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Heads up on the East Fork trail in the San Gabriels
Last week, a huge chunk of the main trail washed out about two miles past the bridge. We had to backtrack three miles in the dark because the detour wasn't marked. Anyone know if the ranger station has an update on the repair timeline?
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richardfox3d ago
Man, that sounds rough. I got caught out by a washed-out section on the Pine Creek loop last year. What saved us was having an old paper map from the ranger station. It showed an old fire road that wasn't on any app, and we used that to bushwhack around. Took forever, but it beat a total backtrack. I'd grab a physical map next time and maybe call the station directly, they sometimes have more info than the website.
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fiona5022d ago
Got stuck like that near Icehouse Canyon once. @richardfox is right about the paper maps, the ranger gave us one with a scribbled note about a deer trail that saved us. Always call them, the website is never up to date. Took a while to find but it was better than hiking back in the dark.
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Paper maps are a lifesaver but they can get you into trouble too. My buddy swore by one for a shortcut near Mount Wilson. The trail on the map was completely gone, just a steep slope of loose rock. We spent hours climbing down what was basically a dry creek bed. Sometimes the old ways are just wrong.
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