TopaTopa: A FAILED ATTEMPT AT 'WHATEVER THE HELL YOU CALL IT' PEAK 2/21/19

"Snow On The Bluffs" taken on a previous trip on 1/13/18.

So my last post was about the most satisfying day i spent in the backcountry, this post is about the most difficult day i spent out there. 20 miles solo. My longest day hike to date. I had planned on being at Sisar Canyon at 6 a.m. but the weather report was looking grim with rain expected so i spent the first part of the morning debating if i was still going to attempt this or not. I finally made up my mind & was at the trailhead at 7:30.

From the bottom of Sisar Canyon to the top of Nordhoff Ridge is in my opinion a pretty boring 7 mile trek. It's uphill the whole way & about 85% is on an old road. It gets a little more interesting once you hit the junction with the Red Reef Trail. Then you pass through White Ledge Camp which got burned by the Thomas Fire pretty bad. I've stayed the night there once. It's not the most exciting place to me but its a good spot to stop for lunch or to refill your water in the creek that runs next to it. One plus about White Ledge is that it has fire pits with good grills to cook on.

Last time i hiked up to Nordhoff Ridge with one of my buddies it took us 4 hours. This day i managed to make it up in 2 hours & 45 mins so i was pretty pleased with that slight improvement.

As you reach the top you're greeted by these signs. I hope you guys really appreciate the 2nd picture because i had to climb into a thorny white ceanothus bush to get it lol. As boring as i may consider Sisar Canyon to be once you reach Nordhoff Ridge it is truly a gateway to the Sespe Wilderness. From here you can hit Chief Peak, Lion Canyon, Lady Bug Camp, the Sespe River Trail, Hines Peak, Last Chance & i'm sure some other places i'm not thinking of. Walk down the road a ways & you come upon Elder Camp. Its a nice little spot with a picnic table & a fire ring. I took a quick break here & then kept it moving. I got into the snow as soon as i hit the wilderness boundary & that became the theme of my day.

My intrepid canine companion. He loves the snow & he loves sticks. Look at that concentration

On my last trip up here this was as far as we went. We just wanted to see the snow & we got plenty of it. After this point the snow got much deeper & i was following about 2 or 3 sets of fresh boot tracks. I'm guessing they summited Hines Peak the day before.

This is what most of my day looked like. Beautiful 

I was getting hit by random falling snowflakes on & off through out the day but i could see that it was really coming down in other places around the county.

This is looking out on the Sespe. It was really coming down on Pine Mountain/Reyes Ridge. I believe Haddock Peak is the mountain in the middle

The trail to the TopaTopa Bluffs goes along that steep ridge in the back

So lets get to the name conundrum. As one approaches Hines Peak you will first see a peak of almost equal height right next to it to the west. I've heard it referred to as No Name Peak, Cream Puff Peak & Charman Peak. I first learned of this peaks existence from David Stillman's blog so i just call it Cream Puff as he did. Well i got my ass kicked by a cream puff this day & i'm not too embarassed to admit it. Hines Peak is 6716 ft while Cream Puff is 6486 ft & literally right next door so i don't understand why it doesn't have an official name. None the less there is a summit register up there & i was very excited to sign my name it, especially considering it is an SVS (Seldom Visited Summit). Not a lot of people do this peak for whatever reason.

2.5 miles past the wilderness boundary i found myself staring at the summit. As Mr.Stillman described it in this post http://davidstillman.blogspot.com/search?q=cream there is no trail you just gotta go straight up the damn thing. This is what i was staring at, planning my route.

