Buford

all messages by user

7/3/2018 Topic: 2018 BHS Count Results Buford	Nice meeting you ziphius. I agree about vetting the backpacking teams better. They did a more thorough job this year vetting backpacking people, but there is room for improvement. People over estimate their ability or underestimate the heat or what a hike really is. New this year was all backcountry teams were to have an experienced counter, no teams of all first timers. This was my 4th count. I was assigned to lead a team of three first timers to BPC 3rd grove. The 4th grove team was all people who had counted before. We left a little after 3:15 for the hike up. One member was already really suffering about half way to first grove. We got to 1st grove and he made the smart decision to turn around, otherwise I would have had to tell him he shouldn’t continue. A different team member offered to walk out with him. I asked if he was really sure he wanted to walk him out, and he said yes. I was prepared to walk the one guy out then hike up solo to meetup with the rest of the team later. Of our team that bailed, the guy that suffered and was forced to turn around did talk to Mike and got reassigned to the trailhead. I talked to him after and he did enjoy counting from there. Myself and the remaining team member hiked up with the 4th grove team with no remaining issues. First day was tough with the wind, but we kept our tarp up. We didn’t see sheep until 2:00 when they appeared out of no where. We watched the herd most of the afternoon. The group included 3 tagged ewes. We were sure 4th grove saw them too, but we found out later they did not see any sheep on day 1. Day 2 we saw most likely the same herd. Tough to tell at a distance with just binoculars and no spotting scope. We assume it was the same group by the tagged sheep with them and similar group makeup. They also appeared first thing in the morning in the location the group from day 1 bedded down for the night. Day 3 we only saw one sheep at a long, long distance during the count. We left after 12:00 for an easy hike out. On the hike out we saw a group of rams up really close. Overall the weather was very temperate for the count. It was chilly at night in the Canyon bottom. My count partner was great. It was a little tough counting with only two people. I need to get better at describing sheep to distinguish between repeats. I am good at spotting them and dividing into ewe/ram/lamb/myearling/fyearling buckets. Notable non sheep sitings were a Baja Collared Lizard, Chuckwalla, and a couple bird species I already forgot the names of.
7/3/2018 Topic: 2018 BHS Count Results Buford	All zoom pictures were taken holding a cell phone in one hand through the 10x binocular eye piece in the other hand. First sheep on Day 1: Three more sheep, you can see the collar on one: Showing why it is so tough to see the sheep, I think there are 5 in the image: 4th Grove team hiking up to the tarp, gives you an idea how remote and high up the count site is: Baja Collared: Rams on the hike out: edited by Buford on 7/3/2018 edited by Buford on 7/3/2018
7/3/2018 Topic: 2018 BHS Count Results Buford	That hill climb to the 4th grove count site is daily during the count after they hike all the way in. I actually enjoyed it last year when I counted at 4th due to the views. Count was up slightly mainly due to Rattlesnake having sheep this year compared to last. Looking forward to Dsefcik’s report. The rest of the sites combined were about the same. There was concern with the lamb survival rate this year being low. According to the data only 20% of this years lambs were still alive. BPC has very little water this year. The water level has not always coincided with rainfall totals from the previous winter. The Canyonn is being choked with brush potentially drawing up the water. edited by Buford on 7/3/2018
7/4/2018 Topic: 2018 BHS Count Results Buford	Those game cam pics are great. I like the other critters it caught too. Glad the spring had water.
7/10/2018 Topic: 2018 BHS Count Results Buford	ziphius wrote: Tommy, I met a park biologist (Jeff Manning) at this year's BHS count check-in. He noted that the park is ramping up the number of trail cameras to be deployed in the park, though he didn't address the BHS count specificially. They hope to eventually have 200+ cameras throughout the park. Jeff was interested in enlisting backcountry travelers into participating in the program (retrieve + replace batteries / SD cards). I can send you his contact info if you want. - Jim I might be interested in that as well. I have joked about doing it for fun.
7/22/2018 Topic: Not enough rangers Buford	There was a disturbing amount of litter, graffiti, vandalism, and campfire damage in a couple places recently. I don’t know if it is due to less Rangers or more idiots or a combo of both.
9/14/2018 Topic: San Diego Sheriffs in the Carrizo Gorge Buford	Thanks. Not surprising. Did Puff earlier this year from Mortero Palms. From Puff we saw 50+ people at the trestle. The amount of vandalism and trash was a huge increase over a couple years ago.
