Sheep Fire Detour: Detour Mile 3.9 Seasonal Creek. Not flowing 7/19/10
Detour Mile 7 Applewhite Campground. Fountains, restrooms. 7/20/10
Detour Mile 10.6 Lytle Creek Firing Line. Had water for sale. 7/21/10
Detour approx Mile 11 Lytle Creek flowing strongly for a short distance, before going underground. 3' wide at road fork. 7/21/10
D3 364.6 Guffy Campground. Good water. Take wide use trail on the unmarked right, downhill, below the guard rail, just before entering campground. 7/22/10
D4 370.5 Grassy Hollow Visitor Center. Drinking Fountain now working. Next to visitor center restrooms, hose bib replaced with spring loaded faucet. 7/22/10
D5 Lamel Spring. Spring flowing well. Easy to miss. Listen for water. Well marked level trail. 7/22/10
D6 383.8 Little Jimmy Spring. Excellent spring with benches. Easy return loop trail. Well marked. 7/22/10
Station Fire Detour: Detour Mile 4.6 S Fork of Big Rock Crk. Had lots of water. 7/24/10
Detour Mile 4,8 S Fork Campground. Had lots of water. 7/24/10

Memorial Day Weekend Marks the Start of the Camping Season on the San Bernardino National Forest SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., May 25, 2010—Camping in national forests can be a year-round endeavor, but for many people Memorial Day weekend is the deadline to air out the tents, dust off the hiking boots and load up on the makings for s'mores. Kids are out of school, or nearly so, and the days are warmer and longer. It's a perfect time to start reintroducing yourself to the fun and excitement and the calm and peacefulness national forests and grasslands have to offer. Most of the recreation sites on the San Bernardino National Forest will be open for forest visitors by Memorial Day weekend. “The forest is ready for the 2010 summer recreation season,” said Forest Supervisor Jeanne Wade Evans. “We encourage people to enjoy the outdoors while camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing or a variety of other recreational activities on our forest.” As always, forest officials encourage visitors to be aware of their surroundings and responsibilities when visiting the forest. “We want to ensure that everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit while always remaining aware of the current situation outdoors and the potential for wildfire,” said Wade Evans. Campfires Campfires are only permitted at developed sites in the designated fire rings in campgrounds, picnic grounds and Yellow Post Sites. Outside of developed sites, only propane or gas cooking stoves are permitted. Campgrounds Campgrounds are popular for three-day weekend getaways, so reserving early is sometimes key, so you need to plan. Campground reservations can be made online through Reserve USA at: www.recreation.gov or by calling toll free 1-877-444-6777. Recreation Use Fees The Forest Adventure Pass must be displayed on a visitor’s parked vehicle when recreating in High Impact Recreation Areas and certain developed sites like campgrounds and picnic areas. An on-line source of designated fee sites, areas and fee information is available at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/ Off-Highway Vehicles Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) users should call ahead to the Ranger Station to call ahead to confirm their OHV plans and verify rules and regulations. OHV riding area maps are available on the San Bernardino National Forest website. Highlights for the 2010 Season Forest Road 3N14 Reopens from Fawnskin to Big Pine Flats Pacific Crest Trail has been temporarily rerouted from Interstate 15 to Wrightwood away from the Sheep Fire burn area. Vivian Creek Trail also has a temporary reroute near the trailhead for ongoing fuels reduction work. New Junior Ranger Programs this summer at Lytle Creek Ranger Station, Mill Creek Ranger Station and the Greyback Amphitheatre near Barton Flats. Lytle Creek Canyon can close to vehicular traffic on busy weekends – plan ahead and arrive early. Always "Be Bear Aware" and use bear-resistant canisters when backpacking in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. Check with the Ranger Stations for the latest conditions and recreation information and a copy of our free forest visitor’s guide at the following offices: San Bernardino National Forest Supervisor’s Office 602 S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino (909) 383-5616 Arrowhead Ranger Station 28104 State Highway 18, Skyforest (909) 382-2758 Big Bear Ranger Station and Discovery Center 41397 North Shore Drive / Highway 38, Fawnskin (909) 382-2790 Idyllwild Ranger Station 54270 Pine Crest, Idyllwild (909) 382-2922 Lytle Creek Ranger Station 1209 Lytle Creek Road, Lytle Creek (909) 382-2851 Mill Creek Ranger Station 34701 Mill Creek Road, Mentone (909) 382-2881 Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center 51-500 Highway 74 Palm Desert (760) 862-9984 For additional information about the San Bernardino National Forest, please visit: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ ### John Miller Deputy Public Affairs Officer US Forest Service / San Bernardino National Forest 602 South Tippecanoe Avenue San Bernardino, CA 92408 909/382-2788 - john.miller@usda.gov

