February, This has been another busy month for us, we meant to get the blog going again in January after a long hiatus but here we are, haha. It has been busy here especially with all of the classes we have been teaching.
]]>This has been another busy month for us, we meant to get the blog going again in January after a long hiatus but here we are, haha. It has been busy here especially with all of the classes we have been teaching.
Our 16 hour wilderness first aid classes have been going strong, this month was our second class this year and we where stoked to have the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of rad folks at the Broken Oak Ranch (learn more about them here). It was being old friends and making some new ones as well!. It was really great working with staff members from Triple B Adventures a local non profit that takes veterans and active duty service members our hunting, hiking, fishing and camping (learn more bout them here). It was a lot of fun and we always enjoy training up those who take others into the outdoors.
We continue to offer our Stop The Bled classes in our classroom at the shop and really enjoy meeting so many awesome members of our community. It's really neat to see people taking time out of their weekends to help make our communities a little safer. Plus its a fun and informative class so I hope they enjoy it as much as we enjoy teaching it!
We are a mom and pop shop and it's Steph Me (Colin 'Mac") or Colin Sr (Dad) running the counter. Its been great having Sr around lately and we really appreciate him taking the time to help us out by watching the shop so Steph and I can go get some adventures in too, that why we got into this business after all, haha.
We also love our local Ramona community, and Steph and I had a fun little date night at Bingo night at the Ramona Senior Center and had the privileges of sponsoring one of the games on the behalf of Kit Fox Outfitters as well! Its a lot of fun and the proceeds go to helping the senior meals program at the senior center.
Steph signed up for the Wilderness basics course with the Sierra Club and has been enjoying the weekly classes and the campouts (learn more about them here)! She's had some experiences so far and has gotten to explore some really cool spots! Especially Anza Borrego, this time of year is the perfect time to explore with a great group!
I was able to sneak away to the Cucamonga Wilderness for a fun overnighter up to the Icehouse Saddle. It was fun to stretch the legs and get my first winter camp of the season and justify my gear purchases over the last few months haha. It was not to cold but might windy and it was a great experience that has me back down here trying to figure out my next trip.
March isn't just a month its also an acronym for emergency medicine:
Massive Hemorrhage
Airway
Respirations
Circulation
Hypothermia/Head Injuries
So, come join us for some classes and learn the skills that go with this acronym!
16 Hr Wilderness First Aid | March 2-3 | Sign Up HERE |
Stop The Bleed | March 23 | Sign Up HERE |
Stop The Bleed | March 24 | Sign Up HERE |
March's featured trail sticker is Potato Chip Rock, and oldie but goodie. Stop by the shop to pick one up for free while supplies last. If you can't make it by the shop they are only three dollars shipped and you can order them HERE
]]>Volcan Mountain is one of my favorite new hikes here in San Diego County, I had tried to hike it last year but wasn’t feeling it then life happened and never really got around to it again, until November of this year. Located in East San Diego County this five mile-ish out and back trail has some pretty neat stuff going on and amazing views. Although they steep grade of the access road/trail can make for a good work out so be prepared.
]]>Volcan Mountain is one of my favorite new hikes here in San Diego County, I had tried to hike it last year but wasn’t feeling it then life happened and never really got around to it again, until November of this year. Located in East San Diego County this five mile-ish out and back trail has some pretty neat stuff going on and amazing views. Although they steep grade of the access road/trail can make for a good work out so be prepared.
If you have driven out to Julian, there is a good chance you have passed Wynola and the trail is essentially between Wynola and Julian for reference. In the back country and past some apple orchards you park along the road, so no parking lot and not a ton of space so plan accordingly. You stroll up to the trail head which is probably one of the more unique ones in San Diego.
It’s some great artwork before heading up a relatively steep fire road, while its not paved like the back side of Mt Woodson it’s probably the best example I can think of off the top of my head. San Diego’s County Parks do an amazing job of managing these spaces and they will close the trail for weather like snow and rain (More info here). This is a good opportunity to remind everyone “know before you go” so you don’t drive all the way out for a closed trail.
The grade starts quickly, and your hike will take you up the hillside and through a lot of neat life zones, it’s a concentrated and diverse section from oaks to cedar and ferns from the water. The whole time with some great views though the trees of the valley. Don’t worry there are ample turn outs and flat areas to catch your breath and take in the sites. But the views get really amazing when you get up to the ridgeline.
You have commanding views of the west and can see for miles. The east is awesome to, I could see Anza-Borrego and the Salton See from up there and they have a few great kiosks pointing out local geography and some viewers to take a better look. This is probably one of the more scenic trails I have hiked here with great views of east and west. This would be a great place to take visitors to share San Diego’s backcountry in one hike.
At the summit though the views while nice aren’t as good as the ridgeline in my opinion but still well worth checking out for a great picnic spot and a chance to catch your breath. After looping around the peak we headed down the way we came and enjoyed taking advantage of the downhill aspect, ha-ha. I’m definitely happy I finally made it up and glad that we added it as one of our featured trail stickers (check them out here) for December.
]]>It’s that time of year again when we are running around grabbing gifts and stocking stuffers for our co-workers, friends, and family. It can be a stressful time so we put together a list of five awesome presents under twenty dollars that your outdoor people will love and use! After all what a better gift than making their experience outdoors a little more comfortable and safe.
]]>It’s that time of year again when we are running around grabbing gifts and stocking stuffers for our co-workers, friends, and family. It can be a stressful time so we put together a list of five awesome presents under twenty dollars that your outdoor people will love and use! After all what a better gift than making their experience outdoors a little more comfortable and safe. So, without further ado…
The Grabber Space Blanket is a great way to add a little safety and protection from the elements in an emergency. These stylish orange space blankets are durable and reflect body heat back to you while also providing seme additional protection from windchill. In my opinion a space blanket is a must have especially as we start hiking in the winter months.
Never a spoon around when you need one… This is a thing and I keep a back up spork in my kit just in case I need to eat something. These Utility Sporks hit just that wicket, weather in camp on the trail or even keep one in the office or Car when they mess up your drive threw order. These lightweight compact sporks are the way to go.
Vanquest’s Pocket Quiver is a great little addition to your set up, personally I use mine as a pocket survival kit with plenty of room for a lighter, signal mirror, whistle, Chapstick and a couple of other odds and ends. Plus, when you are going light and don’t need your Costco Card, they make great little wallets carrying what you need for the trail like cash and IDs.
Adventure Medical’s Ultralight / Watertight .3 Medical Kit packs a big punch in a small package, this kit is great for easy days on local trails. Its sealed and ready until you need it and kits out of the way in your day bag, purse, or bike bag. Be ready for bumps and bruises, blisters, and a bunch of other minor boo-boos on the trail.
Klean Freak Body Wipes are a new addition to the lineup, we came across them at Outdoor Retailer and picked them up on the spot. They come in a variety of scents, Citrus, Coconut, Lavender, Tea-Tree and Scent Free, but if you can’t make up your mind, we have variety packs too! There is a whole list of why they are awesome but one thing that stands out especially for our day hikers is they are individually packaged so they are ready to go every time and they all wont dry out once you open the pack.
Thank for stopping by to check out our gifts for under twenty dollars and we hope this helped you out with some ideas. Don’t forget to order early as it becomes a mad house this time of year. Also, if you are new to kit Fox Outfitters, we want to make sure we don’t forget to share that we have free shipping in the Continental United States! Happy holidays from us to you and we look forward to seeing you on the trail, Getting the Fox Out there!
]]>Late September’s trip to Santa Rosa Island was a great trip with some good friends. Santa Rosa Island is a part of the Channel Islands National Park and is the second largest of California’s islands. Yes, California has islands, many have heard of Catalina though while many have not really heard about the Channel Islands.
]]>Late September’s trip to Santa Rosa Island was a great trip with some good friends. Santa Rosa Island is a part of the Channel Islands National Park and is the second largest of California’s islands. Yes, California has islands, many have heard of Catalina though while many have not really heard about the Channel Islands.
Off the coast of Ventura about 40 nautical miles you can spend an amazing weekend on a secluded island. While getting there takes a little time and effort you can read about it HERE in out getting there blog. Arriving to the island is an adventure in itself, and the transfer from the boat to the pier can require some balance and quick feet. You make your way to the top side while they move everyone’s gear up from the hold.
After everyone is staged the Ranger is there to meet everyone and go over some of the rules and most importantly make sure everyone knows what they need to do to stay safe and help preserve the island. After that we are pretty much free to make our way to the campgrounds while the Ranger went over some extra pieces of information for the people camping in the interior of the island. I definitely need to go do some interior exploring of the island but this trip we were staying at Water Canyon Campground.
Prior to this becoming a National Park it had been a working cattle ranch for many years and the ranch was very much still intact as we walked through, the cattle shoots and passed the big red barn and ranch buildings. It was a pleasant mile and a half hike along dirt road to the camp and we had great views of Santa Cruz Island and the beaches and sea. We even passed the airstrip along the way as campers strolled to Water Canyon.
Up a small hill and you can see the campground as you walk into the canyon. It was a neat little protected area with wind blocks constructed at each site looking like a little village. We headed to our spot and the area was quite clean and well kept. a\Aside from the shade structure there is a picnic table and a “fox box” for storing all of your food and scented items since these little lovelies make racoons look like armatures. There is no fires so no fire rings or need for firewood while your camp stoves are good to go. Even smoking is a no go with you having to go to the beach if you want to burn one.
Now for the amenities they did have, potable water, which is amazing! And for dishwashing they ask you to do that at the bathrooms to keep the mess down and they had a nice external deep sink on the outside of the building. Speaking of bathrooms these where probably some of the nicest, cleanest flush toilet park bathrooms I have ever been to, five stars based on that, haha.
While our campground was pretty full it didn’t feel packed and during the day there was so few people compared to the size of the island it was almost like having it to ourselves. The seclusion is awesome but there are some things to remember like cell service is spotty at best, there are not shops or places to spend your money so all great things unless you get hurt or forget something. The upside is the park staff is there to help but that help might be limited.
They were telling us the week before campers got a couple extra days on the island because of bad weather and the ferry not being able to get them. That is a real possibility so a little extra food and fuel might not be a bad idea. That and the wind can be really strong so have a plan for gear that can deal with it, also the flies… if it isn’t windy, we had a ton of little annoying flies during the day at camp, the upside being is hiking around the island the breeze usually kept them down.
The above are the only things I think you need a heads up to enjoy the trip other than that it’s a quick way to have an adventure where you can actually go outdoors in California and not have a ton of people around especially on the beaches. The Park staff was great, and the fellow campers were awesome too. I think the ferry ride acts kind of like a hurdle to get there and that shakes off a lot of the car camper crowd as well as the mile and a half hike to the campground. If you are looking for peace and quiet this is the place.
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Southern California does have seasons although sometimes you must drive to get to them. But the mountains like Palomar provide crisp fall air and colors as the tress begin to change. So, for this month’s featured sticker we are featuring Palomar Mountain and its iconic observatory.
]]>Southern California does have seasons although sometimes you must drive to get to them. But the mountains like Palomar provide crisp fall air and colors as the tress begin to change. So, for this month’s featured sticker we are featuring Palomar Mountain and its iconic observatory.
