RR: Winter Creek/Mt. Zion/Gabrielino 4/11/08

[art23rockpile]

Driving up to Chantry Flats this morning, some type of large cat crossed the road in front of me... it seemed like a good omen! This ride was similar to the one Joe did with a couple of his buddies last week. As he needed to get an earlier start this time, we were on the trail before 8am. On today's ride were myself, Joe Truth, and his friend Candido.

The trail starts out with a climb through the wooded canyons and sunny sides of the mountain... quite beautiful and a feast for the senses, but (typical of San Gabs) MUCH exposure. It's easy to take for granted under the tree canopy, but it's a long way down... steep and rocky! On the last ride, Candido had to turn back because of a broken pedal shaft. Riding alone, he glanced off a rock and owing to the missing pedal, lost his balance and went over the edge (sliding over 40 feet down the canyonside)! Today, he showed us the spot and pointed out the tree that stopped him from sliding further.

After a nice descent thru the trees to Hoagee (sic?) Camp, it was time for the hike-a-bike to Mt. Zion. It's only a mile and a quarter, but climbs around 1,000ft and takes almost an hour. We paused for a few photos at the summit... then it was downhill time (actually the trail is rolling at first). When we got to Sturtevant Camp, Joe insisted that Candido and I should check it out, as we'd never been there before. Many of the buildings date from the 19th century and the camp is quite picturesque.

Now it was time for the descent down Gabrielino... pure bliss, which I didn't want to end! As the photos show, this canyon is quite beautiful... trees and ferns everywhere (also much poison oak) with a nice stream flowing through it. The trail is quite exposed for much of the descent (in fact the canyonside is inverted past vertical in some places), but with the thrill of the ride (and a bit of caution), I hardly noticed it. All too soon, the descent was over and it was time for the steep paved road UP to Chantry Flats. This last climb adds a bit of a sour note to the "Happy Ending", but it was a small price to pay!

Thanks Joe and Candido for having me along, it was a pleasure riding with you both.

Photos:
1) Me and Candido at Hoagee
2) The trail we just rode somewhere in the trees
3) HAB!
4&5) Mt. Zion
6&7) Trail juction at Sturtevant
Joe and Gabrielino trail
9) Beautiful scenery!

[dstepper]

Nice, excellent loop.


Dean

[JoeTruth]

Nice RR, Art. Glad you enjoyed our little ride today. Good to have you out in our neck of the woods. As you saw, it's literally in our back yard. A little warm today but thanks to all the shade, it was hardly noticed. I don't care how many times I do that ride, the HAB up to Zion will always suck but it's always worth it.

That one Santa Anita Canyon resident with a hand cart hauling supplies wasn't too pleased with me, even though I did nothing wrong. He kept muttering under his breath "SonOfABitch!". After apologizing 3 times to him profusely and still not a response (except "SOB"), his wife finally said "no worries". He was spooked is all. You even got to see some asses today. That's twice in one week for me. They were hauling chairs and home supplies. Keep working on the brake balancing act, Art. After your minor adjustment, you were starting to do great and stopped locking-up the rear.

Dean, Art has your shock. Thanks again for the loaner!

[1080P]

Sounds nice, guys. I just finished up Brown Mtn to Ken Burton, then back to El Prieto at dusk. Ended up with 3 men and 2 boys 8 and 11 going first, then piranha and I went down. Parents rode down first, the last boy in front of me threw his chain on his big ring and was in a bad spot with some gnarly exposure where it happened, and didn't know how to fix his chain. I ended up fixing it for him and got him to keep it in the middle ring instead of the big ring. The father thanked me profusely, wondering where his boy was and why he was late at the bottom.

Wish I could have gone on your ride, that sounded just wonderful today. The heat coming up Brown at 5 pm was stifling, it's not so easy on me anymore at almost 50 years old.

Great review! It's on my "to do" ride.

[dstepper]

Originally Posted by JoeTruth

Dean, Art has your shock. Thanks again for the loaner!

THANKS....

[kanga]

Thanks for the report... We'll be in that area tomorrow, probably later in the day after climbing up to Wilson. We'll likely do the winter creek section instead of dropping down the gab to the climb out to Chantry... not a fun climb at the end of a long day!

[JoeTruth]

Originally Posted by kanga

Thanks for the report... We'll be in that area tomorrow, probably later in the day after climbing up to Wilson. We'll likely do the winter creek section instead of dropping down the gab to the climb out to Chantry... not a fun climb at the end of a long day!

Are you guys climbing Mt. Lowe or The Mt. Wilson Trail out of Sierra Madre? I guess the only bad part coming out of Chantry is the 4 mile wasted descent from chantry on pavement. If climbing Mt. Lowe, descending down the Mt. Wilson Trail makes more sense, IMO. Less pavement and more dirt. Good luck on your climb today. Should be nice and toasty out there!

Originally Posted by 1080P

Great review! It's on my "to do" ride.

Randy, you'll like this loop (minus the HAB). Upper Winter Creek is a nice tame ST climb. Although I don't always, yesterday I cleaned the whole climb. Good stuff out there!