"Sequoias, Past, Present And Future" is the theme of the presentation by Ara Marderosian, Executive Director of the Sequoia ForestKeeper, an organization dealing with matters in regards to those unique trees, the Sequoias, and the forest around them. The program will include magnificent views of the actual trees, a cultural history of the trees, and will also deal with the conflicting forces trying to effect changes according to their differing goals. The present situation is representative of similar cases with varied resource types found on public lands.
Yes, we will have a potluck beginning at 6 PM prior to the program. Please bring a dish to share and your own tableware. The famous (infamous?) raffle will follow prior to the program (Note: bring a white elephant to put on the raffle table and you will receive TWO free raffle tickets!) A mini-display for flower identification will also be set up for all to view.
Here’s looking forward to a great reunion of old friends and new.
What a joy; if you want to relax a bit with a short walk, if you want to be out and about early in the morning, if you have the urge to explore a bit right here in the neighborhood, the Sunday strolls are just the thing for you.
These Strolls are an hour and a half in length. We move along leisurely wherever we might be, on the meadows, by the wetlands, or in the woods. There is time for looking, chatting and sharing discoveries along the trails. There is no predicting what one will find, no matter how many times one passes along the same trails. It is just a great way to start a day.
The strolls are all local. With a minimum of driving to reach the starting points, there is more time to walk, to talk, to look and just be outside in the clear mountain air. Bring a bit of water if you care to, wear good walking shoes and be prepared to enjoy a most pleasant beginning to the week.
Meeting place for the Sunday Strolls is the Pine Mountain Club parking lot. Time is 8 AM. No reservations required for these little hikes. Children are welcome when accompanied by adults. More info? Call 661.242.0432
May 23 (Sat) Toad Springs Trail. Meet 8 AM PMC parking lot. Here we go, out into the woods, up and down on a mountain trail with beautiful grand views in several directions, with mini-views at our feet and our fingertips. In the far distance the Temblor and Caliente ranges of the Carrizo Plain appear. Nearer, just below us, we see Quatal Canyon with its multicolored canyon walls. Sometimes there is fog at a distance, sometimes clouds, and other times spectacular clear views. That is the beauty and the challenge of the Toad Springs Trail beginning just a short drive west of Pine Mountain Club.
As one walks along, there still should be flowers to catch your eye–tidy tips, lupines, and more. Wonderful oaks of all ages line many parts of the trail. Then there are the small basins (potreros) that appear, perhaps dried-out wetlands, lightly covered with grasses. The grand finale: the giant slide area that cut the trail in two, with no way to cross over to the other side to start the trail again.
Peering down the slide area reminds one of Zion and Bryce National Parks. The viewpoint is unique as one is standing at the top looking down into a steep canyon now eroded into peaks of various sizes and shapes. This is not the easiest trail, for though fairly level overall, it begins with a stiff climb and not the best footing. One must be fit, prepared with good, strong hiking shoes. A hiking stick could be helpful and, of course, water and a nice snack. Perhaps five or six miles round trip, the altitude ranging around 5700 to 5900 feet.
Be assured that the return trip is not burdensome. The views are changed with the different light of the day, the rhythm of the trail in reverse almost makes one feel you are a new trail. There is a real pleasure of having the opportunity to re-see areas from the new direction.
Interested in joining us on this hike? Please call 662.242.0432 to sign up.
June 27 (Sat ) BRUSH MOUNTAIN is the goal. Meeting time 8 AM, PMC parking lot. One-third of the hike is via a dirt road part way up to the top of San Emigdio Mountain. Going westward along a ridge there are amazing views of the Central Valley across to the Sierras. (Yes, it can be smog-filled down below in the Central Valley, but that serves to make one feel privileged to be up above it as well as to appreciate the need to work ever more diligently for actions to clean up the air) to Marian Campground. A steep incline, a considerable challenge, takes one on the way to the top of Brush Mountain. The return trip is to the south down to Caballo campground. The altitude is high enough to take us into patches of white fir and, with some good fortune, to view local wildflowers this late.
Depending on circumstances, the hike should take 3-4 hours. Bring along all the usuals.
July 25 (Sat) Here we go again! PEAK TO PEAK. Meet at PMC parking lot, 8 AM. Carpool up to the top of Mt. Pinos. Walk over to Cerro Noroeste. Carpool to return to PMC parking lot.