David and I meet at Dudley’s Bakery an amazing bakery with great sandwiches consolidated cars at Sant Ysabel and headed up to Palomar on a nice fall day in the end of October. It’s a great drive out toward Warner Springs and Lake Henshaw. We were quickly driving up the mountain and towards the observatory.
The CalTec Observatory grounds are pretty cool when it is open but unfortunately it still looks like its closed so make sure you check before heading up there if that’s your main goal. But we found some parking and were looking for adventure.
It was nice finding the Observatory Trail, a 4.4 mile out and back that winds from the Observatory Campground up the hill though great views and neat moss covered rock formations.
It was Fall, and cool as the evergreens contrasted to the yellow and oranges of the Fall leaves, there was still plenty of shade over the trail and meadows to catch some sun.
The trail was well kept an easy to follow with some benches along the way, plenty of opportunities to take a break and enjoy a picnic lunch with your crew.
Although the observatory prober was closed you could see the large white domes of the telescope’s buildings from the trail, and it was still really neat to see while out and about.
That’s why we chose the observatory as our main theme for our trail sticker and October 2021’s free sticker. We offer a monthly free sticker featuring a different trail or area and all you must do to get one is show us a picture of you there at the shop, or you can buy one HERE for two dollars with free shipping.
Now with the observatory closed we will accept any pics of you on Palomar so don’t stress that too much just get out and have some fun on the mountain!
We hope you enjoyed a look into another great SoCal place to explore and hope to see you at the shop soon to get your sticker before the end of November! Don’t worry though we will have another featured trail and you can earn or you can always get one of the past stickers for two bucks.
]]>We had an amazing trip to Santa Rosa Island which is a part of the Channel Islands National Park for a weekend of camping, hiking and relaxation. After seeing a lot of the pictures, a lot of people I have talked to didn’t know that you can camp and explore there, well until recently I didn’t know you could either. So, one of the major parts of adventuring on this island is getting there…
]]>We had an amazing trip to Santa Rosa Island which is a part of the Channel Islands National Park for a weekend of camping, hiking and relaxation. After seeing a lot of the pictures, a lot of people I have talked to didn’t know that you can camp and explore there, well until recently I didn’t know you could either. So, one of the major parts of adventuring on this island is getting there…
Our buddy David planned this adventure and did an amazing job, like we say a lot of enjoying a trip is planning it well. One of the “long poles in the tent was getting there. Island Packers who run the ferry out of venture doesn’t run every day and, on a few days, its only picking up and dropping off once a day. One of the things you will have to check first is their schedule before planning your trip.
For us we were departing Friday morning at 0830, this meant for us in San Diego we needed to drive the three hours up the night before and get a room to allow for more time. We headed to the ferry terminal, and I suggest reading the requirements for your gear to save time and unpacking and repacking. You have a total weight for your pack, you also must pack your fuel in their box for the ride and any batteries like rechargeable need to go with you in your carry on.
After getting our gear in order we lined up along the dock and loaded on our gear then got back in line to board. This Saturday we had campers for Santa Rosa, day hikers and people headed to San Miguel Island. The boat was full but there was plenty of room to sit and areas on the deck to take in the views.
The views where amazing, between the marina and all the cool boats then heading out into the channel. It was great we could see the mainland become distance while we got some great views of the oil rigs. One of the highlights of the crossing was the pods of dolphins and whales. It turned into a whale watching tour and they took time to share the animals and information on the area.
It was a lively and enjoyable three our trip on a comfortable ferry, they even had a small galley with snacks drinks to include cold beer. It was a great way to start this adventure and when we could see Santa Rosa after coming around Santa Cruz Island. We could see the pier and the coast became clearer to us.
Even getting off the ferry is an experience as it noses into the pier to off load the passengers first. We staged on top of the pier while the crew offloaded our gear on the lower walkway. We were talking to the ranger, and he talked about how the seas where so rough the previous week that the ferry couldn’t pick people upon Sunday, and they had to wait until the Wednesday to leave. The moral of the story, we are at the mercy of the sea and there is a very real chance that you could have an extended sat and should plan on fuel and food accordingly…
]]>Desert View Trail (More info here) on Mt laguna in the Cleveland National Forrest is a great way to really take in what San Diego has to offer when it comes to the outdoors. With amazing views of the desert below and Anza Borrego you get to hike along the edge of the mountain though chaparral and into the fall colors and pines. The scenery and easy access make this a trail worth checking out.
]]>Desert View Trail (More info here) on Mt laguna in the Cleveland National Forrest is a great way to really take in what San Diego has to offer when it comes to the outdoors. With amazing views of the desert below and Anza Borrego you get to hike along the edge of the mountain though chaparral and into the fall colors and pines. The scenery and easy access make this a trail worth checking out.
A couple of added bonuses are the Desert Overlook which we have created one of our trail stickers (pick one up here) for and the picnic area with tables fire rings, trach cans and bathrooms (parking here requires an Adventure Pass). So, with easy access from the Sunrise Highway, you have a couple of great jumping off points. Another great thing about Mt Laguna is the general store and restaurants as well. This is a great trail for hikers of all experience levels.
IF you are looking for a little more distance the trail also crosses paths with the Pacific Crest Trail so you can get some miles in if you want, ha-ha. You are also by Burnt Ranchita Campground and parts of the trail has some easy access to water which is a very nice thing up there.
When we recently went you could feel the fall weather and it was quite comfortable hiking along and seeing the leaves begin to change. We went south and into the trees enjoying some shade and a relatively “flat” trail stopping to take in the views and talk to fellow hikers.
This can also be a fun area when the snow comes but make sure you are prepared for it, the weather can get pretty nasty up there during storms. But Mt Laguna during the winter is a whole other blog, ha-ha. So now is also a really good time to get some exploring in and knowing the area a little better for some winter fun.
We hope you will get a chance to check this trail out and let us know how you liked it!
]]>Last Sunday was an amazing new adventure for me, Canyoneering… our friend Bjorn from Triple B Adventures hit me and Brady up about doing the Middle Fork Lytle Creek route in the San Gabriel Mountains. I have been wanting to try canyoneering for a while and could not pass this opportunity up especially with the heat I figured a trip down a canyon and some water would be nice.
]]>Last Sunday was an amazing new adventure for me, Canyoneering… our friend Bjorn from Triple B Adventures hit me and Brady up about doing the Middle Fork Lytle Creek route in the San Gabriel Mountains. I have been wanting to try canyoneering for a while and could not pass this opportunity up especially with the heat I figured a trip down a canyon and some water would be nice.
It was a long day up at 0400 to meet up then a hour and a half drive up to the trail head, lucky for Bray and I Bjorn had done the leg work on research and we loaded into his 4WD since the road was not car friendly, and glad we did it was some amazing washboards getting there. The trail head was nice and had plenty of parking trash cans and vault toilets so that was a plus. The weather in the other hand was probably 90’s close to 100 and had a very warm wind blowing as we started the hike.
The trail up was about 2K worth of gain and had a decent amount of exposure before you got into the tree line. We spent a little bit route finding the trail once we were at the first campground and took the wrong drainage but in about twenty minutes we were back on track. Heading out of the trees and back into the exposed mountain side we crossed a couple scree fields as we looked for our spot to put in.
When we found a decent spot we descended into the canyon and picked up the creek. When we reached the first rappel it was obvious, and it was time to break out the gear. This was some legit rappelling and rope work and lucky for us Bjorn knew what he was doing and had all the gear we needed. This is not a novice trip and requires a lot of planning, gear, and knowledge. This is a “varsity level” trip so definitely good to have experienced people on your team.
Bjorn made quick work of the anchor system and we ran through the gear self-checked, and buddy checked, and we were ready to rappel. This was my first time repelling since boot camp twenty years ago, so it was fun to get back on the rope, but it was also a little nerve racking ha-ha. But wow it was fun and I took my time down the cliff and got used to coming down and then when I was off rappel it was time to chill out and wait for the others.
And by chill out I mean it, ha-ha once we were in the creek a lot of the rappels had us going directly down the water falls and for a few we ended up in the pools below. To be honest it was so hot standing in the water was pretty refreshing and I spent a lot of my day dunking my hat and putting it on to stay chill.
The wind was like a hair dryer even with wetting down you would be dry fast, and it was a reoccurring process of wetting down and drinking water which was nice we had a ready supply at our feet.
This trip was about six and a half miles with half of it hiking up and the other half was pretty much down hill with two major sections for multi pitch rappels. Between Bjorn’s anchors and the bolts placed by other hikers there was a pretty decent system to get down although the time setting up and taking down made for a nice break.
So, with the added time this really fell into why we talk about being prepared for a day hike that could easily turn into an over nightery if something happened. I was glad I had dray bag of warm cloths and my space blankets as an insurance policy against hypothermia. Another thing I don’t leave home without is my head lamp.
I also felt secure in the fact he had multiple Garmin In Reaches and I had an itinerary with Steph which had a midnight drop dead for calling for help. I bring this up because the day took a while and as we came down the second water fall it was around 1930. On top of that the last rappel was a little longer than we the recovery rope to release the main line so Bjorn went to work on trying to rig something up. Because of time we almost had to leave the hundred- and fifty-foot rope but Spool Tool to the rescue as he was able to tie it off get some extra line and after a little elbow grease, we had the rope back on the bag.
While it was nice to be off the canyon, we still had to make our way up to the trail and hike a mile and a half out. It was one of those fun trips where we were racing the sunset and turning our phones back on to let our families know we were good to go and headed down. Finally, around 2100 we made it to the truck and started our drive home.
After getting back to our cars and breaking down gear it was midnight when I got home. Definitely a long but fun day, Monday at work was a long one, ha-ha. But trips like this are a great reminder that even when everything goes well it can still take significantly longer than expected and if anything had slid right, we prob ably would have been camping, so being prepared and having a plan is the first layer in surviving a fun day on the mountain.
]]>“This patch is used an emergency call book. Reference it to hail assistance on emergency radio frequencies and channels. 4 helpful contact telephone numbers are included in the event of an emergency. The lower half of the patch contains a fill-in-the-blank ICE (In-Case-of-Emergency) Card. This information is referred to by first responders in the event of an accident so that family can be contacted. It will also provide medical services with your blood type and known allergies”. – Super ESSE
]]>Other than Ghostbuster “who you gonna call” when something goes bad, I know I’m guilty of remembering like one phone number and letting my cell phone do the rest. But the reality is the cell phone might not always be there or the best option for getting the help you need; I remember as a young Marine having “phone trees” on small, laminated cards to put in our wallets in case we had to get some help out in town and when overseas having points of contact for assistance off base.
I have carried on with this especially when traveling in the back country many times we are in areas with no access to the internet, but we have enough bars to make a call or send a text, we also make use of HAM radios for communication. So, when I saw Super ESSE came out with their Emergency Comms with Channel/Frequency and Telephone Number ICE card I had to pick one up. If for no other reason than the cool factor, haha.
