Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
PCT 2002 - May 11th
Day 32: Saturday 11th May Aqua Dulce – Spunky Canyon Road
I left the “Hiker’s Heaven” at 7.35am on a clear breezy day. “Billy Goat” had left
before me but the others were staying another day. The route out of Aqua Dulce passed
numerous “ranch houses”. These expensive properties had 2-3 acres of land, horses, dogs
and plenty of vehicles. The only people I could see doing any work were a few Mexicans
(quite possibly illegals). Their work rate didn’t look very high, but that wasn’t surprising
in the heat. There was a gathering of Mexicans on one corner looking as if they were
waiting to be hired for the day by one of the ranch owners.
As I was starting my climb up to the Pelona Ridge I saw a few wisps of smoke over the
top of the ridge. Five minutes later there was a column of black smoke being driven south
by the wind. The amount of smoke was increasing as I reached the top of the ridge, but
the fire was still hidden from view beyond another ridge to the west. Fire Service
helicopters were flying in within minutes of my first seeing the smoke trying to get at the
fire while it was still small. However, with the brisk breeze, the fire quickly got out of
control.
I came across a water cache just before the Bouquet Road and had my lunch break,
stripped off in the shade of one of the few trees in the valley, with the temperature about
90ºF.
In the afternoon I was entertained by the helicopters and planes trying to control the
fire. The helicopters were sucking up water from the Bouquet Reservoir and dropping it
on the fire. They appeared to be trying, with little success, to prevent the fire crossing
over a firebreak on a ridge on the western edge of the fire. Fixed wing aircraft were
dropping fire retardant, but since they were flying out of a distant base in the Mojave
Desert their visits were infrequent.
I reached the Spunky Canyon Road in the evening and found “Billy Goat” and his wife,
Mary, were already there. Mary was driving a rather ancient motor home and trying to
meet “Billy Goat” at all the road crossings, since she was still concerned about his health
following his stay in hospital. She provided us with a superb mackerel and vegetable soup
(more like a stew). The “water cache” at the road also contained beer, in a cooler,
provided by “trail angels” Joe and Terry Anderson. Among the beer were bottles of
Newcastle Brown Ale!
I learnt from Mary that the fire had been started by a camper in a campground above
the Bouquet Reservoir. The fire was even big enough to make the national television news
and was already covering about 3500 acres and was only 15% contained. Helicopters were
still flying overhead on their way to bases in the Mojave Desert to refuel.
“Billy Goat” is a legend in long distance hiking circles in the USA. He had previously
walked the PCT in two years in 1989/90, as well as thru-hiking the AT in one year and also
walking it over two years and hiking the unfinished Continental Divide trail (CDT) in two
years. He was now aged 63 and as enthusiastic as ever. He lived in Colorado and had
recently married Mary, from Arizona, I believe his third wife.
I set up my tent under the trees holding the water/beer cache and felt I had to do
justice to the British beer provided by the “trail angels”.
Day 32: 17.0 miles 7.44 hours Camp: Spunky Canyon Road
I left the “Hiker’s Heaven” at 7.35am on a clear breezy day. “Billy Goat” had left
before me but the others were staying another day. The route out of Aqua Dulce passed
numerous “ranch houses”. These expensive properties had 2-3 acres of land, horses, dogs
and plenty of vehicles. The only people I could see doing any work were a few Mexicans
(quite possibly illegals). Their work rate didn’t look very high, but that wasn’t surprising
in the heat. There was a gathering of Mexicans on one corner looking as if they were
waiting to be hired for the day by one of the ranch owners.
As I was starting my climb up to the Pelona Ridge I saw a few wisps of smoke over the
top of the ridge. Five minutes later there was a column of black smoke being driven south
by the wind. The amount of smoke was increasing as I reached the top of the ridge, but
the fire was still hidden from view beyond another ridge to the west. Fire Service
helicopters were flying in within minutes of my first seeing the smoke trying to get at the
fire while it was still small. However, with the brisk breeze, the fire quickly got out of
control.
I came across a water cache just before the Bouquet Road and had my lunch break,
stripped off in the shade of one of the few trees in the valley, with the temperature about
90ºF.
In the afternoon I was entertained by the helicopters and planes trying to control the
fire. The helicopters were sucking up water from the Bouquet Reservoir and dropping it
on the fire. They appeared to be trying, with little success, to prevent the fire crossing
over a firebreak on a ridge on the western edge of the fire. Fixed wing aircraft were
dropping fire retardant, but since they were flying out of a distant base in the Mojave
Desert their visits were infrequent.
I reached the Spunky Canyon Road in the evening and found “Billy Goat” and his wife,
Mary, were already there. Mary was driving a rather ancient motor home and trying to
meet “Billy Goat” at all the road crossings, since she was still concerned about his health
following his stay in hospital. She provided us with a superb mackerel and vegetable soup
(more like a stew). The “water cache” at the road also contained beer, in a cooler,
provided by “trail angels” Joe and Terry Anderson. Among the beer were bottles of
Newcastle Brown Ale!
I learnt from Mary that the fire had been started by a camper in a campground above
the Bouquet Reservoir. The fire was even big enough to make the national television news
and was already covering about 3500 acres and was only 15% contained. Helicopters were
still flying overhead on their way to bases in the Mojave Desert to refuel.
“Billy Goat” is a legend in long distance hiking circles in the USA. He had previously
walked the PCT in two years in 1989/90, as well as thru-hiking the AT in one year and also
walking it over two years and hiking the unfinished Continental Divide trail (CDT) in two
years. He was now aged 63 and as enthusiastic as ever. He lived in Colorado and had
recently married Mary, from Arizona, I believe his third wife.
I set up my tent under the trees holding the water/beer cache and felt I had to do
justice to the British beer provided by the “trail angels”.
Day 32: 17.0 miles 7.44 hours Camp: Spunky Canyon Road
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Fire over Bouquet
Reservoir
Reservoir
Fire over the
Pelona Ridge
Pelona Ridge
Billy Goat
Ancient Brit in camp