that dropped significant rain across the forest. Most of the Forest got rain with the highest concentration (one inch) occurring on the frontcountry above Santa Barbara. The weather changed on Wednesday and brought in some incredible thunderstorms that blanketed the backcountry through the weekend. There were reports of flooding along the Cuyama River and Santa Barbara Potrero recorded an inch of rain in just over an hour – that’s a lot! We had some of the more impressive storms that we get to see around here. We even heard comparisons to thunderstorms in New Mexico and the south west. Pretty cool stuff and we’ll certainly take every bit of rain we can get. The weather has settled back down and most of the interior is HOT with coastal regions displaying the typical June gloom. Always nice to see some exciting weather………

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY
NationalTrailsDayGroup

There were three trail projects across the Los Padres on Saturday June 6 for National Trails Day. The LPFA hosted an event along the North Cold Spring Trail. Our focus was to fix a particularly nasty slide section of the trail that has been causing problems for hikers for most of the past two decades. We had a great time and did a fantastic job cleaning up the slide. Big thanks to REI, Figueroa Mountain Brewing, Los Padres Trail Riders, Jack’s Bagels and the Forest Service for their support of the project. They say a picture tells a thousand words, check the movie below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNQhRkexUT0&feature=youtu.be

CONDOR TRAIL
CondorTrailBanner

Most of you have probably heard about the Condor Trail. For those who have not, it’s a route of connected trails that cross the Los Padres Forest from the Ventura/Los Angeles County line in the south up to Bottcher’s Gap in Monterey County. The total length of the trail is 411 miles long. The concept of the trail has been around for nearly 20 years, headed up by the Condor Trail Association. Over the years we’ve had a few people attempt to hike large sections of the trail but no one ever attempted to hike the entire thing….. until now. In mid-May a solo female hiker name Brittany started on the trail from Lake Piru. She has now been on the trail for nearly 5 weeks and is on pace to complete the trail later this week and become the first Condor Trail finisher. It’s been a roller coaster journey for Brittany. She’s had to endure snow, heat and lost trails but along the trail has met new friends and had some amazing experiences. We’ll keep you posted as the she gets close to finishing. I’m sure she’ll have some great stories to share. Most amazing in my opinion is that before she started this hike, she had never set foot in the Los Padres. Good luck Brittany on her last 60miles of trail.

ROAD UPDATES
GraderBanner

Some quick updates on access issues across the Forest:

ROMERO CAMUESA ROAD
The gate to the Romero Camuesa Rd at Divide Peak is scheduled to reopen Wednesday of this week. A combination of rain and a crew working on the road has led to the closure.

DOUGH FLAT / SQUAW FLAT
The retaining wall construction continues along the Dough/Squaw Flat Rd in Ojai. The road is scheduled to reopen June 19 but until then the road will be closed from 8am – 12pm and again from 1pm – 5pm. Call the Forest Service for more information.

HIGHWAY 1 / NORTHERN SLO / SOUTHERN MONTEREY
There is continued retaining wall construction along Highway 1 near the Monterey/SLO County line. There seems to be weekly changes as to when the road will be closed or open. Currently the road is closed at night time for construction and open during the day. If heading along Highway 1 either to or from Big Sur, you’ll want to contact CalTrans to get the most up-to-date information on closures. http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/road_information.htm

That’s it for now. Enjoy the week………..

Hungry For National Trails Day

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Santa Cruz Drainage, photo Fosters

Almost like clockwork, the June gloom has set in. After a few weeks of abnormally cool May weather, which included some snow at the higher elevations, we appear to be settling in to the usual June gloom coastal patterns and hotter inland temps. We’re also starting to get reports that some of the creeks and rivers are drying up. The flow has receded to a trickle and in some cased to no water whatsoever. There is still more water on the surface than there was at this time last year but most of the springs are at all time low flow rates and we should expect dry conditions throughout most of the backcountry within the next month or two. If heading out on a trip, be sure to choose your destination wisely. Check the weather forecasts, avoid the heat and check in with the various websites like www.HikeLosPadres.com or www.VentanaWild.org for the most recent water reports.

