Hiking C2C soon?

[Wildhorse]

To offer a different perspective:

I think it would be a great story. If possible, it would be interesting to tell the story of someone who has succeeded at this hike and of someone who has not. I wonder how many people make it every day.

I enjoyed reading Zippetydude's account here.

One summer afternoon at the upper tram station, the gate keeper asked to see my tram pass. He said, "you came up the Skyline, didn't you." I thanked him for the compliment, but no I had not come up the skyline trail. For some reason, he did not believe me and he also did not believe my tram pass was valid and he continued to harass me. I thought I was in the twilight zone. The jerk studied the card very closely and eventually decided to let me through the gate. I went away with the impression that he must "catch" a lot of people who hike the skyline on the hot days of summer. He enjoyed being the tram gate cop. I guess I looked as fit as those who make it in the summer, which I surely am not, and even though I would never even consider such an attempt.

[guest]

Hi,
I posted this on another Skyline / rescue thread.

We go through this each summer, with similar, or increasing incidents.
Seasonal closures are being considered, which I think may be the best way for the good of the all.
Cynthia, Zip, Bluerail, Hal, the guys on RMRU & others who contribute here regularly on this board , have made good points in the past, regarding those that have to put up with the irresponsible behavior of many.

Minimizing risk for the sake of the personnel dedicated to saving souls, (often limited & strapped for cash), rates right up there in my book, as reason to restrict access seasonally.
I know many here will disagree re. possible seasonal closure. I've done Skyline in the summer, (a storm too),so I'm guilty of gravitating to risk & challenge too.
Should people be able to take risks & challenges, of course, but when & where & how they do it matters. Maybe a possible permit issued only to those that "are qualified", just thinking out load here.

But, in today's world, the thrill or challenge w/out the responsibility is increasing, which has been discussed here over the years.
I wonder how many would dare to go up w/out a phone, (just a thought), you get in doodoo, you get out, (oh wait, I see a lawsuit coming).
Hals "no rescue zone" idea probably won't fly when people die, but I've seen photos of rescued hikers given high-fives of their amazing "mis" adventure.

An article in the local paper may accelerate the process of seasonal closure, but the real blame goes to the dozens, (dare I say hundreds) of ill-prepared, irresponsible fools that have used emergency resources. I'm not complaining about those who get in trouble for other reasons, (could happen to most of us).
Plus, maybe there's a way to start charging if climbers hike illegally, in a closed area.

Whatever happens, more info & publicity will give momentum to a plan to minimize the rescues.

ss

[Wildhorse]

At the base of Mt Baldy a five mile loop on fire roads with 1000 feet of gain passes through a preserve owned by the City of Claremont. The loop is one of the most popular hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. The City of Claremont owns and manages this land at the edge of the city. The city closes the trail a little before sunset and reopens it a little before sunrise all year long. Safety is one of the main reasons officially cited for restricting access. The danger to rescue workers is cited first, among other factors that are more serious (depending on a person's perspective.) Every day people ignore the curfew and some are caught and ticketed. Still, the flow continues.

Cowles Mountain, along with the rest of Mission Trails Regional Park, is open 24/7 for pleasure and rescue operations. Rescues are frequent, but they receive much less attention than rescues on Skyline. The rescue workers and police criticize the people rescued and the public of which they are part - the sun is hot, and people are foolish and don't carry enough water or understand their limits. Public safety risks are high, especially from fire. The difference between the access policies in Claremont and San Diego are not explainable in terms of risk. The risks are similar in nature and degree. Instead, I believe the difference is explained by the philosophies and cultures of the two cities. Claremont is a small homogenous city with distinctly progressive politics. San Diego is a large diverse city and its politics are marked by competition among interest groups. Claremont is a safe place. One can find rest there. San Diego is an exciting place. It is creative and dangerous, unless, of course, one has fled to a north county suburb.

Palm Springs developed its fame when it was a place where the stars came to live dangerously. It is sleepy now, even while the memory lasts.

I hope that Skyline remains open. The danger it represents is part of a whole that is good. I hope the article recognizes that good.

[NathanBrown]

I just want thank everyone for their feedback on my post. Just an general question (because I'm new to this forum):

I've tried sending a person message (to Zippetydude) and wasn't sure if the message went through or not because it just sits in my "Outbox" rather than going to my "Sent Messages" after I hit the send button. Is this normal? Do I need to do something different? Thanks in advance for your help, and if you'd like to get in touch with me to help me with this project, please email me at: nathan.brown@desertsun.com or give me a call on my work cell: 760-219-9302

[Hikin_Jim]

Nathan,

I think you've done everything you need to in order to send a message. I believe it is now up to the recipient to retrieve the message.

HJ

[Anni8]

Re shutting down the Museum trail; I heard the land is unincorporated. What jurisdiction would shut it down?

[Wildhorse]

It would be the BLM, I think.

From maps I have seen related to the land exchange, the BLM has jurisdiction at the low end. At the top, I believe it is either the State Park or the US Forest Service. The Tribe will be able to block it in the middle section if the exchange is approved.

[Wildhorse]

Does anyone know about how many Skyline rescues happen per year?

[cynthia23]

Excellent question, Ken. It would be so useful if we had a body of data on all the rescues. Perhaps someone could coordinate the data collected by the various SAR groups during, say, the past three years, and see if it could be broken down so as to yield more info on what common denominators, if any, link the rescue situations/rescued people. This could help clarify what might be the best solutions--though a seasonal closure seems like an obvious first step.

[Robert Hunt]

At the base of Mt Baldy a five mile loop on fire roads with 1000 feet of gain passes through a preserve owned by the City of Claremont. The loop is one of the most popular hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. The City of Claremont owns and manages this land at the edge of the city. The city closes the trail a little before sunset and reopens it a little before sunrise all year long. Safety is one of the main reasons officially cited for restricting access. The danger to rescue workers is cited first, among other factors that are more serious (depending on a person's perspective.) Every day people ignore the curfew and some are caught and ticketed. Still, the flow continues.

Cowles Mountain, along with the rest of Mission Trails Regional Park, is open 24/7 for pleasure and rescue operations. Rescues are frequent, but they receive much less attention than rescues on Skyline. The rescue workers and police criticize the people rescued and the public of which they are part - the sun is hot, and people are foolish and don't carry enough water or understand their limits. Public safety risks are high, especially from fire. The difference between the access policies in Claremont and San Diego are not explainable in terms of risk. The risks are similar in nature and degree. Instead, I believe the difference is explained by the philosophies and cultures of the two cities. Claremont is a small homogenous city with distinctly progressive politics. San Diego is a large diverse city and its politics are marked by competition among interest groups. Claremont is a safe place. One can find rest there. San Diego is an exciting place. It is creative and dangerous, unless, of course, one has fled to a north county suburb.

Palm Springs developed its fame when it was a place where the stars came to live dangerously. It is sleepy now, even while the memory lasts.

I hope that Skyline remains open. The danger it represents is part of a whole that is good. I hope the article recognizes that good.

Edit, forgot to write: Good points Wildhorse.
Please, please don't make closure of any open space that might present inherent danger an 'obvious first step'. Just my simplistic two cents in a very complex topic discussion.
-Robert