California Wanderings - Rafting, Backpacking & Sightseeing

My list of adventures & places to see is growing at a never ending rate. Maybe some of you readers have found this page looking for some of your goals

Like any good city escape we are leaving Los Angeles in the late afternoon, only to arrive north of Sacramento along the American River well after dark. The rafting company, over the phone, didn't recommend this b/c they mentioned it would be hard to set up our camp. Seemed odd, but upon arriving we saw that their camping was huge lawns that were more an "any free place was a campsite" style. Alas, we made the best excited for our rafting trip in the morning.

It had been years since I had been rafting & this was Melissa's first time. We stole glances of the rapids below on the bus ride through the rolling golden California hills.  After settling in with all the gear & meeting our guide we were off in the morning sun.

With only one other couple in the boat it was a wonderful morning of paddling & splashing through the Class 3 rapids. We rode a few rapids backwards for kicks & tried to surf one standing up to no avail. Around lunch time we had floated roughly ten miles & stopped for lunch. Beer & BBQ. Not too shabby.

Hopping back in the boats, another nine or so miles were ahead of us. At times the American River would narrow & be comprised of large rocks walls, while at other times, large sandy banks invited a quiet rest on their shores. Topping off the fun experience, we passed the site of the second large gold discovery that kicked off the 1849 gold rush. 

That evening the camp cleared out & we had the place almost to ourselves, the river passing the time just below camp with a warm meal on the stove. No need for a care in the world.

Melissa & I have a deep love for the mining era of California history & couldn't leave Coloma without exploring their wonderful state park that lays tribute to some of the more important discoveries. Like any tale in history, both good & bad came from the gold influx of wealth seekers. All on display.

Back on the road we stuck to small highways that wandered through the foothills of California. Aiming now to drive the north rim of Yosemite on Hwy 120, we paid our fees with the hoards & picked up our backcountry permit for the fun that would begin soon.

Stopping at various tourist sites along the way, snapping photos & doing the usual Yosemite stuff. At one of the 'day use' areas we packed our backpack for a three day hike we were about to set off on. Eventually with the fading hours of the day, we drove to our trailhead & hiked off to get the obligatory mile away from the highway to legally camp. Melissa found a wonderful flat spot amongst the huge pine forest & we called it a day.

The next morning a ranger stopped by to make sure we had our bear canister/permits, then we were on the move. Our goal is to sleep out on North Dome, an idea I had read about many years ago & always wanted to give a shot. The views in photos always attracted me. 

 

We had the option to do the hike as a lollipop style which was nice to not have to backtrack too much. Wildflowers were in full bloom & the creeks were crystal clear. We met a few backpackers doing various trips & many day hikers that made the long drive up to this section of the park. None took away from the experience of finally getting out on this long awaited trip.

After several hours we made the final climb up to Indian Ridge. Topping out we were staring directly at the iconic rock monolith that is Half Dome. Almost so close we could reach out & touch it. Hiking now on open bald granite shelves, the views all the way down into Yosemite Valley are superb. 

 

 

We stumble down steeply to the beginning portion of North Dome to find a protected place to set up our camp. Not a soul around. We have plenty of time before the magic hour of the day & we spend it lounging. 

  

Light & color begin to transform our surroundings. Walking up to the edge of North Dome, all of Yosemite is laid out below us. Wonderful to be here with my special lady. Just as the cold wind creeps through our warm layers, sleeping bags become the answer after a hot meal.

I wake early on our backpacking trips & usually spend the first hour taking photos & enjoy the world around coming to life. Coffee boiling on the pot can always bring Melissa out of the down covered warmth. Normal backpacking chores ensue as we clear our makeshift home from the earth. We are hiking with one stop left on trail, Indian Arch. Perched high on the north rim of Yosemite, the unusual rock formation looks over large swaths of high country. After playing around in, on & near the arch we hit the final miles back to the car.

Feeling wonderful back in the car with plush backrests, we head East on Hwy 120 towards the Owens Valley. No big hurry now, we stop in Lee Vining for the most delicious city meal in a while. Putting more miles behind us we land ourselves in the small historical town of Bridgeport.

Quaint & beautiful, Bridgeport has a bit different vibe than all the old highway towns south of Mammoth. We kick around town; grab food, down some drinks & wander every street in one afternoon. There is an outstanding museum in this town with history from all California eras.

