Coachella Valley Hiking Club Blog

Lunch break at Dunn Road

Lunch break at Dunn Road on our 17 mile jaunt on Art Smith between Palm Desert and Palm Springs. February 8, 2011.

Some information from Ken on the land exchange

Land Exchange Announcement

The next step in the land exchange process has now begun. The BLM has officiallyannounced that it plans to prepare a draft environmental impact statement to assess theeffects of the land exchange and will hold one or more public meetings to solicit publicinput for it. We can read the announcement at the BLM Palm Springs website.

Here is a direct link: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2012/02/10/2012-3118/notice-of-intent-toprepare-a-draft-environmental-impact-statement-for-a-proposed-land-exchange#h-6

We can participate in the public meetings. They will be announced at the BLM website15 days before they occur. We can also submit written comments. The BLM has set upa special email address for public comments. AguaCalienteExchange@blm.gov

For those who may not be familiar with this land exchange, here is a brief summary.The BLM has proposed exchanging a little over 9 square miles of land in the NationalMonument for 2.3 square miles of land that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indiansacquired for the sake of making the exchange. The land the public would give up in theexchange includes Garstin, Theilman, part of Skyline and numerous other popular trails.In addition, the land that the public would give up is home to several endangered andthreatened wildlife species, including bighorn sheep. The public would lose the ability toprotect the species and the trails, unless terms of the exchange allow it.

Mike Schuler has died

Mike Schuler has died, at 58, from a heart attack. Many people may recognize his name from seeing it at trailheads or from hearing about his work on trails. He has been important to our enjoyment of so many trails.

Ken

An incomplete list of trails that Mike Schuler built: 

        Hoppalong Cassady

        Jo Pond

        Clair Burgess

        Mike Schuler

An article from the Desert Sun on the Mike Schuler trail in Palm Desert.

http://www.hikingacrossamerica.com/California/mike_schuler_trail.html

If anyone has anymore information, please let me know

Eric

Hike to Eisenhower Peak

 

On Saturday January 14^th the Coachella Valley Hiking Club and DTHC joined forces to conquer   Eisenhower  Peak.  We started at 8:00 a.m. and traveled 7 miles and gained 1300’ of elevation.  The weather was perfect and the views of the Mountains and Valley were fantastic.  Rich Peregrin and Ben Lantz led the hike for the CVHC.  Here is a picture of all the happy hikers on the summit.

Rich

Some comments from Ken about the trails closed because of the lambing season

    Lambing Season

It is lambing season in the mountains now for bighorn sheep. Hopefully their offspring will be plentiful and strong.During lambing season it is especially important to stay at a distance from bighorn sheep and to stay on the official trails where we can hike in the national monument legally all year long. That reduces the chance that we might harm bighorn sheep and other wildlife that livethere. In the months of October, November and December, we can hike on all the trails, the unofficial trails and even off trail, but the rest of the year only on the legal trails listed below.    

Not everyone respects the sheep and their lambs, of course. A friend of mine who hikes regularly near a lambing land has observed hikers trying to get close to the sheep, some evenwith dogs, which the bighorn sheep associate with one of their predators - the coyote. A coupleof weeks ago, in the lambing land, he saw a hiker chasing the sheep with two large dogs. He watched with dismay. At the end of the chase, he asked the hiker why he was doing that. The hiker said he wanted to get close to the sheep. The next day he saw another hiker trying to get close to the sheep with a pit bull. Fortunately, that day, a ranger caught the hiker and issued acitation. While the ranger wrote the citation, the hiker verbally abused the ranger and protested that hikers and their dogs cause no harm to the sheep.

Gradually, the laws enacted to protect the sheep and other wildlife on our lands are being enforced. Social trails into lambing areas are being eliminated, rules are being posted on signs,and rangers are catching those who break the law.

These are the legal trails where we can hike all year long:

West of Palm Canyon

    Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail

    North Lykken TrailSkyline Trail

    Museum Trail

    South Lykken Trail

    Picnic Table Trail

South Palm Springs

    Araby Trail

    Shannon Trail

    Berns Trail

    Garstin Trail

    Henderson Trail

    Alexander Trail

    Goat Trails

    Eagle Canyon Trail (not including portions of trail on Indian Reservation     land)

    Wild Horse Trail

    Clara Burgess Trail

    Fern Canyon Trail

    Vandeventer Trail

    Hahn Buena Vista Trail

    Dry Wash TrailDunn Road

    Dry Wash to Vandeventer Trail connector

    Thielman Trail

    Palm Canyon Trail

    Indian Potrero Trail

    Potrero Canyon Trail

Cathedral City / Rancho Mirage

    Cathedral Canyon Trail

    Bighorn Overlook Trail

    Mirage (“Bump and Grind”) Trail below its intersection with the Hopalong     Cassidy Trail

Palm Desert / Indian Wells

    Art Smith Trail from the Art Smith Trailhead to the Hopalong CassidyTrail

    Hopalong Cassidy Trail

    Eisenhower Mountain Trail (access through The Living Desert)La Quinta

    Bear Creek Canyon Trail north of its intersection with the Bear Creek

    Oasis Trail

La Quinta Cove to Lake Cahuilla Trail (includes Morrow Trail and part of Boo Hoff Trail)

    Guadalupe Trail

    Boo Hoff Trail

    Southern Santa Rosa Mountains

    Cactus Spring Trail

    Martinez Canyon Trail

Here is a link to the latest Skyline Trail Rescue

Link to Riverside Mountain Rescue Report

Thanks to  Ron's Log and Cy Kaicener

'We were abandoned' atop tram, hiker says

After reading this article from the Desert Sun, do you really think they have anything to comlplain about.

Link to Article

Photography Hike in Joshua Tree

On Sunday, 1/22/12 Astrid led a hike in the Barker Dam/Wall Street Mill area. The idea was to go on a hike that would enable people to stop and take pictures without irritating the people who just came to hike. No one minded amoung the people who came on the hike when somone stopped and took a group of pictures. People where giving each other technical advice and pointing out good shots. It looks like we are going to have to do this again. Look for it on the schedule for February.

                      

An interview in the Desert Sun with Larry Liguori

Here is the Link to the article.  Link

Some qulifications from Robin. "Will Dean did a good job but we don't charge hikers after the first hike and hikers don't sign up online."

Note from Philip on The Ladders

Was out to ladder canyon via Painted Canyon Rd. Dec. 30.

Road now passable by passenger car...no 4wd needed (but helpful!)

Road crew regraded road...still soft in a few places. Broken or washed away

Ladders replaced....but a massive amount of erosion, rock collapses, ground trenches etc. can be seen.Flash flood in September really knocked things about.

Philip Ferranti