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY: June 6

June 6 is National Trails Day. We mentioned this a few weeks ago but have a few more details this time around. There are three trail projects scheduled in the Los Padres that weekend. This is a great opportunity to get out, volunteer, meet people, learn about the Forest, get some exercise, off the couch and into the fresh air. Not only should you try to make it to one of these events, but try to bring a friend along or someone who doesn’t frequent the Forest. I promise they’ll be excited about the day and end up thanking you for getting them out there. Who knows, it could make an everlasting change in their lives and it would be all thanks to you! Hope to see you out there……. Click the links below to learn more.

Cold Spring Trail North, Santa Barbara County Piedra Blanca Trail, Ventura County Romero Trail, Santa Barbara County

Getting hungry yet?

JIM & ROB’S FUND RAISER

We’re really excited to announce a fund raiser for the Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center at Jim & Rob’s restaurant in Ojai on Tuesday June 2. See the attached flier for more information. Long story short, the Visitor Center at Wheeler is in desperate need of a new AC unit. We host weekly educational interpretive events at Wheeler and it can get dreadfully hot in the conference room. When then AC does finally kick in, first it sounds like a large airplane is taking off in the corner and second the cooling is not what it once was. We are beginning a fund raising campaign to raise $15,000 to replace the AC and position it outside of the conference room. Jim and Rob’s will be donating 20% of all proceeds from dinner sales that night to help replace the AC unit. If you are within driving distance of Ojai, we’d love to see you at Jim and Rob’s. The food is great, atmosphere is fun and where else can you eat a burrito and raise money at the same time. A temporary professional food eater. Hope to see you there and again check out the attached flier.

FOREST 411

DOUGH FLAT ROAD CLOSURE
Dough Flat Road out of Fillmore (aka Squaw Flat Rd) is closed due to reconstruction of a retaining wall. We got word this past weekend that the closure is 8miles before you get to Dough Flat. So if you are planning a trip to that part of the Forest be sure to plan on an extra 8miles of road hiking/biking before you get to the trailhead. The road is supposed to reopen May 28. We’ll keep you posted as to when the road reopens.

GIBRALTAR ROAD OPEN
Gibraltar Road in SB County has been reopened after a few weeks of repaving. Rumor is that the work is not done just yet but it will be open for at least the next few weeks. Probably really good road biking up there right about now.

PARADISE ROAD MAINTENANCE
Paradise Rd, also in SB County, is getting a facelift at the moment as well. It is not closed but there are rather long waits going up or down the canyon as a pilot car is needed to chauffeur cars along the road. Heading up-canyon, the pilot car is leading twice an hour at 15after and 15before the hour. Coming down-canyon, the pilot leads on the hour and on the half hour. The closure currently starts near Paradise Campground and word was that earlier today it took almost an hour to get from Paradise Camp to First Crossing. The work is scheduled to last until August and is on weekdays starting at 0630 and ending at approximately 1630. Plan accordingly.

FIRST AID COURSES
The LPFA is working on scheduling a First Aid certification class this Fall in Santa Barbara County. This is the necessary cert for any crosscut sawyers or chainsaw operators. Dates are flexible but if you would like to attend please let us know. The cost will be around $40 and the class will be one day. INFO@LPForest.org for more information.

DO YOU LOVE PLANTS?
The Forest Service is looking for volunteers to help plant oak trees in the Santa Ynez Valley. If you are interested in hearing more details, let us know. The work has started and will be needed throughout the summer. INFO@LPForest.org for more info.

WATER-WISE LANDSCAPING WORKSHOP
SB County is hosting a free landscaping workshop focused on drought tolerant planting. It’s this Friday May 29 at the Faulkner Gallery off Anapamu Street. For more information visit www.waterwisesb.org/workshops or email Riley Hubbell at riley@loacom.com.