This is NOT an easy hike for most folks. Takes 4 to 5 hours. Much up and down at 8000 to 9000 ft. 6 _ miles in length. You need to make a reservation for this hike. 661.242.0432
Here are some notes from past hikes, always held on the fourth Saturday of July. Each past trip is the same in the route to be traversed, between Mt. Pinos and Cerro Noroeste, but each hike is distinctive depending on the day’s weather and the past winter’s snowfall.
There are always reports on the presence of beautiful flowers and more. Many highland specialties such as the monochrome whitish purple mariposa lily and the miniature mat lupine are often still in bloom at this time of year. Sometimes there are moments available to take a peek to see if the famous iris still have blooms before the hike begins at Chula Vista parking lot on Mt. Pinos. Then there is the limber pine for which the tops of Mt. Pinos and Sawmill Mt. are famous, unique in our larger region. As always, the needles of all the trees are several degrees greener than they are down below.
The goal is reached. It has long been a tradition (and a necessity) to meet the hikers at the far end of the trail. Arrival time is never certain so car pooling-drivers are sure to be at the arrival point in good time. Predictions as who will arrive when helps pass the waiting time.
One rather nervous grandmother wondered if her nine-year old grandson (accompanied by grandfather) would even make it on his own. The answer was yes, and they were the second ones in. Grandmother whipped out a little banner proclaiming "You made it!"
Richard Hoegh, ardent supporter of the Sunday Strolls, showed us that he was a peak to peak man too. 87 years old, he marched right along with the 20 others on the 2008 hike and was greeted with great applause at the finish line. It must also be noted that the roster of the 2008 peak to peak hike was dominated in numbers by women.
Following these suggestions is no guarantee that you will be safe but could give you a better chance.
Remember 2 basics:
Fire tends to go uphill faster than downhill. Fire path tends to widen as it goes uphill.
When on a trail: If you are
between fire and top of mountain, run parallel to edge of fire the shortest distance to fire-free area. Search for largest open space that has minimal or no vegetation.
below the fire, go directly down from the fire as quickly as possible to the largest open space you can find that has minimal or no vegetation.
being overtaken by fire, get down as low as possible, in a depression if possible. Don’t go into a gully, or on steep slopes. They can cause a chimney effect with fire and hot gases shooting up them.
Put your face against the ground. Do NOT moisten a cloth to put over your face; steam will do more damage to your lungs than hot air.
Cover your head with your arms and/or all clothing available.
If your car is near by and you can’t leave, park it in an area clear of vegetation, close all the windows and vents, lie on the floor and cover yourself with whatever is available
NOT GOOD IDEAS
smoking (if you must): be in a clear area 3 feet in diameter and be sure your butt is completely out.
possessing and/or shooting off fireworks (absolutely forbidden)
campfire? NO wood or charcoal allowed.
Always report a fire as soon as possible.
Check with Forest Service for current information and regulations. Frazier Park 661.245.3731
Please read carefully if you plan to participate in Sierra Club hikes. Requirements: You must be in condition for type of hike, equipped appropriately for the activity, and prepared to sign a Sierra Club release from liability. Be willing to follow leader’s directions. Bring personal medicines you might need. Appropriate equipment: good hiking shoes, water, snack, sunglasses, suntan lotion, layered clothing. Long pants recommended. Participation must be leader approved. Please let the leader know ahead of time that you are intending to participate leaving your phone numbe.: Changes of plans have been required several times in the past years due to fires and heavy rain.. It is recommended that YOU contact the hike leader the night before to be assured that the hike is still going to happen, 661.242.0432
CA legislation designed to protect the consumer requires us to publish this notice: CST 2 087755-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. This legislation was designed to protect the user of outdoor activities that require cash payments of more than $50 for participation.
KEEP ME WILD It’s a People Problem, Not a Wildlife Problem
Our community has done a great deal to discourage bears from coming into it. We need to recognize that all of California’s wild animals are falling victim to unnecessary conflict and even death for the same reason–increasing access to human food and garbage. The problem seems to get worse every year, as California’s human population continues to grow and expand into wildlife habitat.
