2/14/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Newly-minted member here, first post. Any renewed interest in this hike, for next month (or so)? --stewart
2/14/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Thanks for the quick response. Clark Lake a ten-plus hour drive for me, unfortunately, so is something I have to plan for. My third weekend in March is open, and though I'd rather not do the trip in April's heat could probably find time that month, too. It can be a hot hike, angled toward afternoon sun, etc. I'm not geared up for backpacking right now, so have a little prep work to do. It's been 11 years since I've been in Anza but have done the Jerry Schad route at least once, plus additional wanderings through that area. I'm not as young as I once was (I'm 55), so would definitely need to do the up/down in three days (two nights). But no problems hiking with others who might want to do a quicker, shorter trip. There are some untouched Indian sites in the area I'd like to re-locate, if there's time. Plus, I have a mild fantasy of dragging additional water up there for a third night (and possibly a whack at Rabbit Peak), but that may be an utter pipe dream--Rabbit is a monster. There's a route (on the topo) that leads over toward Rabbit, south of the Schad route; might be interesting. The Santa Rosa ridge alternates between a cakewalk and kind of hurt-you-bad hell; I've learned not underestimate it. I'll try to put some pics of my 2000 trip. Gotta remember how to unlock the site, plus make pasta at 2:00, so might not get to it that quickly.
2/14/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Here's the link: http://technopeasant.org/ click on ANZA 2000 Not too many photos, had my first digital camera along, a 1.2 megapixel.
2/15/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	At the moment, it looks as though the 18th (Friday) or 19th of March would work. I'll be arriving late in the day, but hoping to hit Clark Lake well before dark. I'd rather not four wheel in the dark, esp. in the vicinity of the Clark Lake mud wallow (crappy headlights). It's also very helpful to nail down the parking location while it's still light, in the event of a return in the dark (no GPS). I noticed from my photographs that I did just that in 2000 (the nighttime hike was really fun, magical, even, but I'd forgotten it was this trip where that occurred). I'm also remembering more clearly that back in 2000 my route up was an "Indian route," that lies to the south of the Schad route. It was a gradual incline, to a lower spot on the Santa Rosa ridge, where I camped for the night. I remember this thought as I gained the ridge: "Hey, that wasn't so bad..." I used Schad's route to return (there's a photo shot from the top of 6582 looking down the Schad route), but clearly, I didn't leave myself enough time, and arrived at Corp benchmark at the last light of twilight. The route finding above Corp is somewhat tricky in the dark. With enough water, one simply camps and hikes out in the morning. There are several other ways to exit this area. Besides corp, one can head directly for Hidden Spring, over hill and dale, then veer left just above lower Rockhouse Canyon, and hike down a ridge parallel to the dirt road. I've also hiked straight over into Rockhouse basin from this area--something I recommend if one enjoys suffering. These are all things one decides once out there, of course, based on leg strength and water supplies. The Schad route lends itself well to fast, young legs, not my style anymore. Hence the two night-three day plan. I'm off now to gather my maps; will have something more intelligent to say soonly.
2/15/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Okay, got the maps. Take a look at the Clark Lake NE 7.5 minute map (downloadable as a pdf from USGS) and go north from the Corp benchmark to peak 3489. Just to the right of the peak is a "Y" shaped watercourse. Schad's route goes up the left arm of the Y and then more or less direct to peak 6582. I went up the right arm, and hit the ridge at peak 6171. The next morning I must have hiked north along the ridge, past peak 6295 to peak 6582. That added distance explains why I didn't get back to Corp until dark. Plus I was probably goofing off, taking pics of flowers, etc. Coupla ways to do this hike: 1. make a base camp at 3489 (or nearby) and do 6582 the next day, with a little time to explore the area.. This is the "easiest" plan, and would also keep the two day option for anyone who wanted to summit 6582 and then return to vehicles. 2. camp at 3489 first night then drag carcass and sufficient water to ridge and camp one night up there, Summit 6582 and return to vehicles on third day. The nighttime view from the top is nice, but frankly, it is a view of civilization, after all, bright lights and all that foolish merde. Might be nicer to spend both nights down with the ghosts of Indians, enjoying the dark starry sky, etc. Plenty of bighorn sheep in this area, owls, maybe a mountain lion, even. Oops, just noticed it's a full moon on the 19th. So much for stars. At least that adds a safety factor in case anyone winds up wandering around in the dark.
