Snow forces closure of popular trail near Idyllwild

[Cy Kaicener]

http://www.mydesert.com/article/2008122 ... 1/81222008

[KathyW]

Cy:

Thanks for posting that. I can't remember the trailhead at Humber Park being closed before. That tram sure makes transportation to the trail easy and now that I have my new pass I'll be headed back up there again on Friday or Saturday.

Kathy

[Cy Kaicener]

Kathy - Thats whats great about having an annual pass. It encourages one to keep on going there, not that I need any encouragement
I will probably go again this Saturday after hiking a little on the Skyline trail, then walking up the road and taking the tram up again.

[kd]

I was at Humber Park early Saturday morning, they actually closed the road lower when I was leaving around noon. The roads were snow covered and there was really very few parking spots available. The reason we go so early is to finsish and get away before the people not used to driving in the snow show up. I had no chains or 4wd and was happy I did not have to quickly avoid anyone. I did watch someone drive their 4wd Range Rover directly into a snow bank for no apparent reason and get stuck.

There was a long line of cars heading up with folks wearing jeans and t-shirts when I left. It does not take long for all of that to turn into a traffic mess.

So glad to have gone early, beautiful conditions, powdery snow.

[Ken7]

It is true that the roads in the Idyllwild area are often dangerous whenever it has snowed up there. Humber Park is especially icy.

Still, I think there is more to this story than the danger to visitors cited by the Fire Department.

The Idyllwild community is provincial to an extent one would not expect in southern California. The community tends to be fearful and suspicious of outsiders and tends to associate outsiders, including part-time residents, with everything that goes wrong in the community.

A few years ago local leaders discussed the possibility of closing Idyllwild to outsiders during fire season because outsiders could not be trusted to not start fires and to reduce congestion on 243 if the local residents needed to evacuate in a fire. They envisioned confused outsiders trapping them in an inferno.

So, the closure of streets to keep out the outsiders fits well with the provincial, paranoid view of life in Idyllwild.

Fire is another big fear in the community, and that fear has led the people to support cutting down large areas of forest to protect their homes, including a large area of the forest at the Nature Center. A few years ago the local newspaper reported that the Fire Chief had started carrying a gun to enforce the fire abatement policies.

But the greatest fear in Idyllwild is fear of outsiders and the fear of outsiders is connected with the fear of fire - and ice.

[kd]

Interesting observations.

Ironic considering the residents are blessed with such and uniquely beautiful slice of southern california nature.

[halhiker]

It is true that the roads in the Idyllwild area are often dangerous whenever it has snowed up there. Humber Park is especially icy.

Still, I think there is more to this story than the danger to visitors cited by the Fire Department.

The Idyllwild community is provincial to an extent one would not expect in southern California. The community tends to be fearful and suspicious of outsiders and tends to associate outsiders, including part-time residents, with everything that goes wrong in the community.

A few years ago local leaders discussed the possibility of closing Idyllwild to outsiders during fire season because outsiders could not be trusted to not start fires and to reduce congestion on 243 if the local residents needed to evacuate in a fire. They envisioned confused outsiders trapping them in an inferno.

So, the closure of streets to keep out the outsiders fits well with the provincial, paranoid view of life in Idyllwild.

Fire is another big fear in the community, and that fear has led the people to support cutting down large areas of forest to protect their homes, including a large area of the forest at the Nature Center. A few years ago the local newspaper reported that the Fire Chief had started carrying a gun to enforce the fire abatement policies.

But the greatest fear in Idyllwild is fear of outsiders and the fear of outsiders is connected with the fear of fire - and ice.

We have many provincial communities in the desert: they are called country clubs.

If I lived in Idyllwild, I would be paranoid of fires, too. There aren't that many ways out and that place is ripe for a catastrophe. Every time I look up at the mountain and see smoke I wonder if this will be the time. I don't think their paranoia towards outsiders is justified because I'm sure tourism is their bread and butter. But if they get a fire at the wrong place at the wrong time, that town is toast.

[phydeux]

I wouldn't think the Idyllwild folks are any different from others who buy houses in gated &/or walled-in communities. After living in one for a short period of time, I've always been grateful for them; always glad we're able to keep the type of people who move into those places separate from the rest of us 'normal' folks.

[ajwoodzy]

I was at the Humber Park Trailhead on the 27th messing around in the snow. There was plenty of people there messing around in the snow and a few brave people making heading up Devil's Slide. Later that day, I went to get permits for a hike up to SJ at the Ranger Station. They said technically, that trail is closed. But technically, its illegal to climb Snow Creek too.... Its nothing to worry about..

[WOLFDOG]

I lived up in Fern Valley for nearly 30 years, and over those years, Humber was always a mess after a dumping of snow, and yes it is true that so many from off the hill would get stuck on your road leading to your home to where you had to hike in. I just avoided Humber whenever it snowed knowing that your chances of getting a fender bender crunch were very good.
As for Fire, I lived through the Soboba fire of 74 and the Bee fire of 96. The Soboba evacuated all of Pine Cove and the Bee Fire evacutated all communities. Scary thing about the Bee fire, we, along with other neighbors, had pets left behind, so to get to them, we took the tram and hiked in. Paranoid, sure there may be some of that there because we lived more of a sheltered protected area where we could leave our houses and cars unlocked (because we had dogs) and not worry about things that happen more frequently in cities (i.e., burglaries, carjackings). And many of other Idyllwild residents along with myself would watch out for one another. Sure, some break-ins did happen up there too, but a rash would only be short lived because we would literally chase these punks out of town. So if Humber is closed off, I say GREAT, should of been done a long time ago.