9/17/2018 Topic: Not enough rangers Buford	DesertWRX wrote: What areas are people finding the most trash and vandalism? Culp Valley, Old Culp Valley rd, The Slab, Dos Cabezas, Mortero Palms, Plum Canyon. This was all in mid July to early August. I revisited Plum Canyon a couple weeks later and found someone had mostly cleaned up the graffiti and filled in the illegal fire ring. I picked up some trash. Didn’t have room for it all. edited by Buford on 9/17/2018
9/17/2018 Topic: Solstice Cave and Grunt Benchmark Buford	Nice. I’ve seen sheep in that same area earlier this year. They were not concerned about people until the bp came tearing through on atvs making a racket and the sheep bolted.
9/18/2018 Topic: Not enough rangers Buford	One terrible example. This graffiti was scrubbed mostly clean a couple weeks later and the fire ring filled in. Lots of stuff like this in various areas. Thanks for helping keep it clean. Edit: Picture added edited by Buford on 9/18/2018 edited by Buford on 9/18/2018 edited by Buford on 9/18/2018
9/22/2018 Topic: Not enough rangers Buford	Most of the trash I have seen is from idiots. Travelers sin documentos don’t bring couches, old car tires, spray paint, glass beer bottles to abandon, shoot at, or throw in a fire. As mentioned above, it is easy to see if it is from border crossers due to the contents. I’ve definitely found this kind of litter as well though.
11/4/2018 Topic: Not enough rangers Buford	Plum Canyon left fork needs cleanup again. Some ***** real special people vandalized it Friday night, yesterday morning. They went up canyon lighting plants on fire, left broken beer bottles and cans, used toilet paper, graffiti on the rocks, trash fire still burning... A small example:
11/25/2018 Topic: Any hurt yourself out hiking? Buford	Ouch. Heal up quick. It is something I often worry about. Worst injuries so far are over use injuries, cuts, scrapes, minor tweaks, and bruises. Most minor injuries caused by some combo of bushwhacking, cacti, loose terrain, steep terrain, minor falls, and rocks rolling underfoot. I let people at home know where I am going and when I will be back, plus carry an InReach. I always have a down jacket in case of an unplanned night out.
11/25/2018 Topic: Any hurt yourself out hiking? Buford	An InReach is not a miracle. It is electronic and could break. Even if the SOS is activated, it may take SAR until the next day or later to arrive depending on location. My belief is one must get out under their own power if safe and possible though it might take longer. SOS will bring in SAR, but they will be put at some risk. I am not a big believer in extensive first aid kits for hiking. There is no way to carry supplies for every scenario. I carry enough to stop a bad cut from bleeding, Benadryl for potential allergic reactions, and pain killers. I use trekking poles and could use them as a crutch and can try and Jerry rig a splint from them if required.
11/30/2018 Topic: The Potrero Three Day BP Buford	Cool trip. I like all the arrowheads. I have yet to find one mostly intact.
12/2/2018 Topic: Rockhouse report Buford	Before Thanksgiving I did a backpacking trip to Rockhouse Valley with everyone's favorite guide. Day 0: Met up around sunset at the Butler/Rockhouse junction. Got my truck to the end of the Rockhouse road in the dark Only truck damage was to parts meant to be damaged. We hiked up Rockhouse Canyon in the dark to a point past Hidden Spring. Day 1: Woke up and explored a potential solstice site and looked at a mostly complete but broken pot: Spent the rest of the day making it up to a spring and spent the night near an old stone foundation. Spring in good condition still, plenty of clear flowing water: Someone was here before us: Day 2: Hiked to the upper Rockhouses and explored a nearby spring, dopefarm, rock art and settlements. Surprised to see this guy still out and about and active. Hope he made it through the cold night that followed. Third night was spent near the upper rockhouses. It got cold, mid 20s overnight with frost completely covering my sleeping back from head to toe. Cottonwood: Day 3: Climbed to the Buck Ridge high point. Spent the last night of the trip near the highpoint. Saw three bighorn ambling along the ridge near camp. View of Jackass Flat and Borrego Springs from Buck Ridge: Day 4: Descended Buck Ridge to Jackass Flat, dropped down to Hidden Spring and exited. Other random pictures: Kitties: Saw far more cat prints than human prints on the trip. Some dstretch enhanced rock art: edited by Buford on 12/2/2018
12/2/2018 Topic: A return to the red desert Buford	Spent a week in October exploring a different desert again. Viewed many rock art panels. Most of the stuff I saw is well known and traveled, if a ways off the normal tourist path. dstretch to help a couple out: It was like a Maze at times: Fall in the canyon bottoms: Not the weather we were hoping for: The big ditch: Gold at the end of the tunnel: Dino print: Sand dunes:
12/5/2018 Topic: A return to the red desert Buford	There was a Ranger at Horsehoe while we were there. He had recently led a group of school kids to the gallery and asked them what they thought the pictos meant. One kid thought they were portraits of their presidents. Not a bad answer. The Pictograph Fork below the Chocolate Drops had no one around. They were better pictos at one time but were more faded than Horsehoe.
