One of the earliest Forest Service topographers, in an endeavor to convey a written description of this mountain country, said: "The relief of the Reserve (Los Padres National Forest) is very high, rugged and precipitous, and the study of such a broken surface, even with the aid of a contour map, will not be easy for the laymen”.
William S. (Billy) Brown 1945
Hey all please excuse the long absence 2020 has been a wild year. I'm still out there doing what I do just haven't been writing about it. Since the passing of my good friend Tom it's been mostly Rock Art sites that have had my attention and we all know I cant go writing about that stuff or shouldn't at least. On a brighter note I have quite a few interesting trips coming down the pipeline so stay tuned. Yesterday DG and I thought we might check on the progress with the Pothole Trailhead. I fully expected to be able to drive back to it as United Water is well past their deadline to have had this project done. As you can see from the above photo that didn't happen. The gate is still locked at the Juan Fernandez Boat launch. Why does this not surprise me ?
They got the sign up at least
Frustrated as all hell that we would have to walk the dreaded paved road we set off. I've told myself several times I would not continue to do this and yet as the years go by I find myself on it again and again and ever so painfully again. I don't like paved roads, especially ones that wind you up and down and back on themselves for miles. For those who know the struggles with this one surely you can sympathize.
The road leading to the trailhead is in fine shape with ample parking available. A single Porta Potty and handwashing station have been installed for months now. Construction on the SST vault toilet looks to be almost complete. Supposedly they are at some point to put down a hard surface but I see no heavy equipment here. Honestly in my opinion there is no reason why the gate should still be locked. For years probably decades United Water has dragged their feet ignoring their obligation under their license to provide recreational opportunity to the public. They are now in fact being forced to oblige. If it was not for the determination of Alan Coles I can all but guarantee this project most likely would still be a pipe dream. Thank you Alan for never giving up.
Interestingly enough I contacted United Water this morning for an explanation as to why we the people are still locked out and a supervisor informed me that is was not their fault, that the Forest Service are the ones to blame for the locked gate. A call to ORD yielded no definitive answer as to who is to blame. Shocking yes I know. Ironically FS has approved trail maintenance that's been taking place on the Agua Blanca and Pothole Trail which begs the question who are we maintaining the trails for anyways ? The wildlife perhaps because there ain't no people out there when they cant get through the damn gate. Just as is the case with the lower Buck Creek Trail and so many others. For now this is all I have to say on the matter, if it wasn't apparent then yes I am clearly frustrated. After our survey we decided to poke around Canton Canyon and some of the surrounding areas. I've included a few photos below.
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