2/16/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Yes, that's it. There's also appears to be a route directly up to peak 6295 that I've not tried. For some reason I chose, in 2000, not to go that way. Another interesting variation is at the base of 6582, the knife ridge just to the north of Schad's route, where the lowest steep stuff is. I remember looking over at that when I descended thinking how cool it would be to hike up that way. I've camped at the "possible camp spot," a couple of times, once with my wife. There's a nice sandy wash in there. But also, the hills in that area are fairly smooth-topped so one can camp in many places. That wash is down low, as washes tend to be, so less of a view than surrounding hill tops. And as you probably know, washes tend to be colder at night, as cool air flows downhill from higher up. Cool might be good (or not), if days are warm. I've been rained on in there, if you can believe it, on my way to Rockhouse, rained on up in Nicolias Canyon, too. But I expect in March our only weather concern will be heat during the daytime on the way up. Climbing up to 6582 without a full pack is starting to sound sort of nice.
2/17/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	That looks like a Sunday morning hike, and we will probably be climbing 6582 on Sunday, so may not see this group at all. Doesn't sound as though they'll leave the desert floor, either. My plan on this end is to drive down Friday, begin hiking Saturday. Climb up to the ridge and climb 6582 or whatever Sunday, hike down Monday. Drive home Tuesday. There's plenty of wiggle room in there, I hope, for side trips, or possibly a return through Rockhouse. The popularity of this area has increased since I was last there, no doubt. Jerry Schad's book is likely to be a big factor in that--Afoot and Afield was my bible when I lived in Leucadia in the nineties.
2/20/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Bob, glad you liked the pics. I've just started to pull old files to load online. Is a daunting task, and some pics I recognize but never labeled as to location. And as I look over the Kodachrome stuff, find that my Carrizo Gorge photos never got scanned. I once saw a couple of guy riding a battery powered cart on those rails, complete with a trailer (for their cooler of beer). They just carried the cart over the rough bits, had lawn chairs tied to the cart to ride in comfort,, etc. That 1.2 megapixel was Olympus' first stabilized digital camera with a 10x zoom, with a second digital screen in the eyepiece. Good lens, I think, very sharp, maybe better than my current camera, Canon's sx20. Consider joining us on this hike. With a map in hand I can show you numerous routes in the area for future consideration. There's a ancient painting out in the Rockhouse area that I've yet to see any mention of, and a healthy spring full of water, too. A local fellow up here (SF Bay Area), Richard, I'm hoping will join the hike, too. If you're familiar with multi-day backpacking, there are only a couple of parts of this trip that will be sort of tough. The climb from Corp with a full pack (40-45 lbs) is a bit of a sweat, since it involves some scrambling. And were we to try to camp on the Santa Rosa Ridge, climbing up there with full packs is difficult, too. But if a water camp were made down lower, then the second day will be easier than the first, because though the elevation gain is severe, only water for a day hike is needed. The area below 6582 can be quite sublime this time of the year. Rockhouse Basin I've always found to be sort of gloomy, for some reason, but the foothills below 6582 usually bask in sunshine, have nice views, etc. And with three days to do the route, there's no rush. If you have any questions about waterless backpacking, don't hesitate to ask. It involves stripping out all the non-essential gear and replacing that weight with water, 5 quarts per 24 hours. On a three day/two night trip, three gallons of water plus an extra quart or so, is enough, in mild temps. No coffee, alcohol, tea, or anything other such diuretic. --Stewart
3/12/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Checking in: Still planning to arrive Friday at around sunset. May hike across desert to CORP that evening, if time and energy allow. I have it in my head that I can stay out there for three nights, but two nights and three days will be more realistic. Three nights means hand-carrying an extra gallon of water to at least the foothills below Dawns Peak. Not sure I'm up for that. For anyone that wants to connect, either this week, or during the day Friday: email: info@technopeasant.org cell phone: 415-515-3132 vehicle: 1995 Toyota Tacoma, 4x4, dark gray with matching shell. I forget the license plate, but there's a YZK in it, I think. Rather than park in the usual location (on Rockhouse road, due south of CORP), am hoping to park further in, past Butler Canyon, at the mouth of Rockhouse Canyon. This location gives a slight downhill hike to CORP, hiking with the washes rather than across them. If anyone joins me, I am, of course, totally open to other considerations. Hope to see you out there! --Stewart Gilbert
3/12/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Okay, thanks, Daren, for checking in. I'll post the trip on my website when I get back. --Stewart
3/18/2011 Topic: Peak 6582 redux stewart	Even though I know both of you, Daren and Bob, have other plans, I thought I'd post my change in plans: We're getting knocked around a bit by a storm (I live on a boat), and the forecast for AB is wind, so I'm delaying departure one day. Now hoping to arrive in AB Saturday at sunset or so. FYI --Stewart
