Hello Everyone,

Well, here I am laying in my tent sending you all an update on my trek today. Luckily I have service here, even though I am in a pretty isolated spot. No people, no cars, wonderful!

I made my goal again for the day and that was make it past the gate that closes the Old Ridge Route to car traffic. I knew water would be an issue, so I left two gallons of water last week with a nice man that I met who owns the last house before the gate. He is involved in keeping the Old Ridge Route open as a historical landmark because the Forest Service has wanted to close it down completely. As a matter of fact, he told me today that he had just gotten the word from the Forest Service that it had just been closed to pedestrians yesterday. I guess I am not suppose to be here? I had also managed to hide two gallons of water about five miles inside the gate when was open for a pipeline construction crew last week.

Last night’s camp was at a beautiful spot with lots of trees, which you usually don’t find in these dry mountains, so I was lucky to find it. When I started this morning I was feeling pretty confident because yesterday had gone fairly well on the steep hills. Well, as soon as I step out into the road I realized it was steeper than any of the climbs yesterday. I was full of energy and then only managed the first mile in about thirty minutes. The elevation gain for that mile was 600′, it was a challenge. The gate was five miles away, and at least four of those were uphill and steep. Again, the Ridge Route was built on the ridge, without bridges, so it just follows the contour up and down. I learned to dislike the downs because I knew there would certainly be a steeper up.

I am camped at a historical spot on the Ridge Route called Swede’s Cut, and it is at about 3,400′. Last night I was at 1,980′, yet my trekking program says that my total elevation climb for today was 3,075′. That’s including all those ups, after the downs, and I really felt them today. I just paced myself and stopped every few minutes on the steep grades, just to catch my breath, and it seem to work better than resting for too long. Anytime I stopped for longer, my legs just got wobbly. The temperature hitting 92 to 95 didn’t help.

Swede’s Cut is considered a historic spot because it was one of the only places on the Ridge Route that had to be cut out and just could not follow the contour of the mountain. The crew was obviously run by a Swede and it required a steam shovel that was brought up by mule. Actually, most of the road was graded and cut by mule.

I hit a wall when the temp peeked at 95 and I started going downhill. I knew a steep downhill meant a ste
eper uphill and I figured I would just push on and stop after Swede’s Cut. That last climb to the Cut was steep and once there I saw the landslide people had warned me about. There was no place to camp below the Cut, and I wasn’t about to go back down, so I just dragged the Wheelie over the rocks and boulders. Once I got past the slide and I saw this monument site, and said this is it for the day!

Though it was a challenge today, I still enjoyed everything that I saw, and the people I met. Several people stopped to say hello, including some of the pipeline workers. The views were spectacular because they are to both sides, since you are on the ridge. I could see Castaic Lake for much of the trek.

I saw the remains and monuments to two very interesting sites. One was the View Service Station, one of the first gas stations on the Route. Apparently there was a big demand to car repairs, especially overheating. I can relate. The other was the National Forest Inn. It was a beautiful hotel and dance place that was popular with the young kids from Castiac and Newhall because there was all night dancing. Wow, I’d hate to think of those drivers on this road late at night.

I got a lesson today too, something Huel Houser would have appreciated, about the water system for L.A. that runs through the area. I saw what I thought was a giant water tank (I’ll send photo) that turned out to be a giant purge valve. Here is my trivia again. The water from Pyramid Lake comes down in a large pipe and powers the electric generators below at Castaic Lake during peak times. It is then is pumped back up to  Pyramid Lake at night. When the water is turned off it creates so much force that it would break the pipes and the shutoff valves, and therefore the water is pushed up into the purge valve to reduce the pressure. Hey don’t laugh, it’s part of my observation on my trek.

Tomorrow will hopefully be a little less strenuous day? The highest point on the Route is Liebre Summit, around 4,300′, and I am at 3,400′. It is four or so miles away, so I am hoping it is a gradual climb and maybe not too many downs? It might be about 11 miles to Highway 138 (SR138), and the last six miles are fairly level and then downhill. I might go another four miles on busy 138 and then north about one mile on Avenue 300, where I left more water in abandon orchard. It looked to be sheltered from the wind and I may camp there because the incessant winds in that part of the desert can be nonstop and pretty bad. That will be my next blog.

Best to all, and keep good thoughts going my way,
Ted

EDIT

Hello Everyone,

I forgot. I trekked 11.89 miles today. As much as yesterday, but I think twice as hard.

Next Post: Day 5