12/5/2018 Topic: Rockhouse report Buford	Those cottonwoods are in a perfect cold air sink. All that cold air from above drained into the area. I was very surprised to see the rattler right before the cottonwoods at nearly 5k of elevation. It was about 10’ off the trail and started buzzing as soon as I was close. I was ahead of Gary and he can’t hear them. I waited a minute for him to catch up so he didn’t accidentally get too close.
12/9/2018 Topic: Red Top day hike Buford	Nice. I’ll be hitting those up soon. Planning on doing both in a long day via the same route from Indian Gorge.
1/14/2019 Topic: Overnight Backpack Recommendations? Buford	Do you need a water source or is a dry camp ok? Looking to stay above freezing at night? All trail miles or is cross country hiking ok? I assume for an introductory backpack your looking for relatively easy miles? Desired scenery? Too many options available.
1/14/2019 Topic: Red Top day hike Buford	Can confirm, those two are probably the toughest on the list. I wouldn’t worry about them getting too popular.
1/14/2019 Topic: Overnight Backpack Recommendations? Buford	I was going to suggest plan #6 on dsefcik’s link. An easy walk and if desired you could explore further. Another suggestion is Coyote Canyon and Collins Valley. Drive in as far as comfortable in a 2wd and start walking. It might be a road walk, but you can camp away from people by walking away from the roads. Be prepared for colder than expected overnight temps at any of the locations.
1/20/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	It’s been good since mid December in some areas. I’ve been out at least every 2 weeks. I’ll post some pics up later. I’m worried it could turn into another disaster like a couple years ago.
1/21/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	Mid December: Late December: A couple days ago:
1/21/2019 Topic: Bighorn-Nolina Canyon Loop Buford	Glad it was a success. Only thing that looks wrong was the meal choice
1/22/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	@surfponto I was in that area the weekend before. It was starting to look promising. The usual flower fields near Henderson and Coyote were devoid of flowers for now.
1/25/2019 Topic: Can you see Goat Canyon Trestle from McCain? Buford	I don't remember for certain. I want to say yes, but really hard to see because it is tucked into the canyon. You can definitely see the trestle from some of the benchmarks on the McCain side, but those are too much of a hike from the sounds of it. I am more certain, but not 100%, you can see the smaller trestles from McCain. I would try the Sacotone overlook first. Even if you can't see it form there, the view is great across to the tracks. There is also a steep 4wd road before the overlook that might give a better view. Another overlook before Cottonwood camp on the right as you drive out might have a view. I can't remember the name of the second overlook. I too remember seeing the trestle for the first time at the model railroad museum as a kid. Good times.
2/2/2019 Topic: Whale Peak Via Pictograph? Buford	I don’t remember much if any scrambling. Done that route a couple times, one of the few peaks I’ve repeated. The canyon portion of the hike was the only place that some might call scrambling. From what I remember, there is usually a bypass up the canyon wall one way or another. It can get sketchy when snow covered and icy. YMMV edited by Buford on 2/2/2019
2/2/2019 Topic: The "Original" LA Rams Buford	Good to see the better rams get some attention.
2/3/2019 Topic: Whale Peak Via Pictograph? Buford	Rocko1 wrote: dsefcik wrote: I don't recall any boulder scrambling, just route finding. At some point once you ascend the route from Pictograph you run into the normal pinyon mtn rd trail and you can just follow that. I suppose there could be some slight boulder scrambling, I just don't remember anything significant. Someone else on the forum may have more recent memories so please chime in. https://caltopo.com/m/7TVE Here it the proposed route. I had thought here was some scrambling going up this canyon. I could have been mistaken. edited by Rocko1 on 2/3/2019 The link is the route I’ve done each time. There is probably some scrambling, it just wasn’t enough to be notable or memorable for me. That is why your mileage may vary. Sometimes there is a ducked route out of the canyon to meetup with the use trail, sometimes you travel high enough up Smugglers Canyon until you hit the other use trail. I agree with Rockhopper.
