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[pct-l] screwiness above pine canyon rd.




kevin@antelecom.net wrote:

> ...so you've adopted the trail name 'Girl Scout' since our
> last correspondence?

nah, i got that the 2nd day on the trail... i guess i just didn't 
mention it before?

> That segment of trail isn't on the TOPO version I have.  It
> is marked on the old Angeles NF map, but without mileage. 
> The old map shows it just terminating at Sandberg.  I think
> it's been taken off the new USFS maps because it was
> abandoned as part of the PCT; possibly it's only a dirtbike
> trail now but I don't know since I never hiked down it. 

i think it's probably mostly used as a dirtbike trail, but there 
apparently had recently been an equestrian event that used that trail, 
because there were streamers tied to trees all along it, and also along 
large portions of the official pct before that point, which added alot 
to the confusion... the hikers i talked with thought the streamers were 
marking the pct... it wasn't until later that we found out they had 
nothing to do with us!

> Where you missed the right turn was at a stockwire fence on
> Liebre Mtn, you may remember seeing that.

yes, looking at the map, i now know that that's where we went wrong... 
there was NO pct sign pointing the way there, but there were arrows and 
such scrawled into the dirt, pointing the wrong way, which again- now i 
realize the arrows must have been there for the horses, not for hikers! 
also, at that point i was following trail dale's footprints, and that's 
the way he went... so i and everyone after me just added one more pair 
of prints to the consensus...

the upshot is that i got to see the old pct route, which aside from 
being longer and more twisty-turny, is actually quite nice and more or 
less just as well maintained as the official pct (again, adding to the 
confusion). i just wasn't much in the mood for it at the time, since i 
was expecting only a 20-mile day and ended up with probably something 
more like 24 miles at least. i also got to see the site of the sandberg 
inn, which has a historical marker and everything, even though the 
concrete road it's on is closed to all traffic, hikers included (found 
that out on my road-walk outta there!)

so, a frustrating detour, but not wholly unenjoyable. i had my gps to 
tell me where i was and where i needed to go- i just should have 
consulted it much earlier! others had a harder time- i know french bob 
gave up on the roadwalk and ended up bushwhacking *straight thru the 
tejon ranch* (yikes!!), ending up a couple miles WEST of the country 
store on hwy 138!!

   We're hearing
> that several hikers are missing that turn.   Some boy scouts
> in Palmdale, our local sign-makers will make a new one to
> get up ASAP.  You can see some of their excellent sign work
> when you get to Cottonwood Wash.

awesome!! that lean-to at cottonwood bridge was amazing!! oh, and by the 
way- the cottonwood creek was running nicely when jackalope and i were 
there- i fell asleep with my feet dangling in the stream!

well anyway, if any of y'all are in touch with hikers heading into that 
area, be sure to give them a head's-up about this!!


girl scout