It's hard to tell but this is a 400ft climb

So i drop my pack & my idea was to follow that barren patch in the middle then cut to the left so i could get away from the steep drop next to it then make my way up around the brush & hit the top. As i started to climb the snow was nice n fluffy but about half way up it turned into solid ice. I knew i was in trouble when my dog who is far more athletic than i am couldn't dig his nails in & started sliding. However i had grabbed a walking stick while i was on the trail & started using it as an ice ax to dig in & pull myself up. This worked for a while but then the stick broke in half. It was a struggle & i was moving slow but i managed to get within 15-20 ft of the summit. If you zoom in on to top left i found a rocky out cropping to sit on & catch my breath. As i got off the rocky section i went to dig my boot into the ice & my foot slipped. This hill is about a 50 degree slope so when i lost my footing i started sliding down FAST. I was going downhill on my belly with no clue where i was headed. I dug my toes into the ice & managed to flip myself onto my back & saw that i was headed for a long drop off the western edge into a shale slide & more rocks. I was completely out of control & headed for a bad spot. I dug my heels into the ice to try & slow myself down but all that did was flip me back on my stomach. So i immediately dug in my toes & got back on my rear. I was scrambling trying to regain control to no avail, i could not slow down. All i was able to do was shift my weight & redirect myself away from the edge & straight into a bush. Thank you sweet baby Jesus. As soon as i realized i was stationary & not sliding anymore i looked around to find my dog. He was up above me still headed for the edge so i start screaming his name & he redirects himself & comes crashing into me. I was even more thankful he didn't get hurt. I slid down about 45 or 50 ft. I sat there for a minute trying to conjure up the strength to re attempt the summit but in all honesty i was beat. Anyone who has hiked on ice will understand its exhausting. I also knew i had a 10 mile hike back down Sisar Canyon ahead of me. The real determining factor though was when i looked to the East & saw the storm that was rolling in.

The Last Chance Trail drops between Hines & Cream Puff right here & you can see the rain/snow coming

It was incredibly disappointing to be that close to the summit & not make it but i decided to use my better judgement & turn around. Solo hiking is great but if you get hurt outside of cell service your screwed. I dont think the fall off the western edge of Cream Puff would of killed me but lets say i broke a leg & then was stuck there overnight & froze to death. No thanks.

Lesson Learned. Don't attempt to climb a snowy peak without crampons or the right gear.

Icy & defeated lol

As i got back to my bag i quickly realized i needed to gtfo of there ASAP. It was cold, windy & snowing heavy. Being a Southern California boy i've never been caught in a snow storm before but to me it looked like full on white out conditions headed my way & i was just tired & cold & ready to be home haha.

Hines Peak before i attempted to summit

Hines Peak when i got back to my pack

I turned tail & started trekking back as fast as i could. It was absolutely dumping snow on me. Luckily i took my overnight bag which has a rain fly so i was able to keep my phone & stuff dry. The wind was howling & the 2.5 miles back to the canyon felt a lot longer than the 2.5 miles here. Miraculously when i made it back to Elder Camp it was sunny! Weather in the mountains can be weird.

The most satisfying bowl of instant mashed potatoes ive ever had lol warm food heals the soul

I took full advantage of the fire ring & made a quick fire to warm up. Its the little things that make life worth it for sure. After i put out the fire & rinsed out the jetboil i hauled ass down Sisar literally running half the way & i made it to back to the road at about 4:45. 20 miles in about 9 hours, i was pretty happy even though i didn't reach the summit. Shoot i was just happy to be on my way home to shower.

I certainly learned somethings about being prepared & knowing your limitations. Im thankful i made it out of a snowstorm with just a few scrapes & a bruised ego. Once all the snow melts i will be back to conquer Cream Puff & while i'm there i plan to summit Hines as well! I was hoping this would be soon but as of today it actually just snowed all over the TopaTopa Bluff a few hours ago. So im sure the back side is going to hold that snow for a bit.

Any day out is a good day!

PEACE.

LAST CHANCE: NO MANS LAND 2/12/19

Lower Jackson Falls from the Last Chance Trail

Hands down the most satisfying day I've spent in the backcountry. 18 miles solo. My day started at Thomas Aquinas off of Hwy 150 at about 7 a.m. Santa Paula Canyon & the Punch Bowls are a very popular destination but few people venture past Cross Camp or the 3rd Punch bowl with the water slide. For historical accuracy i will note that what everyone calls the 3rd punchbowl is actually "The Punchbowl". If you look at some older maps or talk to someone over 45 that's how it's labeled/known. I'm not sure when the swimming hole at the first waterfall started being called the punchbowl but that's how I've always known it.