The Keep Me Wild campaign was launched by the California Department of Fish and Game in 2003 to address the growing conflicts between black bears and people. Today the campaign provides tips for keeping deer, coyotes, mountain lions, and wild turkeys away from your home, and advice on what to do if you encounter one of these wild animals. Check the Keep Me Wild homepage for further details as to
things we can do to make all of us happy and safe, wild animals and humans.
NATUREFEST III A BIG HIT. PICTURES TELL YOU PART OF THE STORY, thanks to Liz Buchroeder and her great eye for photos showing the visitors and volunteers in action. Hearing ohs and ahs, laughter and questions fills out the postive picture of this event. (Pictures not available for online edition)
MEMORIES OF OLD MEXICO Harry Nelson
This story refers to an area in Mexico that has an ecosystem similar to that in which we are living here in PMC. It differs in that fire has never been controlled in this area. The record shows that fires have passed through it repeatedly over the years, periodically reducing undergrowth, thus reducing the build up of fuels that has occurred in many of our local areas.
Harry Nelson, a retired reporter for the LA Times, made a trip to this area in 1953. Here is his recollection of that trip and one made just last year.
Looking back though a notebook of memories the other day I began reliving a couple of horseback trips I made in the San Pedro Martyr Mountains in Baja California in search of an old mission in those mountains and, reportedly, a fortune in gold. The story was that Jesuit missionaries had founded the mission in the 1760s to serve the Indians living in that mountain chain. That range divides into east and west the northern part of Baja’s 700-mile long peninsula with a wall of forest-covered peaks ranging up to 10,000 feet. As the story went, the Jesuits had found gold in the mountains near the mission but had been forced to leave it behind when Jesuits from all over the world received an order from King Carlos to return to Spain. I didn’t believe the tale of the alleged gold mine, but using it as an excuse to hike those mountains was a good enough reason for me to go see. During the early 20th century many Americans had tried unsuccessfully to locate the gold mine. One was Jimmy Angel, a barnstorming pilot who had recently located in Venezuela the world’s tallest waterfall. It is 3,212 ft high and is named after him.
On an earlier trip in 1953 I had visited a ranch in the range owned by a Norwegian rancher named Meling and his American wife who had lived in the region since the 1880s. Meling's father had come to Mexico as a sailor but became interested in mining. The Melings told me many stories of the early days when a sizeable British colony lived in Ensenada and San Vicente and the difficult times they had under Pancho Villa in the early 1900s. I fell in love with the region and decided to return soon to explore the mountains and find the "lost" mission using Meling’s vaqueros as guides. Another reason for taking the trip was given to me by one of the vaqueros, Eulogio, who gave me an intriguing piece of information. He said he wanted to show me a waterfall that is 3,000 ft. tall! I knew that couldn't be true, but I wanted to make sure.
A few months later I returned to the ranch and Eulogio, another cowboy and I set out with pack mules and horses to find anything that seemed interesting. I wasn’t disappointed. We found the remains of what Eulogio said was the mission, we found the graves Eulogia said were of Jesuit priests, and we found pieces of homemade, colorful crockery. We also found streams loaded with trout. Compared to our PMC mountains, the vegetation was very similar as we climbed from the lowland desert into the higher altitudes–lots of Ponderosa–but the San Pedro Martyrs had many more small running streams than we have, although not all with fish.
We left the ranch early on a March morning and rode for 10 hours crossing several small rivers running through the cactus- and chollo-strewn, dry land before climbing higher. For me that was the longest horseback ride in history, and I'm sure that Pino, my horse, dreaded the next day. Eulogio had decided to take a trail leading toward the waterfall before seeking the mission. We left at 6 the next morning and entered a steep-sided canyon the falls fell into. Up at 4:30 we reached the base of the falls but, mysteriously, although we heard the sound of running water, no falls were visible ahead of us. There was a small pool that was alive with trout that provided our breakfast. They seemed to be starving and bit at our fingers. Eulogio told me that there were no trout in the stream until the 1930s, when an American named James Utt living near LA. had taken it upon himself to stock several streams. Although it may seem impossible, he had repeatedly brought by car small trout in 5-gallon buckets to the ranch 120 miles below the U.S. border, where they were loaded on mules and carried to the streams. Utt succeeded in saving enough trout on the journey by using bicycle pumps to provide the fish with oxygen and replacing the water every two hours. Completing the chore of stocking 6 streams took Utt 15 years. I later confirmed this story by speaking with Utt’s relatives. Eulogio told me Utt died in his 80s and asked to be buried (but was not) near the waterfall.
