We car camped in a shallow canyon, that ended up funneling the early morning wind, making for a raucous wake up call for my students.  We hiked into Smugglers Canyon to visit the Pictograph rock, that is an easy very accessible hike for most everyone.  Located a relatively flat mile into the canyon,  this large boulder decorated with red and yellow pictographs makes for a grand lunch stop.  Unfortunately this weekend the rain made it rough to stop for too long.  As I was pondering this boulder and the secrets it contains for the umpteenth time,  I came to a realization.   In my travels to Europe and other places where their long history is recorded in the architecture, I often bemoan the lack of this sort of historical record in my native city of San Diego.  While we do have a past, one that is on display in places such as the Mission, Presidio Park, and Old Town,  it is relatively new; sparse and fragmented. We are often isolated from it in our daily lives.  What I realized when I was looking at this rock,  is the ancient history that I have admired in cities such as Paris is here. It is just not written in building. It is written in the rocks; the places where the people who shaped our region lived breathed and died.  They are not the people from whom I am descended, but they are the people who recorded the past in the place I call my home.

After stopping at the Pictograph rock,  we continued on through Smugglers Canyon to the dry waterfall that provided a spectacular view of the southern portion the Anza Borrego Desert.  We were a bit concerned as to the volume of rain,  and joked as to whether the dry wash we were walking in was going to become a river again.  Fortunately this wash is very wide,  and the walls provide easy escape routes if this were ever a problem. The View as always was fantastic.  We rounded out our Saturday with a trip to a mortero site, and a nice sunset on an overlook just down from these morteros.

After a windy night, we concluded our trip with a hike up Ghost Mountain, and visited the rapidly crumbling remains of the the Marshal South cabin site he dubbed “Yaquitepec“.  Marchall South and his family lived on the isolated, inaccessible Ghost Mountian without the benefit of any modern conveniences from 1932 through the 1940s.  His Thoreau like desert experiment which he documented in a monthly columns in Desert Magazine brings another piece of the rich history of the desert that so many perceive as a barren dead landscape.

As indicated by the article, several Search and Rescue Agencies are contemplating gathering data on the number of calls, and the type of calls that are being generated using these devices.  Compiling this data then will give an accurate picture of the value of PLB’s vs. the detriment. Or will it?  Who is to judge what is a “life threatening” situation? Will the dead hiker with the PLB sitting in his pack be accounted for in the statistics?

I currently do not carry a PLB.  I would, but purchasing one has not been a priority.  I value my sound judgment and conservative nature when in the backcountry.  I would like to think that carrying a PLB would not change my judgment.  What it would do is give my family at home an extra layer of comfort knowing that I could pull the plug if things got out of hand.   I would like to think that the majority of people who hike are like me. The stories in the media seem to prove otherwise.  Is this reality or media hype? Unfortunately these are the same people who tend to get themselves in situations where they need these devices.

Are PLBs  making us safer?  What do you think?

UPDATE:  Casey over at Modern Hiker read the same article as I did on PLBs, and provided his take on them here.

The trailhead for Orriflamme Canyon is located about 3 miles just on the north side of mile marker 27 on hwy S2.  It is about a mile or so past the Box Canyon Historical Marker if you are heading south from scissors crossing where Hwy 78 and the S2 intersect .  The trail is marked by a small sign that indicates “Oriflamme Canyon”  You will follow the sandy dirt road north a ways, paralleling the well marked and fenced Daley Ranch private property on your left.  As you enter the canyon the road splits; the right fork heads into Rodriguez Canyon while you stay to the left, into Oriflamme Canyon.  The road becomes pretty rugged at this point, and gains altitude.  About 1 mile from the fork, you will come across a side road, on the left, where a barbed wire fence begins.  Take this side road for a short drive into a well shaded, abandoned old complex that is in ruins other than a few  intact foundations. This is a great place to park and begin hiking. It is worth spending a little time wandering the area before heading up into the canyon, as there are several impressive morteroes in the vicinity.