“This patch is used an emergency call book. Reference it to hail assistance on emergency radio frequencies and channels. 4 helpful contact telephone numbers are included in the event of an emergency. The lower half of the patch contains a fill-in-the-blank ICE (In-Case-of-Emergency) Card. This information is referred to by first responders in the event of an accident so that family can be contacted. It will also provide medical services with your blood type and known allergies”. – Super ESSE
It’s a nice durable PVC patch like most of the other ones we see these days, this has been with me on backpacking trips through Joshua Tree and across Anza Borrego as well as a butt ton of day hikes attached to my trail kit and in my bag, so it has been very durable in side of my pack.
I really like the pre-loaded emergency contact information on the top half and it provides a lot of great jumping off points for a variety of radios, stuff that we just might not remember in an emergency or with unfamiliar gear.
I think one of the best pars though is the In Case of Emergency (ICE) contact area which leaves spaces for you to fill in personal information such as name, blood type, allergies, address and emergency phone numbers. Even if you don’t get this patch you should have something like this written down with you in the back country.
One thing I really love bout this patch is the storage built into the back of it. When I was working on airplanes, we used to modify our patches to keep a razor blade or fuses for a test set. Super ESSE did a great job of elevating it and the back Velcro has a laser cut slot built into it so you can throw some extra stuff into the patch that might come in handy.
Having said that I do see a couple minor improvements maybe down the road, that would be moving the slot from the middle horizon of the patch to the end vertically. My reason being for a comms (communication) patch I would like to be able to slide in a laminated card that could be a phone tree or that I could put additional numbers and information on depending on the trip. For the ICE section I would make it one solid larger piece of white that I can fill out and then have the surface area to place a piece of clear tape over to avoid fading and rubbing off of the ink.
That being said my above points are very minor good idea fairy points not deal breakers and if this is something you think you could benefit from I definitely suggest getting one. The patch is useful, I used it to check the NOAA weather channel, It has my blood type and allergies on it and its bright orange sticks out on my trail kit as something a rescuer might want to take a look at.
Check out Super ESSE or this patch which also is available as a sticker and a bunch of other neat stuff!
]]>Potato Chip Rock is probably one of the more iconic San Diego hiking destinations and for good reason it has a unique photo op and people love it.
]]>Potato Chip Rock is probably one of the more iconic San Diego hiking destinations and for good reason it has a unique photo op and people love it. Although there are a couple ways up to the rock my favorite being from Lake Poway this trip being that I live in Ramona we went from the Mt Woodson (Ramona) side.
The Lake Poway offers a real trail and starts at Lake Poway with some awesome views although there is paid parking on the weekends and its close to ten. Iles round trip you also have the bait shop at the lake with cold drinks and I really suggest going this way for a cooler experience.
The Mt Woodson side features terrifying side of the highway parking which is limited not facilities and you need to make sure you pack out your trash. It is around five miles round trip up a paved service road which is quite steep. Because of the distance and free parking though this seems to be a popular approach.
We started at 0520 so we had good parking but there were already cars parking and people on the trail. We beat sunrise although it was already getting light, and we enjoyed the hike as the sun came up and Ramona was covered in the early morning marine layer.
I was hiking with our good friend David and this was his first trip up, so it was fun to share this with him. From the Ramona side its funny because you get to go over the summit and then down the dirt road a little way and you can miss the “entrance” to the rock if the line hasn’t already formed, haha.
Like I said we were there early so no crowds just a couple locals and we had a decent amount of time to take in the view and grab some new profile pics haha. Im not big on heights so I spent as little time on the rock as possible, but David was a champ and enjoyed the view and playing around on the rock.
As the crowds started coming down, we decided to head back and could see more and more people coming up for their early morning hike. This is defiantly a cool place to check out.
]]>We love Anza Borrego State Park, and you will find us adventuring there a lot, if you have been there before you might know that the park headquarters is in Borrego Springs which is an awesome little desert town. Most of our trips have us in the back country sleeping on the ground but this week I got treated to a special trip, thanks to Stephanie. There are some pretty neat resorts there and we have rolled through town but never stayed.
]]>We love Anza Borrego State Park, and you will find us adventuring there a lot, if you have been there before you might know that the park headquarters is in Borrego Springs which is an awesome little desert town. Most of our trips have us in the back country sleeping on the ground but this week I got treated to a special trip, thanks to Stephanie. There are some pretty neat resorts there and we have rolled through town but never stayed.
Well for my birthday Steph hooked it up and put together an amazing trip for me to Casa Del Zorro (Spanish for House of the Fox) so we had to go obviously. Talk about an amazing trip just an hour from the shop we had a pleasant drive through Warner Springs and down to Borrego. The resort was amazing just pulling up the grounds where well taken care of the staff was wonderful. I did not know this but talking to our buddy Brice (Brice Weaver Photography) Borrego Springs used to be a hot spot for Hollywood types who didn’t want the attention of Palm Springs, and resorts like this were popular with them.
I can see why Steph got a one of their casitas and it was one of the better places I have stayed with two bedrooms a living room and a private pool! I was in relaxation heaven. The only time I left was to enjoy sunrise and sunset with views of Fonts Point and the mountains. Oh and I did leave for a great birthday dinner at the restaurant, I definitely recommend the brie appetizer.
It was a great break from the normal and an easy in and out relaxation vacation, if you get a chance check them out this summer, yes summer! They have lower rates and great air-conditioning, and it gives you the morning and evenings to explore the famous desert sculptures nearby and some of the desert (use you head and don’t do anything to crazy its getting warm out). One of my favorite things is the desert in the summer, at night and Casa Del Zorro is a great way to experience it in style.
]]>I get out on a lot of adventures in some pretty cool places, but I will say it is nice to slow it down and car camp every so often. Last weekend was one of those amazing opportunities with our good friends from the San Diego Hiking Network.
]]>I get out on a lot of adventures in some pretty cool places, but I will say it is nice to slow it down and car camp every so often. Last weekend was one of those amazing opportunities with our good friends from the San Diego Hiking Network. Gary who runs the network usually has us doing some fun trips backpacking in San Diego’s Backcountry and provides an excellent opportunity for new hikes, hikers that are new to the area of just want to get out and meet new people.
Although this trip had us at the Lake Henshaw Resort for a relaxing weekend with new and old friends for the Networks first youth camp. This was Gary’s idea to make the network a little more accessible especially to those with the kiddos. We have a dog, so this was a new and scary concept to me camping with kids… I have to say it was great to see such a fun and friendly group of people and the kids where awesome, instead of it descending into “The Lord Of The Flies” the kids all got along really well and had plenty of fun stuff to do. Gary’s wife Jess sent him with tons of cool activities and gear for the kids.
It was actually pretty easy adults hung around by the fire pits kids ran the campground haha, but it was really great getting to hangout catch up and meet some new people, plus the food was on point, thanks Gary. We had some legit full blown charcutier spreads for dinner and ate quite well, Saturday Jess and Suzie came by and said hi plus they brought pizza for everyone so score again. No one was going hungry this trip.
Saturday afternoon I got the privilege to teach a kid’s friendly shelter and signal class that was a lot of fun and had some great questions. The crew was awesome, and I think I had more fun teaching than they did learning. We played with signal mirrors, whistles and space blankets as we talked about strategies to not get lost and if we do how to get un-lost and stay healthy and happy while doing it.
I have to say relaxing and campfire time was a great departure from my usual backpacking, I’m learning its ok to be comfortable, haha. I want to thank everyone for coming out and making it such a great time for all. Definitely looking forward to the next trip and the next youth camp with San Diego Hiking Network. If you are in Southern California, check them out especially if you are new to the outdoors or SoCal!
]]>I have done some big hikes in some great places this year and have put down some decent milage, for me when it is time to work with getting new hikers out there it can be a personal struggle to adapt the trip to make sure they have fun. Like taking my mom on a twenty miler through Joshua Tree, ha-ha. But you wouldn’t run a marathon cold, nor would you take someone out for their first run and do a marathon, so it stands to reason that introduction to this past time should be easy and fun.
]]>I have done some big hikes in some great places this year and have put down some decent milage, for me when it is time to work with getting new hikers out there it can be a personal struggle to adapt the trip to make sure they have fun. Like taking my mom on a twenty miler through Joshua Tree, ha-ha. But you wouldn’t run a marathon cold, nor would you take someone out for their first run and do a marathon, so it stands to reason that introduction to this past time should be easy and fun.
Well for the veteran community in Southern California Triple B Adventures is setting up an awesome program to help get them out on the trail and have fun doing it too! Triple B Adventures already does a great job hosting monthly car campouts as well as setting up hunting events like the Veterans Pheasant Hunt, or their annual fund raiser the Modern Mountain Man Rendezvous. When their CEO Bjorn and I were talking about this he made a great point about adding more Adventure to the A with backpacking trips. Bjorn himself is no stranger to the mountains, an avid hiker he is getting ready to clime Denali in Alaska. Among his many qualifications he is also a Wilderness First Responder, so he makes a great guide especially for getting new hikers on the trail.
So, with the right people in place, it was time to plan a trip, borrowing from the bike camping community this is like a S24O (Sub 24 hour Overnight) but the miles are much, much less. This is a benefit for new hikes, so they don’t get “trapped in the backcountry” for a couple days hating life. Another nice thing about short miles and time is it allows for learning with time to fix issues or if need be, suffering through will be less time.
With new hikers there needs to be the assumption that they might have new untested gear, borrowed gear or the wrong gear and that’s ok. TBA has enough loner gear to outfit the hikers and if people do bring gear that falls under my list above that’s ok because the relative short time on the trail will identify hot spots, discomfort, failure etc. but it wont end the trip. This is about learning and fun.
The location was just outside of Ramona CA for a couple reasons, we met at Kit Fox Outfitters, weighed packs, and picked up last minute gear. The hike was close so if we had any issues, we could be home in a short amount of time and so hikers tired from their first trip were not driving eight hours back from the sierras. While not the most amazing approach ever the first half of the hike was uphill on a fire road, the reason for the figure road is again if anyone’s fun meter was on zero or for a minor medical issue we could run down and get the safety truck and be back in town quickly. Also, it put us up on the ridge for sunset which was pretty cool.
Up on the ridge we had some great views of the valley and an adjacent canyon. Bjorn set up a legit charcutarie board for dinner and we relaxed watched the late sunset and hit the rack. I actually had one of my better night’s sleep on the trail too! The marine layer rolled in at some time and we were a little damp as we packed up and started our hike down to the canyon to the drainage and to the riverbed.
The rive was fortunately dry and we took a break before pushing up to the trail that paralleled the river for a quick hike back to the truck. The hike out was nice, it was an actual trail and a lot greener than the trip up the hill. The wild flowers where out and the relatively flat grade made for a good hike. We got to the truck and in fifteen minutes where back at Kit Fox Outfitters to hang out and enjoy the rest of our Sunday.
]]>I woke up early-ish, after a few cold spots during the night I really didn’t want to get out of my bag, I was comfortable. Eventually though the sun crested, and I started to get a little too warm, nature’s way of saying time to get on the trail. I had a power bar and got my gear together and topped off all my water bottles.
]]>I woke up early-ish, after a few cold spots during the night I really didn’t want to get out of my bag, I was comfortable. Eventually though the sun crested, and I started to get a little too warm, nature’s way of saying time to get on the trail. I had a power bar and got my gear together and topped off all my water bottles.
