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[pct-l] Trail Conditions I-10 to Agua Dulce, 05/06/05



A post from Patrick A'Hearn, who got into Agua Dulce yesterday, through the San Bernardinos and San Gabriels.  Please get out to any hiker resouces you know.  Patrick is the first one to come over Baden Powell this season!  Also just through was Scotland (AT '03).  Patrick's report follows:

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Trail and water conditions, I-10 to Agua Dulce

Conditions reported north to south, with descriptions hiking in that direction. Mileages from 2005 Data Book; some are approximate.

Your conditions may vary - snow is changing quickly, and water perhaps as well. Snow conditions change dramatically depending on weather, temperature, sun exposure.My experience was good firm hard snow in the early morning (but sometimes icy), and soft mushy unpleasant snow other times.

A fair number of trees are down in all high elevation areas.

211.2 (2005/04/20) Cottonwood Creek - flowing well

216.0 northern tributary to Teutang Canyon Creek flowing

218.6 water flowing down trail for several hundred yards. Don't step on the pollywogs

220.3 (04/21) Whitewater Creek - slightly less than knee deep ford

221.8 West Fork Mission Creek - dry

226-239 Mission Creek and several side creeks all flowing

239.3 Mission Creek Camp - under snow. Creek flowing. Didn't check spring.

242 - 246 (04/22) Worst snow in San Bernardinos - North slopes are steep and heavily snowed in. Probably a decent trail to follow through there by now, though.

249.8 "four roads and a trail" Snow free in this area, but it's a big mudhole due to house construction etc. Get your water elsewhere. A couple of small creeks were trickling from here to Onyx Summit.

255.9 Arrastre Camp - piped spring NOT running. Plenty of creek water all along here, though.

NO substantial water after leaving Arrastre Creek until Van Dusen Canyon; a few trickles after route 18. I did NOT check Doble camp - if it's like the others I did go to, it's not running there.

261.2 road 2N02 area heavily abused by horses, bikes, cars etc. Lots of erosion and side trails. Trash etc.

274.1 (04/24) Caribou Creek running

276.8 Cougar Crest Trail - junction even more obscure than usual, with a tree down across the PCT right at the junction. I tried to make it a little more obvious.

284.6 Little Bear Springs camp - good water in the creek, piped water not running. Quite a few creeks running between Caribou Creek and here.

285 - 293 Holcomb Creek crossings difficult to find due to flood damage. Use your guidebook, and hope yours doesn't have the blue and black ink mis-aligned on the map like mine did...

293 - 297 (04/26) several creeks trickling in this freshly burned area.

297.2 Deep Creek Ford is well marked.

297-307 Several side creeks flowing well on your way down Deep Creek.

312.1 (04/27) Deep Creek Ford was crotch deep on me (6'2"). Best crossing area would appear to be downstream from the "official" crossing, nearer the reservoir outlet. Stream is wider and more constant depth there.

313 - 317 several creeks running

328.3 (04/28) Cleghorn picnic area damaged by flooding. Water running. Trail hard to find.

329 flood damage in this area. You can try to find the pieces of trail, or just walk up the road towards the next destination:

329.4 "narrow paved road to water tank" - this is apparently an official PCT detour around some mudslides. Go up the VERY steep road, then follow the ridgeline track. Where the grade eases and a road contours to the right, go that way, NOT up the insanely steep jeep track to the left like I did.

332 - 335 several streams running. Some nasty grabby bushes, too.

335.6 Little Horsethief Creek is running, some decent camping nearby. Trail hard to find through the valley floor.

341.7 (04/29) Crowder Canyon Creek flowing, was silty after a rainfall. Two trail relocations around slumped areas just before this, both fairly obvious - one is new trail, the other newly worked-upon old road shown on the map which changes where you "ford" the small creek.

342 - 383.8 The only running water I saw in this section was some trickling on the climb up to Lytle Creek Ridge at ~349. Plenty of snow up higher, though.

343.3 an unsigned detour here (it's signed southbound), bypasses the trail climbing from just across the railroad tracks, and, I believe, goes along the tracks to the right a bit, before following a dirt road. Bypasses some more slumps and slides.

347.9 "Trailratz" cache at Bike Springs had 2 gallons of water left from last year, and a mouse nest with resident momma and baby, hairless mice.

360 or so, snow begins. Wright Mountain heavily snowed in, but bare spots for camping just before (361.8?).

364.6 (04/30) Guffy Campground - some bare areas for camping, no water in tank, I did NOT go down to check out the spring as I had been melting snow all day and didn't need to.

 Lots of snow on that north slope.

369.5 Highway 2 is STILL closed just west of here. But hitching shouldn't be too difficult.

370 - 374 Quite a few trees down, much bare ground, but snowdrifts.

375, 7000' (05/02) snow begins on Baden Powell

 7500' snow becomes more firm and solid, and less scary.

375- 386 100% snow cover. Ridgetop not hard to traverse, but there are steep bits, and it depends tremendously on the snow conditions. Some steep, soft, unpleasant bits beginning the snow up Baden Powell. More coming down to Little Jimmie area. Road walking this is snowy, and has a few scary bits, I'm told, but probably much safer than following the trail.

384 Little Jimmie Spring and campground area heavily snowed in (5'+). Piped spring IS  flowing, and after excavating it some, is fairly accessible. Bad postholing and soft snow in this area in the afternoon..

386.1 Islip Sadddle - highway 2 closed here from the west.

386.1 - 389.3 Mt. Williamson has some steep and snowy bits on the way up, and a lot on the way down. Or you could descend the ridgecrest near the trail. Or you could roadwalk.

389.3 - 398.1 snow on the north slopes going down and coming back out of this little canyon walk. Lots of streams throughout. Some gnats and flies.

398.1 (05/03) Cloudburst Summit - end of substantial snow

400.7 Camp Glenwood - piped water flowing just below cabin, non potable according to a sign. Several creeks flowing in the next couple miles.  

406.9 Sulphur Springs Campground - no sulphur, no springs. Creek water. Camp dirty. 411 both springs in this area flowing, as is a creek. A few snow patches on Pacifico, but nothing to worry about.

418.7 (05/04) Mill Creek Summit water in the dificult-to-turn-on spigot on the side of the bathrooms at the trailhead parking area. No water at picnic area.

419 - 436 Great forest here! Trees, shade, moss, grass, green, and NOT burned!  Tons of trail work all the way from 419 to 444

425.7 water in creek

430.7 (05/05) Messenger Flats Campground - did not check water.

436.2 North Fork Saddle Ranger Station - water from spigot on SE corner of garage building.

444.2 Santa Clara River - first channel maybe a foot deep, cottonwood tree conveniently down across ???river". Silty, smells like sewage in this area. Second channel clearer.

451 water in Escondido Canyon


Hope this is helpful to someone out there...

Patrick A'Hearn