Anyways, for the few of you who haven't done this hike before its a pretty easy 3 mile walk to the first waterfall . Depending on the route you take you'll either come straight up the river or cross the creek, go up the switchbacks & then drop down through Big Cone Camp before hitting said waterfall. About another 1.5 miles up the canyon you reach Cross Camp, here most people follow the creek to the water slide but i crossed the creek to the hidden 3rd campsite & picked up the Last Chance Trail. After climbing a series of switchbacks up the ridge i was greeted to the sight of a seasonal waterfall flowing from the east. See photo below

I believe this comes from Bear Haven. The creek that flows from this converges with Santa Paula Creek right after Cross Camp & before the 3rd Punch Bowl

This was my 3rd time trying to reach Last Chance Camp & only the 2nd time I've ever seen water flowing from there. From Cross Camp to Jackson Falls is another 1.5 miles & the trail is in surprisingly good condition. After that the trail is nonexistent & your stuck rock hopping until the creek forks & you start climbing a ridge up & away from the canyon, here the trail resumes but its overgrown & easy to loose until you get over that ridge. Its a significant climb. 

Lower Jackson Falls Flowing in full glory

Lower Jackson Falls a little less glorious on a previous trip in December of 2018. Its amazing what some rain can do

Upper Jackson Falls aka Jackson Hole

After you make that climb your essentially on a ridge between two drainage's, Santa Paula Canyon to your left (west) & an unnamed one to your right (east). This is where things truly start to feel wild & remote. I had been following deer tracks since i got above Cross Camp but other than that the lower half of this canyon is oddly devoid of wildlife, probably avoiding the ruckus of the crowds if i had to guess. But as soon as i dropped into the backside of what i'll call Last Chance Ridge i was greeted by a chorus of birds. Tons of Scrub Jay's & a bunch of other calls i was unable to identify. The chaparral here also varies from hip to head high, the average height being about chest level so considering i was alone i stayed extra vigilant. After seeing bear tracks & the biggest pile of scat I've laid eyes on i was a bit paranoid. Even a bird jumping through the bushes sounds huge under these circumstances. The views down canyon from this ridge are amazing. Probably only half way up i could already see the ocean.

This was the farthest i had been back here so far. Since i was born & raised in Santa Paula i've been hiking this canyon since i was about 10 with my youth football team, my dad & my childhood friends but we had never passed the 3rd Punchbowl & my 2 other previous attempts to make it back here had been unsuccessful due to time constraints. I've hiked out of the lower half of the canyon in the dark before but i wasn't too keen on doing it by myself. However this time around it was still early in the day & i was making good time so i was pretty happy to say the least. Today was the day of the waterfall, i was blown away by two more seasonals i saw coming from the east again that i never even knew existed.

The geology of our local canyons will forever leave me awestruck

A zoomed in version of the same falls above

I was having a great time tromping through new territory. It seemed like behind every corner or hill crest was something new for me to discover. This area has made a miraculous recovery from the devastation of the Thomas Fire & luckily many of the ancient Oaks & Big Cone Douglas Fir trees survived. 

This canyon was deep. The falls fell about 30 or 40 ft i presume.

Hopefully the video quality isn't too bad after uploading from my phone. Had to get a quick selfie lol

I kept wishing i had brought a tent so i could just explore all day. So many hidden nooks & crannies out here just begging for someone to admire them. Eventually the trail lead to a huge odd open space, completely barren for about 100 yds until the chaparral & the trail/tunnel resumed. Here i found a burnt up old sign post.

A friends father told me the sign use to read 'Jackson Hole one way, Last Chance the other way"

It's always nice to see some sign of human activity to let you know your on the right path. I continued on through the brush a ways until the trail got harder to follow & i figured i best climb up to the spine of the ridge so i could see the creek & get my barrings a little better. Here i was treated to the sight of a lone mule deer doe springing over a hill & down into a draw. I climbed up on the side of the hill next to me to see if i could regain sight of the deer but it was long gone. As i scanned the bushes in front of me i saw what i first thought was a tiny coyote but soon realized was a rare grey fox! Long & skinny with grey/black fur that transitioned to a burnt orange color. He stood up on his hind legs & surveyed the scene before disappearing back into the sea of chaparral. I only saw him for a brief second but i was ecstatic. I also got a good look at Hines Peak from here. See below:

There was still a bit of snow on Hines southside & i soon found myself in the snow as well. I'm glad i dressed accordingly, the air certainly had a bit in it this day. After i climbed back to the Santa Paula creek side of this ridge i made a somewhat startling discovers. More bear poop, a FRESH mountain lion track & then some deer bones.