After the previous days hike and water consumption my pack was a lot lighter, and I loaded it on my back and began the hike down the road through the sandstone canyons and into the badlands of Anza Borrego. The hike though the canyon was nice with a lot of neat rock formations and the terrain kept me busy as I warmed up my trail legs. The second day is always a little better, it’s like my body finally gets it after the first day that it’s going to be a little more time on the trail. I will say I was again glad I was going west to east since it made for a gradual downhill hike.
Day two saw a lot more activity on the trail as I passed campers who had four wheeled up form Fish Creek and day adventures driving up through the desert roads. For the most part not a big deal. But I did have to pay a little more attention to the traffic since I had to share the desert today, ha-ha. One of the upsides though is I knew I was getting closer and seeing people did add another level of comfort knowing if I had to, I could ask for help.
As I came down the canyon and out onto the main route I was in familiar territory from last year’s trip, we had made it a little past the Devils Drop Off and I was starting to see some terrain features I recognized that was nice. The down side is I knew that while the wash/road opened up a lot of this area was very sandy and at times it was like walking at the beach with a backpack.
I guess if you do it a second time it starts to become routine and around ten thirty, I was looking for a shade spot to take a mid-day nap and get out of the sun. My sun shelter from the Grabber All Weather Blanket came in handy again as I set it up in the exposed was far away from the traffic exploring the desert. I checked my maps drank water and had a nice little lunch befoe checking the time. At around one I broke camp loaded up my bag and heads down closer to Fish Creek.
The final few miles past the wind caves and into Split Mountain was great, the high walls of the canyon provided a bunch of shade and I could take a break here and there. I had talked to Gary and David earlier, so we had a timeline, and I was not in any rush. I even had time to talk to some campers (also take a break).
It was nice though exiting the canyon and seeing the hustle and bustle of the campground and knowing how close I was to the end. I gave Gary a call and they were in campo setting up, all I had to do is take a “shortcut” up some loose sand and rocks and I was there with my pickup crew. Gary his son and David were setting up camp and fortunately had the chairs out, happy day a chair. They had just arrived though and there wasn’t too much sunlight if they wanted to see the wind caves, so they took off up there while I relaxed in the shade. Around four thirty Andy and his kids showed up and began set up then after a couple hour car ride Andy took the kids up to the wind caves to meet the gang and check them out.
Now I was comfortable, and you might think my trip was done, I kind of felt like that too but I still had a little bit to go… To complete my hike across the park I had three and a half miles to go to finish out my trip and a sixteen-mile day. Since I had a safe place to ditch my gear, I stripped my pack down to just the waist belt with my canteens and my kit bag with my survival gear so I could move light and fast. I reluctantly got going ha-ha.
The hike out initially was sandy and not too much fun until I hit the paved road and my time got a lot better. I was just finishing it to finish it at this point and while I was hiking, I got a call from the gang checking in and I let them know my location and pick up time, I was not walking back ha-ha. I passed Elephant Trees a local park marker and had just a little bit to go until I hit the park sign and the end of my hike. It was nice to be done and put this one in the books. I called David and he came and got me, before heading back we headed to the Iron Door and I grabbed a beer.
This was a fun and challenging trip that had me seeing a diverse set of terrain and exploring Anza Borrego state Park. Over two days I had crossed thirty-three miles on foot along jeep roads washes and a trail here and there. The greatest challenge for me doing this self-supported was the fact I had to carry all of my water and I started with twenty liters of water weighing in at around forty-four pounds on top of my personal gear. By the time I had finished I only had three liters left. It was neat to know that I can do it and having th eoppertunity to push myself a little. It would not have been doable if it wasn’t for my great support team, Stephanie on logistics, Gino on standby for pick up if I need a jeep to grab me, dad dropping me off Friday and Gary, David, and Andy for pick up and camping at the end. I am very appreciative for all the help and support. Also thank you for taking the time to read my story and learn about my little adventure.
]]>Last weekend I completed a hike I have been wanting to do for a while across Anza Borrego Desert State Park in eastern San Diego County. This two-day hike took me across thirty-three miles of diverse desert landscape and was challenging and rewarding with some great solo hiking and amazing views.
]]>Last weekend I completed a hike I have been wanting to do for a while across Anza Borrego Desert State Park in eastern San Diego County. This two-day hike took me across thirty-three miles of diverse desert landscape and was challenging and rewarding with some great solo hiking and amazing views.
We had attempted it last year from the. East to west but had to turn back for some gear issues but that trip there gave me the knowledge I needed to plan and execute this hike, “success is built on a mountain of failures”. With spring in full swing and it getting warmer I wanted to get this knocked out before the weather window closed. I had completed some warmup desert hikes in Joshua Tree with the Mikes and my Mom, so I had a good opportunity to dial in my gear before setting out on this hike.
Safety is always paramount and a solo unsupported hike across the desert would take some considerable planning and coordination. The distance was not as big an issue as the remote area and my need to carry all of my water. Having explored out here I also knew the area had limited connectivity for my cell phone and coordinating a pickup if I needed one.
Planning I was Hiking from the S2 across the stagecoach RV resort and would be traveling along jeep trails to the eastern end of the park by elephant trees. I set up a solid itinerary with Steph and she had a written plan a map overlay and lists of emergency contacts. I also set up a pickup crew with David and Gary to meet me at Fish Creek a local primitive camp site. Gino from Spool Tool who has an epic Jeep was on call if I needed pick up in the backcountry.
I gave myself three days and two nights to accomplish this and was hoping for two days and a night, but this meant I needed enough water to support me for the longer timeline. I believe water consumption is a personal thing, so it was important to note how much I was using on my warmup hikes then adjust accordingly. I also made sure that my food and hygiene needs required as little water as possible. As a standard I carry five liters on my belt and pack with two Nalgene one and a half liter bottles and two Nalgene GI canteens. I figured I would need an additional fifteen liters, so I added a three- and two-liter Hydropack as well as a ten-liter MSR dromedary to the inside of my pack. My soft gear like sleeping system was packed on the outside of my pack and as I used water that gear would go into my backpack to make up for the space. The water weight was a little over forty pounds.
Communications would also be a key part of my safety net, first and foremost was my itinerary with Steph so she knew when to send someone looking for me and who to send where. I had my cell which was also my GPS and Camera, so I had to make sure to have a charger for that as well as my Garmin InReach which was an emergency device and also gave me the ability to text via their app with the satellite for minor issues along the way. I also brough my HAM radio with a list of local repeaters as well. Then I also had my standard emergency signaling gear with my mirror and whistle and a small signal panel.
With all of this in place it was time to step off, on Friday Dad dropped me off at six am and I started my hike up towards Whale Peak along the road. The first few miles were a decent gain with a heavy pack, but I had an awesome sun rise to watch. This are is really unique with high desert plants some juniper and pine trees and I was making good time. Towards the mountain it started to level out which was a nice break and I headed though the squeeze a local off rod landmark, it was all downhill from here, haha.
While the hike up was a gradual incline the hike down the mountain had some definite step parts and it was almost climbing down the road in some spots. Using the existing Jeep roads made navigation easier and I was surprised Friday to see a convoy headed past me, they asked if I was ok and needed anything which was pretty cool. I did take one trail detour to go check out Harper’s Cabin which I am assuming was an old mining operation. The detour down the “trail” turned out to be a dry was and a mini adventure while I climbed down rocks with a still very heavy pack. I definitely questioned why I chose to do this a couple of times, but it was a trail on my map, so I don’t feel I went too far off the plan and it paralleled the road, so I wasn’t too far off my plan. It did cost me some time and energy though.
My plan was basically to hike twenty miles day one, well this was early in my hike and I was a little overconfident, haha. My schedule had me hiking in the morning until around eleven then taking a nap under my sunshade until one. Day one I actually set up the shelter around ten thirty and took a break until close to two, with the heat while not bad I did not see the point in pushing it to hard and was ready to step off rested and watered. I was still up in the higher elevation and had a ways to go.
The rest of the afternoon was spent with a leisurely stroll down the road and a break to check out a native site that had grinding stones and some faded pictographs. This valley I was in was very similar to Blair Valley so this location made sense for the spot and it was neat to try to imagine what it was like when they were here. I was still making good time, so this was a welcome pit stop.
I could definitely see the difference in the landscape as I descended down the mountain and was beginning to feel the weight of my pack, I kept telling myself I would stop at twenty miles or six pm. I ultimately though found a great spot with some shade and a nice breeze around mile seventeen and I also had cell phone reception! I figured instead of chasing an artificial timeline and distance I would camp here rest and be ready for the morning. It was on a bluff that overlooked the valley, and I could see the Lagunas to my west, so I was in a good place.
It was relaxing and I set up camp and made some phone calls, I was even able to go live on Facebook. This was cool for a couple reasons; I like talking to Stephanie and it was a visual marker of where I was at and a good starting point if someone had to come get me. In the desert it gets chilly quick and right after the sun went down, I was in my bag ready for the next day, but I will share the rest of my adventure next week. Thanks for taking the time to check out my story and can’t wait to share the conclusion!
]]>We had another great trip back to Joshua Tree for some backpacking with my mom. She had seen the trip I had done recently with the Mikes and wanted do go do some desert hiking and camping, so we were back at it on the California Riding and Hiking Trail for a twenty miler. This was especially cool because my family had been out there for a while my Nana and great-grandparents used to live at the Gates of Spain Mobile Estates in Yucca Valley, so we spent a decent amount of time there growing up.
I left on Thursday after work and it was a nice three-hour drive from Ramona through the mountains and Palm Springs up to 29 Palms where we where staying. It was good to see mom and we went and got some dinner and crashed out. We got up Friday and began the process of getting gear together and stagging cars and water. It was a nice drive through the park, and we staged car one at the Juniper Flats backcountry kiosk then consolidated cars and gear to stage water at Juniper Flats Kiosk, we made good time up until we turned down the dirt road to Covington Flats.
It was dusty washboard roads in a rental, so we took our time driving and it gave mom a good idea of where we were going and what the area looked like. Not the end of the world time wise as we headed to Black Rock Canyon to stage the other car and step off. Time wise it would have been nice to have staged the water the day before or stat earlier, but it is what it is, we stepped off at noon. It was warm but not that bas with the hies being in the low 80’s.
Now I realize I could have communicated better since I told mom that the trail is mostly downhill, and it is but the first couple miles is uphill, and she was not too happy about that. I understand hitting an uphill the first thing is sometimes not a great way to start out. But we were in it to win it and made decent time to our first water drop at Covington Flats and took a nice break, glad we brought the chairs and glad we staged two gallons of water it was warm, and we were drinking. That was around the seven-mile mark and we wanted to get to ten and right before the canyon set up camp and do the canyon in the morning.
Mom did great and we made good time and stopped around six pm to set up camp and relax, it was funny because I had brought a ton of food but ended up eating some peanut M&Ms and drinking water, my appetite was like zero and mom was on the same plan. We got everything set up and relaxed then hit the rack under a great desert sky. In the morning we took our time and mom had some coffee and we packed up and redistributed some of the weight from her back to make it easier for her since this was her first backpacking trip in a while. The day prior I carried her back for a little bit to give her a break while keeping on schedule, so this was making life easier for everyone.