The next day we grab an easy tent site outside Bridgeport & head for the hills. Our objective is to check out the famous mining town of Bodie. A popular tourist attraction, for good reason, this 1800's era town has been well preserved & feels the part. Absolutely worth a visit if you have an afternoon or a couple hours to kill. I tried to imagine the harsh winters in this open treeless area below zero degrees. Tough living.

(From Wikipedia)

Bodie began as a mining camp of little note, following the discovery of gold in 1859 by a group of prospectors, including W.S. Bodey. In 1876, the Standard Company discovered a profitable deposit of gold-bearing ore, which transformed Bodie from an isolated mining camp comprising a few prospectors and company employees to a boomtown. By 1879, Bodie had a population of approximately 5,000–7,000 people and around 2,000 buildings. Bodie boomed from late 1877 through mid– to late 1880.

The last couple days of our Summer vacation were a much slower pace. Our sights were set on relaxing. Cruising on beautiful sections of Hwy 120, heading east towards Nevada. Pulling into the tiny town of Benton our reservations were for their private hot springs resort. After milling about, the sun began to set on glorious Boundary Peak while we started to dip into our own perfect hot oasis.

After soaking our bones till content, we pulled out of Benton and headed for Bishop. We have close friend that lives just north of town & has the entire Sierra at his door step. After spending the day catching up & the usual things you do with old friends we planned for a day on the lake. Heading up to South Lake, we hoped into some rental kayaks and mashed across the lake. Still in mid September we couldn't shake the mosquito on land so we had beers & snacks while floating in the middle of the lake below snow capped peaks. Not a bad way to wrap up this Calfornia road trip.

Thru Hike East Fork San Gabriel River

- We have since repeated this hike more recently -

More often than not when people think of hiking, an uphill struggle usually follows next in the thought process. The goal is usually a summit. A peak. Any peak. Often forgotten are the snaking twisted roots of the eroded & crumbling massif that make up a great peak. On this adventure we opt for the deep sinuous East Fork gorge that cuts directly though the Sheep Mountain Wilderness below three fantastic peaks.

This portion of the San Gabriel River is a storied place. Many people sought fortunes in it's river beds & canyon walls in the form of precious gold. Still to this day, gold panners have claims set up in the lower reaches of this chasm. Large ancient mines cling to the upper hillside, beckoning exploration & the thought of riches. We explored 1800's fugitive dwellings, 60's era plane crashes, smooth canyon narrows & an over 50 year old concrete bridge to nowhere.

Thursday after the Los Angeles traffic died, two of us drove our cars out to Heaton Flat to stage one for our finish on Sunday. If you're going to do this hike right, don't try to set up the car shuttle the morning of, it will make for a long first day & possibly poor camp selection. Friday comes & I ride my bike to work & back b/c my car is in the mountains. Gear packed all five of us squeeze in to our dear friends sedan & speed off into the night. 

We arrive at Vincent Gap to a large semi empty parking lot. There were actually people camping right next to the restrooms?! It was about 11pm & our easiest goal of the trip was to sleep on the Big Horn Mine Fire Road to get a early start on Saturday morning, about ten minutes away. With a thousand Thank Yous said, our ride departed into the night leaving us with a fantastic view of Mt. Baldy silhouetted by the night sky.

Morning comes & we pack up before the ever popular Baden Powell trail gets any people. Taking the junction that leads from the dirt road, down left into Vincent Gulch. The upper reaches of this trail are wonderful. This is the second time I have hiked this portion & always love the transition the trees & plants make the further you travel down. Great succulents if you pay close attention.

We made a side trip to Tom Vincent's cabin that is hidden off trail in the upper portions of Vincent Gulch. Short history, Tom Vincent (alias) was a gold miner from Arizona in the late 1800's that caught & killed three men jumping his claim. This necessitated a quick leave to California where he made the San Gabriels his home for thirty years, discovering the location that would become the Big Horn Gold Mine & to this day many mountain locations carry his name (alias).

After leaving the cabin we traveled four miles down Vincent Gulch to the point where we meet the East Fork river. Just before we enter the canyon proper, a detour is required to see the 1964 Cessna plane crash. This is about the extent I know of the site, but cool to see none the less. There is a fantastic camp just as Mine Gulch & Vincent Gulch come together on the northern banks. Great shade, a metal stove of sorts & water close by. However, this is where the real trail ends & I have made the walk back up Vincent Gulch, not nearly as fun as downhill. I was glad to be continuing on down the East Fork.

| Mt. Baden Powell, Big Horn Mine up high in the upper right corner |

There are cairns (ducks) marking some sections here & there, but no one particular route was going to win over another. The best approach for the upper several miles of the canyon is to move from open rock bank to the other as the canyon walls twist & turn. There was always a ton of open space to explore as the four of us sauntered along. 

