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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
5/30/2018
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Gary and I went out for another 4 day backpack trip into Rockhouse Canyon. We did the rounds on the springs to make sure they were in good order and only noted the spring at Cowboy had been messed up by someone who probably thought they were helping. The branches that we placed to keep the animals from breaking down the rock build up were all tossed aside and the aluminum tent stake we had stashed to help clean out the piping was gone. We fixed it all back up and got it flowing good again.
Lots of new cairns were put up, looked like whoever did it was losing the trail and putting ducks up wherever they went.
2 nights at the Cottonwoods with a full day exploring the western Santa Rosa mountains below Toro Peak. Lots of now defunct Mary Jane plantations. Plenty of interesting artifacts still around
Defunct camp base
Even Mary Jane cultivators have dental hygiene
This was interesting, they placed a single bottle with a drip line to feed a single grow
Pit used to capture water form a nearby spring and then draw the irrigation lines down the grow areas
Varmit protection or hiker scare tactic?
Plenty of grow supplies
We were excited to find a new water hole even with wildlife
Managed to pick up another radiosonde, looks like it had a crash landing
On our way back to the Cottonwoods we saw some fresh mountain lion tracks and then ran into this large scat. My phone is about 6.5" long, this scat was pretty big
Red Man looked in good shape and the cactus bloom was a pretty addition
View from upper rockhouse area looking down towards the lower rockhouses
Bees were busy with the blloms that were coming out
Super deep morteros
New scat to me, anybody know what critter this is from?
Close up of scat
Last night out with an almost full moon and view of Dawns Peak
Total Mylar balloons - 10 (not all pictured)
Note attached some balloon
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tekewin Posts: 368
5/30/2018
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Awesome trip as usual. Looks like a gopher snake in the water.
I know there are lions in the desert, but surprised they find enough food. There aren't that many bighorns and I thought deer were in higher forested areas. I've read there are hundreds of lions in the Palomar and Agua Tibia areas. OTOH, they can roam hundreds of miles.
Is that a 22 or an air rifle? Can't tell from the photo. I am shocked that there are grow farms in RHC. They are all over the San Gabriels but this is news to me. Thanks for posting!
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Britain Posts: 602
5/30/2018
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Nice! Seems like a well-traveled area. Need to put on my list for next year if I can get some company to come. Don't want to end up mountain lion food. So as written in an earlier posting "Whats on the menu? " That was a great write up also. Thanks for the share!
edited by Britain on 5/30/2018
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Cant drive 55
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
5/31/2018
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tekewin wrote:
Is that a 22 or an air rifle? Can't tell from the photo.
Air rifle....
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surfponto Administrator Posts: 1364
5/31/2018
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Wow that growing camp is crazy !
For some reason I always equate these with national forests.
Love the red man picto.
Great post Daren,
Bob
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
5/31/2018
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Looks like a great trip, Daren. That birthday note to Andrew or Olaf has me confused.
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ziphius Posts: 911
5/31/2018
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Daren,
Looks like an a great trip! I believe your scat might belong to a roadrunner. There is usually a white uric acid cap attached to those, but it might have broken away or eroded out before the remainder. About what size was the scat? Ok if I post a copy of that scat photo to a track & sign geek group and see if they think it's roadrunner? - Jim
edited by ziphius on 5/31/2018
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
5/31/2018
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ziphius wrote:
Daren,Ok if I post a copy of that scat photo to a track & sign geek group and see if they think it's roadrunner? - Jim Yes, and tell me how I can join!!
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
5/31/2018
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ziphius wrote:
Daren,About what size was the scat? Sorry, it was about the size of my thumb....
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ziphius Posts: 911
5/31/2018
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Daren, thanks I posted the photos to a couple of different groups. I recommend joining 'Animals Don't Cover Their Tracks', a FB group administered by Kim Cabrera. That is a very active forum at a national and international level, but there are a lot of California trackers on there. If you're interested in studying track & sign in person, there are about 6-8 of us that get together at various sites (Lake Morena, Border Field SP) every 2-3 weeks. I can fill you in on that offline if interested.
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rockhopper Posts: 668
6/1/2018
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Nice back pack trip Daren and Gary. I need to get back out to Rockhouse valley again. It's been too long. Sorry to see the drug cartels setting up in "our" wilderness. I worry about the animal poison those guys use. Good to see wildlife at the water source and scat around. Good sign! I wish the feds would clean that up after they shut it down. Do they know the about that one? Nice red man picto. Looks very old. It's a special place. how high up in elevation did you go? Are the burial mounds still intact by the rock house ruins? Any "old " trails re-discovered.
cheers
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ziphius Posts: 911
6/1/2018
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Expert consensus on your thumb-sized scat is roadrunner!
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/3/2018
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ziphius wrote:
Expert consensus on your thumb-sized scat is roadrunner! Thanks Jim....the FB group looks interesting also, didn't realize there were so many other people that liked animal poop as much as me...
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/3/2018
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rockhopper wrote:
Nice back pack trip Daren and Gary. I need to get back out to Rockhouse valley again. It's been too long. Sorry to see the drug cartels setting up in "our" wilderness. I worry about the animal poison those guys use. Good to see wildlife at the water source and scat around. Good sign! I wish the feds would clean that up after they shut it down. Do they know the about that one? Nice red man picto. Looks very old. It's a special place. how high up in elevation did you go? Are the burial mounds still intact by the rock house ruins? Any "old " trails re-discovered.
cheers
Doesn't seem like the feds clean up much, usually just the irrigation lines get cut. There is an old indian trail out there we cleared the brush on for about 3 miles...spent most of the day doing that. Somebody also hauled out a pair of brush clippers we had stashed. Seems like somebody thought they were helping by removing the "trash" at the site.
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Rocko1 Posts: 597
6/12/2018
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Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer?
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/12/2018
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Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
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Britain Posts: 602
6/12/2018
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dsefcik wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
So says the guy that tags PAH BM in 105 temps.......
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/12/2018
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Britain wrote:
dsefcik wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
So says the guy that tags PAH BM in 105 temps....... Yeah, but I never said it was "fun"....those that know me might say I just needed to burn off a hangover that day...
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/12/2018
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Britain wrote:
dsefcik wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
So says the guy that tags PAH BM in 105 temps....... Well, and then there was this...I need to go back to DV...that trip was actually fun...
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Britain Posts: 602
6/12/2018
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dsefcik wrote:
Britain wrote:
dsefcik wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
So says the guy that tags PAH BM in 105 temps....... Yeah, but I never said it was "fun"....those that know me might say I just needed to burn off a hangover that day...
If I recall correctly a few days earlier you tagged the false Pah BM. Temps the same. You have a drinking problem haha
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Britain Posts: 602
6/12/2018
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dsefcik wrote:
Britain wrote:
dsefcik wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
So says the guy that tags PAH BM in 105 temps....... Well, and then there was this...I need to go back to DV...that trip was actually fun...
Yes that was a good trip Had a friend come out of the area of the DH grave monument and went up to Telescope. 18hr hike, the backup car was at MF. Said it was his hardest hike ever. 108 temps blaa...
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
6/12/2018
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Britain wrote:
If I recall correctly a few days earlier you tagged the false Pah BM. Temps the same. You have a drinking problem haha
uummm...you caught me....
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Rocko1 Posts: 597
6/13/2018
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dsefcik wrote:
Rocko1 wrote:
Looks like a great trip. How far up RHC Road do you think you could get in a 2wd Explorer? You should be able to get to Butler Junction without a problem. RHC in 105+ temps does not sound like any fun at all.....
Thanks. I draw the line when it gets near 110.
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