It was great heading up to the lip of the canyon and it actually was not as bad as I remembered it (we did the whole 37.5 miles in two days and it was a blur a month ago). We had our second day trail legs and day two was great moving through the wilderness area of Joshua Tree it is amazing how remote and cut off you are while still being able to see San Jacinto and San Gorgonio Peaks and the Salton Sea. Some of these areas are so amazing with the mixture of Juniper, Pine and Joshua Tree, especially the dense areas where the J Trees look like a forest.
We made awesome time to the car and water drop two, around one o’clock and definitely enjoyed the water and AC on pour way back to pick up my car. We got a quick snack in Yacca Valley drove to Black Rock Canyon and offloaded gear. It was fun to backpack again thought J Tree but it was even better doing the trip with my mom and it looked like she had a great time.
]]>Last Saturdays Spring Turkey Opener while not successful as a great time and an awesome way to spend some time with friends on the mountain. Unfortunately, while the turkeys are abundant down here they seem to have the dates on lock down and disappear from huntable land, if only we could hunt in neighborhoods, ha-ha. But a bad day hunting is better than a great day at work.
]]>Last Saturdays Spring Turkey Opener while not successful as a great time and an awesome way to spend some time with friends on the mountain. Unfortunately, while the turkeys are abundant down here they seem to have the dates on lock down and disappear from huntable land, if only we could hunt in neighborhoods, ha-ha. But a bad day hunting is better than a great day at work.
Gary grabbed me Friday and we stopped by the shop to say high to Steph before bouncing to meet everyone. In true fashion we got caught up and where running late but that ok because most everyone else was too. We met at the Lake Henshaw Resort, but the dinner was closed so we headed down the hill for burritos. Then back up to Palomar mountain to hang out on the side of the road and catch up before crashing for a few hours in our cars.
We got up at four and put our stuff together and headed down the area we were going to hunt, it was my first time here, so I just followed Gary and when I found a nice tree to lay under, I took advantage of it. It was a cold spring morning and frost was still on the ground, I should have dressed a little better for it, I was cold. Yes, even someone who teaches back country skills will forget their gear and tough it out from time to time.
It was a great reminder though about what we do teach when it comes to heat transfer and maintaining your core temp. I want going to die just suffer a little especially since I couldn’t move around. So, what reminders did I have… Convective cooling in this case was very real, I was almost ok except where I was laying on the ground. Lesson learned seats are not just for comfort have a barrier for between you and the ground.
I was getting a little cranky laying in the cold so I figured with the sun coming up I could go get some radiant heat, good idea but the damp ness in my clothing from laying on the ground caused some evaporative cooling that was not aided by the heavy winds convective cooling in the open sunny area, truth be told I was actually warmer out of the wind.
In the end much like Goldy Locks I found a spot that had dried, was exposed to the sun but sheltered from the wind and it was just right. All I had to do now was lay back and listen to one person call a turkey and every other hunter in the area start calling, ha-ha. While we didn’t walk away with a bird I did have a good opportunity to relax and reinforce some skills.
]]>Last weekends day trip to Ladder Canyon in the Mecca Hills Wilderness just outside of Mecca California which for us SoCal types is basically between Borrego Springs and Palm Springs depending on if you are coming from LA or San Diego. I had seen some pictures a while back and was intrigued about the 4.9 mile day hike through slot canyons and the local desert, of course this being a desert timing is everything when it comes to exploring so March seemed like an appropriate time to head out on our first adventure here.
]]>Last weekends day trip to Ladder Canyon in the Mecca Hills Wilderness just outside of Mecca California which for us SoCal types is basically between Borrego Springs and Palm Springs depending on if you are coming from LA or San Diego. I had seen some pictures a while back and was intrigued about the 4.9 mile day hike through slot canyons and the local desert, of course this being a desert timing is everything when it comes to exploring so March seemed like an appropriate time to head out on our first adventure here.
Joining the team was our good friends David and Brice from Brice Weaver Photography. Definitely a great example of the SoCal climates, picking up David in Julian the whole mountain was covered in snow from a recent storm and it was fun getting my truck stuck in his front yard. We decided to cross that bridge when we got back and some of the snow had melted so we loaded up and headed to our next stop Brice’s in Borrego Springs. Since I had dressed for a day in the desert getting down the mountain and out of the snow was quite welcome.
We then drove out to the canyon and while the sign at the front says four-wheel drive is recommended there where a lot of regular cars doing fine although if the weather was bad, I would probably not risk it especially if there was a risk of flooding. It was a leisurely trip down a washboard road as we got to the Painted Canyon Trail Head and noticed a lot of people camping, this area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and dispersed camping was in effect, although one nice comfort was the vault toilets. Other than that, there is no water, and you need to pack in and out your trash.
At about eight thirty in the morning it was still pretty busy between campers and hikers although it would get much more busy as the morning went on. The trail head was well marked with a kiosk and we parked and headed up the canyon. Fortunately, the entrance for Ladder Canyon is well marked with some giant arrows made out of stone or we would have missed the beginning. We still missed the first ladder though but got a really fun little climb in and started our adventure. I highly suggest following the arrows for a couple reasons, one the flow of traffic, if everyone was going both ways it would make a jam and some of the slots are kind of tight so it helps alleviate that headache, two I personally think it was easier to climb up than climb down especially since you can see a were you are going.
There are only four spots where the ladders are really used although like I said we missed the first one and climbed into the canyon.
Then you head down a ladder and this is where I think it starts to get real fun with the slot canyon.
The third ladder has you climbing up again and this one might be a little tricky especially if you have issues climbing since the ladder doesn’t go all the way to the top you have to climb yourself on top of the ledge. The ledge area is a little small and has just about enough room to get yourself up and maybe have someone help you.
The slot canyon here is amazing and is only a few feet across in some areas. Looking up to the sky from here is really cool it’s like a blue cut in the earth.
As we continued the canyon walls begin to get shorter and the canyon begins to widen out as you hike up to the top where you have a commanding view of the area to include the Salton Sea, Mt San Jacinto and Mt San Gorgonio, the mountains were neat with the snow on them. We continued to follow the trail upward and I will tell you it was quite windy, hold onto your hat.
There is a network of trails up there so pay attention but for the most part it the main trail is well marked, and you can follow the herd into the adjacent canyon for your hike out.
The This canyon feeds into the original canyon we took from the trail head before hanging left into Ladder Canyon. The geology of this area is really neat, I’m no expert but I loved the different rocks and diversity it really is a cool hike. The walls tighten and raise for one more ladder down then it is pretty much smooth sailing from here.
I have to say I had an absolute blast and for a day trip this hike is perfect. I actually think though we spent more time driving out here than we spent hiking so next trip I’m probably going to make it an overnight trip and explore some of the other areas around here. As always thanks for checking out our story and we hope to see you on the trail soon.
]]>Last weekend was a fun little local adventure, we headed to the Turkey Tune Up held at Lake Henshaw this year. With Spring Turkey Season right around the corner, I jumped at the chance to check it out when our buddy Gary from the San Diego Hiking Network planned the trip.
]]>Last weekend was a fun little local adventure, we headed to the Turkey Tune Up held at Lake Henshaw this year. With Spring Turkey Season right around the corner, I jumped at the chance to check it out when our buddy Gary from the San Diego Hiking Network planned the trip. This was also nice for me because I dint have to plan or really pack a lot and I got to go along for the ride and enjoy the weekend at a place I have not camped yet.
I threw all my gear together and Gary came up to the shop since we were carpooling and after a short delay watching the shop for Mrs. KFO, we were off. The Lake Henshaw Resort is only like thirty minutes from the shop here in Ramona, so we made good time and our buddy David showed up just in time to set up camp. For a Friday the campground was kind of empty up top on the car camping area and there is a whole section of permanent residents who live there year-round as well. Across the road is access to the lake from the parking lot that sits in front of the general store and restaurant. They also have cabins, but this was a car camping trip.
We saw the lower camping area was closed off for the tune up and the other lower are3as where pretty full of trailers, so we headed up the hill and found out spot with a great view of the lake and valley. We were pretty far from everyone the car camping spots where level and had primitive fire rings and running water near by the only issue was we were kind of far from the bathrooms but no biggy. I headed to bed early Friday night but Gary stayed up with the gang, Tommy and Virgil came down from Julian to visit and hang around the fire for a bit.
“Of course I will be up at the crack of dawn to be at the tune up on time”, this was not the case, Gary made pancakes they were amazing we took our time and got there around eight forty five, the event goes from eight to noon but we didn’t miss out on anything to big. This was my first time attending and it was pretty cool, they had a few vendors and information booths and a food booth. Down at the circus tent they had a bunch of raffle items and during the event they had a bunch of different speakers from Fish and Game answering questions to turkey call demonstrations, very informative and lots of fun. It was cool to run into some friends there and catch up as well.
By the time noon rolled around we grabbed some burgers and headed up to the campsite to relax and split some firewood and try to dry it out by the time dinner was ready. Justin relaxed and read, Gary cooked and David and I split and staked wood, a great way to spend a Saturday.
]]>The spirit of adventure and exploration doesn’t have to be super dangerous and difficult sometimes it’s just going a different route or somewhere you have not been before. That’s not to say planning and preparation are not important either. One of the great things about San Diego’s backcountry is an area you have been to many times can still have a few surprises up its sleeve.
]]>The spirit of adventure and exploration doesn’t have to be super dangerous and difficult sometimes it’s just going a different route or somewhere you have not been before. That’s not to say planning and preparation are not important either. One of the great things about San Diego’s backcountry is an area you have been to many times can still have a few surprises up its sleeve.
This last trip was Anza Borrego and Mine Wash Road a great little spot this time of year with a ton of history. Triple B Adventures a local nonprofit that gets veterans and active duty out hunting hiking and fishing has been coming here for years and our buddy Brady Pesola from the Gray Man Project turned us on to this spot. At times it can be a little difficult to find and the reception is iffy (not always a bad thing) this area is great for camping has a vault toilet and most notably is the site of a Native Village Site the Kumeyaay would winter in next to an amazing bolder field that offers some interesting exploration.
What makes Mine Wash Road interesting is that it dead ends and on the map picks up again and ends in Shelter Valley. I love maps by the way they are a great way to find new spots, plan trips and find a little adventure here and there. My go to for this area is the Tom Harrison “San Diego Backcountry: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Recreation Map”. This map is what inspired us to hike the road and check out a new area.
Brady and I planned it out and left an itinerary with the group especially since we had questionable cell service and while yes this is a road there is always the uh-oh factor. The route we would be taking had us leaving a car at one end and hiking to the other. The whole road its self is around seven miles which has a decent climb the first couple miles then drops in the hills and down into the valley for a nice leisurely stroll. We drove my 2WD Silverado a couple miles in with little trouble and a lot of paying attention as parts of the road definitely need a truck with some clearance.
