Went to my local Sunland Ralph’s the other day to purchase some items for my hiking trip. Had a moment in the bread section as I was looking for Dave's Killer Bread to fill myself up on my journey. I saw this VERY attractive young lady in the store so I became distracted. Little did I know, my bad eyesight made me pass by the bread section a couple of aisles ago. I guess you can say I had a rich vince moment
I grew up 2 block from the Graveyard trail. From 1963 to 1978. I climbed Camelback in 1972 and 1976 when I was 13 and 17 years old. We walked in from Parsons Trail up the ridge line. Was not as much brush on the ridge back then. As I recall there was a small flag back then at the top. Great job with the flag pole and the video. Brought back some great memories.
STEEP TRAILS John Muir Chapter 11 The San Gabriel Mountains (Cir. 1880) After saying so much for human culture in my last, perhaps I may now be allowed a word for wildness -- the wildness of this southland, pure and untamable as the sea. In the mountains of San Gabriel, overlooking the lowland vines and fruit groves, Mother Nature is most ruggedly, thornily savage. Not even in the Sierra have I ever made the acquaintance of mountains more rigidly inaccessible. The slopes are exceptionally steep and insecure to the foot of the explorer, however great his strength or skill may be, but thorny chaparral constitutes their chief defense. With the exception of little park and garden spots not visible in comprehensive views, the entire surface is covered with it, from the highest peaks to the plain. It swoops into every hollow and swells over every ridge, gracefully complying with the varied topography, in shaggy, ungovernable exuberance, fairly dwarfing the utmost efforts of human culture out of sight and mind. But in the very heart of this thorny wilderness, down in the dells, you may find gardens filled with the fairest flowers, that any child would love, and unapproachable linns lined with lilies and ferns, where the ousel builds its mossy hut and sings in chorus with the white falling water. Bears, also, and panthers, wolves, wildcats; wood rats, squirrels, foxes, snakes, and innumerable birds, all find grateful homes here, adding wildness to wildness in glorious profusion and variety. ------------ And the rest of the chapter is wonderful.
I FINALLY found/saw it today past the old cemetery and I think heading down Teresita? My husband was driving our Jeep so I could check it off my bucket list! YAY! just rewatched this video........such a scary climb! and with such a pole! Just so you know, it matters to me!
Kim Weaver that is great! Glad you found the needle on the ridge-line. Thank you for the kind words. I am glad it matters to you! We made the trek because it matters to us too. Gratitude is a wonderful emotion. It has this fantastic ability to dissolve fear and anger. Be well, be happy, and be strong out there!!
Someone reported today on Sunland Tujunga Community News that the base of the flag pole is broken.....Suad BisognoSunland Tujunga Community News S1t8Spolnasohnred · Hey STCN, My husband ran to the flag today on the top of Tujunga (yes, he’s crazy). When he arrived he saw the base broke. He temporarily put the flag back up but doesn’t think it’s gonna last long. If anyone knows who typically maintains the flag, please let them know!
That’s amazing! Never knew there was a trail going to that ridge so near the mount Lukens one...will for sure make it a goal to check out that flag soon. Great content!
In the past four months, we've made remarkable progress on manicuring the main trail to the top of T5. The Lonely Oak Meadow sign got knocked down in the wind two months ago. Someone put it back up before my next hike the following day (Thanx!) Three months ago I cut out the chain-link wall at the bottom below the first sign. It took an hour and four sets of cutting tools: A pair of high-leverage diagonal pliers, a bolt cutter, a pair of high-leverage linesman pliers and a ratcheting cable cutter. There are several sets of chain-link walls going up the old Haines Canyon Fire Road, but I had no idea they were so deep and had so much chain-link. It was hard work. But after watching a hiker fall off of the wall in December, I decided to cut out an access point. I've been up to the flagpole and/or the precipice 30 times so far this year. Everyone there knows me. I'm the guy with the mini-dachshunds. T5 is their favorite hike. Mine too. Since the stay-at-home order last week, I've seen more hikers there than any time since I began hiking Haines decades ago. Same for the old firebreak across the canyon to the Blanchard and Cooks Tank. The the Blue Bug has been busier than usual, too. Best hike in LA.
The mystery has been solved! Thanks for all the hard work! Mike and I put the Lonely Oak sign back up and have made two night hikes to the top and mike made the loop from Kill em Quick a few weeks ago. We are going to put up a new, larger flag when the rain stops. The trail looks great!