There are several routes up Oriflamme canyon.  The most rugged is an overgrown game trail that winds back and forth through the riverbed.  Be sure to wear long pants and long sleeve through this trail as the brush will eat you alive.  There is a much mellower trail on the west side of the canyon, that winds through the much less overgrown scrub up from the stream bed.  The high trail crosses through the stream bed a bit less than 2-miles up, in one of the nicest sections of the canyon,  where there are numerous trees, and flowing water tumbles through boulders.

Unfortunately October is a very dry time in San Diego County, and there was not a speck of flowing water to be seen in this area of Oriflamme canyon.  This made for a pretty uneventful hike,  and not one I would repeat in the fall.  I will return later in the season, when the rains have had an opportunity to refresh the spring that feeds the canyon, and see what it looks like with water flowing through this interesting area of the Anza Borrego State Park.

The idea of hiking the Grand Canyon with my very young daughter (Eleanor) was sparked couple of years ago, when I was hiking the Grand Canyon for the first time with my father, staring in awe from the SouthKiabab Trail as the sun rose over the canyon walls silhouetting the landscape.  It made me a little sad that I could not burn that image in my brain, and transfer the memory to my children, complete with the state that the sunrise brought to my soul.  The trip came into fruition last summer as she was running circles around me on a short backpack trip to Little Lakes Valley in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Hiking from a trial head that was above 11,000 feet was taking a toll on my body.  I was enjoying the trip, but could feel the effects altitude on my lungs, and the pack on my muscles.  Eleanor was as usual running circle around me. In fact, she hatched an idea as to how to share the trip with her friend and family,  and collected about 5 pounds of the prettiest rocks she could find around our camp site, and stowed them away in her pack for hike out the next day.  I was shocked to lift her pack at the end of the trip and to realize that she was dancing down the trial with an extra 10% of her body weight in rocks pulling down of her pack.  I came to the conclusion that this girl can hike.  Perhaps it is time to share the Canyon with my first-born.

Securing permits for a trip below the rim is not an easy task.  You must plan to fax your application on the first day of the moth 5-months before you plan you trip. I also had to plan carefully as I knew that I would be pushing the limits Eleanor’s physical and emotional capabilities during this trip.  Playing it smart was certainly in the cards.  I put in a request for a permit that would allow for 4-days and 3-nights in the canyon for my daughter my parents and me.  We planned to stick with the well traveled corridor trails (SouthKiabab for the decent and Bright Angel for the accent), and split the the trip out of the Canyon in two by camping at Indian Gardens for the last night.  We spent two nights in the Bright Angel Campground near Phantom Ranch, allowing a day off from major hiking, and allowing us to explore the area a little more thoroughly than I have before .

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The route was ideal to foster the confidence and limitations of the whole group,  enough of a challenge that when Eleanor called Mom after the hike down, she indicated that it was the hardest thing she had ever done.  Despite the challenge she was ready and willing to go after a little rest.  The day off also allowed Eleanor to earn a Junior Ranger patch that is only available to kids who make it down to Phantom Ranch.   Splitting the trip back up was necessary in my opinion, and I think we would have been sunk without the rest day for little legs.  It also gave us a rare opportunity to experience snow in Indian Gardens.   It was a fun trip,  and a wonderful experience.  The route was challenging enough to give us a sense of accomplishment without claiming any victims.

A lot of time was spent documenting our trip, and playing with gear and gadgets that made this trip fun , safe and comfortable.  But when it came down to it, the majority of the time the toys and the gadgets were put away, and  time was spent with my daughter and my parents connecting with each other, and nature in a way that is impossible with the distractions of civilization.

It is mind blowing to learn the complexity of thought a 7-year old is capable of; simply by spending a few days just walking.