Once we thought we were in a good spot I could get the truck out of we dismounted and began our hike. The road downhill defintly became a 4WD road (glad I parked when I did). But we still wondered why the road had a break in it even as we passed the road closure area. This part was tucked into the hills with a very diverse section of desert plants and we could see Whale Peak. It was a neat little canyon section and we climbed to the top of a knoll to see what we could see (it was a canyon and lots of hills). We climbed back down and into the canyon and headed down the trail.
It became very apparent why this section of the road was never finished it was tight and the granite boulders where large and would make for difficult work to put in the road. The canyon was like a wind tunnel and we had a decent breeze the whole time, you could also see all the holes and “caves” presumably carved out buy the winds and it made for some great exploring. Here you felt totally secluded while not actually being that far from Shelter Valley or the camp.
We took our time exploring but this trail section of the road was actually pretty short, and we soon found ourselves back on the road headed downhill and the second car. Walking back down we came across a few other desert adventures convoying in their Jeeps and enjoyed the stroll. The reality is this trip took us under four hours and the distance was a no brainer but for us we took the road less travels found out what is. Up in them there hills and where able to put another adventure notch in our belts.
]]>We often don’t get days off together so when a Monday lines up we like to jump at the chance to get out together. Running a small business means our schedules don’t really line up but the day after valentine’s day we headed to the coast for a little adventure. We would be doing the Ho Chi Minh Trail in La Jolla.
]]>We often don’t get days off together so when a Monday lines up we like to jump at the chance to get out together. Running a small business means our schedules don’t really line up but the day after valentine’s day we headed to the coast for a little adventure. We would be doing the Ho Chi Minh Trail in La Jolla.
The trail got its name in the 60/70’s from surfers who would use the route to get down the beach from the La Jolla Farms area, taking its name from the infamous trail in Vietnam. It’s funny now because you can google the trail and it will bring you driving directions under this name and drop you off in a neighborhood in La Jolla Farms by the college. I had gone this way previously, but it was a busy Presidents day and lots of people parked there, plus I noticed a lot more two-hour parking signs…
So, we headed over to the Glider Port and a new adventure since I had not gone down this way before and it was Steph’s first time. Before we even stepped off, I have to say I was really proud of her for wanting to do this trail, it’s not easy and I will say its actually pretty dangerous. Very steep lots of minor climbing it can get super slick, falling would be a really, really bad thing, but she was down so have to hit it while the hitting is good.
The traverse along the cliff top from the Glider Port wasn’t bad and made for a great view, it wasn’t until we started heading down that and all the other people were heading up that it started to get interesting. This is not a maintained trail and it’s all at your own risk, the trail itself can be thin or nonexistent in some areas. This means we have to be polite, have a good attitude, be helpful and most of all be patient.
Steph actually showed me up I was trying to figure out how to get across a spot and she just took off down the hill sliding on her butt, a method I soon adopted. We were in it to win it no going back the fastest way is through… We made our way through he brush and along the trail navigating the best route letting people pass or come up, it was really busy here, I think the secret is out.
The best part to me is the sandstone canyon and the slot canyon it makes with an almost stair like decent down. This is a natural drainage so there is a little “creek” and next to the slot canyon is a neat water fall when its flowing, keep in mind all tis water is run off so avoid playing in it. This is the big fun part for me after the slot it was time to figure out to go high or low. The high side was busy and super steep, I really didn’t want to deal with it so we went through the creek bed since it wasn’t really flowing and managed to move pretty well with the exception of some climbing and avoiding the super slick mud.
After that it was pretty much careful walk/climb down to the beach, we took a left and headed for Blacks Beach (San Diego’s famous nude beach) and the stairs back up to the Glider Port. The hike/climb down was pretty taxing with the having to pay attention the whole time, the hike up is pretty taxing from the never-ending stairs, ha-ha. The upside of all of this though is it makes for a decent loop, the Glider Port has a snack bar and plenty of parking so this makes for a cool local adventure on the coast.
]]>Waking up was difficult, after a decent night of sleep and temperatures in the forties I was warm in my bag and had only minimal tossing and turning. I had only needed to leave the comfort of my bag once in the night to pee.
]]>Waking up was difficult, after a decent night of sleep and temperatures in the forties I was warm in my bag and had only minimal tossing and turning. I had only needed to leave the comfort of my bag once in the night to pee (peeing is worth it so you don’t waste calories keeping it warm in you and being uncomfortable). But my body was feeling every bit of the nineteen miles the day before.
We had made good time and decided to push past our original camp and do the thirty-seven and a half miles in two days. I really had not backpacked in a few months, so this was my back in the saddle hike, I had actually had concerns about the distance in three days since I was not feeling like a super hiker. Fortunately, the trail conditions where great and the relative downhill hiking made for good time. Good time was still around eleven hours on the trail with breaks.
Now day two I wasn’t felling super excited even though we were halfway done, probably because I knew what getting halfway felt like. We were sleeping in, of course the being a relative term. Once the area began to lighten up and we didn’t need headlamps we started the process of breaking out of our warm “comfortable” bags and the camp chores at hand. We had to clean up make some breakfast and pack up, I was not moving fast.
But with warm chow and a little caffeine it got easier and easier to get around, my body did not hurt as much as I thought it would, probably in part because it knew we still had a way to go and that the brain was being a wuss, ha-ha. But it was time to get moving and we stepped off from Ryan camp for the final push.
Day two was a Saturday and we saw a lot more traffic on the trail from the one person we say on Friday to many backpackers and day hikers due to the proximity to the trail heads and the paved roads than run through the park. It started to feel a little more congested and the isolation we had the previous day was all but gone for the first half of the day. But this is the time of year to visit so it made sense and was pretty cool seeing all the climbers playing around on the rocks.
We made good time to Geology Tour our third (of four) water drop and again I was very appreciative of the Mikes setting out the water drops; this really is what makes this hike doable because there is no water other than what you set out. Because they set our so much water we really didn’t have to stress it either which was a first for me desert backpacking since usually we have to carry all of our own.
At this point the desert really seemed to flatten out more and you can tell the elevation loss by going this way was noticeable, the rocky hills and thick groves of Joshua Trees changed to boulders and a more arid landscape. The trail remained easy to follow and easy to hike on which contributed to the fast pace and lower stress levels from not having to navigate constantly instead occasionally checking the map and following the mile markers.
It was a little over four miles from Geology Tour to Twin Tanks our final water drops, not a significant distance but the miles where adding up and it was nice not to have to keep full canteens until then. Twin Tanks was the last water drop and real milestone location until we finished the remaining seven miles to the North Gate entrance. It was nice to be there and know we had one last push, but that push was a seven mile stretch all be it downhill. With thirty miles behind us it was time to get motivated.
I am a big dumb animal, and my hiking style could be best described as lumbering, the Mikes moved quickly like some sort of desert mammal they would maintain the lead. Maybe it’s because it was the end of the trail but the last seven miles where kinda eh, it’s that lower desert kind of look and for a portion of it you parallel the road out so you can see and hear the traffic, I guess it’s their way of saying snap out of it time to get back into society. Across the valley you can start to see 29 Palms the famous United States Marine Corps base where many of us trained at some point in our Marine Corps career.
As I started to feel a little sorry for myself with achy joints and tired from the hike, I could make out the tell-tale dust of a convey at 29 palms miles away coming back on the late afternoon on a Saturday, later I looked up after hearing the tell-tale rumble of CH-53 helicopters (one of the aircraft I worked on) and couldn’t help but to think to myself “sucks to be them”, ha-ha. That last push of motivation at their expense got me going (I’m kidding by the way).
Moving down hill was hard because I was tired, but I had momentum and I had the mile marker signs to help me count down, I was playing mental games. I won’t count down until five miles to go, ok just gotta get to three miles then two, awesome I’m almost there! At the one mile mark the Mikes where taking a break and waiting for me so we could all finish as a team (I also had the car keys, life hack if you are a slow hiker keep the keys). We finished out the last mile uneventfully and made it to the car around sundown.
Although finishing the trail and finishing the tip are two separate things, first we had to head into 29 Palms for the healing powers of Del taco. After we recharged with food it was off to get Mike’s car and find a room in Yucca Valley. We were tired and that is one major take away from all these trips is making sure you have a plan for fatigue and how you are going to get home safely. Fifteen years ago, we would be out drinking beers now its Advil and Denny’s via door dash, ha-ha. We woke up Sunday and took our time getting on the road I still had a three-hour drive home and was feeling every bit of the trip.
It’s now a week and half later I’m sitting here really reminiscing about an amazing trip with good friends on a new trail and how it was totally worth it. Making memories like this and accomplishing something is important what’s the use of all the cool gear if you are not out doing cool stuff with cool people. I was lucky to have a great crew and am very thankful for the hard work they put into the planning of this trip and letting me tag along, I am thankful for the awesome couple who hooked us up with the camping spot and the cold beer. I’m very thankful to be able to get out to do adventures like this and the opportunity to share them with you.
]]>Last week was another great adventure, the week prior we were getting our snow camp on In Eager AZ and then in a span of a week we were back in the desert backpacking Joshua Tree
]]>Last week was another great adventure, the week prior we were getting our snow camp on In Eager AZ and then in a span of a week we were back in the desert backpacking Joshua Tree. Joshua Tree and the surrounding area have a lot of memories, visiting my grandparents in Yucca Valley and not so fond memories like back-to-back combined arms exercises at 29 Palms, ha-ha. I know this area and have overnighted in Joshua Tree on my way to other adventures but never really explored it. When Mike and Mike planned a trip, I couldn’t pass it up.
This would be the same Mike and Mike made famous-ish by our summit of Mt Charleston this last October (read about it here). So, upside I had two capable experienced hikes and I got to be the slow one this time again. They drove up early Thursday and did a quick recon of the area, we would be Hiking the California Hiking and Riding Trail section that goes through the park. At around 37.5 miles through the desert, we would have to stage water at selected points along the route. Lucky for us this isn’t anything new and traveling the backcountry of Joshua Tree is a pretty common thing and the system they have set up is really nice especially for social distancing.
The permit system is done at the Kiosks located in the park along the trails and are close to road access so it’s easy to pick them up and stage your water. This time of the year is some perfect weather for exploring J Tree and the backcountry really gets you away from the traffic (J Tree Backcountry Info here). Lucky for me the Mikes took care of this all I had to do was meet them at the hotel.
After unloading all my gear and grabbing some dinner we broke out the map and went of our plan to hike the trail in three sections for two nights and three days. We also went over the water drops and the plans for the car shuffle in the morning. It was early to bed as we had a four am wake up so we could get on the road.
We woke up grabbed some breakfast burritos and where off, first stagging my car at the North Gate entrance and then loaded up in Mike’s car to drive down to Black Rock Canyon. When all was said and done it was about seven thirty when we got on the trail and started our climb, and by climb it was about a thousand feet. We hiked along until we hit the canyon and dipped into it stopped for a bit and started our hike out.
The trails where awesome and easy to navigate and hike along with signs every mile marking the distance and for the most art this route took us down a steady decline. We were making really good time and while chatting the possibility of doing the hike in two days with pizza and a hotel instead of camping Sunday night came up, we were sold, two day it was. This though meant some long days and miles.