The US Forest Service and PCTA work cooperatively to ensure that hikers and equestrians receive the best information available for PCT reroutes. The Station Fire on the Angeles National Forest impacted approximately 37 miles of trail and finding an acceptable reroute has proved to be complicated due to the magnitude of the burn and our mutual desire to minimize road walk. When District Ranger, Bob Blount; received new hazard information earlier this week, he informed PCTA that the initial reroute was no longer an option and requested that the PCTA website reflect this notice immediately - the new reroute was posted on the trail within 24 hours of the USFS's request

The 1st official detour for the Angeles National Forest has been rescinded. A new detour is now in place. See map for details.

There is a 48.1 mile detour that begins at Islip Saddle [PCTmile 386.2] bypassing 50.1 miles of the PCT damaged by last year's Station Fire. View a map of the detour.

There is a 15.4 mile detour to get around the Sheep fire. View a map of the detour.

On 04-10-10, found minor washout on northern side of Soledad Canyon Road, where trail crosses stream (this was before rain on 04-11-10). Path is blazed with orange ribbons tied to trees as trail veers off to the right as you're travelling north.
Stream running well at Soledad but water cloudy. No problem crossing, although very muddy. Next obvious water source was at Vasquez Rocks County Park, just north or 14 freeway (roughly 7 miles from Soledad Canyon trailhead).

Currently Section D is experiencing above average rain and snow. Because of this, we have had to re-evaluate our proposed detours around the two burn areas in section D. The PCTA realizes that this is frustrating for hikers, equestrians and enthusiasts but we ask for your patience and understanding while we explore every option to give our users the best possible experience out on the trail. We are concerned for the safety of our users and until the rain slows, some snow melts and we can evaluate the damage to the trail, soil, vegetation, animal habitat and surrounding areas we cannot in good conscience recommend a route at this time. Keeping that in mind, PCTA met with the San Bernardino National Forest about the Sheep Fire on 2.10.10 and have decided to meet in March to come up with a viable route to connect up with the open portion of trail near Vincent Gap. In regards to the Station Fire, preliminary work was done in December, 2009 to scout trails from Islip Saddle and the surrounding area to drop users on the north side of the mountain and then pick up a series of low use roads to connect back to the PCT near Soledad Canyon. PCTA and the Angeles National Forest will need to go back into the area once it’s accessible to confirm the condition of the trails and network of roads to verify their safety. Many of these roads are still in the current Forest Closure and until we can verify their safety they will remain closed.
Once the route is established, we will be notifying local residents that the trail will be routed near their homes so they know what’s going on, why there is an increased number of people in their neighborhood and on their streets and getting recommendations for camping and water. We have already had a local volunteer offer to help us as soon as we have a route selected.
Our goal is to have all of this done before the 3rd week of April. Information will be available on our website. We will also have this information available at the Annual Day Zero Pacific Crest Trail Kick-Off (ADZPCTKO) and at our regional office in Idyllwild.
The PCTA and the Southern California Regional Office appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter. As an alumni thru-hiker I understand the importance of planning and appreciate your desires to know where your PCT hike will take you. In that vein, I am also very sensitive about giving you the best possible hiking experience. I hope I won’t let you down.
Happy Trails, Anitra “NITRO” Kass