After a few more miles, we would do 9.5 miles this day, we caught glimpses of our old nemesis Iron Mountain. Banter of last years hike was kicked up & all were in agreement that it was one bad ass mountain that had helped form this amazing labyrinth we were now exploring far below it's peak. The rocky walls grew taller, their age shown through the smoothed & coarse transition. It was amazing to stand there, imagining the East Fork a ten foot deep raging torrent.

With no exact measuring, I'd say around the seven or so mile mark, much before the Fish Canyon confluence, the walls become immense, towing hundreds of feet over our heads. I had read that this was the deepest canyon in all of Southern California. Yeah or nay, this place was magical. We took to some heavy bushwhacking sections, but nothing that really slowed much progress. Alder Trees grew all over the river, glowing bright green in the afternoon sun.

With a few checks of the map we were growing closer to the camp at the confluence of Fish Canyon & the East Fork. Simple enough to find, when you see water spilling out from another direction you're there. We had no idea of the heaven that awaited though. On the upper western bank there was one of the most idealic backcountry camps I've been to in the San Gabriels yet. Like I had mentioned, this canyon has been a place of much history, I can only imagine the nights spent here by others. You will have to work hard yourself to get a glimpse of this camp & make this paradise home for a night.

The dulcet mood of the camp overwhelmed us all with a slow start to the last day. We had eight miles left & some of the most drooled over sections of our topo maps. We were getting to The Narrows! In the lower reaches of the canyon we took to walking directly in the water. It was easy to keep cool & really was enjoyable, keep in mind the canyon over the peak discussion from the beginning. Throughout this trip we would drop our packs at a fine pool, jump in & then just keep on moving. Absolutely spectacular.

Turing a bend in the river there is a significant change in rock landscape that is the transition into the Narrows proper. Smooth dark rock line all sections of the riverbed, worn in all directions. There is even an anvil placed on a rock from an era gone by. Cameras are firing off while we take in all the sites & sounds of this wonderful place.

Each little bend reveals a different look to the landscape, the colors of the rocks shift, being eroded in a much more block like form than just a quarter mile up river. We made lunch part way down through this section, on a sandy beach with all our wet stuff laying out. At this time an intrepid group of adults came by us that was doing the same hike, but in one day. We congratulated them, but they agreed they couldn't take in all the beauty at their pace. Hell, they never even jumped in any of the hundreds of swimming pools we'd passed.

Shouldering our packs we had one more historical site to see on our way out of the canyon. In the late 1930's there was plan to build a highway through the East Fork up to Angeles Crest Highway. Construction began, but in March of 1938 a massive flood washed away the few miles of road that had been built, leaving an arching concrete bridge in the middle of the San Gabriel Mts, dubbed the Bridge To Nowhere.

From the Bridge there is five miles of trail to the parking lot. Thus, the Bridge to Nowhere is one of LA's most popular hikes from Heaton Flat. I told myself long ago, if I was ever going to see this Bridge, it was going to be the hard way. I had no desire to walk with hundreds of others to this monstrosity. It felt good to round that bend, see the bridge & a take nice flying leap into one of the many pools around it's base. Sure enough tons of people were there & we hightailed it up the canyon side & back on the first trail since the morning before.

The last five miles went quite smooth. The trail is easy to follow & allowed us to make much better time than the rock strew river bed. The only event to speak of after the bridge was seeing Swan Rock. Really a neat formation high on the upper reaches of a canyon wall. Once the Iron Mt trailhead was insight we knew our hike was just about done. Around another corner or two & Heaton Flat parking lot came into sight. Only two questions came up after that, where to go for beer & what was the next adventure?

| Swan Rock |

The East Fork was a top of the list type of adventure. I'm sure in time it will be repeated & a whole new hike will be experienced. My best advice is to set up the shuttle early, stay to the banks in the upper sections crossing back & forth. On the last day walk directly in the water for the pure fun, jump off some rocks into the pools, live it up. Your shoes & other stuff will dry during the five miles of open canyon after the bridge.

- We have since repeated this hike more recently -

 
| Bridge to Nowhere |