My mind was too preoccupied to stop & snap a pic of the cat print but only a few minutes later i found this.

& then i found this canteen completely full of water. Made me reconsider what kind of creature that bone belonged to. I honestly almost lost my never here but i had come too far to turn back now. By this point i was about 7 or 8 miles in.

Ignoring the nagging worries in the back of my mind i trusted my judgement & pressed on. And im very glad that i did. I wound up in the snow with views of the Channel Islands, Santa Paula Peak, Hines Peak, No Name Peak, the back side of the TopaTopa Bluffs, the eastern Edge of Bear Haven & TopaTopa ridge Amazing, 5 stars.

Got my hands on some snow..literally haha. Almost every northern facing slope in the upper reaches of this canyon had snow on it.

Santa Paula Peak in the center

Hard to tell due to the trees but there is a 100+ ft waterfall down there known by some as Buck Falls

Almost to the end of Santa Paula Canyon

No Name Peak to the Left, Hines Peak to the right

About a week after this i found myself directly on the other side of these mountains. Ill be writing that post shortly

After snapping this photos i kept trekking deeper into the Last Chance Drainage & away from the creek. The snowcover became thicker & there was water flowing from all directions. I came upon this one section that was grassy & mossy with a small babbling brook, oddly reminded me of pictures i've seen of the Scottish Highlands. I was hiking next to the main creek flowing from the NorthEast that eventually meets Santa Paula Creek & i had yet to find the actual Last Chance Camp. It was about 12:30 now & i gave myself a self imposed turn around time of 1:30. I kept pushing on a bit further but the brush was over my head & i was honestly beginning to feel a bit disoriented. So i stopped for a second considered my options & decided that considering i was solo it would probably be best for me to turn around & save finding the camp for another day where i had more hours of daylight or a partner with me. So i stood for a minute & soaked up the humbling feeling only being out in the unknown can give you then turned around to find a nice spot to have lunch. I'm fairly confident that i was within a 1/4 or 1/2 mile of the camp. After i got home i poured over Google Earth & i believe i was able to located the point i retreated from. If i had just kept pushing up the drainage a little further i would of found my intended destination. None the less this was an ultra satisfying day for many reasons. 

I sat high above Santa Paula Canyon reveling in the greatness that surrounded me while enjoying some Top Ramen & boiled potatoes cooked up in a jet boil i borrowed from a good friends older brother. I decided that on my descent rather than going back the way i came i would try & save some time by following the spine of the ridge til i got back into the canyon above Jackson Hole. This strategy proved fruitful, i found a bald patch to follow & was making my way back quick. Just as i was about to drop down the front side of the ridge back into the canyon i heard the piercing screech of a bird of prey. I turned around just in time to watch a magnificent looking Red Tailed Hawk making a hard u-turn followed by 3 circles before he flew off towards the Topa's. Just RAD, absolutely awesome. After that amazing encounter i was just focused on putting one foot in front of the other & getting out of there before dark. But in between Jackson Falls & Cross Camp i stopped & surveyed the scene around me at a spot i regularly scan for mountain lions. Here i was treated to seeing a herd of 7 Mule Deer! 5 does & 2 bucks. I dropped pack, busted out the binoculars & watched them for 15-20 minutes. All but 2 of the most mature looking does payed me little mind, they kept feeding & making their way up a hill but these two older ladies were incredibly curious about me. They looked confused like they had never seen a human before. It was really cool. Its poor quality but i did get a picture where you can see about 4 or 5 of them. They are in the middle towards the bottom above the burnt trees if you can find them.

I was treated to two more last minute surprises as i dropped down into Cross Camp. What i believe is a Chumash Bed Rock Mortar, once used to grind acorns, herbs & seeds & a tiny waterfall flowing off of Santa Paula Ridge down into East Fork Santa Paula Canyon. Extremely seasonal, i'm guessing its comprised of snow melt.

Could be a BRM or it could just be a depression formed over time by dripping water

I gradually zoomed out which i hope gives you a sense of how tiny & random this little water fall is.

So to conclude this post. I got back to Thomas Aquinas at about 3:50. About 18 miles in about 9.5 hrs. Not bad if i do say so myself. I will be going back soon now that the weather is getting a little warmer for an overnighter at Last Chance Camp. This just goes to show that if your willing to go further than most Mother Nature will reward you. Passed the graffitti & litter in the lower reaches of Santa Paula Canyon lies an unspoiled wilderness waiting to be explored. Also i've sort of just learned to deal with the unfortunates of humans, i wont let it stop me from enjoying a swim at the punch bowls. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my best day out.

