End Pavement

Neil Woodburn over at Gadling points out that the effort to open up the Santa Monica Mountains for camping might just be working:

The Santa Monica Mountains, which run along Santa Monica, California and up through Malibu, have long banned overnight camping for a variety of reasons. Although the most important is fire danger, the most powerful reason for no camping is due to the celebrities and millionaires who live nearby and don’t want a bunch of commoners increasing traffic and ruining their paradise.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has just pushed through a tentative agreement which, if passed, would allow camping in the hills of Corral Canyon and Charmlee Wilderness Park–both of which lay at the far end of Malibu near Ventura County.

I’m not sure if camping will increase traffic that much, since folks can hike throughout, not to mention ride bikes and horses. Heck, you can film in there if you have the proper permissions. Not to mention overnight locations in the Simi Hills, Santa Clarita, and the Palisades gives you the opportunity to annoy all kinds of rich folks. ;)

I can’t seem to locate the agreement Neil is referring to, but there is an SMMC teleconference scheduled for January 17th — perhaps they’ll be addressing the issue then.

I’m glad our proposed hike isn’t until the weekend. :) Should be Mostly Sunny, in the 60s and 70s.

Special Weather Statement - San Bernardino, Riverside Cou (California): “COLD FRONT TO IMPACT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SHOWERS…

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY NIGHT ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY WINDS AND SHOWERS. PRECIPITATION IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE PROLONGED OR HEAVY…BUT THE WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS MAY BE STRONG WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE THURSDAY NIGHT….

Via California - (San Bernardino County Valley, The Inland Empire/CAZ048) - Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for California Issued by the National Weather Service.

“Cucamonga Peak via Icehouse Canyon” - Modern Hiker, a fellow Southern Californian, writes up a day hike he took in the San Gabriels in early December. Some very nice pictures, as well as funny stories that go to show that solo hikes often don’t wind up “solo.”

Columbine Spring is the primary source of the picturesque stream that runs down Icehouse Canyon, and the spring itself lies almost directly beneath the trail to Icehouse Saddle. Last time I wanted to snap a picture, it was surrounded by a group of loud teenagers. This time, it looked like I had the place to myself, so I kneeled down to peek in.

Almost immediately, I heard a loud, “Oh! What’s down there?” as two middle-aged men stepped down to join me.

I’ve done virtually no hiking on that side of the Cajon Pass, so this is definitely one for the to-do list.

Alex and I have been talking about hiking up San Gorgonio at some point this year. This seems like a spiffy goal. Wikipedia says:

San Gorgonio Mountain (or Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback) is the highest peak in Southern California. It is located in the San Bernardino Mountains, 27 mi (42 km) east of the city of San Bernardino and 12 mi (19 km) north-northeast of San Gorgonio Pass. It lies in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of the San Bernardino National Forest. Spanish missionaries in the area during the early 1800s named the peak after Saint Gorgonius.

The mountain is 11,499′ (or 11,502′ depending on the vintage of the measuring) and is one of several prominent peaks in the range. Check out this from the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association FAQ:

Q. I noticed a patch offered through the SGWA’s store proclaiming “I Climbed the Nine Peaks”. What are the names of the nine peaks that would satisfy this claim?

A. From west to east, they are San Bernardino Peak, San Bernardino Peak East, Anderson Peak, Shields Peak, Alto Diablo (a curious “pile of rocks” not recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey, but recognized by the Boy Scouts of America and many “locals”), Charlton Peak, Little Charlton Peak, Jepson Peak, and Mt. San Gorgonio. These peaks are generally linked up by Boy Scouts groups and others on a three-day outing beginning at the Vivian Creek Trail and culminating at the San Bernardino Peak trailhead. There are other peaks in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, but those listed above are all located along the several mile long ridge from San Gorgonio to San Bernardino Peak.

Here are some preliminary links:

• San Gorgonio Mountain at Wikipedia
• San Gorgonio Wilderness Association
• “Up Mt San Gorgonio” by Russell Bell
• San Gorgonio Wilderness: Hiking on GORP.
• San Bernardino National Forest

The first “hike” of the year was into the Redlands hills, mostly along suburban streets, but I think the preponderance of good upward grades and a lot of walking on dirt qualifies it as a hike. ;) Six miles altogether, with a goodly portion of the middle in the rustic Caroline Park.

It was daytime when we left, the final bits of sunset up on Sunset, and night time when the poodle and I got home. Pharaoh was crazy hyper for the first half since we’ve been cooped up for a few days, so it was awesome to get out and about — also to see some of the neighborhoods we’ve been missing. Clear night, occasional bursts of wind, and temps in the 60s. Cool enough to get a sniffly nose.

(I don’t expect much sympathy from those folks dealing with more, shall we say, “inclement” versions of winter. :)

So, six miles on New Year’s Day, and now I’m off to cook some spicy black beans and rice for dinner.