RR: Strawberry Loop Trail, Angeles National Forest.

great RR, and glad to see the recovery. Thanks for sharing

 

A friend of mine who rode the trail the same day you did also came down with the poodle plague, called me yesterday, after I had asked him how much was up there the day before. He said it is migrating around his body, he has it in the eye area also. Guess it shows up in just a couple of days? Hope you guys don't suffer to much!

 

Best article I have seen concerning the PDB. Good pics too!

http://www.rei.com/share/rei-blog/2013/04/poodle-dog-bush.html

 

Dean thanks for the ride report always look forward to reading them.

 

Awesome info Dean!! Used to love the Josephine fr to Strawberry before the fire. Such a great place to listen to an audio book and crank out a ton of miles and elevation gain. Glad it's back open.

 

That poodle dog article warrants it's own thread. Thanks for sharing the Rossage. PDB is not well known and the consequences suck! I am fortunate enough to have know about it and stayed away from it but I'm also a San Gabs regular and know some of the rangers so I had ample warning. I get terrible PO so I can only imagine my reaction to PDB.

 

ATMO, poison oak is far, far worse than the poodle. On my skin, poodle dog results in annoyingly itchy welting that can last quite a while, but never rises to the skin-dripping-off agony of poison oak. I still remember when roach and I bushwhacked through a pure poodle-dog forest on the Gabrieleno Trail post-burn. Good times.

 

When I moved to LA in 2010, I figured I'd never get to ride this trail. Now, I'll be here for the foreseeable future and am looking forward to finally seeing it. Thanks to all who have worked on it.

 

Thank for posting that Dean!
Reverse Strawberry down Colby Canyon to Hwy. 2 back up to Red Box an down the Gabrielino all the way down to the JPL lot was my first "real" MTB ride. Led by one "Kanga" from here on STR. That was a great experience that opened my eyes to the Gabes beauty and awesome riding up there. It was hot that day (100+),we filtered water at Switzers to refill our Camelbacks. I was dying all day due to the lack of fitness and the heat. I finished the ride and was hooked from that point. I cannot wait for the day I can do that route again. That is what I would call an "EPIC" ride.

THANKS TO ALL HAVE WORKED TO GET IT BACK INTO RIDING SHAPE!

 

GREAT to see our decades of Adventure Pass Funds put to good use! HaHa #-o


All levity aside, It has been an agonizing 5yr wait to get the Heart of the Gabes back and running. Glad to see a collaborative effort between hikers/bikers was on-going and now this gem of a trail is actually legal to ride again!

Besides the fringes of Poodle Dog Bush, this classic ride is a blast.

Cheers to all who got dirty reclaiming the trail:beer:

 

I'm pretty sure it's a different toxin, I'm immune to PO but i barely brushed up against PDB once in Chilao and the affected area swelled for a few days.

 

I've never ridden this Strawberry Peak Loop. Does anyone want to give me a tour sometime soon?

 

A great epic route is to park your truck down at Switzers Camp ground, do the Strawberry Peak Loop back to the truck. Eat the Subway and beer you left in the cooler in the truck. Then go down the Gabrielano trail down to JPL.

 

Sounds great but the Gabrielino is closed because it doesn't exist anymore between Switzers and Oak Wild.

 

That sux

 

Correct. Closed no trail and a big fix to get it back maybe some day.