PEACE.

Devils Gate: The Promised Land

This might just be my favorite place in the whole world. 4/14/18

I first stumbled upon this hidden gem by accident. Man, talk about a pleasant surprise. My trusted comrade Mr.Lee & I were on a reconnaissance mission. Our goal for the day was to make our way to the bottom of Tar Creek & see if any of the legendary waterfalls are visible from below. I unfortunately never made it out here before the closure. I'll ruin the surprise & tell you right now, they are not. Considering the access issues that come with trying to enter Tar Creek from the top by Dough Flat we figured viewing from down below was our best bet. We were in for an adventure far greater than we planned.

I completely understand why public access to Tar Creek has been banned. It infuriates me that people cant respect nature & just clean up after their damn selves. I heard that Tar Creek was becoming a repeat of Santa Paula Canyon & The Punch Bowls. Graffiti, trash & all the other bs that comes with human visitation so as irritating as it might be i actually support the closure. 

Our day started on the outskirts of Fillmore. Armed with a map, intel from hours spent on Google Earth & a tenacious attitude we set out. We were immediately met by walls of brush taller than us & a mucky water crossing. After about a mile or so things started opening up & it felt like we actually had a chance of getting something done. As we approached the dramatic red rock "V" that is Devils Gate we were astonished to find a 50 ft long, 30 ft wide & 12-15 ft deep swimming hole at the beginning of the canyon.

As you can see we were both pretty happy with our find. We stopped for a quick lunch & had a celebratory swim. Feeling rejuvenated we charged on in search of the mythical Tar Creek Falls. Anyone who has spent any time in this part of our local backcountry knows the going can be tough & slow. We climbed up & over many gigantic boulders. The sheer size of some of these rocks is mind blowing. I once heard it referred to as the Sespe Botanical Rock Garden & it couldn't be more accurate. The rocks here were happy, healthy & growing to monstrous proportions. We were in awe of the 1000ft + vertical cliffs that surrounded us on each side. We immediately knew we were somewhere special...somewhere wild. I have since learned that the Sespe Creek is Southern California's last undammed free flowing river. A tragedy & a point of pride all in one. Even more reason to protect this place. Luckily the Sespe has federal protection. Yet somehow that doesnt stop the forest service(or whoever is responsible) from leasing land adjacent to it to oil companies. How that makes sense to anyone is beyond me. ( Wink Wink $$$)

Anyways, as we continued upstream i kept track of how many tributary canyons we passed trying to zero in on which one would be the entrance to Tar Creek. From our starting point to Devils Gate was about 2 miles & i figured it'd be about another 3 miles from there to the Tar Creek/Sespe confluence. Eventually we came to a canyon coming from the East (our right) & it had only a trickle of water coming out of it. It was mid-April at this time & the creek was very full. We passed nice sized swimming holes the entire way up. We stopped to consider if this was our intended destination but we figured with water falls as large as we were expecting there would have to be more water coming down. So we foolishly kept on trekking, I now know this was in fact the bottom of Tar Creek. I will note there was an odd giant metal cable laying across the base of the canyon. My assumption would be its left over from the days when the Lower Sespe was the prospect for a rock quarry. Thank God that never came to fruition.

We were never worried about getting lost but this canyon sure does seem to go on forever.

We were treated to seeing a pair of Wild Mallard Ducks. 4/14/18

We had no clue how far we had gone or how far we were going to go but we were determined to find these falls. I believe we hiked all the way to the entrance of the West Fork Sespe (not even knowing what that was at the time) We found a canyon coming from the west with a good flow of water & remarked that it looked to be an even wilder place than the one we were in. If anyone has been to the West Fork/Sespe confluence before please confirm if that is indeed where we were. See pics below

I know this is a terrible photo for a point of reference but this is where 2 creeks met. The plateau above the trees continued WNW & that is where the 2nd creek was flowing from. I believe this is where the main Sespe & West Fork Sespe converge. 

This is looking down stream from that same spot in the photo above.

