11/14/2011 Topic: fire last summer in Anza B? epolomsk	Hi Folks, I'm a frequent backpacker in Anza B (backpacked there over 20 times) I just recently read about the fires in July The article speculated that Palm Mesa burned and maybe parts of Sheep, Cougar and Salavador canyons Have any of the readers here been up those canyons recently? Can they comment on whther the fire hit them or not? I'm planning 2 trips to those regions in the next couple months and am curious what happened. p.s. I was hking in the Salvador canyon area last January. I had heard that there is water up there somewhere and an old Cahuilla village site. I went up a couple miles (starting from the jeep trail), about to where Yucca valley comes in on the right, but didnt see a drop of water. Anyone have an idea just how far up the canyon the water is? Thanks, epolomsk <em>edited by epolomsk on 11/14/2011</em>
11/28/2011 Topic: Alma Wash epolomsk	Lovely pix, You might enjoy these links about the stars: http://earthsky.org/tonight/summer-triangle-in-fall-and-winter-sky http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/ataglance http://www.skymaps.com/downloads.html I'm looking forward to a trip out there in almost exactly a month! -Elisha, Desert Rat and Astronomy Professor at U. Wisconsin
12/8/2011 Topic: From the Unpublished Series epolomsk	Stelllarium is terrific! I use it to teach some of my astronomy classes. Some other HIGHLY reccommended resources: Astronomy Picture of the Day (Theres a rather nice one there today) http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ earthsky.org/tonight I love the following web site: gives aurora forecasts and impending asteroids orbits spaceweather.com
12/23/2011 Topic: Starry Nights in Indian Valley epolomsk	Cool pix! I'll be out there in about 7 days---yippee! Neat thing to look for: 5 planets will be visible simultaneously the day after Xmas: http://earthsky.org/tonight/moon-and-venus-night-after-christmas-all-five-planets-visible Neat thing we cannot see :-( Theres a SPECTACULAR comet visible from the southern hemisphere http://earthsky.org/space/images-of-comet-lovejoy-now-visible-from-southern-hemisphere -elisha
12/27/2011 Topic: Wildlife in INdian Valley epolomsk	I believe thats one of the "velvet ant" species They are actually wingless wasps. Also known as Mutillids They sting. Nice link on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutillidae BTW: fun book to browse on desert critters: Desert Wildlife by Jaeger Find it at a used bookstore All his books are terrific!
1/9/2012 Topic: fire last summer in Anza B? epolomsk	I was just up borrego palm 2 days ago: Sad to see all the palms burned. Basically there were fires all the way from south fork to middle fork. BTW: I hike to middle from borrego palm campgrnd. Always wondered how others get past the waterfall just before middle. I've been doing a very dangerous traverse up the rocks. UP a steep white rock, careful negotation over some exposed granite, then down past an acacia. Is there another way? Also was at the Paroli homestead in Culp valley yesterday and there was a fire there- it severely impacted the frog pools: all the vegetation surrounding them is gone-- AND the rd to paroli is actually CLOSED (with a sign not explaining why) -elisha
1/2/2015 Topic: Plane Wrecks epolomsk	Did you folks ever find this plane? http://joeidoni.smugmug.com/Aircraft-Crash-Sites/A/11558268_JnGUE#818002961_s9gHV I hiked to it last week--its near Agua Cailente.
3/21/2021 Topic: Coyote Canyon epolomsk	I also encountered ppl with guns at upper willows: about 5 yrs ago, they were, I think, target shooting. But the bullets were flying over our heads where we had set up tent. We yelled alot, they eventually stopped and we packed up and moved and camped elswhere. Told rangers, but they are unlikely to be able to do anything. Just getting ahold of a ranger was pretty difficult. About lower willows: that trail is normally maintained by san diego backcountry horsemen (very nice ppl) I contacted them , and they told me that they basically were not allowed to do it anymore and were negotiating with the new park superintendant about it. that was a year ago. Thanks to covid I doubt anything has been done.
