Burned Chesebro
10-15-05
We had a fairly large
contingent of RCYers on Saturday to explore Chesebro Canyon and environs after
the recent Topanga (Chatsworth) Fire. However, somehow Rod and I got
behind the main group within minutes and never caught up with them. I
think we were so fascinated by the changed environment that stopping to look or
take photos or explore put us on a course to do an RCYless ride. Thus
I don't know much about what the main group did and so I will simply relay in
few words and many pictures of where our adventure took the two of
us.
Although initially
there was not much damage, as we got deeper into the canyon, evidence of the
recent fire became clearer
Rod talks with a
ranger who had just arrived at this spot where a large oak
tree
had fallen, blocking
the fireroad. According to the ranger, the tree must
have
fallen during the
night because the road had been clear yesterday.
Rod rides up and
over the 'detour' trail that was already taking shape
A view of the
charred interior of the fallen oak
As the oak-studded
riparian ecosystem gave way to desert environment, the devastation of the
fire became
even more
evident. Rod cycles thru the burned,
eerie landscape.
About 2/3 of the
way up the main canyon there is a trail that diverts off to the
right. I had seen it many times before but had always
observed that it
disappeared quickly
into heavy brush. Well, no longer. Rod and I decided to explore this
now de-nuded side canyon,
which more or less
dead-ended after
a half mile or so. Thus we decided to head back to the main
Chesebro
Canyon
which you can
see at the far right of the photo.
Back in the main
canyon, Rod makes the climb up one of the challenging steep sections, surrounded
by charred hillsides
A "burnscape" from
the trail near Shepards' Flat
The "metal" signs
and post remain at Shepards' Flat
At this point in the ride, not
finding the rest of the group, we made the decision to take the twisty
singletrack towards Palo Comado Canyon.
From the singletrack
you can see Rod at the point of the Palo Comado Overlook.
(Note the fork in
the trail that leads left to the Bones Trail)
From the Palo
Comado Overlook, a view back to where I was standing for the last shot at upper
far right.
(The lower trail
that goes to the right is the Bones Trail)
The now "exposed"
view of the rocky, rutted Bones Trail from Palo Comado
Overlook
At the Overlook Rod used his
cell phone and was able to reach Nelson who was with the main RCY group.
We found out that they had waited for us several times but we had just taken too
long. At Shepards' Flat they had gone right to take the Gas
Pipe/Broken Spoke Singletrack and were somewhere along the Las Virgenes
Fireroad. So we decided to retrace our steps by pedaling back to Shepards'
Flat and then retrace their steps down the rugged Broken Spoke
Trail. As we headed away from Shepards' Flat we met Juan who was out
riding by himself since his son wanted to sleep in. After a brief chat we
continued on to tackle the always challenging Broken Spoke Trail.
One of the rutted,
rocky downhills on BrokenSpoke surrounded by burned flora on both
sides
The trail seen thru
burned Manzanita
Flora was not the
only thing that burned. Here is burned fauna....
it appears to
be the charred carcass of a rabbit that was unable to outrun the
flames.
At the bottom of the
singletrack we took the Las Virgenes Fireroad.
Note the melted PVC
signpost, one of many we saw all along the road.
That is
an
untouched concrete post alongside. Signs warn that a high pressure gas
line lies below.
We took the now
denuded "Juan's Trail" that connects Las Virgenes FR to the Little Baleen
Climb.
This is a view from
the trail across the valley and towards Ahmanson Ranch.
A "Snow
Scene"?....white ash covers the bases of several tree
trunks
Rod heads down the
end of Juan's Trail to the middle of the climb up Little Baleen which would take
us back into Chesebro.
We got back to the cars and
there was no site of any of the other riders....they had all come and
gone. So Rod and I decided to head for our respective homes to end a day
of exploration and wonderment in burned yet still beautiful Chesebro Canyon and
Backcountry.
Always,
Robco Baggins
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