3/25/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	I'm back, but I don't have much "redux" to report. I got a late start due to some technical problems, then the weather slowed me down to the point where I never got above about 3300 feet, I think. On day two I was well positioned to climb (the strength left in my legs is another matter altogether), but it poured on me Sunday night, then had snowed on 6582 Sunday and Monday night, and it was still quite cold and blowing like stink in camp. I'd already gone through half of the three gallons of water I was carrying, so decided not to push my luck. I did stretch the trip to three full days (three nights and four days, morning to morning, about 75 hours total hiking/camping time on those three gallons. But more importantly, I'm happy to report the flowers are going bonkers out there, mostly between 500-1000 feet across the desert bajada. And up to 2500 or so, lots of plants are blooming, tons of beavertails, barrels, and some cholla are blooming too, not to mention just about everything else. A few miles past dry Clark Lake, the Sand Verbena show up in large numbers (not quite as plentiful as they can be), also tons of other flowers I don't know the name of. The Brittle Bush are blooming nicely, too. Many of the flowers are within two-wheel drive/high clearance range, and anyone parking in the vicinity of the Butler Canyon/Rockhouse Canyon "intersection" will have a feast of flowers to goggle at. I'll post photos as soon as I can get them organized. It was about 1250 miles of driving for me, and the boat I live on was whacked by storms in my absence, so I'm still moving a little slowly. Stewart
4/2/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	Sheesh, I finally got my photos online. sorry for the delay. Here's the link: http://photo.technopeasant.org/desert/2011dawnspeak/ Though I had a gps along, my new droidx, and I hardly had figured out how to use it, much less loaded any maps into it. So no track or waypoints. I'm so 20th century. But I'll be happy to assist with route finding if anyone is contemplating a hike in this area. I was surprised to learn on this trip that the warranty on my knees wasn't quite as good as I thought. Struggling uphill with a heavy pack still seems okay, but the reserve minutes are gone. An afternoon descent above the Corp benchmark almost caused a mutiny. --Stewart
4/2/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	That lens on your camera is really sharp, makes me envious. My photos were shot with a Canon sx20, but I wish I'd gone the dSLR route. And now that I've cobbled together a solar charger for my phone/gps/camera, my future as a nature photographer is probably over. Hope you climb 6582 some day soon. It's a whole different world up there. Funny how fast the temperature changes. I think it was in the eighties the week before the storm.
4/2/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	Glad you guys liked the photos. The tire: I kept hearing a funny noise, over the music, but didn't feel anything because I'd just moved that tire to the rear. I finally saw it going, in the rear view. The tire was smoking hot, probably about to catch fire. As it was, I had to four-wheel the flat thru a small culvert to get safely off the freeway.
4/3/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	No, that wash runs around the west side of peak 3489, Schad's route goes around the east side, just out of view. But there are many wide sandy places to camp on his route--a group of 100 (!) would have no trouble finding room. I'll try to post a topo of the route soonly.
4/3/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	lessee if I can stick a jpeg in here...
4/4/2011 Topic: 6582 redux stewart	Yes, I was planning to go that way, but was getting tired of the cold wind and periodic rain, and tripping over the blackbush. Plus, if the truth be told, I wasn’t feeling as strong as I expected, so opted for the more familiar washes. All in all, I think the Schad route is perhaps the fastest, though the fellow I met when looking for my truck said the middle route between my route and the Schad route was easier, or at least less difficult
4/5/2011 Topic: Indian / Clark / Blair Valley stewart	I agree with Bob, your photos are professional quality. Nice job. It's nice to see the variety of such not-commonly seen wildlife. --Stewart <em>edited by stewart on 4/5/2011</em>
4/17/2011 Topic: Carrizo Gorge Railway stewart	I was going to tag this post onto the back end of one containing Daren's excellent photos, but figured I might as well just post it fresh, here. There's a lot written about Carrizo Gorge, but I wanted to share a book I've been reading, "Baja California Railways," by John A. Kirchner. Though he focuses mostly on the Mexican side of things, what he writes about the Carrizo Gorge is fascinating. He also gives the details of the flooding of the Colorado River into the Salton Sea, 1905-1907. For instance: The San Diego to Yuma line was actually two railways, the Tijuana Y Tecate and the San Diego & Arizona. Tycoon John D. Spreckles drove the last (gold) spike in 1919. It was his efforts, and money that kept the railway construction alive when Southern Pacific backed out (SP owned the right-of-way rights granted by the Mexican government to build in the first place). The completed line was a big hit, as San Diego had been vying for a railway east since 1850. Traffic was good initially, particularly on the Mexican side, but the railway began its history just as bus and automobile traffic was about to run between San Diego and Yuma more quickly and more cheaply. And San Diego never developed into the international port it thought it would, so freight traffic that could be carried east remained limited. 50,000 tickets were sold each year during the 20s and 30s, but as freight and passenger traffic declined, eventually only a caboose was available for passengers. Tropical storm Kathleen severely damaged the line in 1976, and a 1983 fire in a Carrizo Gorge tunnel was the fatal blow, at least to the US side. That is, I think, more or less the state one finds the railway in today. The Carrizo Gorge section was, and perhaps is, the most expensive railroad ever built. due to the vulnerable tunnels and trestles. The notion that the railway could be resurrected is not entirely a dream, I think, though it's difficult to see how a freight or tourist line could pay its own way, given the line's expensive history.