This would mean we are going to do around nineteen miles day one- and eighteen-mile day two, how hard can it be… We hit our first water drop at Covington Flats loaded up and hydrated before stepping off again. I was carrying five liters on me, so I had plenty of water and was also carrying a canteen of electrolyte mix. It was really nice not to have the feeling of “I hope water is available soon” instead we felt confident in hitting the miles hard.
Our next water point was around ten miles away at Juniper Flat and the day was going well. One of the amazing things is I think we only saw one person on Friday and the interior of the park was very peaceful and you felt a million miles from everywhere. One thing that added to that that I will note is the lack of cell service there and when it was available, I would call it spotty at best.
At around the fourteen-mile mark I’m not going to lie I was starting to feel the miles, I started to tell myself “only five miles to go” well five. Iles might not be that much by itself, stacked onto the previous miles it was a little rough, ha-ha. We loaded up water before the final push to Ryan campsite to figure out our plan for the night. Ryan was a developed site with toilets and dumpsters so we could lighten our loads, but J Tree is a popular destination especially this time of year and all the sites where booked up.
Why I love the outdoor community, well this awesome couple had an extra site and gave it to us to camp, it was amazing! We were tired and having a table and flat place by the bathroom was a wish come true ha-ha. We took to setting up camp and cleaning up, dinner was a high priority and we as down to enjoy our rehydrated meals, all of a sudden, the couple, these trail angels came up to us with some ice-cold Miller Lites, they are the greatest people on the planet I still can’t thank them enough.
We hit the rack because we had another long day ahead of us, day two is another story.
]]>Last week as a great little adventure to Eager Arizona to visit with some friends and get up to the snow for some winter trails on new gear. It was quite the driving adventure and a new part of Arizona I had never been to, so I was excited to get on the road for an almost nine our drive across the state.
]]>Last week as a great little adventure to Eager Arizona to visit with some friends and get up to the snow for some winter trails on new gear. It was quite the driving adventure and a new part of Arizona I had never been to, so I was excited to get on the road for an almost nine our drive across the state. Having planned my route and packed up my rented VW Golf I was off.
I had started a little later than I hoped but was trucking along and made I to the 10 and into Phoenix pretty quick, I’m sitting there pretty confident this will probably be a quick trip. It was until I hit the mountains and the small towns with their incrementally decreasing and increasing traffic zones, ha-ha. The best part is how dark it got out there and as I gained altitude the snow started appearing, then falling and falling well. What a joy it was a winter wonderland…
Well until it became semi white out conditions and while I had the winter gear to survive the cold and set up a really cool camp, I recalled the fact this was a rental and my chains and all that fun stuff was in my truck, time to slow down. Lucky for me the traffic was light and the snowplows where out in force. The only really sketch part was one summit where the road was covered in snow, so I had to use best judgment and keep enough speed to keep going but not too much to lose control while trying to keep a safe distance from the car Infront of me. This made me pay a lot more attention and drive a lot slower which payed off as I came down a hill before entering one of the small towns and in the black all I could initially see was two glowing green eyes. I slowed down more and as my headlights illuminated it was a Cow Elk, she was massive and if I had not been driving slow, I would have hit her and she would have won.
That experience kept me a little more vigil and slower for the rest of the trip, I got in about nine-ish and it was good to see my good friends Lance and Jennifer who we had been camping and hiking with for a while until Lances work took him to Eager. Sunday, we made it out for an area familiarization and Lance brought me up to speed on the history and some of the neat stuff we could plan on checking out. It was amazing and an outdoors persons paradise, with the parks, National Forrest and small towns I was in for an adventure.
Ironically while I was out there having driven across the State of Arizona to see some snow and cold front came through SoCal and we got dumped on back here. Mt Laguna and Palomar Mountains where super busy with visitors and we even got snow down to Ramona! While my first instinct was “darn I’m missing this” I also heard about the traffic, ha-ha. I think driving nine hours to Eager was actually easier than going to Mt Laguna for an afternoon, ha-ha.
This was a great stepping off point and stay tuned for upcoming blog posts about winter camping and breaking in my hot tent teepee in the snow!
]]>I jumped at the chance to go again when our buddy Charlie “danger” invited me. He had drawn a good number for Wister and we were headed out for a Sunday hunt. Now at this point it’s January and we are in California’s second super lock down for the COVID-19 so we were going to have to adjust our plans a little since campong at Wister was closed.
]]>I had so much fun on my first duck hunt with our friends from Flatpit (read about it here) I jumped at the chance to go again when our buddy Charlie “danger” invited me. He had drawn a good number for Wister and we were headed out for a Sunday hunt. Now at this point it’s January and we are in California’s second super lock down for the COVID-19 so we were going to have to adjust our plans a little since campong at Wister was closed.
Lucky for us we had a solid group of buddies from Triple B adventures a great organization that gets veterans out hunting hiking and fishing. So, there was a brain trust at work, and they found a local desert campground/mobile home type park to camp at about 15 minutes down the road from Wister. In true fashion I threw everything in my truck and launched out Saturday for a nice drive from Ramona over Julian and into the desert and around the southern end of the Salton Sea to meet up. I got there early in the afternoon and out buddy Brady from the Gray Man Project was already there, and it was nice to hang out and catch up. A little later Justin showed up and later Charlie made it is and we had a good chance to catch up around the fire grab some dinner (thanks again for the sandwich Charlie) and an early night because 0200 in the morning comes early.
We rolled out of bed at an unnatural time to wake up, haha and broke camp as we convoyed to Wister for the blind assignments. It was definitely a smaller group than opening day and everyone was masked up and socially distanced as Charlie grabbed out blind and we filled out our paperwork. It was a lot chillier in January nothing compared to other places in the country but after sweating in November the cool temperatures were very welcome. We drove out to our assigned area and off loaded the gear.
Charlie made quick work of setting up the decoys and we explored around the area for good blinds and hunkered down and waited for our shoot time. I was excited based on my last experience I was a seasoned duck hunter now and ready to shoot my limit, haha. Well let’s just say my expectations and what I got where two different things. We had ponds on either side with large open areas and they were not that deep, so we had a great spot, thanks again Charlie. But I was learning first-hand about the late season on a Sunday at Wister.
I think for the whole day we only got off a hand full of shots and for me I only had one bird I could get a couple shots off to no avail. Brady was able to score a bird, the only one for the day and we could here other areas getting shots off it was a slow day all around. That being said it really gave me an appreciation for my first hunt. While it wasn’t a successful day for birds, or should I say it was a successful day for the ducks I had a great time. That’s what I think is the really important take away I got to hang out with good friends’ camp and catch an amazing sun rise. I guess sometimes not having a successful hunt can still put a lot of things in perspective and it’s about enjoying the experience and the company. We still had a great time and there were plenty of smiles.
We broke everything down around noon and headed back. I took the northern route so I could hit Del Taco in Mecca and enjoy my drive home through Anza Borrego. I am appreciative of the opportunity to hunt with friends and want to thank Charlie for putting it together!
]]>This was my first season duck hunting and I have to say I’m hooked even with two whole trips under my belt I had a blast. I really lucked out on my first trip and got to head out with some seasoned hunters and good friends from Flatpit.
]]>This was my first season duck hunting and I have to say I’m hooked even with two whole trips under my belt I had a blast. I really lucked out on my first trip and got to head out with some seasoned hunters and good friends from Flatpit. I was super stocked to get invited along especially since they got a really good draw for Wister a Wildlife Area managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. I lucked out opening day with a great spot and two awesome dudes to go with.
Having never done this and knowing my propensity to jump int new hobbies headfirst there was a series of tense negotiations at the Kit Fox house… I of course argued duck hunting is not a new hobby but a part of hunting so it’s a subcategory of a hobby I already had, haha. I picked up a set of TideWe Waders and cobbled together the other gear I thought I might need.
It was a cool experience and a site to see Wister has camping areas set up for the hunters and I got in a little later and the Flatpit crew was already set up and relaxing around the camp. I brought my tipi (I negotiated hard to get it, so it has to get some use, haha). Once I was set up, we headed over to the shack that evening to check in and it was apparent it was quite the event. After checking in we headed back and went to bed to wake up at 0200, did I mention I like pheasant hunting because we can’t start until 0800.
We checked in at 0300, got a great spot and headed to camp to load up the truck. We headed to the parking lot and then I understood why they have a game cart; it was a little bit of a walk to the blind. We walked down and found out spots and set up, while early in the morning and November it was still the desert of Southern California, the 5mm neoprene waders where becoming, well, warm. Wister is really cool as it is a criss cross of artificial ponds separated by levies and with an assigned area for you to hunt from so you don’t step on each other. I think it looks kind of like a rice paddy or cranberry bog with small brush along the levy and making good places to hide.
Hide we did, we improved out spots moved around brush added camouflage, I felt like playing army haha. I will saw we were treated to an amazing sunrise as we waited for “shoot time”, the decoys John and Colin put out with care worked, they were coming in and landing among them and it was so cool to watch as we sat there quietly. The sounds of nature shaking off the night grew louder, and the darting shadows grew more frequent.
Shoot time; like a coordinated symphony of shotgun fire the whole area opened up and we were playing our part in the score. It was amazing as all of the work and anticipation broke with the first pull of the trigger, hit not my first shot but it didn’t take long before I was able to pick up on the bird’s flight. Splash the bird hits the water, time to retrieve my bird. We didn’t have dogs, so we were wearing a few hats, haha. The ponds are shallow and usually around knee high, great. The bottom of the ponds is sticky quicksand like mud that fights to keep your boots with every step. Fortunately, my mentors had me learn and help put out decoys and how to navigate the mud. Still now here I am moving further and further from the shore through the mud slowly, I was thinking the whole time “please don’t let me eat it in front of the gang” haha.
It was a great morning and a repeat of shoot, wade, repeat. Colin and John did awesome and bagged out at around 1000, me the new guy, well I was taking a little longer. Learned something new you can only have 25 shells on you at a time so after every box we headed back to the truck to reload, did I mention the heat it was heating up. While I was making an effort to stay hydrated the need to pee was not there as my own personal neoprene sauna was sucking the water out haha. Oh, and the bugs lots of bugs and very glad I brought the Off haha. But did I care, no I had five birds and two birds to go, I was in it to win it. I really appreciate the crew’s patience with me as I worked for the bag limit, I finally hit at noon. It was an amazing day, and I was super glad that the Flatpit crew had invited me out on this amazing experience. Thank you again Colin and John!
]]>2020 has been a year… Like we are almost two weeks into 2021 and I’m like trying to do the Happy New year wrap up and looking forward and I am looking forward and being positive but jeez. I know for all of us we were in different boats in the same storm and we are still in it. We have suffered major losses and made some great triumphs.
]]>2020 has been a year… Like we are almost two weeks into 2021 and I’m like trying to do the Happy New year wrap up and looking forward and I am looking forward and being positive but jeez. I know for all of us we were in different boats in the same storm and we are still in it. We have suffered major losses and made some great triumphs.
We are still morning the loss of our very dear friend Rob, who has been one of our greatest supporters since day one and a great friend going back to my time in the service. He was a great husband, father and friend who served our country and will be deeply missed.
