Category Archives: Outdoors

Activities, Hiking - General

Whitney Portal Road Reconstruction Planned for 2016

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Significant Impacts to Access, Parking

Press Release (USDA) – The Whitney Portal Road Reconstruction is planned for the 2016 season under a funding request from Inyo County. The road will be re-paved and needs significant repairs for safety. The project begins just west of Lone Pine and ends just east of Whitney Portal.

Whitney Portal is the most popular trailhead on the forest; with hikers applying, by lottery, to ascend the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. Mt Whitney is also the southern terminus of the John Muir Trail (JMT).

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Conservation

Be Gentle to the Lands After a Rain

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

The “el Niño” weather pattern is being talked about more and more on the news. In Southern California, we’ve had a few days of not particularly heavy rains. This can lead to closure of our national, state, and local parks and recreation areas for a few days after a rain to allow the lands to dry out and become accessible to the public. This isn’t a bad thing; walking on muddy trails can cause damage that can last well for weeks or months afterwards.

Generally, public lands will open up after three days to hikers. Mountain bikers and equestrian trails may stay closed longer. Check at your local park entrance to see what is closed and what is open. From the Irvine Ranch Conservancy page:

“…The expected rain is a welcome change for flora and fauna, but California’s recent drought has left many trail surfaces so dry that even those constructed to direct runoff into surrounding habitat could be overwhelmed by an abundance of rain. Landowners and managers are prepared to evaluate potential storm damage and reduce long-term effects, but you too can minimize rain damage by understanding wet trail conditions and abiding by closures to the trail system.

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Jeep

What is the best year/model of Jeep that a Jeep Wrangler fanatic would recommend?

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Question: What is the best year/model of Jeep that a Jeep Wrangler fanatic would recommend? I am planning to get a Jeep Wrangler to fix and customize. I want to know which model/year to pick for good performance.

Answer: It depends on what you want from your Jeep.

CJ-5

The CJ-5 is a fantastic vehicle, and it’s ridiculously inexpensive. The best years for it, again, depend on what you want. The 72-75s have a Dana 44 rear and a V8 option. The 76 and newer have a more robust chassis, but a smaller engine bay. The 77-79s had a boxed frame and disc brakes. Finding 76 and newer parts is still fairly easy to do. Earlier ones … well, you’ll do a lot of searching. The good news is that during it’s production run, there were 603,303 CJ-5s manufactured between 1954 and 1983.

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Activities, Beagles, Hiking - General

Review: Santiago Oaks Regional Park

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Located on the very eastern edge of the city of Orange, Santiago Oaks Regional Park runs alongside Santiago Creek, Orange County’s main tributary to the Santa Ana River.

This secluded 1,269 acre park – located close enough to most east Orange neighborhoods to walk to, including Orange Park Acres and Villa Park – offers family-friendly nature well within the reach of everyone. There is a mature forest, Santiago Creek, wildlife, and trails for virtually every level of hiker, mountain biker, and equestrian.

Unlike nearby Irvine Regional Park, Santiago Oaks is less of an ‘entertainment’ destination park; you won’t find a zoo, trains, or large open maintained grass areas for parties. It’s a wilderness park. Santiago Oaks calls to the adventurer’s spirit within; the park does offer a cozy amphitheater, BBQs, picnic tables, playgrounds, and an interpretive programs/nature center, but the draw – the beauty – of Santiago Creek are the trails. A vast interconnected series of trails stretch throughout the park offering technical trails for all skill levels, and rewarding the hiker, biker, or equestrian with inspiring views of Orange and the unspoiled foothills surrounding the city. The park trails also connect with the Anaheim Hills Trail System.

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Activities, Adventures, Conservation

Courtright Base Camp – High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Family-friendly camping with multiple projects for people of all ages.

Event Date: 08/13/2015 – 08/16/2015
Cost: FREE

You are encouraged to stay over Thursday night to acclimate. Food will be provided Thursday night through Sunday lunch. Volunteers can work Friday, Saturday and Sunday, you do not have to be at the event for all three days. This event is family friendly, we will have volunteer work available for all ages. There are many attractions in the Sierra National Forest that you can easily visit before or after the event. Experienced crew leaders will train volunteers in general trail maintenance techniques and safe usage of hand tools. We will be removing brush and trees, repairing water bars, and installing water diversion structures on the trails in the Courtright Reservoir area within the John Muir Wilderness. A primitive solar shower setup will be provided. There is no charge for this event, base camp operations usually cost at least $3,000 with 30-50 people participating that equals $60 to $100 per person. Although we receive grant money for these trips it is often not enough to cover operating costs. Please consider making a tax deductible donation online or bringing a donation to the event. More detailed information will be sent to you after you sign up.
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