4/17/2011 Topic: Carrizo Gorge Railway stewart	That peace and quiet is why I hope the railroad never reopens. I've not gone up canyon past the end of the 4x4 road, due to fear of cat claw (California's only native acacia, btw). Have always hiked the rails or to Goat Canyon from the east. Those tunnels are so interesting, impossible to stay out of them, like mines in Death Valley. There's a tunnel under the US/MEX border, or was, anyway. The Mexican part has/had a giant double bow loop, big bridges across the Tijuana River. I think the Mexican line was still in service when this book was writ, 1988. And maybe a little bit is in service near Campo? Some San Diego train buff would know. That rolling stock Daren photographed is way cool, particularly in that it's sitting there without graffit or vandalism. Sorry for the stilted syntax of this, I'm writing it on my phone. <em>edited by stewart on 4/17/2011</em>
4/18/2011 Topic: Carrizo Gorge Railway stewart	Yes, those are the same tracks, though I've never been over to that area. Building the railroad right of way was a monumental job, took a circuitous path from Tijuana to Tecate, through the Campo region and then on to Carrizo Gorge and eventually El Centro and Yuma.. Those mountains are all granite, so tunnels were blasted through, slowly. Four tunnels on the Mexican side, seventeen on the U.S. side. Tunnel #3 (1305 feet long) had a fire and collapse in 1932 and so became #3 and #3 1/2. In 1916, before the line was opened, 12 inches of rain fell in Campo within 24 hours, wiping out big sections of newly constructed railway. Spreckles said: "Put it back." Kirchner's book is really great and he also recommends another by Robert M. Hanft, "San Diego and Arizona; The Impossible Railroad," Glendale Trans Anglo Books, 1984. I just did a Google map search for "Canyon City near Campo, CA" and found myself near the site of Division, CA, where the Tijuana Y Tecate and the San Diego and Arizona meet, underground. You can see tunnel #4, with tracks leading in and out on both sides of the border. The Southwest Pacific Museum advertises rides from Campo to Division, which is what you (Daren) took, I guess, ten years ago. Jeeze, now I'll have to put Campo on my "must visit" list. And I'm not even a train buff. I'll bet border patrol action in that area is heavy. When I lived in San Diego in the nineties, one often heard that the backcountry of San Diego County was popular with the methamphetamine crowd. That, and the border patrol, made me stay away from the southern county areas. Of course, wandering around way north, in Chihuahua Valley, I ran into ex-Hell's Angel Hank and his little Chihuahuas, racing around in a dune buggy. But that's another story (and to be fair to good ol' Hank, unrelated to meth). San Diego County is full of adventures, that's for sure.
4/19/2011 Topic: Carrizo Gorge Railway stewart	Great photo, Daren. Looks like your son is having a blast. Me thinks I should update my avatar...
6/7/2011 Topic: Snakes This Season stewart	Wow, Daren, what are you using for a camera and lens? The detail in your photos is like looking at the real thing. Really woke me up too...I guess the desert is pretty shut down now, except for hard core desert rats? Our wildflowers are going nuts up here...we keep having mild storms pass thru that keep everything wet and the long days are making the plants grow like spring was starting all over again.
6/7/2011 Topic: Snakes This Season stewart	Hmmm, you're one tough hombre. I can't take that heat. But June is certainly a different season from all the rest. All the things that depend on the sun's energy are out, like snakes, and bugs, as you know. Enjoy! And thanks for taking the time to post photos--it's a thrill to see 'em.

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