Lots going on, hope I didn’t lose you there. Take care everyone and stay in touch………..
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May 19-27: Santa Cruz Trail Project
May 29-31: Buckhorn Trail Project
June 2: Jim & Rob’s Ojai Fundraiser
June 5-7: National Trails Day, Mono Campground Trail Weekend
June 6: Sespe National Trails Day Project
June 6: Romero Canyon National Trails Day Project
June 27: Big Sur Wilderness Celebration
June 12-14: Bear Sisquoc Crosscut
July 10-12: Santa Barbara 100 Endurance Run Support
July: Madulce Trail Crosscut
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West Big Pine Fadeaway
WestBigPineFadeaway

Jim&RobFlier

Los Padres Fire Restrictions Announced

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Bryan Conant

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

Hello Los Padres – hope you are well!

Last week the Forest Service announced that the LP is now in Level III fire restrictions. You can read the official notice for specific details but it basically means that no campfires are allowed in the backcountry and target shooting across the Forest is also prohibited. Cooking stoves are allowed and so are campfires within the designated car-camping campsites. It’s somewhat ironic but it seems that each time the fire restrictions are changed there is either a hot spell when the restrictions are lifted or rain when the restrictions are enforced. This time was no different when we saw a nice late spring storm drop 0.25-0.5″ across the Forest earlier this week. Perhaps we need to toggle the fire restrictions on and off a bit in order to get ourselves out of the drought. All joking aside, please adhere to the restrictions and avoid any activities that might lead to wildfires. We’re in the fourth year of the drought and conditions across the Forest are incredibly dry. There was a recent news report about all the drought related tree mortality that is occurring across the forest and how the dead trees are becoming a real fire concern, you can watch the video here. Never a dull moment, is there? Be careful and lets hope it stays as dull as possible.Some news, updates and reports……….

W I L D E R N E S S R A N G E R T R A I N I N G

The annual Region 5 Wilderness Ranger Training is scheduled for June 1-5 at Trinity Lake (outside of Redding, CA). The LP has sent an assortment of Volunteer Wilderness Rangers to these trainings over the past few years. They are great opportunities to learn new skills and meet rangers across the state who are dealing with many of the same issues we deal with here. If you are interested in learning more, please contact INFO@LPForest.org and we’ll point you in the right direction. Hope some of you can make it.

Cooling Off, Buckhorn Trail, photo Humphrey

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

There are quite a few upcoming projects and events you can volunteer for. We’ve listed a few below and some more details on a couple of the larger ones. If you have any events coming up that we can help publicize, please don’t hesitate to let us know, we’d be more than happy to share. Hope to see you on the trail or even better at an event.The feature event this week is a LPFA project that Mike Smith (he of goat fame) will be hosting along the Buckhorn Trail from May 29-31. On Friday May 29 we’ll be driving out to the Lower Indian Creek Trailhead and working the trail up to Lower Buckhorn Camp. We’ll focus on Saturday working from Lower Buckhorn up the Buckhorn Trail. Most of the work will be logging downed trees and brushing. We’ll pack up on Sunday and head back to the trucks. The LPFA will be providing most meals and Mike’s goats will be there to provide pack support along the route. The Buckhorn is a beautiful canyon with a fantastic multi-use trail. This is a great opportunity to explore the canyon, get some work done and have fun while doing it. For more information or to sign-up, please contact Mike Smith at: michael.d.smith@ulalaunch.com

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May 19-27: Santa Cruz Trail Project
May 29-31: Buckhorn Trail Project
June 2: Jim & Rob’s Ojai Fundraiser
June 3-11: Mono Alamar Trail Project
June 5-7: National Trails Day, Mono Campground Trail Weekend
June 6: Sespe National Trails Day Project
June 27: Big Sur Wilderness Celebration
June: Bear Sisquoc Crosscut
July 10-12: Santa Barbara 100 Endurance Run Support
July: Madulce Trail Crosscut
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Working Vacation Update and National Trails Day

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Hello Los Padres – hope this finds you well,

The big news this past week was that most of the seasonal gate closures in the Ventura backcountry were opened as of May 1. This includes Dough Flat, Grade Valley, Santa Barbara Canyon (SBCo), Alamo and Pine Mtn amongst others. These gates are closed November 1 and reopened May 1 as part of seasonal gate closures. Unfortunately the closures happen to coincide with the best time for people to recreate behind most of these gates. It would be nice to see the gates opened and closed on a case by case basis based on storm events, conditions and elevation rather than a blanket closure. Hopefully this is something we can work on over the next 6 months so that next years closures won’t be so drastic. For now, the gates are open and now is a great time to get out and enjoy the Forest. Have at it………

Dream Team of Otis, Susie and team……….