Weather Report

Checking out Hi-Tec’s new Ion Mask waterproofing technology was a draw for me during the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.  The new method for permanently waterproofing boots appealed to my geek nature, and I needed to find out how it was done.   I was not disappointed, as they had the vacuum chamber that performed the operation in house at their booth.  While most waterproof boots rely on a barrier of Gortex, eVent or a similar materiel added between the layers, Hi-Tec uses a much different approach.  The Ion Mast process bonds the hydrophobic substance directly to the molecules of the fabric or leather.  This molecular bonding provides a waterproof barrier that Hi Tec claims is a durable as their competitors.

Ion Mask Website

The V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi boots are a nice piece of workmanship.  The quality of design and manufacturing are evident throughout the boot.  The size 11 pair that Hi-Tec sent to me for testing fit comfortably and appear to be true to size. The forefoot has significantly more volume that the boots I am currently using, and I am enjoying the wiggle room.  The boots were comfortable from the box, and I enjoyed a weekend of hiking in the rain with no problems with foot discomfort or moisture.  I love the classic leather look of these boots, without the added weight or bulk that leather normally entails.  The Vibram soles look and feel sturdy,  and had no wear after a good 10-miles on my feet.

I will continue using the Hi-Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPi boot in the future and will report back here as to how they perform, so stay tuned

We spent the weekend hiking and exploring a lost world: a world that once was a busy place for so many, but now has been returned to nature. Only hints remain of the people who occupied it for so long. We contemplated the marks that have been left by generations of people, and survived to this day to remind us that there once was more than the hustle and bustle of our busy connected lives. We spent time learning to stay comfortable when the conditions are not perfect, and how to survive when you have nothing but your wits and the few things on your back.

We had time to stop, and appreciate the wonders of our protected places. Places free of the encroachment of our rapidly growing civilization. Places free of suburbs, paved roads, and power lines. Places that will remain protected for generations; as long as we remain vigilant and protect them and care for them.

WBC-

The Wilderness Basics class will begin on January 20th.  The class is filling up very fast, and is expected to reach capacity so sign up soon.  There are a number of fantastic trips being planned during all of the outings weekends.   The Snow Camp is on for the Eastern Sierras and looking to be memorable.

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market-

I will be attending the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market that runs from January 21st to January 25th.  I will be twittering it live from the show floor as I visit manufacturers of outdoor gear. I have been furiously setting up my schedule to bring you information from a variety of manufacturers from Merrell to Brookes Range Mountaineering.  I will be writing a number of posts on Outside San Diego covering the happenings at this premier Outdoor Gear Convention.

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The Grand Canyon Gear Shootout 2009-

Starting in February, Outside San Diego will be bringing you the “Grand Canyon Gear Shootout” During the shootout; gear manufacturers will bring their best, battling it out in a variety of categories to earn the right to earn the title of winner of the “Grand Canyon Gear Shootout 2009” and a place on the “Ultimate Grand Canyon Gear List”.  The winners will then be a part of a four-day trip below the rim and each winner will be featured in a test report here on Outside San Diego.  Stay Tuned for more on the Grand Canyon Gear Shootout 2009.

In addition to all the extras that will be a part of Outside San Diego, we will continue to bring you the best of the outdoors in San Diego, Southern California and beyond.

While there are multiple different trails to the summit, the southwest approach from the paved parking lot on the corner of Jackson Drive and Navajo Road provides the most common approach.  This 2-mile twisty trail rises about 900 feet, and is easy to hike for most anyone in a 2-hour time frame.  I use this trail as an aerobic work out, as I have hiked it so many times, I can gauge my pace with a watch and the familiar landmarks.  This is probably the most hiked trail in the county; so do not count on solitude.

For many years Cowles Mountain was readily identifiable by the giant white “S” that marked the side.  Many years ago a group of over-energetic San Diego State University students hauled white rocks up the mountain and created the giant letter.  Over the years, it would occasionally be altered, and then altered back, and was removed during some point in the ‘90s.

Each winter a group of people gather for the winter solstice at a point about halfway up the trail, where on this one day the sun is split by a mountain to the east as it rises.  There was evidence that the Kumeyaay Indians held solstice ceremonies on this same location in the past, and the tradition continues with the residents of today’s San Diego.