If my suspicions are correct we hiked waaaay past our intended destination. Still determined to lay eyes on the waterfalls we continued on. Eventually we knew we were going to have to call it a day so we stopped to make a fire & cook the meat we had in our bags. My ingenious companion devised a cooking method i had never seen before & yet to be duplicated. Beer Can Steak. Not quite the same as beer can chicken. Since we didn't have anything to cook on we sliced open a tall boy of Modelo (after drinking it of course) cubed up our steak, put said steak cubes in the can & then popped her in the center of the fire. A similar method as making a baked potato in tin foil. I was amazed how juicy & tender that meat came out. Beer Can Steak for the win. Although after all the rock hopping & scrambling we did i think anything would have tasted good. With the light getting dangerously low we turned tail & started heading home...or so we thought.

It got dark in that canyon fast. Before we knew it we were traversing boulders & down climbing in pitch black. Inexperienced & unprepared at the time neither of us had a flash light or head lamp. In short it was not fun. Out of cell service we knew the worst was going through our loved ones minds. It was about 4:30 or 5 when we turned around. Sunset was around 6 or 6:30 that day but we neglected to think about the fact that the sun sets much earlier in a deep canyon. We pushed on until i fell for about the 3rd or forth time & properly ripped my shorts & busted my ass. We looked at the clock on Eli's phone & it was 11:30 pm! We couldn't believe how slow we were going in the dark. Thoroughly exhausted we found a sandy bank to make a fire & try to regain our strength. After discussing our options we decided to hunker down for the night & pick up again at first light.

Equipped with absolutely nothing in the way of overnight gear we braced ourselves for a long night. Luckily the sandy bank we chose already had a small fire ring behind the shelter of a few boulders & a nice snag of driftwood so we didn't have to go more than a few feet for more firewood. We each had a towel so we dug holes down in the sand next to the fire & laid our towels in the holes. However when we first started the fire we awoke a colony of ants sleeping in the sand & had to wait for them to clear out.

Huddled next to the fire & taking turns wearing the one jacket that we brought we must of smoked a whole pack of cigarettes just trying to pass the time. Neither of us got much sleep. However we had water & some snacks so from a survival POV we were fine. As soon as first light broke we were up & moving again. We quickly realized we were only a 1/4 mile away from Devils Gate when we stopped for the night. We could have made it back to my truck but i reckon it wouldn't of been until about 2:30 am so i guess spending a night by the fire under the stars wasn't the worst thing that could of happened.

To our surprise we actually ran into a pair of guys camping on the beach across the water at Devils Gate. They were up having coffee. They had came in at some point while we were deep in the canyon. We only talked for a brief second but i couldn't help but wonder how our encounter would of been had we rolled up on them in the middle of the night. Interesting no doubt. With all that being said my first expedition into the Lower Sespe was an eventful one i will not soon forget. Ive been back to go swimming about dozen times since this trip & have spent the night on the beach twice. Once in a tent with my girlfriend & once on tarps with my buddy Scott. Its an amazing place. Unfortunately the last time i went was after our first winter storm this year the once amazing swimming hole was completely filled in with sediment. The deepest part where we would land after jumping off the rocks was now a sandbar. See photo below:

1/2/19. Now that we've had some more rain ill be heading back soon with the hopes all this sediment got washed out & my swimming hole is back. This is the same spot as the photo at the top of the page.

Here's a few more misc. photos from other trips there:

The Boys 8/8/18.

Bear Prints in what use to be the swimming hole. 1/2/19.

I'm guessing that's condor shit covering these rocks lol

My Intrepid Canine Companion, Jaxxon. 

Broke my toe on a rock hopping in the water this day lol felt great 10/10 recommend

This was an amazing day. My first time seeing an endangered California Condor & right before this i also met the incredibly nice Alasdair Coyne of the KEEP THE SESPE WILD committee. If you haven't heard of them check em out

Dogs being dogs.

Hahahaha. I told him that little thing wouldn't make it. She refused to go any further after the first 10 mins & this guy was stuck rocking a Baby Bjorn the rest of the day.

So yea to sum it up i absolutely love this place, if you go here please respect it. I plan on doing a multiple day trip through here eventually. Starting at Dough Flat spending a few nights in the canyon exploring & then coming out at Devils Gate. Ive never seen trash here & i hope it stays that way.

Peace.