Back at the waterfall I told Eulogio to keep fishing because we had brought no meat with us, and we needed more protein. I walked up the canyon toward the sound of falling water. The canyon was strewn with giant boulders and choked with bushes. Ahead of me I could see that the canyon took a sharp turn to the left, so I hiked along the right side hoping that I would be in a good place to take pictures of the falls. I began climbing up the right side of the canyon as high as I could. The going was very difficult. I climbed about an hour before I reached a place where I could see the falls. As expected, it was not 3000 ft. tall. (I suspect that Eulogio was confusing it with Angel Falls, which is 3,212 ft. high) Water fell in two separate sections which totaled maybe 100 ft. At the top, water dropped about 50 ft., then disappeared for maybe 20 ft. and reappeared again for another 50 ft. where it fell to the bottom. It fell like a corkscrew, with the water in the midsection dropping behind rocks that blocked the view from me until water was visible once more to the base of the falls. It’s good I hadn’t expected much from the falls, because it wasn't spectacular. However, even 100 ft. falls aren’t seen in our PMC mountains.
Getting back down to the canyon floor was very difficult until I found a rock slide that slid me down in no time. Back at camp after 3 hours of climbing I found that Eulogio had caught 40 fish to replenish our larder, which had been poorly stocked at the ranch. We rested, practiced target shooting with an army carbine, and decided to camp there for two nights. The second morning we set out for a 7-mile ride to an arroyo where 15 or 20 Quilihuis Indians live. The trail was full of switchbacks as we rode uphill into a colder climate. We crossed the same river many times as the animals struggled upwards. I dropped the reins and let the horse go freely. Pino liked finding his own way because he knew well that I was not a horseman. At one point he purposely, I think, smashed my right knee against the trunk of a tree causing nausea and deep pain in my leg. More than fifty years later I had a total knee implant on that leg.
Our general direction was toward the spot where Eulogio said the mission once stood high among the pines. Along the way we stopped at an old stone and wooden hut where we slept that night. Cowboys used it during seasonal cattle drives. There was a stream nearby and good pasture. The weather clouded up and we spent a very cold bathless night, me in my sleeping blanket on the floor of the cabin and Eulogio on a wooden rack. I smelled like a horse blanket. The next day we walked to the cemetery, which was surrounded by a low stone wall. We counted 14 graves marked on the ground by piles of stone roughly the length of a man. Eulogio said no Indians were allowed to be buried there. Near the mission itself Eulogio found part of an olla, a piece of glazed hand painted crockery, and some pieces of clay water pipe. Nearby was a ditch along which water flowed from a stream half a mile away. A miner from the Meling Ranch had been up and down the entire arroyo without finding even a speck of gold.
After inspecting the mission area we took a trail that led much higher into the sierra and ponderosa forest to a place known as La Grulla where a sub-mission had once stood. Its shape was 200 by 70 ft. All that was left of it was part of a wall several feet tall. The view from this point was spectacular. To the east was the Sea of Cortez and the town of San Felipe. At point one could see La Encontada or Picacho del Diablo (Devil’s Peak) at 10,126 ft., the highest point in Baja. That night we nearly froze to death once more. My sleeping bag had slit open and there was ice on the olla that morning. The rest of the ride back to Meling Ranch went mostly downhill and was uneventful except for a stop to buy meat from a vaquero to bolster our supplies until we reached the stables. As we grew near the ranch Pino, who normally walked very slowly, broke into a trot which caused more pain and misery to my leg and rear end as he rushed to the feed bin. It reminded me of a Spanish saying Eulogio had told me: "When my stomach is full my heart is content." Our trip had taken 5 days and we had ridden 90 miles, and I was contented enough to try it again the following year.
Fifty-five years later in 2008, Gita and I stopped by the Meling Ranch on a trip down the coast to Mulege and found the old ranch house now empty but sitting near by new buildings that housed cowboys and visitors. The visitors were on their way to the new astronomy center located in what is now a National Park high in the mountains.
YOU REALLY MISSED IT! THE VISIT OF THE FOUR FOOT (OR WAS IT FIVE?) IGUANA, TEN(?) SNAKES, AND A MOJAVE TORTISE AND THEIR "GUARDIAN," DIANE BLEITZ.