here is some info straight from the forest service fire zone inspection team the U.S. Forest Service scientists who have spent the last two weeks in the San Gabriel Mountains examining the effects of the Station fire are like forensic pathologists combing a crime scene. Except in this case, the patient is still alive. "We're more like doctors, and our patient is ill. We're trying to figure out how to make it better," said Roath, regional director of post-burn analysis and a 33-year Forest Service veteran.
Although the 45-member team's report will remain under wraps for some time, the preliminary findings are in: Don't pray for rain. Using sophisticated burn maps generated by satellite imagery and factoring in the breathtaking steepness of the now-denuded hillsides, the scientists warn that even moderate winter rain could trigger landslides and catastrophic debris flows capable of inundating many of the San Gabriels' 37 foothill communities. Beyond that, the scientists concluded that although 250 square miles of the Angeles National Forest burned, the trees and chaparral in the fire-adapted ecosystem will bounce back. However, much of the wildlife that makes its home in the 655,000-acre forest was killed or dislocated. Biologists say they found an unusually high number of large animals caught by the fast-moving fire. Teams have come across carcasses of bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and gray foxes, apparently unable to find escape routes. "Deer took a big hit," said Kevin Cooper, a wildlife biologist. The BAER team (for Burned Area Emergency Response) worked 14-hour days to complete its work, retreating each night to laptops at the "BAER Den," a Residence Inn conference room in Burbank. Specialists were on the ground in every part of the 160,000-acre burn area, measuring, photographing and testing. The team included soil scientists, hydrologists, archaeologists, botanists, wildlife experts and a hazardous materials crew. The fire peeled back a layer of cover to reveal unknown Native American oven sites, scores of illegal dumps and a stash of 50-gallon drums filled with an as-yet unidentified liquid. One day last week, Roath steered a white Forest Service SUV up the Angeles Crest Highway, which was closed to the public but nonetheless busy. Crews used graders to clear boulders, semi-tractor-trailers hauled debris and workers with chain saws cut trees that threatened to fall across traffic lanes. Overhead, helicopters carried water-dropping buckets or ferried dangling loads of replacement utility poles.
For the most part, the landscape was devoid of color. Gray-white ash has banked in places, like dandruff on the shoulders of the mountains. Roath, a soil scientist who began his Forest Service career on the Angeles, is still awed by the immense natural forces once marshaled to lift this mountain range that is still rising and settling. He noted that debris cones -- accumulated rock and sand at the bottom of sharply defined ridges -- are sprouting up everywhere, as though the mountains are shedding dead skin. The San Gabriel Mountains have the potential to unleash calamity under normal circumstances, without the overlay of fire to complicate things. They are mountains on the move; the rock is fractured and disintegrating. Roath said that as BAER team members collected their data, they could hear the rattling sound of mountains falling. "In some cases boulders are coming down from gravity alone. They don't need rain," Roath said. Vegetation plays a critical role in shoring up hillsides. When rains come, the drops hit the plant canopy first, which slows the water and distributes it more evenly into the soil. Absent vegetation, rain pounds down and washes away topsoil, sand, small rocks and burned plant material.
Thus begins a process that scientists call "entraining" -- the terrible freight of broken mountainside that gathers energy as it roars inexorably downhill. Storms cause sediment to back up in ravines already loaded with fire debris. The flow bulges and spreads, picking up larger stones, then boulders. It gains speed as it descends, blowing obstacles out of its way. That debris, too, joins the train. As highway culverts become full, the entire river of rock flows over the roadway, collapsing it. The broken asphalt then becomes a passenger on the cascading wreckage. Trees, automobiles and houses scarcely slow the torrent. "Debris flows are a little hard to control," said Sue Cannon, a debris flow expert with the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, adding that the San Gabriels present a "classic setting for major debris flow." Along the upper Big Tujunga Road, fire appeared to have followed the drainage, burning trees that straddled the creek, leaving "a pretty well-toasted riparian area," said Jan Beyers, a Forest Service plant ecologist. Cooper, the wildlife biologist, noted that the Station fire took out trees along the streams, such as white alder. Large trees are like straws, sucking water from rivers and streams, and in their absence, he said, there has been a measurable increase in stream levels in the Angeles National Forest. Elsewhere along the road, a row of roasted pine trees offered clues to the fire's behavior. Their brown needles point sideways, petrified at an acute angle, like a heavily gelled hairdo. This, the scientists explained, is an example of "fire freeze," the result of a hot wind blasting through, wringing the last drop of moisture out of the tree. Where some see withered plants and scoured hillsides, Beyers sees decades of patient aspiration come to fruition -- the "shooters and seeders." Trees that have lost limbs to fire will grow new, sturdier arms. Plants that have been annually depositing seeds in subterranean "seed banks" will be rewarded with young growth rising out of soil rejuvenated with nitrogen-bearing nutrients. "There are seeds in the soil here that have been waiting decades for this chance," she said wistfully. Indeed, for some growing things, fire is a bonanza. Certain species of conifers require heat to release seeds from their tightly closed cones. Some plants need the fire's heat to crack hard seed coatings in order to sprout. Some plants thrive on the chemicals produced from ash leaching into soil. Smaller bushes, crowded out by larger neighbors before the fire, flourish afterward in their newfound elbow room. The seed caches of ground-dwelling rodents will be disinterred, and the still-viable seeds dispersed by ants and birds, everyone pitching in to repair their habitat.
In the San Gabriels' chaparral system, more plants survive fire than most people think, Beyers said. That's explained, in part, because of "fire residence," or the length of time that flames and heat linger in a particular spot. Chaparral plant communities don't produce a lot of leaf litter or vegetation that accumulates on the ground, which would become fuel for fires. Then there is the profusion of wildflowers that will debut in the spring. The fire followers: purple lupines, morning glories, California poppies, larkspurs, wild sweet peas and snapdragons. "Ten years from now," Beyers said, taking in the charred hillside and smiling, "you can come back here and never know there was a fire at all."

