Little tread, much brush, give up at “Apex of Brushiness”
Find sign and rockwork, Paul follows deer track
(with Paul Danielson)
Hike 1 = Red
February 2011 found myself and Paul Danielson, who had introduced me to the wonders of hiking old trails in the Ventana Wilderness, at Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp. We’d obtained permission and gate access, but were warned the dirt road was very rough as not worked on since summer. Indeed it was – I needed the 4WD of my Xterra, newly bought for just such places. Being my first time there, the camp’s setting under tall stately redwood trees with nearby creek was very impressive and peaceful.
Of the “lost” trails I GPS’d, the north end of the Mount Manuel Trail took more effort than any other. And in the end, was the one trail not completely mapped when foot problems prevented further work. In several sections the route went over steep slopes from which all tread had eroded and no trail clues could be found. In all, I made 11 hikes there between 2011 and 2016 looking for traces and clues (while aging from 65 to 70).
Wilderness boundary facts vs. un-facts (after being called “criminal”)
Everyone knows the internet is full of mis-information. And that mis-information is often passed on via social media. Having a gap in one’s knowledge, “simple ignorance”, becomes “damn ignorance” when that gap is filled with incorrect assumptions, or even made-up “facts”, and posted to the web as factual without any attempt to question or verify, spreading still more mis-information.
I doubt you’ve seen a white plant. “Plants” (here used in the “strict sense”, aka Viridiplantae, which excludes fungii among others) use green chlorophyll to produce the energy they need to grow and thrive.
In 2005 Wilderness Press (“WP”) produced the first sheet map available for the backcountry Big Sur trails – before that, hikers had to depend upon upon quadrangle maps with their many drawbacks. I first used that WP map when exploring the Ventana Wilderness and always liked its very clean and readable format, with trail lines clearly displayed atop contour lines.
Nature is relentlessly degrading the National Forest trails in Big Sur. And the US Forest Service no longer maintains them. So volunteer trailcrews have been pushing back – lopping, sawing, and doing treadwork to keep the trails passable. But are they rebuilding the trails as fast as nature is destroying them??
Many don’t realize that Black Butte is the fifth highest peak in the Ventana (and in Monterey County), only 35 ft lower than South Ventana Cone. In fact, some have not even heard of Black Butte! Yet the views from there are magnificent – the summit is narrow, so gives a 360° panorama from a 4936 ft elevation.
Elfin Redwoods – Andrew Molera SP (Click for interactive map)
I was ignorant – I called them Cypress trees. Actually, I knew they didn’t quite look like Cypress – but their wind-blown shaping was akin to what I’ve seen in Cypress and I didn’t know what else they might be. Surely not Redwoods, those magnificently tall trees we here on the Central Coast know so well – these trees were only 15-20 ft high.
2016 & 2017 Molera SP Trailmaps (click for larger image)
I went out to see what the current Molera State Park looks like. Only the Post Summit ridgeline was burnt by the 2016 Soberanes fire – but the following winter’s heavy rainfall events caused the Big Sur River to overflow and flood lower sections of the park, notably its parking lot and campground. The park was closed for a long time, then re-opened this summer but with many trails closed. Currently only the Bluffs, Bobcat, Creamery Meadows, Panorama, Ridge, and Spring Trails are open.
Round trip: 12 miles & 4000 ft gain & 12 hours Hike date: November 25, 2017
Route: Out (red) Return (yellow) Trail (green) (ignore “Rattlesnake Campground” label on map) (click for larger, interactive map) (kmz file)
Waking at 3:15AM is not my ideal way of starting a day – but today lack of daylight was not going to keep me from reaching Rattlesnake Camp. Last time I’d had to abort my attempt due to running out of daylight and energy. This time I would start earlier and would avoid the difficulty of trying to follow Rattlesnake Creek Trail – instead, it would be a bushwhack.