2/3/2019 Topic: Bighorn Canyon Peak Buford	Cool. Looks like you found a NOAA balloon. I’ve never found one. Have the Monday Maniacs been there? I don’t know if a peak counts unless their signature is in the register edited by Buford on 2/3/2019
2/10/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	Incoming: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-flowergeddon-prevention-borrego-20190128-story.html
2/11/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	It was a train wreck of epic proportions for Flowergeddon. I had planned on going that day with some friends a couple months ahead of time because there are always some flowers mid March. As the day approached, we knew it would be crowded, but what we saw as a whole other level. Dudley’s had a big line before opening. Before 9:00 am Montezuma had cars parked from before the Hellhole parking lot all the way to Christmas circle on the roadside. The Hellhole lot was jammed. The flower fields were a mess. There were less people in the Badlands and still a good flower show. We were eating lunch in the badlands and someone pulled up all in a panic asking where to see flowers. Uh, everywhere, look up. On the way home, S2 was completely stopped and backed up all the way from Montezuma grade to the stop sign at the 79. If it is anything like last year, stay away from Borrego Springs and Henderson Canyon Road. Everything else wasn’t too bad. Heading home via S2 to I8 would be smarter. I went back a couple weeks later to a different area of the park and the cacti blooms were spectacular and no one was around. There had been some good blooms in prior years with no where near the mess as 2017. I am afraid what happened in Flowergeddon might be the new normal for a good bloom. There are still plenty of quiet places in Borrego, even with the crowds. Most are car tourists who never walk more than a few hundred yards from their car.
2/13/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	Rocko1 wrote: I believe there was a NY Time article last year that help fuel the fire. Where are the majority of the blooms happening? I was just at Blair this weekend and while everything is green I didn't see any flowers. Usual popular areas of blooms are around Henderson Canyon Road and the alluvial fans that drain the Ysidro’s. Other areas can be just as good with less people. Looked promising a couple days ago, but still not full speed yet. There is a disheartening amount of Sahara Mustard around, including remote spots. Good to see it is being weeded out in some areas.
2/13/2019 Topic: Whale Peak Via Pictograph Trail Buford	Looks fun. Was it the right amount of scrambling? Many programs don’t calculate gain/loss well. Fit bits and similar have issues. Hiking during a storm when the pressure is changing doesn’t help.
2/14/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	@surfponto Coyote Canyon was not great last weekend. Some little flowers. Sand Verbena and Brown Eyed Primrose were out in force. Sunflowers were starting but not blooming in numbers. Some of lookers starting to stop in the middle of the roads.
2/15/2019 Topic: Granite Mountain Peak? Buford	Not recently, but I have done the route from Cool Canyon. It is a step up in difficulty from Whale. Brush was no issue, I did it a year or so after the fire.
2/15/2019 Topic: Can you see Goat Canyon Trestle from McCain? Buford	dsefcik wrote: Sure is green in that pic. I seem to remember that road was closed to cars and gated in the last couple years. I might be mistaken.
2/15/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	Coyote Canyon rain gauge got >2.5” yesterday. No surprise the road is closed due to flooding. edited by Buford on 2/15/2019
2/16/2019 Topic: Can you see Goat Canyon Trestle from McCain? Buford	Yeah, that road is very narrow. It looked like it was gated and signed for 2 wheel vehicles only a year or two ago. This was the road into Redondo Flat from the road going to Sacatone.
2/18/2019 Topic: Granite Mountain Peak Buford	Nice. Looks cold. I was wondering how much ice and snow would be up top. Last weekend had ice and snow on top of the San Ysidro peaks where it was cold and windy.