WORKING VACATION
– UPPER SISQUOC –

The LPFA just wrapped up a 10-day Working Vacation along the Upper Sisquoc in the San Rafael Wilderness. We had 16 volunteers over that time working the trail and helping supply the project with stock support. Working Vacations are designed to entice volunteers to spend time working the trails in exchange for cooked meals and cold beverages at the end of each hard days work. Led by VWR super hero Mike Smith, we were able to log out over 100 downed trees from the Judell and Sisquoc Trails. By the end of the 10-days, the entire Judell Trail and from Mansfield to Lower Bear was passable to stock. It was a great project and huge accomplishment. Special thanks to the Forest Service for helping support the project, in particular Joe Duran, Pancho Smith and Nate Rezeau. Also Susie and Otis for their expert pack support and Rich Scholl for being a dutch oven magician as our designated cook.

Now that the trail work is done, it’s time to head out and see for yourself. There was plenty of water in the Sisquoc and the trails are in great shape. We’re starting to plan an early summer followup project to log the section of trail from Alamar Saddle down to Lower Bear. We’ll keep you posted and hope to see you next time around……

Crosscut Logging near Mansfield, photo Beckstrand

The Tombstone Oak, you know it’s taken some time when a tree gets a name, photo Burtness

Tread Looking Nice!

Benefits of stock support, photo Burtness

Eat like Kings and Queens

Spectacular Judell Trail, looking better than normal!

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY

Give back to your trails by celebrating National Trails Day with the LPFA. This year we are hosting a 1-2 day project along the Cold Spring Trail in Santa Barbara County. With the help of a grant from the Los Padres Trails Riders, we’ll be base camping at Mono Campground and working the Cold Spring Trail through the Mono Jungle and up to the infamous North Cold Spring Slide. The Slide has been choking the trail for the past 10+ years and preventing most trail users from making it along the trail. We are going to spend our time reestablishing this section of trail and logging downed trees in the Mono Jungle. Here is a quick breakdown on the project logistics:

Friday June 5
– Arrive at Mono Campground in the afternoon or evening
– Setup camp, relax, nearby hot springs

Saturday June 6
– Arrive at Mono Campground
– Trail work will start at 0800
– We’ll break into groups and hike the 2miles to the slide section
– Work the trail……
– Stop work at 1500 and head back to Mono Campground
– BBQ and post-work cold beverages provided by the LPFA and TBA local brewing company
– Relax around camp, enjoy nearby hot springs

Sunday June 7
– Breakfast provided by the LPFA
– 0900, optional continued work on the Slide for those interested
– 1400 stop work and head back to Mono Campground
– Pack up and head home

If you are interested in helping either with trail work or as a camp cook, please email INFO@LPForest.org. For more information check here:

http://www.nationaltrailsday.org/events/north-cold-spring-trail-project/

The Slide, looks better than it actually is…….

List of more upcoming events……….
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May 19-27: Santa Cruz Trail Project
May: Buckhorn Trail Project
June 3-11: Mono Alamar Trail Project
June 5-7: National Trails Day, Mono Campground Trail Weekend
June 27: Big Sur Wilderness Celebration
June: Bear Sisquoc Crosscut
July 10-12: Santa Barbara 100 Endurance Run Support
July: Madulce Trail Crosscut
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Tar Creek and Biddle Park

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Bryan Conant

Thunder Clouds in April
Thunderheads

What season is it…? It’s been rather hard to figure that out of late. This past week we had June gloom, temps in the high 80’s, rain, wind, showers and most surprisingly some rather large summer’esque thunderheads. There’s been reports from around the Forest that most of the backcountry potreros have turned brown and that the poison oak is already starting to turn red. We’ve also heard of springs going dry that haven’t done so in decades. The creeks are still flowing due to the marginal rain season we’ve had but the deep springs are going dry as a result of the 4 years of drought we’re enduring. That has flipped compared to what we had last year where the creeks were dry but the springs had water. It’s going to get real interesting once summer truly kicks in and the creeks go dry. Water will be real scarce. Until then, almost all the creeks have water at the moment so get it while you can.We’ve got a couple updates and notes to share today. As always, if you have any information to share, we are more than happy to spread the news……….

