In Memory of Whiting

Speachless... I will remember my last ride there last week with riding buds forever...

 

Whiting Ranch


I started riding Whiting Ranch before it was Whiting Ranch. It sux but things will be OK. In the past 20 years I have seen San Juan (upper and lower), Santiago TT, Aliso Woods (top of the world), Laguna Wilderness, parts of Maple Springs all get torched.#-o

To be honest I am surprised there has not been more fires. Heck on more than one occasion I have seen people smoking ciggy butts at Whiting and Aliso.

It sounds like this was started by some Richard Cranium arsonist….but fires are inevitable.

 

But how many fires have they seen in 300 years?
This is not the first, for sure. Oaks are hearty, and as a res of Laguna, we've seen how fast and well the hills regrow. Homes are one thing, but life is most important and this has not been a very deadly fire event. [-o-]

GGG

 

How true, and it is actually pretty interesting (and a learning experience) witnessing an area come back after a fire - the wildlife, regrowth of trees and shrubs, etc. The progression of regrowth in the hills above Claremont and Upland, etc since the Grand Prix fire a few years back has been pretty amazing. Keep and eye out for calls to volunteer to help with reseeding / replanting efforts.

 

sniff....sniff....sniff...tear

Very thankfull that there was a recent Newbie ride there so more could enjoy the beauty and fun of Whiting My heart has dropped a few times since last nite watching the news as well as reading info here. Special thnx to the STR folk providing information for the rest of us with limited access during the day.

Whiting holds a place in many of our hearts, whether it be the first mtn bike ride, first ride with spouse/friend, favorite trail...whatever...it's unique to each of us for a different reason:?:..... a reason that will not let us forget what Whiting and mtn biking means to us:-k. I look forward to the day when we as a group get out there to re-build Whiting!!....one trail at a time!:clap:

one of my favorite trails for a quick mid-week ride

 

Whiting

Julia's 1st ride at Whiting with Bob Loeffler. Julia is a little heartbroken right now, mainly for all the people affected by the fires. Of course Whiting meant something to her, her a fun ride with her buddy Bob and Newbie ride w/STR was fun for her.

I know for sure she will be helping with the rebuilding of Whiting.

Whiting meant alot for me - Bailey (10) and I got thru it together. Bailey's 1st big ride.

Again if anyone needs anything let me know.

 

Whiting holds a very special place in my heart - it was my second ride ever on a mountain bike (first was Aliso), and it was the ride that officially got me hooked on mountain biking.

I remember being so excited after that Whiting ride. I did a lot of walking since it was my first time ever riding on anything besides pavement, but I had so much fun and I was officially hooked. I brought a newbie to Whiting for his first ride a year ago, and the trail reeled him in as well.

I've been so sad to hear all the fire reports. Whiting is a very special place, and I hope for it's speedy return, better than ever one day!

 

I remember how stoked I was the first time I cleaned Mustard. It seemed like everytime I'd push that last section there was always a big group standing there watching. Then when I made it for the first time I get to the top and am all alone. lol It was still pretty cool.

 

Oaks will be there

I rode the Whiting trails in August. The video really smooths out the trails.

Cheeseboro burned in 2005. If you looked only at the oaks you couldn't tell. It takes a lot of fuel underneath an oak to destroy it. Whiting's oaks looked to have mininal undergrowth or just leaves under them.

 

Wow...I am very curious to see what's left after the last of the flames have been snuffed out.

I have been riding Whiting since freshman year of HS. I went to El Toro HS, and I would frequently ride my bike to school (from RSM), ride to Whiting after school and do 2-3 laps, then ride home. Some of my fondest memories with MTB lie here, and I can't even count the miles I've logged there over the last 11 years or so.

However, I'm trying to look at the bright side here. This is a good "kick in the pants" to get me riding other places I'm not as familiar with. And really, isn't MTB abotu adventure anyway?! I did enjoy my "home trail", but it's about time I branched out.

And really, my love for Whiting changed once all the development along the ridges took place. For the last few years, it hasn't felt like the "escape" it used to be. I always felt that I was riding through people's back yards, and I HATE that. At dusk, you can actually see people's TV sets up on some of the ridges. Once that happened, it took a lot of the attraction out of Whiting for me.

Regardless, I will miss it until it comes back to life. Time heals all wounds, the circle of life, etc etc etc.

See you out on the trails hopefully. Just not at Whiting.

 

Wait, you exposed her to Loeffler!? You're in trouble now. J/K!

I love Whiting. A great place for a newbie's first ride and a great place for a veteran too. I have rode many trail assistant hours there and I'll look forward to it's rebirth.
And it will come back - Ride down Emerald Canyon in Laguna and you'll see.
Count me in for anything to help.

 

these pix are worth a thousand words

snapped by turneROB from a whiting/stt/luge ride we did about a year ago...

 

Seeing all your pics makes me very sad. My friend living upstairs lived there and was about to take me on my first tour of Whiting. It was one of his favorites and now as my SIG below signifies I regret I'll never be able to see that place with the same beauty you all have experienced. Thanks for sharing...

 

seeing this really made me sad.

 

shot taken this morning from the roof of Oakley... =(

 

YIKES. That is bad.

BTW, what the eff are those people doing standing so close?!

 

They're watching the fire...

 

That's just stupidity

 

True...but disaster and calamity bring out the best...the worst...and the ignorance in people...

 

That's how we roll. Looks like firefighters have it under control. But looks like we just got nuked across the street.