ski resorts on blue ridge making snow. trail still open from Islip Saddle to Wrightwood. use lone pine canyon rd to bypass Ltyle creek ridge.
new cache at Vincents Gap water snacks

Highway 2 has been reopened and the evacuation order for the community of Wrightwood has been lifted. Lone Pine Road will remain closed until further notice. Lytle Creek Road remains closed to the public but open to residents. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is also closed from Interstate 15 to the 14 freeway. Thru hikers on the PCT may use state highway 138 as an alternate route.

The Southern portion of the Angeles National Forest (from Soledad Canyon Rd to the boundary) remains closed due to the Station Fire.
Hikers please follow Soledad Canyon Rd to Hwy 138 and travel around the Forest to I-15.

The PCT is CLOSED due to the Station Fire, from Indian Canyon TH on the Angeles National Forest to about Three Points on Hwy 2. The Angeles Crest Scenic Hwy (Hwy 2) is also closed to the public. Please do not interfere with either the Trail or the road as suppression efforts are in full swing.
Hikers should hitch from Agua Dulce to Hwy 138 east, around the San Gabriel Mountains to I-15 to be clear of the fire and any potential growth.

Trail from 15 frwy to Mill Creek Summitt open, clear of trees,except two near Cloudburst Cyn, which will be removed this weekend-6-13. Also verifying Highway 2 is open.-Ray-Section D Chief

Tree and snag have been removed from trail south of Mill Creek Summit

The Angeles Crest Hwy (Hwy.2) is scheduled to reopen on May 20th. It has been closed for many years due to a landslide between Vincent Gap (mile 374) and Islip Saddle (mile 386.1). This provides opportunities for trail angelling, as well as a road walk option if snow on Baden- Powell is too much

Access to the PCT northbound from the parking area in Soldad Canyon has been hidden by a pile of sand. Immediately after crossing the first branch of the creek hikers should turn hard right (east) and climb over the sand pile.
The apparently logical extension of the path northward ends up in a junk yard with "No Trespassing" and "Beware of Dogs" signs. There is no obvious reason for the sand pile other than obscuring the trail. There are no signs indicating the right turn required. We found a broken sign in the bushes and placed it on the right side of the sand pile.

There is a tree across the trail about 4 miles south from Mill Creek Summit trailhead (intersection of PCT with Angeles Forest Hwy). Easy for hikers to duck under. Equestrians would need to travel upslope and cross over the log - the footing is very loose however.
There is a snag halfway across the trail approximately 1 mile south of Mill Creek Summit. Okay for hikers but equestrians may have to dismount and lead horses around it.

3/31/09 - 4/4/09 Heading north from Three Points the trail was lovely. There were some snow patches on the trail 10 to 50 ft in length whenever trail was close to 6,000 ft. All passable with normal care. One large boulder down on trail and one tree but all easy to get around. It is a shame more people were not on the trail . I saw only 1 day hiker in 5 days until reaching Vasques Rocks near Agua Dulce. Seasonal water sources running.

Burned area in the section just south of Soledad Canyon Road on the PCT. Growth is impeding hikers from smooth travel. This area was burned badly in the October of 2007 Acton Fire.

Cooper Canyon Closure and Detour to protect the Mountain Yellow-legged Frog. Reroute posted on the east side of Buckhorn Peak along the Burkhart Trail and Angeles Crest Highway to Eagles Roost Picnic Area.