@@POVLA No problem; my pleasure! I felt obligated to help out after I saw a girl fall backwards off of the wall. She was okay; she fell on her backpack. Her boyfriend wasn't so lucky. He freaked-out and tried to pull a Ninja and jumped off the wall to help her, but his shoelace caught a tie-wire on the chain-link and he did a header into the concrete below. I told them the next time they made the hike, I'd clear a pathway through the wall. Anyway, another hiker (I forget his name) has been manicuring the trial, so I got my clippers and did the same, all the way to the top. Do you know who put the new flag up there? Sunday (March 27th) I passed two groups of hikers on my way down. Nice to see more people up here! My favorite trails, besides the Blanchard/Cooks firebreaks above Haines, are May Canyon to the old ICBM Silos above Sylmar, Merrell to the Location Scopes at Inspiration Point, Crescenta View to Lukens, Chumash Trailhead through Mugu Peak to La Jolla Valley and the Temescal portion of the Backbone in the Santa Monica Mountains. By the way, I LOVE your vid! Good work! I'm sure we'll meet at some point up there!
rich vince hey thats fantastic seeing people going up T5 and great to hear it is being manicured. That was always the idea: to create a pathway to that beautiful overlook and celebrate our little town and country. As far as we know, the flag currently flying is the 2nd one we installed. The first did not last long, so we replaced with the 9x6(i think). Mike has a new flag ready to go. Before lockdown, we were going to hit up the local facebook hiking group and get a group hike to the top. We are scrapping that, but will be going up soon. The flags only last a few months, as i am sure you have noticed it gets windy up there, so we are hoping that anyone who wants to keep the tradition going, will replace when needed. Also, we planned on securing the pole with guywires and bolts into the granite, but found the current situation to be good enough. I am not sure how long that flagpole will last under constant beatinf against the rock. We may need to reassess the guy wires, so the pole doesnt buckle. It is aluminum, so time will make that thing fold at some point if a dent forms. However, that flagpole stood in my yard for decades, so who knows. Thanks for sharing! Find mike and brian if you search “flag” in hiking in the foothills fb. See you up there and keep up the good work!
POV LA I happened to be in town visiting my dad after he came home from being in hospice care, and while driving south west in the residential neighborhood I just happened to look up at old Camels back mountain and noticed something peering up within the twin peaks there, wondering what it was, and who put it there. Only someone who is very familiar with the area and it's surroundings would even notice it (good eyes help also) although that particular day (3/28/20) I didn't notice the flag, I could definitely see the flagpole. The family has resided in the Sunland/ Tujunga area since 1959, and still own the house. All these years I've wanted to climb to the top of this particular mountain top and have wondered what it would be like. Thank you for providing the amazing footage presented here, and showing us all the way. Your efforts and determination to accomplish the task and planting that great ol' flag is inspiring and heartwarming to say the least. God bless!🇺🇸
Great video. Thanks for doing this guys (and thanks to all of those clearing the trail!) I look up at the flag often, and check it out with my binoculars and telescope as well. I've been wanting to get to the top of Camelback for a number of years. One of these days - I'll make an attempt.
Scott Popjes thanks for watching and for keeping an eye on the flag. I take a peek at it almost daily through binoculars as well and have seen quite a few people up there recently. Fun to see people making the pilgrimage. I hope to see you up there. Give yourself a few hours on a cool morning and you’ll be very pleased by the journey.
Standing at the Blanchard Canyon Water Tank @ 12:40 p.m. on Saturday November 28th looking up at the flagpole. The gentleman I passed on Haines Canyon above the parking area appears to be working on the flagpole. I watched him go up T5, and, I can see him moving around up there and the flags down. I had a feeling he was going up T5... I said hello but I should have introduced myself. Nice guy...and I'll say one thing: Man, he was fast. He made the flagpole in less than an hour.
In a remarkable coincidence, as I was posting this, Greg Chapp came by the Blanchard Tank, and we're both marveling over the athleticism of this guy, as we're watching him work on the flag. By the way, Greg's working on a new trail up to T5 that starts on the Graveyard Truck Trail above Alpine Village.
Neighbor mike, mark, blake and i hiked up and fixed the flag pole today. That was us. :) That guy came up and met us. Jimmy was his name, a local montrose search and rescue guy. He was repelling off some rocks near the top. Good guy. Flagpole is back in business. Stronger that ever. We dragged some steel up to reinforce. Had to take the flag down as it was shredded. Only lasted 12 days. Thanks for the flag Neighbor Tanya!