2/25/2019 Topic: Desert snow Buford	Took a break from peaks to do an easier trip last weekend. There was a lot of snow on Saturday above ~3500' of elevation. There was still some patchy snow down to ~3000' of elevation. It was cold at night. North facing vs. south facing slopes: Plenty of these around: Not very seco: Baa:
2/25/2019 Topic: Desert snow Buford	dsefcik wrote: Nice, I like the "not very seco"...is that the arroyo seco campground area or ?? --- edited by dsefcik on 2/25/2019 Arroyo Seco del Diablo. As you head up the arroyo, it was before the road that cuts across to Arroyo Tapiado. Water was completely across the road. A mud slide created a natural dam from canyon wall to wall. I got lucky with the light and a cell phone camera.
2/26/2019 Topic: Cuyamaca Snow Buford	Nice. Not too many people on the road? I avoid Laguna and Julian in the snow because it turns into a zoo. If Cuyamaca is better, I might hike there instead.
2/27/2019 Topic: Desert snow Buford	tekewin wrote: The snow covered desert doesn't look natural. Super photos, though. Looks like some zoom on those sheep, I'm surprised you spotted them if they were far away. My usual method for zoomed in sheep pics: hold cell phone camera in one hand, 10x binoculars in the other hand. Line up the camera lens with the binocular eyepiece, and instant zoom lens. Binos don’t have to be in perfect focus, camera can focus. It can work surprisingly well for snapshots like this. I heard the sheep before I saw them. Lots of rockfall. I knew they were recently in the area because of all the fresh tracks. There were at least 8 rams and 4 ewes.
2/28/2019 Topic: Canebrake Canyon Access Buford	There were fresh tire tracks in January in Inner Pasture. There was even a sign directing BP down a certain road at a junction to return to S2. The roads in Inner Pasture didn’t look like they got much traffic. Most of all is probably BP. I hiked in via Indian Gorge. edited by Buford on 2/28/2019
3/3/2019 Topic: Desert snow Buford	tommy750 wrote: Like your Seco de Diablo lake pic, Buford. Wife and I were heading up the arroyo a couple weekends ago and encountered three trucks covered in mud coming down. Hmmm. Mud puddles or the seep, right?? Nope. Just Gun It Right by tomteske, on Flickr That’s the spot. Couldn’t tell how deep it was. I thought the canyon downstream was surprisingly not muddy, then found out why. I don’t remember it being like that a couple years ago. A lot of canyons have fresh slides this winter. More rain on the way.
3/6/2019 Topic: How Accessible is Coyote Canyon Rd? Buford	kk6mbh wrote: Any news on how the road in is looking? Looking at heading over next week and curious how the hill going into the canyon is. Thanks! Currently closed somewhere between Desert Garden and Sheep Canyon. Check the park webpage. It closed because >2.5” of rain fell in one day and obliterated the road. Right before that incident last month, it was passable.
3/8/2019 Topic: Thoughts on backpacking Hellhole Canyon. Buford	Hiking through Hellhole from Maidenhair to Culp is probably tough due to bushwhacking and elevation gain. It may not be fun with a full pack. How much adventure are you up for? What kind of shape are you in? To get from Culp to Hellhole you can use the easy to follow CRHT. It does not go through the canyon but the ridge above it. There are big kitties all over the park. I've yet to see one. In my opinion, lower Hellhole canyon is not the best backpacking location. There are limited spots in the canyon near Maidenhair. Since it is close to water it will probably be buggy and damp. It is well used. Good day hike though, if a bit crowded. Camping is probably better outside the mouth of the canyon. dsefcik posted a whole bunch of backpacking options on here recently for easyish overnighters.
3/8/2019 Topic: Winter 2019 Flowers Buford	I wonder if one of the next two weekends will be flowergeddon? I hope not.
3/8/2019 Topic: Yaqui Peak/Wilson Benchmark? Buford	I’ve done Wilson BM and Pinyon Ridge high point. Easy hike along the abandoned Jeep track with quick detours to the high points.
3/8/2019 Topic: Thoughts on backpacking Hellhole Canyon. Buford	I would just go for it. Don’t go further than you can turn comfortably around and make it out. It’s tough recommending things for other people when you don’t know what their limits are. For the past couple years I have done the sheep count. Every year there have been some people in over their head with the off trail hiking to get to the count site. I have been in the main fork and north fork of upper Hellhole due north of Pena Spring. I remember there was a lot of brush and bushwhacking in the drainages at the time. One good flood or fire could change everything.
3/10/2019 Topic: Thoughts on backpacking Hellhole Canyon. Buford	How was it? I drove by Saturday afternoon. The parking lot was full and people were parked out on Montezuma. Looked crowded. I was trying to avoid town completely but Banner Grade was closed.