4/3/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	Thursday april 1, completed 3rd crossing,box canyon,hidden spring,santa rosa, nicholias loop. Went down nicholias. Done this loop twice before. Driest i have ever seen it. Siphoned waterfrom a fist sized puddle atbox! Shocked to see 2 backpacks at Stifferino spring Near the martinez canyon trail. Have never encountered anyone there on previoys trips. Is this route advertized somewhere? Becz, also encountered 2 ppl heading up box to hidden. Very nice,butVERY unprepared. 4pm, and they had mistaken boulder alley at 3rd crossing for box canyon and thot they wete gonna get to hidden that day! Later met them at the saddle above box on the old indian trail; they had again hotten turned around and thot they were looming at rockhouse canyon,vut were actually viewing santa catarina from afar. They thought they were only 1 hr from Hidden (with backpacks) And had no idea how little water there was there. Seemingly no maps..yikes. fortunately they turned around from this life threatening plan. Nicholias cottonwoods lovely and leafing out, The route down nicholias was sadly very overgrown with tumbled cairns (fixed a few) Hard, but great trip. Zero wildowers except very few in box canyon.
4/3/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	Meant to say siphoned water at hidden, NOT box canyob
4/3/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	Yes, we started at 3rd crossing. Retraced thru box. Box is so lovely i never mind walking thru twice:-) It even had a few blooming lupine! Ijust doubled checked schad's book and he says 5 hard hrs each way to hidden. I seriously doubt the two backpackers i met read thst account, so really unsure how they thought they could get there when starting at 4pm from box. Yikes, they could have died.
4/3/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	Btw, there is an old indian trail from playas to hidden. Its faint, and sometimes disappears,BUT the way down into Butler is very well worn and very well cairned.
4/3/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	I enhanced that cairn in butler a bit with some big boulders, its quite fun to follow the old indian trail from there:-) Too bad we didnt meet the folks at stifferino, would be interesting to know their route. From there we followed an old indian trail to santa rosa village and a well ducked trail up to nicholias; it even had switchbacks. Quite a pleasant route.
4/7/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	Hi Daren et al. I'll post a map and more info in a couple days, Im a professor and got 100 tests to grade this week :-) BTW: Its a *VERY hard route. not possible to get to stifferino in 1 day from 3rd crossing. Schad mentions it in his book. He says, IF you follow the faint, eroded indian trail, its 5 hrs to Hidden from 3rd crossing. It took us 7 cuz we lost the trail, but was faster on the return. Daren: we skipped the dry waterfall in Nicholias, theres a use trail around it. Hidden spring: I agree not reliable, but even this year, we were able to siphon several gallons, after digging it out a tiny bit. We dug where the bees were drinking. Lovely docile bees, picked some up in my fingers, no problem! Other BTW: wonderful close up encounters with poorwhills at Hidden Spring!
4/7/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	quick video of siphoning water at Hidden Spring https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UxLnfsf937nROnSDV1UHt7jqWWWbuWOd/view?usp=sharing
4/8/2021 Topic: Box canyon to nicholias loop epolomsk	Its quite tasty water,better than stifferino imho :-) But not as good as nicholias.
12/15/2023 Topic: Sad News about Anza Borrego epolomsk	Thought id make folks aware of what is going on in Anza Borrego. Over the years park management has been closing more and more areas to overnight backpacking or camping. I've been going there for about 25 yrs and this winter they just closed ALL of Coyote Canyon and Collins Valley. No real explanation, no idea if it will ever reopen. Day hiking is allowed, just no overnight from 3rd crossing and beyond. Doesn't make a lot of sense. In the past 25 yrs they have closed: 1) Camping at Paroli 2) Won't allow maintenance of horse trail at 3rd crossing thru the creek 3) Closed Borrego palm to backpacking ( Its been 3ys since the fire and only lower bit burned,so this makes no sense at this point, and its only the lower part that burned) Now, one of the most popular places in the whole park is closed. Some have speculated that its cuz the rds are in such bad shape that rescues would be impossible. If so, then why aren't more remote areas like Nicolais canyon, Upper Rockhouse, Inner Pasture, and Bow willow closed??! If anyone has any inside info, i'd love to know more. This is really depressing. I've been backpacking there for decades, so am very sad. elisha

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