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All good and understood. We are talking about the same trails, but Caltopo (more specifically the map layers) may be the cause of confusion.
The same 2E03 on the FSTopo 2013 map layer from your linked map is labeled 1N37A/ Santa Ana River Trail on CalTopo's Mapbuilder Topo layer. I was on the 2E03 trail on your map for sure. Quite a few spots to get water along the trail, btw.
I think you'd like checking that area out.
That's how I did mine. I marked the cams just in case and nothing moved.
(it appears my post was too long for one comment. I broke it up.)
- Lots of details for those interested.
1N05 is the normal road you’d take to get back to that area. From looking at the maps, there’s a couple other old forest roads/ trails that also lead there. One was 1N02A that follows Heart Bar Creek and ends at the PCT.
The other was 1N37A/ SART (Santa Ana River Trail) which climbed up higher and, also, intersected the PCT. Thanks to some input from u/hikin_jim I decided to avoid the lower trail. Since it was in the Heart Bar Creek drainage it was, most likely, in the worst condition of my choices after the last storms. All of these trails could easily no longer be “trails” but turning around is always an option.
That left 1N05 or 1N37A/ SART. I decided to take the Santa Ana River Trail/ 1N37A as it was a trail I’d never been on before and it was about 1.5 miles less than 1N05. Packed up Max and headed out in the morning.
From the 38, you take the turn off to Heart Bar Campground. The gate is closed shortly after you exit, but there is room for 4-5 cars to park. When I got there, there was already 4 cars there and no room for me so we parked at the Wildhorse Trailhead a few minute walk back the way we came on the 38.
From the start, it was warmer than I expected, even though it was only about 9:00am. My internal warning buzzer started buzzing that “this is not the best day to have Max with you”. That stuck with me the whole way in.
It’s about 1.5 miles from the gate to the split of 1N02 and 1N05. Couple washouts right at the beginning. Turning onto 1N05 is where you get a feel of the extent of the damage caused by the last storms. I can only imagine the amount of time and money it will take to clear this area. Turning left onto 1N37 (I missed the gate coming in)* we headed up.
You basically walk through a wash until there is a faint “road” which you follow. In its current condition I’d consider this a rough/ rugged trail. Some easy cruising spots and some washed out, challenging spots. That being said, we didn’t come across any areas where we couldn’t get by. Had I been alone (without Max), it would have been still challenging, but easier for sure. One good part was that it was a wide trail so picking better lines through the rocky or washed out sections was easier.
About 2 miles in, after getting by the most challenging washout, I decided to turn back. The trail appeared to follow a small creek. Walking along side the creek was doable, but sort of “off trail”. I had packed for an overnight in case we needed to camp so I was pretty tired from hiking in with that weight. I also keep a close eye on the dogs when we hike and I started to notice Max limp every now and then. Between the limp, the heat, and given the unknown of continuing, I didn’t see a reason to push any further so I put on his booties and we headed back.
We made it back to the beginning where I saw the backside of the gate to the actual 1N37 entrance.
* On the front side of the gate, there was a sign that said closed to public use. I don’t know/ think it applied to the 1N37A/SART and I’m not sure if I would have gone up that trail had I seen that on the way in but figured those reading this far in my report, should know about it. Taking 1N05 toward Aspen Grove was my 2nd option so perhaps I would have gone that way- although there was a huge fallen tree/ obstacle in the way. A previous report on Reddit showed someone made it back to Aspen Grove so there must have been a way around it.
We walked to a Coon Creek Yellow Post site and I set up to spend the night. It was only about 1:30pm. In the shade, it was nice but a little buggy- flies and gnats. A Bumble Bee kept landing on my yellow sun hoodie. It was cute at first, then got really annoying. We ate some food and Max took a 2 hour nap in the tent. I rested for about an hour.
About 6:00pm we ate and I decided, since we were so close to the car (1.5 miles) we’d just head home. Packed up and got back to the car by 7:00pm.
All-in-all not the trip we planned but an adventure nonetheless.
As always, feel free to ask any questions. I’ll be happy to answer them if I can.
Wanted to take Max up to see what we could see around the road to Aspen Grove and Fish Creek and back by Mission Springs Camp. All the roads leading there are closed to vehicle traffic but I didn’t see any restrictions regarding hiking so we made our plans and plotted my course on Caltopo and Gaia.
TL:DR
Gate closed right after turn off to Heart Bar. Parking for 4-5 cars. Optional parking .2 miles back west on the 38 at Wildhorse Trailhead
Took trail 1N37A/ SART - May be closed to public use. Do your own research.
Wide old forest road (?) that has some easy sections, some rocky sections and some significant washouts. If you like rugged trails, this would be a good one to try.
We turned back about 2 miles in and took a break in one of the shaded Coon Creek Yellow Post sites
Do you remember if there was much snow at Saddle Junction?
Fwiw- Lone Pine Lake is as much of a campground as Outpost.