3/11/2019 Topic: Hellohole Canyon - Culp Valley Loop Buford	Nice. Glad it worked out. Now you know why Ziphius and I asked how much adventure and bushwhacking you were up for.
3/11/2019 Topic: Desert Flowers Buford	Good to see people exploring flowers somewhere other than the crowded spots near town.
3/11/2019 Topic: Winter Storms Buford	Hiking in bad weather can pay off. A couple years ago: This year: Bad weather brings flowers later. Everyone goes to the Henderson Canyon Rd fields. There are plenty of places with great blooms not advertised if you actually get out of your car and explore a little (or a lot). From yesterday: Huge poppy fields: Got Lupine? The hungry, hungry caterpillars edited by Buford on 3/11/2019 edited by Buford on 3/12/2019 edited by Buford on 3/12/2019
3/13/2019 Topic: Desert Flowers Buford	Britain wrote: Butterflies are pretty thick in the air this year There are. Also noticed a lot of bushes would buzz when hiking by last Sunday. It was from all the butterflies trying to escape at once and hitting branches.
3/16/2019 Topic: Nolina Peak and a cougar Buford	Kitty! Awesome. I have wanted to get a trailcam and leave it for shots just like that. The ringtail is cool, didn’t realize one would be out that direction. I’ve seen one in Palm canyon. Found yet another likely lion kill last weekend. edited by Buford on 3/16/2019
3/16/2019 Topic: Nolina Peak and a cougar Buford	The kill last weekend was a bighorn. Not fresh, kinda old. Saw some live ones too. Some cat signs in the area. I don’t think you saw any sheep because of the time of year. Not hot enough for bighorn to need water.
3/18/2019 Topic: Nolina Peak and a cougar Buford	tekewin wrote: ... I was sad to find the skull gone. That sucks. I try not to post too many specifics in trip reports because of things like this. According to the sheep scientists, there are more than 300 sheep in the park. I think it was ~600+. The ~200-300 is just how many get counted each year in July, and the count only covers north of the 78. There are also plenty of deer in ABDSP for the lions to eat. The upper San Ysidros have a lot of deer and lion signs. You are right about Cuyamaca, it is crawling with deer and turkeys.
3/18/2019 Topic: Desert Flowers Buford	Nice flowers. Too bad flower season has become such a train wreck around town.
3/25/2019 Topic: Desert Flowers Buford	https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/sd-no-wildflowers-borrego-crowds-20190312-story.html Not a train wreck yet. Still potential. Lake Elsinore sounds like another story.
4/4/2019 Topic: Desert snow Buford	Donovanman wrote: ... Do U use some particular binos? I'm currently considering on one to use it with my camera too) Found few options here https://opticzoo.com/best-binoculars-for-long-distance-reviews/ but still don't know which one to choose. Any thoughts on Celestron 71017 SkyMaster 25x10? Welcome to the board. If you are asking me about binoculars, I am not an expert. I just use 10x42 Nikons. Anything above a 10x magnification usually requires a tripod or image stabilization. I also want my binoculars to be light and small enough to pack and carry. Taking cell phone shots through the lens has mixed success. For every picture that comes out, one does not. Plus it is tough to actually find the subject.
4/4/2019 Topic: Desert Flowers Buford	Looks like flowers are definitely winding down as of last weekend. Most annuals were either sun burnt brown or devastated by caterpillars. Still some decent pockets of color, but no more endless fields of Sand Verbeena. In fact, almost no Sand Verbeena in areas that were covered just a couple weeks ago.
4/7/2019 Topic: Lake Cahuilla roundabout Buford	Nice. That is an area I have yet to explore. Too many things closer that get my attention.
4/15/2019 Topic: In the Hills between Dos Cabezas and Carrizo Gorge Buford	Cool pictures. There is petrified wood in Borrego. I have never seen any in that area, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t there.
4/18/2019 Topic: Indianhead mountain Buford	Nice. Which route did you take? If you went up BPC, how bad was the brush? For posting pictures on here, I use a flickr account to host them.
4/18/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	Summer is coming Bighorn Sheep count 2019 Orientation June 22 (Mandatory for first time counters) Checkin July 4th Count dates of July 5-7th I know a couple people on here regularly volunteer for the count. For anyone interested, see the attached signup sheet. From a previous year: edited by Buford on 4/19/2019
4/18/2019 Topic: Indianhead mountain Buford	I’ve never done the standard route from Schad’s book although I have done Indianhead twice. Indianhead was easier than 6582 to me.
