Restricted Vivian Creek TH Access

[towbradley]

Teaching young ones aboutthe responsibility of "leave it better than you found it" was what me and my wife alwaystaught our kids and their friends. The last day of the trip , i would put all the kids in a line and walk the camp site from end to end. They look back now as adults and have a great understanding of this concept. No matter where we go, we're always responsible to police up our own waste.

[Sally]

HJ, there was something funny going on with posting here last night. A few of us, including you, had our posts printed multiple times. I thought I had posted that I was glad that I wasn't the only person "repeating myself," not "talking to myself".

Hey, I just remembered that you're a moderator now. You wouldn't be messin' with me would you?!

[Screerider]

I have no trouble with talking to myself, I just have a hard time recalling all the names.

[Hikin_Jim]

Sally,

Now, I'm not trying to suggest that your mind is slipping, but there is a simple way to find out. The optic nerve is often the first part of the overall brain complex to be affected. So, take a look at this picture, and tell me what you see. If it's sharp and clear, you've got nothing to worry about.



HJ

[Ellen]

[Sally]

I saw an ad on TV for a medication that could help me, but I don't remember what it's called. I'm supposed to ask my doctor about what?

[Hikin_Jim]

I saw an ad on TV for a medication that could help me, but I don't remember what it's called. I'm supposed to ask my doctor about what?

Whoa! This clearly is the forum moderator's fault.

HJ

[KathyW]

Why does the Falls picnic area need a kiosk (aka guard shack) and a 24-7 care taker? What makes it different than everywhere else?

It's the people themselves. For whatever reason, the Vivian Creek trailhead has attracted a certain type of individual.
HJ

I would say Heaton Flat and Manker Flat have the same type of crowd, maybe even worse since its closer and easier to access.

Very true.

The crowds we see enjoying many of the nice wilderness areas in Southern California are indicative of the area we live in. The Vivian Creek / Big Falls area is not unique.

I posted a link to the petition at High Sierra Topix and Summitpost to make more folks aware of the issue.

[Hikin_Jim]

I did send a letter to Gabe Garcia, the district ranger, the text of which is below, FWIW.

HJ


Dear Mr. Garcia:

It has come to my attention that the parking lot for the Vivian Creek Trailhead is now locked from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. I am writing to express my opposition to this patently unsafe practice.

Yes, I understand that the area in and around the trailhead needs protection – I support you in this. But there is a better way to do this that does not compromise public safety. More on that better way in a moment.

First, let me state why I am opposed to the practice of locking the gate from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. All of my concerns relate to hiker safety.

1. Descending in darkness. Keeping the gate locked all the way until 6:00 AM puts people in harm's way. Why on earth would people wait until after 6:00 A.M. if they want to summit San Gorgonio Mountain? Sure, fast hikers can start that late and get away with it, but what about average people (like me)? There's no way I can start that late and be safe, i.e., back by dark. Descending is when most accidents happen. I don't want to be going down the Vivian Creek Trail in the dark when I'm tired. Now, perhaps some would argue "You should not be on the Vivian Creek Trail if you're an average hiker." Well, if that were true, then why don't we rip out the handicapped parking too while we’re at it? I submit to you that "Wilderness only for the elite" is not an acceptable public policy and that average hikers like me deserve a shot at the San Gorgonio high country too. Keeping that gate locked all the way until 6:00 AM in effect denies me safe access to San Gorgonio Mountain and the surrounding high country areas. Please see my supporting calculations in Appendix I.

2. Lightning. What happens on many summer afternoons in the San Gorgonio high country? Lightning. It’s not always predictable. Surely you've heard the old mountain adage "off the peak by noon; lightning comes soon. Down low by two before it gets you." And how is one going to summit and get down relatively low by 2:00 P.M. if one has to wait until 6:00 A.M. to start? Well, of course, you can't. Late starts (i.e. after 6:00 AM) put people at risk during the summer when lightning storms can and do occur.

3. “Beat the clock.” With the locking of the gate, people will now be racing the clock to get back from long hikes. They'll be taking on more risk. Examples:
a. Lightning going on? Too bad. No time for safe practices. Better leave that copse of trees and go out into the open or you'll get locked in for the night.
b. A little tired? Need a rest? Oops, sorry, no time for that; you'll get locked in. And so a tired hiker stumbles, and an injury results.
c. A little confused? Need to double check that map? Oops, no time for that. Oh well, now you're lost. Can't happen? Really? Go Google the name "Jared Negrete." What's that? He was just a boy? OK, well, how about that woman who was found after several days in Raywood Flat a couple of years ago? My point in item 3 is simply this: You don't want people to feel so time pressured that they start making decisions based on time rather than safety.

Of course, wanting to protect the trailhead and surrounding area from vandals is a worthy objective. It's just that the oddball hours (in hiker’s terms) that the gate will be locked are a safety hazard. Simply opening the gate two hours earlier (i.e. at 4:00 AM) would address a lot of the safety concerns without unduly opening up the trailhead and vicinity to vandalism -- vandals are not the self-disciplined type to be getting up early in the morning.

While protecting the trailhead and environs is important, safety is too. Let's strike a reasonable and prudent balance between the two. A late, i.e. 6:00 A.M., opening is just a bad -- and unnecessary -- idea.

(Signature)

Appendix I – Hike Time Calculations
1. It is approximately nine miles from the Vivian Creek Trailhead to the summit of San Gorgonio Mountain.
2. In steep mountain country, I hike at about 1.25 mph.
3. Hiking nine miles at 1.25 mph takes about seven hours.
4. Starting the hike to San Gorgonio Mountain at 6:00 A.M. and hiking for seven hours places me on the summit at about 1:00 P.M. – far too late in terms of typical lightning safety precautions (summit by noon, down low by 2:00 PM.).
5. Assuming I spend about an hour on top for lunch and photos, I’d start down around 2:00 PM.
6. My knees aren’t so great. My downhill time is typically about the same as my uphill time, in other words about seven hours.
7. Starting down around 2:00 PM, I’d reach the trailhead around 9:00 PM – well after dark even in June.

Conclusion: A late start (after 6:00 A.M.) does not afford me reasonable lightning safety or reasonable assurance that I will be able to return to the trailhead safely (i.e. before dark).

Note: I have been hiking in the San Gorgonio Wilderness since the 1960’s. I am very familiar with the requirements of hiking there. I am also quite familiar with my hiking speed and capabilities. The timeframes I quote are real. I am quite capable of hiking nearly everywhere within the San Gorgonio Wilderness given time to do so. I’m just not fast. Late locked gates deny me reasonably safe access to the public lands within the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

[lesper4]

Great letter Jim, I have signed the partition as well.