@@POVLA Jimmy needs to change his name to Spider-Man. I've never seen a human being scale a mountain that fast. I timed him at approximately 55 minutes from Haines Canyon Avenue to the Camelback Cairn. The guy is a freakin' machine. When I got to the bottom of the canyon, I could see the shiny new flagpole going up. You guys are the best!
@@POVLA Hmmm, I wonder if it's the same Tanya I hiked with earlier this year? I was on my way down from The Blue Bug and she was finishing her hike to the microwave towers. We hiked the last two miles down Haines together as she wanted some company. Super nice person...and I told her about this TH-cam channel, the flag and T5. I've been looking for her ever since, but haven't seen her again. But she was very interested in T5. I've met and hiked with more nice ladies this year than all the other years combined...and I've been hiking Haines for decades.
We went up with the intent to strengthen and repair the broken pole and then reraise the flag, but it was in bad shape, so we had to take it off. At 10x15 feet it Was too big. We dont personally know tanya, but she reached out and asked if we would put up a flag if she purchased one and we said of course. Mike took it up two weeks ago. We informed her of what happened and she has already purchased a replacement which we will probably give to jimmy to raise, as he goes up several times a week! What a great community. Thanks again for caring and keeping an eye on things!
For the record, Sherpa Mike carried that flagpole, by himself, up a significant portion of the upper route, including the entire spine to Preachers Chair.
Sherpa Mike is The Man...my kindred spirit. You too, Brian! There are some dicey parts between The Precipice and Camelback. I used a claw-hammer two weeks ago above The Precipice Plateau and Camelback, trying to make some steps. The easier and safer the better. We want as many people up there as possible. The views from The Flagpole are amazing. I'm up there more than anyone else...and did I mention the The Rock I found? It's currently being examined by professionals. It may be the largest meteorite in the world (keeping fingers crossed so I can retire, but it's non-magnetic). It was sitting on the ridge just above The Precipice. It stood out like a sore thumb...half of it is as sharp as a razor...I cut my hand picking it up... and the other half is melted into a shiny, smooth glassy material. I might have really found something.........
rich vince hey there. I saw that you made a comment about your tools getting taken and the sign going down. That is awful. I think youtube will not post the comment due to language, was not up to me. I see that you commented, but it wont let me see it or review. Sorry again rich. Good work up there. Were the signs still at the bottom?
@@POVLA Quite frankly, I didn't notice. The tie-wire and my tools were stashed about 50' above the signs where the trail gets step and turns north. By the time I got to the bottom I was so upset the signs could have been on fire and I wouldn't have noticed. Whatever. It's my fault. I should have known better. Pandemic or not, you can't leave valuables in public.
POV LA Thanks I appreciate the offer but I have a spare set of diagonals and linesmans and another claw hammer. The Greenlee ratcheting cable cutter is a bummer though... that was 250 bucks with my contractor discount 10 years ago. Thanks anyway but I'm retiring from working on the trail...Ive done my share. And kudos to whoever found the Lonely Oak metal sign and put it back up!
I've directed a dozen people to the T5 trailhead in the past 2 weeks after I removed the stop sign from the forest service at the second gate. All the hikers were women except one gentleman on Memorial Day who parked all the way on Big Tujunga Canyon looking for the trailhead and had passed it when he asked me if I knew where it was. These people are lucky they found the right person to ask; most people have no idea how to get up there. Yesterday I directed a really nice lady named Tanya to the trailhead and she photographed the sign at the bottom. Sadly it appears the flag is gone. But at least a lot of people are going up there. As for the gentleman on Memorial Day, he had to be the fastest hiker I've ever seen. I was on the Blanchard Firebreak Trail and watched him go to the flagpole and back down in less than 2 hours; that's remarkable. Going going up in one hour is doable, but coming back down in 1 hour is unbelievable. Even more remarkable is the fact he came down from the flagpole and then took the Blue Bug Trail all the way up to Lukens. That's well over twenty miles on some rough terrain in one day.
@@POVLA Yesterday a VERY athletic lady came down T5...I saw her as she hit the Graveyard Truck Trail and I asked her if the flag was up there cuz I didn't see it from the Blanchard Tank, and she said there was no flag up there. This is actually the second person that's reported no more flag, can't confirm that personally. I haven't been feeling well lately so I've been sticking to the flatter trails.
Great content! I recently moved to Tujunga and have checked out Haines Canyon. I noticed the flag and wondered how to reach out. Thanks for posting the video. I love all the history of this area.