4/18/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	I noticed the new locations. I don’t know about Sentenac, but Agua Caliente sounds cool. I have seen lots of sheep near there the last couple years. For those interested some past count reports: http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic123-bighorn-sheep-count-.aspx http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic578-bighorn-sheep-count-.aspx http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic1074-sheep-count-.aspx http://www.anzaborrego.net/anzaborrego/forum/topic1300--sheep-count-info.aspx
4/19/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	I sent my form in as well. Always a good time to see the desert in the summer.
4/23/2019 Topic: Villager Peak Buford	Nice. Definitely a lot of elevation gain and loss with some good views. Those rock wind breaks sure are multiplying rapidly over the last couple years.
4/23/2019 Topic: Hot, Cool, and High Benchmarks Buford	Cool. I think the Borrego Benchmarks Club has something to do with the San Diego Peaks Club or a predecessor to the Monday Maniacs.
4/23/2019 Topic: Martinez Peak and Little Pinyon Flat Buford	Cool report. Too many places to explore and not enough time. I need to make it out that way at some point.
4/25/2019 Topic: Hike Suggestions? Buford	caltopo.com Find an interesting starting point, destination, and end point and go. Schad’s book https://peakbagger.com/list.aspx?lid=5058 6582 All depend on time of year and how much you want to suffer.
4/26/2019 Topic: Hike Suggestions? Buford	All of the suggestions are very good. Many are much tougher then Granite, Villager, or Whale. Bring a headlamp for some. Be careful of the reports, the type of people who dayhike these are often faster than normal. Also add: Palm Mesa (via Henderson Canyon, BPC, or Los Coyotes) Rosa and Pyramid(separately or can be combined with Mile High, Villager) Sawtooth and Red Top can be done in <12 hours from Indian Canyon
4/26/2019 Topic: The ABF 2020 ABDSP Photo Contest Buford	Here are last years winners. https://flic.kr/s/aHsmzXErx4 My favorites are the smoke tree and the rattler with the mosquito. Most are really good. Others
4/28/2019 Topic: Hike Suggestions? Buford	dsefcik wrote: Buford wrote: Sawtooth and Red Top can be done in <12 hours from Indian Canyon Technically it's Indian "Valley"......Indian "Canyon" is in the north area of the park near Cougar/Sheep Canyon & Collins Valley....just in case folks are looking at a map for it. I was just looking at the topo map for Collins Valley when I typed that. It would be a bit longer to walk than a day hike from Indian Canyon.
5/20/2019 Topic: Anyone still here? Buford	Anyone still here? It is always desert season. There are still some flowers around and places to explore. From last weekend:
5/20/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	Reminder, anyone thinking of doing this should attend the orientation. Some more pics from previous counts:
5/24/2019 Topic: Anyone still here? Buford	That is definitely a more desert appropriate color scheme for the bike. A couple more from last weekend.
5/28/2019 Topic: Rabbit East Ridge Loop Buford	That is an interesting way to hit Rabbit plus the extra BMs. How did it look from Dawn to Alice?
5/30/2019 Topic: Pinyon Wash - Memorial Day Weekend Buford	Nice. Glad you are out and recovering. Bighorn is a register I have yet to go to. I hit up the guzzler in the picture earlier this year when everything around it was in bloom.
6/11/2019 Topic: Carrizo Creek Buford	Nice. Another area to explore. Summer heat is here this week.
6/13/2019 Topic: Anyone still here? Buford	A couple more pictures from last weekend. It was windy Friday night, very nice Saturday night. The family hanging out and waiting to be counted: Pausing between pushups: Sleeping on the hot rocks: The spring had running water, but the flow was definitely less than a few years ago. The pipe is probably partially clogged.
6/14/2019 Topic: Descanso District Buford	That is a fun place to explore. Cool Lizard pic. I hate ticks.
6/14/2019 Topic: Anyone still here? Buford	Correct, got a new camera. Learning to take better photos and process them. I know most of the ones I've posted and will post have some major flaws. It's a work in progress. More below: Star trail attempt: More sheep: Sunset over the badlands a couple weeks ago: Milky way attempt:
6/14/2019 Topic: Carrizo Creek Buford	Unfortunately the Tamarisk seem hard to permanently remove. Same with the Sahara Mustard.
