Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
If a man in the past wanted to see what's "just over that mountain", he would lace up his boots and go look. Now days we have google earth, drones and such but NOTHING comes close to good ol boots on ground!
We started at about 7am and went straight up the ridge from the West Fork Lot, crossing literally half a dozen mountain ridges and canyons to see things and place very few, if any have ever seen. To see what springs flow on a constant, what wild edibles lay hidden, what the Tongva may have left behind.
To me, when I walk into an unexplored area, it's like a treasure hunt. I see strange rock formations, beautiful waterfalls, occasional wildlife, then the clouds are always putting on a show. I saw a few dinosaurs and Gandalf in the clouds this day. It surely is not for everyone, but Joey and I enjoy leaving present time and life behind and exploring the spaces in between the known. It is THE ONLY way; to satisfy a curiosity of a places I have spent my whole life wondering about.
It is very dangerous to traverse areas like this, to choose a course and commit, many times will leave you in a questionable situation. When you become tired, thirsty, drained, scared, one wrong rescission can mean death. The ledges are brittle, loose dirt, steep. One wrong step and it's over! Or to be caught without water, is a horrible way to go. I carried 90' of rope this day, another 120 of 750 cord, lights, emergency space blankets and a neon cheap rain poncho to use as a flag or marker. I had a water filter, good knife, and some snacks. My pack was almost 18 pounds, 20 with water and I didn't even use the items BUT, I had them, incase my friend and I needed them.
The brush shredded our clothing and skin but the scares it creates are souvenirs, I have many over the decades. No worries, chicks dig scars.
And guys with fly rods! :-)
If a man in the past wanted to see what's "just over that mountain", he would lace up his boots and go look. Now days we have google earth, drones and such but NOTHING comes close to good ol boots on ground!
We started at about 7am and went straight up the ridge from the West Fork Lot, crossing literally half a dozen mountain ridges and canyons to see things and place very few, if any have ever seen. To see what springs flow on a constant, what wild edibles lay hidden, what the Tongva may have left behind.
To me, when I walk into an unexplored area, it's like a treasure hunt. I see strange rock formations, beautiful waterfalls, occasional wildlife, then the clouds are always putting on a show. I saw a few dinosaurs and Gandalf in the clouds this day. It surely is not for everyone, but Joey and I enjoy leaving present time and life behind and exploring the spaces in between the known. It is THE ONLY way; to satisfy a curiosity of a places I have spent my whole life wondering about.
It is very dangerous to traverse areas like this, to choose a course and commit, many times will leave you in a questionable situation. When you become tired, thirsty, drained, scared, one wrong rescission can mean death. The ledges are brittle, loose dirt, steep. One wrong step and it's over! Or to be caught without water, is a horrible way to go. I carried 90' of rope this day, another 120 of 750 cord, lights, emergency space blankets and a neon cheap rain poncho to use as a flag or marker. I had a water filter, good knife, and some snacks. My pack was almost 18 pounds, 20 with water and I didn't even use the items BUT, I had them, incase my friend and I needed them.
The brush shredded our clothing and skin but the scares it creates are souvenirs, I have many over the decades. No worries, chicks dig scars.
And guys with fly rods! :-)