But we don’t like easy or we wouldn’t do the things we do. We have to get back on the preverbal trail and keep on keeping on. I guess the analogy I’m thinking of is being on the trail when it gets hard, the weather changes, you get an injury etc. you need to know when to reach out for help and when to take some down time and when to put you pack back on suck it up and start hiking because siting in one spot doesn’t get you to your destination. What I love about the outdoors is the fact nature is neutral and doesn’t care. It’s up to us to complete our journey.
For me nature and the outdoors have been very important in keeping things in perspective and staying grounded. The last year and for the foreseeable future how we enjoy the outdoors is constantly evolving in how we get out there and enjoy it. We need to be flexible, adapt to changes when we go out. We need to be even more responsible, prepared and empathetic to those around us. That being said we can’t give up on challenging ourselves and setting goals, we need forward progress.
In our capacity we are here to help you get outside, explore and accomplish goals and get a win. As a business we have had to be flexible and adapt, that has impacted some of the ways we do things and services we provide. I want to take this moment to thank you so much for your understanding and support, it really means the world to us and we can’t do any of it without you, you are amazing (after all you have read this far haven’t you, ha-ha).
We are choosing to be optimistic, positive and look to the future. We will continue this journey and look forward to seeing you along the way. We want to wish the best to you and your families. As always and we can’t say it enough thank you.
]]>We did not wake up for an alpine start… the sleeping bags were too warm and after a night of tossing and turning it was nice to sleep in a little bit. After driving out Thursday (read about that here) and a full day hiking up to camp (read about that here) we took out time getting up, that was a good thing. After a hearty breakfast of power bar and coffee we packed up and headed towards the summit.
]]>We did not wake up for an alpine start… the sleeping bags were too warm and after a night of tossing and turning it was nice to sleep in a little bit. After driving out Thursday (read about that here) and a full day hiking up to camp (read about that here) we took out time getting up, that was a good thing. After a hearty breakfast of power bar and coffee we packed up and headed towards the summit.
We made really good time along the ridgeline to the Devil’s Thumb and it was some great views. When we got to the beginning of the accent to the summit, we could see the vegetation begin to drop off as we began the switch backs to the summit. We worked our way back and forth up the trail, we had plenty of rest and made good work of the trail as we crested the top and hiked to the flag and register for the obligatory pics and a break.
After the magic of the summit was over it was time to get back on the road, we had originally planned to camp up there, so we had a little extra to go as we came down the South trail. Coming down from the summit was. Nice and the trail was a gradual decline not the sharp switch backs we had just come up. We diverted to the crash site of a military plane from decades ago and checked it out and payed our respects. The trail and sweeping views made for good time as we hiked along.
It was really pretty the back side of the mountain and you could see for miles. One of the interesting views was the devastation of the forest from a wildfire a few years back and made for an eerie kind of beauty walking among the burnt-out trees. This seemed to be the more popular route as we ran into a lot of day hikers looking to bag a peak and get out for the morning.
Having not taken this route up and it being my first time here it kind of lured me into a false sense of ease since the trails where relatively flat and followed the ridge line, one of those “oh this isn’t so bad” kind of parts of the hike. Mike and Mike made good time and where far ahead of me and I was really just enjoying the moment. As we came into the tree line and it became a little denser, I finally caught up to the Mikes taking a break at a fork in the trail, this was the magical spot here we began our decent into the canyon and towards the parking lot.
Dropping into the switch backs kind of pulled me back into the reality that there was no easy way up or down. This portion of the trail was steep with it zig zagging down the mountain and into a steep canyon. Downhill should be easy but it never is ha-ha, I’m very glad I brought my trekking poles. That’s not to say it wasn’t great hike and the yellow aspen of fall made for some great pictures and breaks on my way down. It was fun too talking to all the people coming up.
I was tired and enjoying the hike, but I was smelling the barn and ready for some beer and pizza. Like most of these trips it gets a little harder as you can start to see more people then see the buildings and parking lots, hear the noise, I wanted to speed up but that wasn’t in me, I need to get out more, I was out of shape ha-ha. I was stoked when I finally passed all the trail signs and ran into Mike resting at a bench by the trail. They had made it down about fifteen minutes before me.
Other Mike was the hero of the trip not only for driving but the trail Loop doesn’t actually loop to the same parking lot, we were just outside of the Cathedral Rock Trailhead so about a half mile plus from the Mary Jane Trailhead, Mike was kind enough to run back to his truck then come and get us, we were very happy about that. After getting loaded up in the car we were happy to have done the loop and experienced the whole Charleston experience. This was the highest altitude the Mikes had done so far, and they did great it’s always fun to be along for firsts.
I would definitely say this hike is worth doing and the loop gives you a great exposure to the whole area. Mt Charleston reminded me a lot of the Eastern Sierras and a great off strip adventure for Las Vegas. With only one water point on the North Trail I will defiantly advise taking extra water and plan on chilly nights between the altitude winds and exposure. I was really happy in the year of lock downs to grab a new peak with friends and highly suggest Mt Charleston. As always thanks for taking the time to give us a read and we can’t wait to hear you stories of “Getting The Fox Out There”!
]]>With the lock downs compounded by the California wildfires I was getting a little stir crazy at the house. I was doing good until the backcountry pretty much got secured to reduce the possibility of more wildfires so when my buddy Mike put together a hiking trip to Mt Charleston, I jumped at it. My usually summer go to of the eastern sierras was off the table, so I got to do a mountain I have wanted to try for a while, but Las Vegas kept getting in the way, haha.
]]>With the lock downs compounded by the California wildfires I was getting a little stir crazy at the house. I was doing good until the backcountry pretty much got secured to reduce the possibility of more wildfires so when my buddy Mike put together a hiking trip to Mt Charleston, I jumped at it. My usually summer go to of the eastern sierras was off the table, so I got to do a mountain I have wanted to try for a while, but Las Vegas kept getting in the way, haha.
Mt Charleston you see is the big mountain west of Las Vegas and bout an hour away from the strip and the summit sits at 11,916 feet with temperatures usually much cooler than Vegas so it becomes a very popular hiking destination. It is the highest mountain in Clark County and is the eighth highest mountain in the state, it is the most topographically prominent peak in the state of Nevada. The Mount Charleston Wilderness is located in the Spring Mountain National Recreation Area of the Humbolt-Toiybe National Forrest.
While I had been hiking a lot in San Diego I had not done any major distance or altitude all summer, this was going to be “fun”… After a nice little side adventure driving out to Vegs the night before (read about it here) I got in at midnight we and we were asleep by two am and up at seven, because this is “fun”… We loaded up and headed out to pick up other Mike this made remembering names a lot easier, and then headed to the mountain.
W parked at the Mary Jane Trailhead and after a few minutes of getting our stuff together headed up Trail Canyon the North Trail with the plan of basically doing a loop. It was pretty much all uphill from the start and we ran into a few hikers and horseback riders on our way up. It was a heavy mix of trees and the further we went up the yellow leaves of fall aspen where everywhere and it was an amazing view the entire hike especially as we gained altitude and could see more of the canyon and the peak.
From what we had mapped this was supposed to be a sixteen-mile hike with us summiting day one and camping on or near the peak. I had packed heavy planning for possible weather changes especially in a new area. I turned out that this part of the trail was quite step and was one of those “how does the trail go there type of places until you are hiking along the steep edges and the well carved out trail”. At about three miles in we stopped for a break and water at what was going to turn out to be the only water spot on the trail, I was very glad later that we had filled up everything again.
I was sucking wind and feeling the altitude, so I made sure to slow down and drink lots of water, our plan to hit the summit that day was a little optimistic. But I will tell you the view was worth it as we climbed into the bristle cone pines and where treated to some amazing rock formations. After doing the math we figure we would set up camp, so we had some day light and time to relax and grab chow.
We began the hunt for a good spot and while we were only a group of three space was definitely limited up there, it’s like finding a good hotel on a road trip you don’t want to stop too soon but you also don’t want to keep going and have to head back. After finding a good spot we set down and one of the Mikes took off a little down the trail just to make sure there wasn’t anything better, there wasn’t. We ehre about a mile and a half from the summit and could see the Devils Thumb, as we set up camp it began to get a little chilly.
Setting up camp wasn’t too bad and the Mikes where set up for ultralight backpacking, so it was fun watching them get their gear together and set up. We were treated to an amazing sunset as we cooked dinner and planned for the following day. It was a great night with some good company.
]]>Leaving from Kit Fox Outfitters in Ramona CA I headed northeast past Ranchita and into Borrego Springs and Anza Borrego State Park, California’s largest state park. I always enjoy this drive through Warner Springs, and it has some great views as you drop down the grade and into the desert. Plus, a nice drive through Anza Borrego and down some pretty worn desert roads.
]]>My trip to Mt Charleston was an amazing one and like any trip the journey can be just as important as the destination. I was headed to Las Vegas to see my good buddy Mike and do a little backpacking. The time frame had me being a “professional that adventures” and fitting it all into a three-day weekend. Mike didn’t get off work until midnight, so I had to either drive up Thursday night or Friday morning which doesn’t make for a fun hiking timeline if I drove up Friday morning.
So, I opted for the Thursday night run and since I had a little while until I needed to get here, I opted for the road less traveled. At the risk of sounding very. Southern Californian we usually take the I 15 all the way to Vegas through the usual stops and traffic but make it there in about five to six hours depending on traffic. And usually you want to get to Vegas as fast as you can and start the party, well this trip I had a little time to kill. I opted for my favorite Vegas route, the road less traveled through the desert and some amazing California landmarks.
Leaving from Kit Fox Outfitters in Ramona CA I headed northeast past Ranchita and into Borrego Springs and Anza Borrego State Park, California’s largest state park. I always enjoy this drive through Warner Springs, and it has some great views as you drop down the grade and into the desert. Plus, a nice drive through Anza Borrego and down some pretty worn desert roads.
Once through Anza Borrego it’s a left on Highway 86 along the iconic Salton Sea through Mecca and up to Highway 10. This is where I depart and head north on Cottonwood Springs Road and into Joshua Tree National Park! Lucky for me it was a full moon so I was able to really enjoy the drive through and make a couple stops and explore a little at the Cholla Gardens and around some of the rock formations there.
This route took me through the entire park ad spit me out at beautiful 29 Palms… where I finally had some cell receptions and checked in with the boss. This route isn’t exactly the fastest route so I would have to stop at certain points and recalculate my trip to get to the spots I wanted to go. From there I was headed to the historic Route 66 past Amboy and up the Mojave National Preserve via Kelbaker Road. This took me to Kelso then Kelso Cima Road to Nipton and a quick merge onto the I 15.
The South to North route through the preserve is actually pretty quick and a nice way to get in another neat spot. I really enjoyed this route because I was able to hit so much with little traffic in one night the trip it’s self took me around eight hours with stops and pictures, since I had the time it was worth it between the sites and most importantly the lack of traffic.
While it might sound a little cliché, this was about the trip as much as the destination for me and look I’m writing about it and I bet this is a lot more entertaining than if I had just taken the I15 the whole way, ha-ha. I would suggest that if you have the time to take this route to Vegas or for any other trips always see if you can in a little more adventure on every trip by planning a route a little less traveled.
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