!%$#$! Bees! (Stone Canyon RR)

Ice is my best friend right now.... Get to that in a minute.

I've been poring over maps lately and realized I hadn't ridden Stone Canyon trail in more than 15 years. So I've been talking about doing it again and just trying to figure out when, and what route to take fback from the bottom.

El Presidente sent me a text and asked if I wanted to hit it for an exploratory before the group ride up Lukens tonight, and of course I said yes.

We left from the Fire Station (Mt. Lukens Fire Road) about 3:20, climbed Mt. Lukens and dropped in to Stone Canyon. Stone Canyon drops about 3200' in 3 1/2 miles.

It was in pretty bad shape up top, really overgrown wiith thick brush, lots of trees down, a few landslide washouts, yuccas and PO. There are a couple of switchbacks I couldn't ride, but most of the switchbacks are tight but doable. The bottom half was in much better shape. It's steep, loose, really continuous and very narrow, and has some serious exposure. Yep... it's the san gabriels..

We were planning to ride up the Grizzly Flat Trail and meet the group at the top of the single track. There's a half mile of river bed where there's no trail between Vogel Flat and the Grizzly Trail.

As we were hiking through the riverbed I brushed against a bush and it came alive. Within a couple of seconds I was covered in bees. I dropped the bike and ran, brushing them off as I went, but they were tenacious little F'ers.

I got off pretty easy, but can count at least 20 stings. I'm not allergic and wasn't too worried, but have seven or eight bites on my head and face (one down each front vent hole of my helmet), down my shirt sleeve and armpit and chest, back of the legs (I was wearing knee/shin and elbow pads), upper arms and elbows. They even bit through my gloves on the backs of my hands and thumb.

We were already re-thinking the hike a bike and the remaining daylight and that sealed it. With a throbbing head the ache/sting/itch of all the bites, I didn't want to stop to think about it. We climbed out to the road for the 16 mile road ride up Big Tujunga to Angeles Forest to Angeles Crest and back to the cars. We got back about 8:20. The rest of the group had beat us to the cars by a few minutes.

These might well have been africanized honey bees. Their behavior was far more aggressive and coordinated than native bees. I've come across them in central america, but this is my first experience with them in California.

I always carry benadryl in my first aid kit, but didn't take any since I know I'm not reactive... but there could always be a first time and I was prepared. They're out there, so if you're allergic, get yourself an epi-pen. If you are not or don't know, carry benadryl and know the signs of anaphylaxis.

While we weren't planning on a 16 mile road ride (I already did 30 on my road bike this morning), it was great to re-ride an old, neglected trail with a lot of potential. I could have done without the beestings though....

I only took a few pics since we knew we were racing the clock, but I'm hurting too much to deal with them right now...

 

Wow Steve, that sounds pretty scary. Glad you're not allergic and that you're home safe. Thanks for the Benadryl/epi-pen tip.

 

Ouch.

 

Steve I have never been beed while riding but my riding partner behind me did when I bumped into a bush that had a hive in it. From working in the woods for many years I have been beed many times....I know that headache. Never beed by africanized bees they weren't around back then.

Dean

 

After all the stings I'm sure you were looking forward to going back to the danger zone for your bike!

 

Steve, I know what you are going through. I was hiking in the Mtns one day with my family carrying my son who was just about a year and a half. We were attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets or some sort of wasp. Luckily I rec'd all of the stings, about 15 of them all on my legs. I have never run faster in my life. I was screaming to my family at the top of my lungs to run! They thought I was messing around and just laughed at the mad man running with his Son down the Mtn! They were not stung once!

 

Ice up and get better Steve. Real sorry to hear about your bee attack.

 

It was a rough night.

 

Actually Hans picked up my bike.... I was running and ALL the bees were after me. The bike was in the clear.

 

I don't think this was a hive, just a small, waist high bush where a bunch were feeding. I'd likely be a lot worse off if there were more. I can't say with 100% certainty that these were africanized, but their behavior fit the bill.

 

Sorry to hear about your stinging experience ... here's to healing fast. :beer:

Maybe this will bring a smile to your face.

[youtube]HQriSWN6JQc[/youtube]

 

When I saw the title of your post I thought it said Beers not Bees. I think after a couple beers though you'll forget about the bees. :beer:

 

Dang. I am glad it wasn't worse. I whined like a bitch when I got one bee sting. I can't imagine 20+.

 

Pics

Lots of downed trees on the trail:



Bottom of the trail in good shape:





End of trail is a crossing of the river. In spring there's often too much water to cross safely:



Trailhead map showing that there is no trail along the riverbed to Grizzly:



Moments before the bee attack, which was right in this area:

 

Sorry about the experience. I've never been stung ever...lucky I guess. So not sure how my body would react. Rookie question, where do I get an epi-pen?

 

Thanks for the heads up on Stone Cyn. I was wondering what the trail was like. I tink I'll avoid it for now. Would have been a better story if you outran those bees on your new Bionicon! Hope you feel better.
Rossage

 

If you've ever had a strong reaction to a beesting (substantial swelling) you can get a prescription for one from a doctor. They're by prescription only.

If you don't know how you'll react, just a couple of benadryl gel caps (not the solid kind, but the liquid filled gel capsules) are usually good enough. If someone does have an anaphylactic reaction where their throat starts to swell up (can be deadly if it swells to the point where they can't breathe), you can break open the gel caps and let them absorb the liquid through the gums since they won't be able to swallow. This happened on a trip I was on once, and the paramedics were pretty sure that the victim wouldn't have been here without the liquid caps. As it was, she could barely breathe.

In these cases you can also use an asthma inhaler to help open the airway. That's standard first-aid practice in other countries, but here in the USA the standard of care is the Epi Pen.

A good first aid course, especially wilderness first aid, will cover all this.

Don't get me wrong... the trail is pretty sweet and has loads of potential. 3200' in 3.5 miles? With a bit of brush clearing it would be an epic descent.

In retrospect I felt pretty bad throwing a near-new bike down to the ground and running!

 

Oh Steve I'm sooo sorry. Thats just awful.
Are you taking anything? Maybe a cortisone shot from a Dr. would help if you itch to much.

 

It was the least I could do after watching you get attacked!

According to Vector Control the African Honey Bees are in So Cal! http://www.lawestvector.org/

Steve manages a smile just minutes after 20 bees stings! This is why I call him when I am doing one of those rides I know could get ugly!

 

Steve and Hans, you guys are too much! This has got to be thee bushwacking story of the week.

I know it's not funny, but I have this visual of Steve ditching his bike and running... pursued by a cloud of angry bees.

The photo really sums it up. Most others would have been horizontal. Steve's smiling for the camera... then a long road ride back? Amazing.