T A R C R E E K C L O S U R E

There are quite a few designations for protected lands within the Los Padres. These include wilderness areas, biological and botanical reserves, recreation areas and Condor Sanctuaries. Of all the designations, the one that offers the most protection is the Condor Sanctuaries. Protected and enforced by federal law, Condor Sanctuaries prohibit any human entry onto those lands. There are two Condor Sanctuaries in the Los Padres, the larger being the Sespe Condor Sanctuary in Ventura County. Back before the sanctuary was designated in the mid 1900’s, people would access lower Sespe Creek along a road that dropped down the Tar Creek drainage through what is today the Sespe Condor Sanctuary. When the sanctuary was established, the road was obviously closed. While people stopped driving the road, it was not completely abandoned. The road transitioned into an unofficial trail and continued to be used by recreationalists seeking the water along Tar Creek and the Sespe. This went on for decades even though it was technically illegal to enter the Condor Sanctuary. Unfortunately, over time, Tar Creek gained a bit of a cult following due to its spectacular waterfalls, cliffs and pools. You might say it got discovered – word spread – and it became overrun. Loads of trash, bottle-caps and broken glass accumulated throughout the creek. Sadly, the poop hit the fan in 2009 when a condor was found dead in Tar Creek after getting caught up in some abandoned climbing rope. Not okay. The sanctuary was designed to protect the condor yet it obviously was not working. Something had to give, and now it has. The Forest Service is now enforcing the closure of the Condor Sanctuary and ticketing people who pass along Tar Creek within the Condor Sanctuary. This has been going on for the past months and quite a few tickets have been issued. “Violators are subject to a penalty of $5,000 and/or six months in jail”. You can browse the world wide web and find all sorts of information about the Tar Creek closure and how its being perceived by the public. The Forest Service has created a page that explains the plight of the condor and the closure of Tar Creek, linked here:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lpnf/home/?cid=stelprd3820413

G I B R A L T A R C L O S E D

Speaking of closures, for those who have plans to access East Camino Cielo and the Upper Santa Ynez River area within SB County, we have some either good or bad news for you. Gibraltar Rd, which is the main artery for accessing this portion of the forest, is closed for repaving and will remain closed until May 25. This is certainly great long term news for cyclists, who will eventually have fresh pavement to ride, but in the short term the closure may put a damper on some of your backpacking, OHV and camping plans. You can still access East Camino via 154 or Painted Cave. The bad news is that for South Coasters it means a much longer drive, good news is that the crowds should not be an issue for those willing to take the longer drive. We’ll keep you posted as the project moves on.

E V E N T S: GARCIA POTRERO

Come join the Los Padres Unit of the Backcountry Horsemen of California and the Condor Trail Association as they host a Wilderness Celebration to raise awareness and fund-raise to build a new trail segment called the Garcia Potrero reroute. The “trail” through Garcia Potrero has some private property issues and the hope is to build a new section of trail that bypasses the private property. This is also along the Condor Trail.

The celebration is Saturday May 2 from 11am – 2pm at Biddle Park (Willow Bluff Area) in Arroyo Grande.
There will be Santa Maria Style BBQ, live music, beer, wine, displays, booths and kids activities. IT WILL BE FUN. See below for more information.Hope to see you there……….

https://www.facebook.com/events/831496210277754/

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April 17-26: Working Vacation Upper Sisquoc
May 2: Garcia Potrero Wilderness Celebration
June 5-7: National Trails Day, Mono Campground Trail Weekend
June 27: Big Sur Wilderness Celebration
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Logging in progress, Upper Sisquoc Working Vacation, Photo Rik