6/16/2019 Topic: Anyone still here? Buford	@Tekewin I don't take the camera peakbagging. I wouldn't trust myself with it bashing through rocks on anything tough. @Ziphius I will probably be there. @Dsefcik I always knew lots of planes flew over Borrego, but it is ridiculous. The star trails and milky way were taken with multiple photos stacked with a free software I found online. Planes get removed with varying degrees of success since they are not common between the images. I don't know a better way to remove planes without photoshop skills well beyond me. Here is one of the individual photos from the milky way set with a plane trail. One more round of spamming the board with pictures: This ram had a branch stuck in his horns all day: Another attempt of the badlands susnet:
6/21/2019 Topic: Trek Poles Grips Buford	I repaired my cork grips with epoxy and shoegoo. Soon I’ll need to do a full replace like yours. I was thinking cork tape for bike handlebars might work well. I use aluminum trekking poles because I would shatter carbon ones. Mine are bent, paint chipped but still work. I’ve had to replace the tips due to wear and snapping them off many times. I keep spares in the car.
6/23/2019 Topic: Orientation weekend Buford	Good to see the usual suspects this weekend at orientation. Anyone else have any pics? First light on the San Ysidro Mountains Saturday: Went for a walk after orientation. Saw a fox and a rattler but couldn't get a camera out fast enough. Saw some of the usual wild life as well. Sheep and sheep backsides: Injured sheep, wouldn't put weight on his right front leg: Saturday night light(s) pollution: Sunday sunrise: There are still some flowers. Driving to camp in the dark they were glowing under car headlights:
6/24/2019 Topic: Orientation weekend Buford	Nice. The Sentenac homestead is a cool area. Sorry we missed you guys at Wilson. I think your camp is in the mid left of the sunrise pic.
7/9/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	Another fun count this year. I took the backroads to the desert and saw this guy run in front of me. I pulled over and took a picture as he buried himself to try and hide. The remarkable thing was we saw 99-100% lamb survival. Every single ewe that came over the hill had a lamb following her. The lambs ranged in age. Even the pros get cholla bombed: Some more pics: Messing around in the slow hours to kill time:
7/10/2019 Topic: Bighorn Sheep Count 2019 Buford	Agua Caliente sounds resort like. Great pictures too. I carried in a real chair to our count site and it was worth it. That Ramsey stuffed animal is awesome. Too bad it didn’t bring in sheep. We are 100% confident in our ewe lamb ratio with a margin of error of 1. It was either 19/20 or 20/20. There was some water in the spring, but it was drained by the sheep each day. It replenished at night. That agave in our photos is probably the same one. It is right in front of the count site.
7/10/2019 Topic: Light weight long sleeve shirt Buford	Any REI, Columbia, Sunday Afternoon Adventures, or other similar brand travel/hiking shirt will work. I like collars for sun protection. Mesh side panels are nice. Front chest pockets are good for storing items. Loose and baggy is good for airflow but catches on more cacti and cat claw. I buy close outs from past seasons, it doesn’t have to look good. My main complaint is too many shirts marketed as for hiking and sun protection are too dark.
7/31/2019 Topic: The Killer at Christmas Circle Buford	Awesome.
9/1/2019 Topic: Anyone seen a Badger? Buford	Anyone seen a Badger in the park? I saw one last night. No time to get out the camera. We were driving down a dirt road at night to get to a campsite. It was sitting in the middle of the road. It looked at us for a few seconds and scurried off into the underbrush. I did get some other pics from the trip. edited by Buford on 9/1/2019
9/2/2019 Topic: Free Admission to 1927 Silent Movie, Runaway Train Buford	I debated between going to this or the desert. The desert won this time.
9/2/2019 Topic: Anyone seen a Badger? Buford	I dug up some papers on Badgers in San Diego County. Looks like they used to range from the coast to the desert. Now they are just in the mountains and desert. One recent paper here: https://sdmmp.com/upload/SDMMP_Repository/0/kr27pzh0cn9f6wyxq518mjg4s3tvdb.pdf Last shot is the Borrego Badlands with the Borrego buttes in the background. It is not from Mine Peak. Mine Peak at sunset is also good though.

Anza Borrego Desert

Buford

all messages by user