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| Ellis Apiary looking good |
Sunday Jeff and I made a run up to Ellis Apiary Camp in the far eastern corner of the Sespe Wilderness. You know that Camp you see on maps sitting all lonely up Piru Creek that very few people bother to visit anymore. Ever since I through hiked Piru a few years back and realized I totally missed it I'd been meaning to return. My plan for the fall or early spring is to attempt to locate Halfway Spring Camp and I thought Ellis Apiary might just make for a great base camp to complete that mission. With that being said first I needed to find Ellis, assess the current condition and most likely get her spruced up.
In previous posts I have detailed the very annoying route one must take from the lake Piru parking lot to gain access into the Piru Backcountry. Unless you have a shiny FS key (which I unfortunately do not) you will be subject to a long hot, very boring trek along the paved road (eventually becoming dirt) that once took many a happy Camper to Blue Point Campground. One way mileage to Potholes Trailhead is about 4.5. To the Agua Blanca/18W03 junction a touch over 7 and about 7.5 were we ultimately stashed our bikes along Piru Creek. I vowed to never walk this stretch again give me miles of bushwhacking whatever just don't give me that stupid asphalt. Ironically I ended up with a flat tire and walked my bike the majority of the way out :(
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| Jeff Heading down |
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| Me struggling up one of the steep sections |
I'm gonna rant a little bit. Currently I am displeased with the lack of access here. Piru offers some of the best backcountry and epic trails around and getting to them is frustrating and discouraging to many hikers. I have been hearing forever whispers of future Trailhead parking at Potholes and allowing visitors to once again drive in, yet as usual nothing gets done. Why is the Forest Service forced to operate on a shoestring budget with very little funds allocated to maintaining/building access to our backcountry routes ? Going out on a limb here but maybe it's because our congressman and women suck and are professionals at blowing our tax dollars on stupid shit. How many more trails and Campgrounds need to disappear before enough is enough ? How much access needs to be blocked before the people say no more ? Where are the voices of the Large organizations supposedly fighting to protect our forest when it comes to trail access for all us small time folks. Everything now is so politicized and dramatic, I'm tired of it, stop closing our campgrounds and trails dammit and give the people forest access to wander away from the woes of society. Rant over
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| The site of Blue Point Campground |
On our way down the road we made a stop at Blue Point Campground. I guess maybe I shouldn't call it that anymore as nothing remains. All remnants of what once was has been completely removed. I had a picture of me sitting at one of the old picnic tables here a few years ago that I wanted to include but can't seem to find it.
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| Piru Creek |
From what I can gather the abandoned Cobblestone route 18W03 started at the now dirt Road junction with the Agua Blanca Trail. Ellis Apiary sits at the mouth of Turtle Canyon on the west side of Piru Creek approximately 2.5 miles up from this junction. Contrary to the above photos a good amount of the old trail is not that difficult to follow IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK. Some may find it easier just to stay in the creek the majority of the time. However your chosen path know that you are getting your feet wet, pretty much no avoiding that here, because of the remoteness and lack of visitors wildlife is abundant. Lot's of deer and the trout are hungry and numbers seem higher than in previous years. Unfortunately we did see some good sized Carp in a few of the deeper pools.
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| Those little bastards you see are not big trout but rather the dreaded Carp. |
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| Plenty of old trail still there |
Since learning about it I have had a fascination with 18W03. I plan to visit the sites of all the camps once found along the trail that connected with 19W10. (Halfway Spring, Cobblestone Spring and Borracho being up next). Very remote and seldom if ever travelled anymore. My idea of this first sprang from the old VC Canyoneering post and those that contributed in the comments about remote camps of the Southern Los Padres. Good stuff for sure. Apparently Ellis Apiary was once the site of a commercial bee hive operation. There was a good amount of yellow jackets in the area however they paid us no attention and went about their business. The stove here is really special and the only one I have seen like it in the wild or anywhere for that matter. We found Ellis completely consumed by tall grass and brush the photos below show the before and after pics.
Initial Camp Condition
After We Were Finished
Ellis Apiary is officially open for business and needing visitors. As shown above the brush has been cleared, new fire ring installed and makeshift benches for seating. While afternoon shade does not completely cover the entire site the fallen tree adjacent the stove is shaded and a perfect place to relax ,notice Jeff taking a short siesta. Furthermore north of the stove pictured below is another very shaded grassy flat that one could clear, I left the shovel so if your inclined have at it. Note Please leave the shovel at camp once fire restrictions are lifted it will come in handy for extinguishing flames. Bonus this is now the #3 Lost In The Los Padres Blue Can Site complete with $25 dollar REI gift card for the next lucky person. If your the one enjoy, sign your name in the book and please leave a comment below. Also There is still a balance on the $20 dollar gift card at Saddle Skirt Camp so I would assume it is still there for the taking. The one at Last Chance Camp is gone never did hear from the winner of that one.