She, being Diane Bleitz, arrived in a big truck, just at the appointed time. In minutes, the reptilian visitors were moved up to the Pool Pavilion Room and organized for the program to begin, a program that was the longest in the history of our group.
Diane, a member of the Southern California Reptilian Association, began with the tortoise, moved on to the snakes and then on to the golden-colored iguana. In between all these introductions, Diane provided the most fascinating variety of quality information concerning these animals–everything from a critique of foods to provide, including frozen mice, to how much time one needs to spend with iguanas to keep them "friendly." The pictures tell you part of the story. (:Pictures not available for online edition)
The Multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan and EIS written by Tejon Ranch and Fish and Wildlife Service is open for public review. This plan considers protections for the Condors and other endangered and threatened species on the ranch lands in the area of the proposed Tejon Mountain Village. The date for sending in your comments has been extended to JULY 7TH. The Frazier Park Estates (Falling Star) , in the area of the local high school, is expected to be presented to the public in May or June.
The Mountain Enterprise and the cuddyvalley.org website are good up-to-date sources of information on all projects being proposed for Mountain Communities area.
Grateful thanks to all the cooperating groups and individuals who helped to bring together the offerings at NatureFest III. It could not be done without the many volunteers of all ages who did everything from mixing dough for the animal prints to setting up and taking down all the exhibits, from making dioramas to conducting drum circles. This surely was a community endeavor of which to be proud.
Protecting particular endangered species is only part of a much broader effort to preservce the environment and protect human life. Endangered species have diagnostic value; like the canary in the coal mine, when species are lost it can be an indicator that a whole ecosystem, including humans, will beat risk keep nature in balance, an important factor for human life. Protecting particular endangered species is only part of a much broader effort to preservce the environment and protect human life. Endangered species have diagnostic value; like the canary in the coal mine, when species are lost it can be an indicator that a whole ecosystem, including humans, will beat risk keep nature in balance, an important factor for human life.
Water is always in the news in the mountain communities. Now the latest issue concerns extracting our water and shipping it to, of all places, Los Angeles. An outside company proposes to drill 17 wells on the slopes of the mountains alongside Gorman Post Road where wildflowers bloom gloriously in the springtime. The water taken from the hills will be stored first in 24 tanks to be built along the same road. Then the water would be hauled south to be bottled and shipped to who knows where.
Potentially, the consequences could be far-reaching. The possibility of this scheme actually happening, despite opposition by the Sierra Club’s Condor Group and others, raises many questions involving potential damage to the environment. Effects on water supply, native plants and animals, wetlands are just some of the concerns. Just as disturbing is the effect that cast-off plastic water bottles are having worldwide.
Considering that much bottled water is no healthier than tap water in the U.S. and that it is consumed in this country largely because of convenience rather than need, the harmful and expensive effects of the bottles on the environment are inexcusable. According to the Earth Policy Institute, the consequences for the planet and for consumers’ purses are horrifyingly grave.
"Even in areas where tap water is safe to drink, demand on bottled water is increasing, producing unnecessary garbage and consuming vast quantities of energy," a report by the Washington-based organization said. "Although in the industrial world bottled water is often no healthier than tap water, it can cost up to 10,000 times more." The Institute estimates that since some bottled water costs as much as $2.50 a liter ($10 a gallon), bottled water costs as much or more than gasoline.
Water is usually packaged in bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is derived from crude oil, and then transported by boat, train or land. With 26 billion liters consumed in 2004, or about one eight-ounce glass per person, the U.S. was the largest consumer of bottled water in the world. Mexico was second and China was third. Making the plastic bottles to meet the U.S. need consumes more than 1.5 million barrels of oil or enough to fuel 100,000 U.S. cars for one year, the Institute said. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles in this country end up as garbage, and those buried can take up to 1,000 years to biograde. In 2004,40 percent of the PET bottled deposited for recycling in the U.S. were shipped to China.
Ironically, the rapid growth of bottled water has led to water shortages in some places where water has been removed. This has occurred especially in developing countries, but similar claims have been made in this country also. The Institute reported that 40 percent of bottled water begins as tap water to which minerals have been added that have no marked health benefits. Harry Nelson
