Mojave Green is Not A Beer

On a hike in Joshua Tree NP this weekend, this three foot long Mojave Green blocked the way back up the canyon. I'm unsure why it was lounging across the boulder like that, but having just climbed over this rock 20 minutes earlier, I guess there's no telling where it was then. This is the first of these that I've seen, but I'm sure that more rattlesnakes have seen me, than I them.

Hiking Club in Fish Canyon Narrows

Hiking Club was out on May 15 for a hike to the narrows of Fish Canyon. Not the same Fish Canyon with the big falls that we visited last month, but a different Fish Canyon. This is in the big empty NW corner of LA County. Hiking to the narrows is a water hike, with lots of pools of clear, cool water.

Clearing trail in the West Fork

Several of us worked a project in the West Fork of the San Gabriel River today, to clear the Gabrielino Trail between West Fork camp and Devore camp. This area has been closed ever since the Station Fire in 2009, but starting Monday it will be reopened for the public to visit and enjoy again. Here's a shot of some of the trail crew when we reached Devore Camp. By the way, both camps were mostly unaffected by the big fire, owing to their locations low down in the canyon.
More photos are posted here.

Pack Trip In Santa Anita Cyn

Over the three-day weekend, a foursome of us hiked up Santa Anita Canyon and stayed in the bunkhouses at remote, historic Sturtevant Camp. Over 100 years old, they still welcome backpackers. On the in-between day we climbed Mt Wilson on a looping route up the canyon and descending the NE ridgeline. In the video, you'll notice a big tree in the foreground by the front of our cabin; the proprietor told us that that is the biggest tree in the Angeles NF, and is over 900 years old.