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| Shady flat just North of the Winged Stove |
Once work was completed and lunch taken down we strolled back out the way we came. Jeff picked us a few prickly pear cactus snacks for the return trip. Fact they were the best tasting prickly pear I have had to date, much better than the store bought ones.
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| Jeff brushing the spines off the fruit |
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| Best Prickly Pear ever, so damn good. |
The days total mileage was about 20 on the dot. I have included a Map below and GPX/KMZ file for download. I left feeling really good about the clean up we did and I'm gonna make it a point to do more for these backcountry Camps that need help. If anyone out there wants to donate shovels and or mcleods let me know. I think every camp needs them on site also I would love to see some of the old picnic tables rebuilt even if wilderness policy dictates otherwise. Thanks for reading and stay safe out there friends.
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11 comments:
Jeff n Chris, excellent tune-up, you're doing the Los Padres proud! Between the grading work, the REI bonus, and the stove to boot, you're bound to bring in some visitors. Agreed, that area is seldom visited zip code, glad to see you guys breathing some life into it.
Thanks Mike Piru Creek is a special place. Hopefully others see this and get out there.
I enjoyed reading your post. I hiked that back country decades ago and was saddened to see what has happened to Blue Point Campground. You are correct that the mileage now required to reach a trail head is a major discouragement to exploration. Those trails are tough enough without adding extra miles. I was always running on empty approaching the campground and it would have been heartbreaking to need to hike to the dam. Thank you posting your travels. Looking forward to reading about your search for Halfway Camp.
Hopefully someday they actually open up the road again to at least drive to Potholes TH That would help tremendously. Thanks for reading Mr. Johnson glad you enjoyed the post.
Well it’s been 33 years since I went to Pyrah Creek to go fishingIt had been my favorite place as a kid during high school and follow on college I last went there in 1987 after about 20 trips I guess Ellis apiary used to be a pretty interesting little camp somebody had actually brought back old spring mattresses not with the material just the spring metal so you could put your bed roll on it and sleep above the ground on a metal mattress pretty interesting never seen that before Ruby Canyon was amazing back in the day and everything seem to be a lot less overgrown a lot less so we left and went up there today memorial day weekend 2020 very difficult to initially find the trails going in coming out was much easier there are several different ways to get up there now that are identified as trespassing Private property I’ve seen a lot of that in the past so I we are respectful took our efforts to go around all of that and on the way back found with the very road that we should’ve/would have taken in was an access road it did cross somebody’s front area of the property but also had a gate where they did not own that property the road continued on so it is apparent that they went out and bought a no trespassing sign and just stuck it in the ground typical Yes we saw a lot of the carp Some trout and some Bas it used to be the bass were below the waterfall in the trout were above We went quite a ways back but did not reach the waterfall this trip it’s still an amazing place and deserves to be available for everybody it’s very disheartening when access is limited or restricted without due cause but that’s the way we live today and I still feel privileged to be able to take my son to the places I used to go to experience nature
Happy to report that access has improved. Once this Covid stuff ends and the Lake opens again the Potholes Trailhead is ready for action. The public will be able to drive all the way back.
Jeff and Chris,
Many, many thanks for all the hard work and dedication you both have to preserving the Los Padres Forest and making it possible for folks to hike back in there after so many lost years due to neglect. A truly heroic wilderness effort!
I would never have thought that Ellis Apiary would be habitable again having passed by there and seen the wreckage a few years ago on an over-nighter from Frenchman's Flat to Lake Piru.
Also, wonderful news that very soon the road will reopen to the Potholes trailhead! Incredible!
Larry Simmer
Thanks For the kind words Larry Sadly I have returned to Ellis Apiary since that mission And mother nature has completely taken her back it was as if me and Jeff Did nothing .I need to get back out there again and do some more work. That camp is a stubborn one
A couple friends and I stopped by Ellis Apiary yesterday and the camp was looking clean and clear... maybe you did more work. Thank you! Your blog is interesting, informational, and inspiring. And we appreciated the log book. I’m loving exploring the historic routes, especially to the little traveled to camps. Piru Creek, with its deep clear pools and huge conglomerate boulders, was restorative company for the day.
Glad your enjoying the blog Kirsten thanks for dropping in.
I will visit your blog regularly for some latest post. Thanks for sharing,
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