It's, most likely, that you need to adjust your brain/ foot to the throttle mapping. i.e. you have to push the pedal farther than you're used to in other vehicles to achieve the same acceleration. That's why people buy things like the Pedal Commanders which adjust the ratio of the pedal's travel to the fuel and air flow percentages.
Glad I could help. One thing I forgot to mention is that the hike I suggested requires a permit. Very easy-and free- to get at sgwa.org
Thanks for posting. Was wondering how that area looked these days.
Would you suggest parking down by the first gate off the 38 or somewhere else?
I saw the husky search light in the sky. You rang? :-)
I'm no expert, but I've been hiking and backpacking with our huskies for the last 5 years or so. I live in Escondido (north county San Diego).
I tend to avoid the crowds so, unfortunately, I can't comment on places like Vivian Creek, Icehouse Canyon etc, but I'm happy to help however I can.
Summer hiking and backpacking (to me) means I have to get up into the local mountains near 8,000-9000ft. Otherwise, it's too hot. I do not take the huskies on hikes over 70-75 degrees- especially if it's sunny. If it's cloudy, they can handle a little more heat.
The other reasons I get up into the mountains in the summer is because we can (mostly) avoid the rattlesnakes and foxtails. If you're not familiar with foxtails, they are those wheat-like plants/ grasses that have those little spikey parts that stick in the dog's fur, up their nose, in their ears etc. They have reverse pointed spikes that keep moving the "seed" thing further into their body as they move.
We've removed so many - luckily, most had not made it to their skin or burrowed too far into their skin that we couldn't get them out ourselves- that I'm done taking them for hikes around here in the summer. We've also, luckily, never had to take them to the vet for a visit because of them. Surgery for getting a foxtail out of their nose, throat or ears is probably very $$$.
Tick protection is necessary pretty much everywhere now. Some wider trails make it easier for your dogs to avoid rubbing up against the plants, others are narrower and it's all but impossible to avoid it. We use Frontline monthly and I spray the dogs with diluted permethrin at the trailhead.
For what you're talking about, I'd suggest South Fork Trail to Dry Lake. It's up in the mountains, starting at about 6800ft so it'll be cool(er) in the summer. The campsites are also in the trees so you will have some shade.
Easy trailhead not too far away (about 90 minutes) to get to with good parking. Also has bathrooms at the trailhead. Nice, established trail that's not too hard or too crowded, but is popular enough that you'll see people on the trail.
It's about 6 miles one-way to Dry Lake. Depending on when you go, the lake should still have water which makes it extra scenic. Otherwise, it's still a great hike and nice place to spend the night.
This area requires dogs to be on a leash.
Hope that helps.
Here's a post of me and Mika going Dry Lake before it dried up completely. Still had a bit of snow on the trail
Here's me and Max going up there during the winter.
https://www.reddit.com/r/husky/comments/s5tmpa/overnight_backpacking_trip_to_dry_lake_in_the_san/
How did you get it to read so clearly? Every time I change mine, it’s never that distinct of a line.
The fuzzy parts are called Hyperkeratosis. I've seen people say it can be cured and others saying it's genetic. Not sure which is correct. I've also seen people "clip" the parts. I think normal walking and running would grind them down.
Great post to learn from. Going to put a piece of 4x4 or similar in my off-road bag. Thanks for posting.
Maybe it's different than I'm imagining? The way you describe it, it almost sounds like a hip-check in hockey.
I imagine it's tough to deal with when of the dog is sick etc. Usually one dog will correct the other when it gets too rough etc.
That being said, when our Aussie was on her last days, Mika would not let Max near her. She guarded her for a week or so before we put her to sleep. Maybe Mika knew Max might try to play too rough with her or something and that she couldn't defend herself.
Sounds like you need to help set the boundaries for the other dog. You have to catch it before it happens (or exactly when it happens). Probably wouldn't take more than an "AH!!" or "NO!" type of correction. Worst case is you could put him on a leash and keep him away from her.
Humping takes many forms... ha ha. Doesn't have to be in the literal sense. Ours (brother and sister by the way) both do it from front, back side etc. They usually end up wrestling shortly after.
We had a friend over and he saw Mika doing that to Max... to his face. He looked at us and said, "I guess we know who the male is". I said, "That's Mika". He said, "Oh..." ha ha.
Most people refer to that as humping. Normal dominance behavior for dogs. Our (spayed) female does it to our (neutered) male and vice versa.
If you don't want him to do it, correct him when he does it.
Couldn't find an image online, so here is a link to a pic I took of my Laguna Mountain Recreation Area map. I don't see any camping options around or near the Big Laguna Mountain Loop.
Hopefully someone who's done it before will post about an option.
I had to use a breaker bar to get mine off last time. I used a tool like the motivx (different brand though).
Yup. Got a great tip from someone here not long ago.
Take your dipstick out, wipe it off and leave it out for 10 minutes (exact time probably isn't critical). Then put the dipstick back in and pull it out to read it. I've on my 4th oil change and always had trouble knowing for sure.
The technique above worked perfectly for me last time.
Anyone else having trouble reading the oil dipstick?
4Runner