Manuel Herrera hey thanks for watching. It is a great hike and some people have been turning our route into an actual trail now. It is much easier to get to the top. :)
Quick update: I made the loop (Haines, Blue Bug, Lukens, Flagpole) yesterday. The ridgeline from Lukens to the flagpole was as brutal as advertised. My GPS clocked it at 9.1 miles and 3291 feet elevation. A few steep hands-and-feet scrambles, a few angry stabby plants, a nice healthy sunburn, and a tweaked ankle later and I finally got to the pole. I couldnt figure out why it took so long to see it until I realized that the flag was down. I saw a group of 3 come from the west (likely had come up Kill em Quick) and I thought that might have been you but was in a bit of a rush to get back to water so I didnt even go all the way down to the pole. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that the flag (as of Sunday 6.7.20) was down.
Cant believe i missed this comment! Good work on the Luken-camelback connector. Ive wondered if that was as bad as it looks. I have wanted to do haines-sister elsie to camelsback and down t5. Not time. Mike and i are talking about doing T5 to the flag on July 3rd. :)
Happy to report a virtual army of volunteers, including children with buckets, were working on T5 Saturday. And work has begun on what appears to be some new signage about 25 ft above the trailhead. On the way up yesterday I noticed someone had dug a post hole six inches in diameter and 24 inches deep. Sure nuff on the way down the hole had been replaced with concrete and a six-foot piece of 3/4 inch rigid pipe complete with holes drilled and 1/4 20 nuts bolts and washers Inserted in the holes. I think it's great the community is coming together to work on the trail. Everyone is doing a fantastic job. I've been manicuring the steps Ralph and his partner cut, and the children are lining the steps with stones. It's hard to believe how much progress has been made in the last 15 months.
It takes a certain type of adventurer to want to scale the heights of a rocky climb, just to see the sight, and to say...I made it. There was something poetic about a wicked rugged climb up unsure footing to a peak where our nations flag was unfurled for all to see across the Sunland & Tujunga below. My son in law has the spirit of Freemont in him.
Wow! Thanks for upfitting the old flag, which apparently is down again? Super scary trail. How nice it was all recorded since it was such a hard task to complete. God Bless America and Sunland and Tujunga.
I couldn't find it...I am almost at Lowell, and so I ventured further N W....even up Haines Canyon and 7 Hills......recommendations of where I should go to see it? TIA
After a couple failed attempts mostly foiled by sun/heat/outta shapeness, made it up to the pole today with my pal Mike Zonshine (thank you June gloom!) -- i think it helped that we are both horn players so lungs in decent shape. Went via T5, wow, the trail is in great shape! Passed some trail workers-- thanks for everyone's help up here on the Mt Lukens area ridges. i was getting tired of bushwhacking and getting ticks on me. Saw plenty of Solitary Bees hovering and working the flowers-- go team! Once going up Mt Lukens from Deukmajian, came across a vast expanse of their individual dens built right next to each other in the sand.
I'm the Greg mentioned below that was doing some trail grooming. It's a great trail, great view from the top. I was thinking that it might be nice to add a bit of trail at the bottom to the road so that you wouldn't have to climb over the wire. Any votes or comments on that? Looks quite doable to me.
Greg Chapp thanks for the hard work! Mike and I hiked to the top Saturday (march 28th)and it was incredible. We replaced the flag. There is currently a step through the wire now, but whatever you think works best. Thanks again for making it much more relaxing of a trail! Ha!
Hey Greg! Thanks for chiming in! When I bumped into you and those two young ladies this morning I couldn't wait to tell you about this vid and the guys that made it. By the way, I'm sorry I forgot your name. I'm great with faces, but bad with names. Yesterday when I was up there, I was considering bringing back my tools (I'm a high-voltage electrician) and cutting out more of the wall. I can leave the bolt cutters behind and just use the diagonal pliers and the ratcheting cable cutter, which was designed to cut 500 MCM copper. It's an awesome tool. Those chain-link walls are tough...made with 24" cubes of chain-link tied together with HEAVY steel cable and filled with rocks. If I cut out two more cubes, it would just about kill the wall, but I don't think it would be a problem as far as flooding is concerned since there is an uncompromised drainage tunnel right below the wall. And with two more cubes removed, it would just be a two small steps onto the trail with zero climbing. So....you put the girls to work today and just 'supervised' eh? Good for you! See you soon ! Rich
@@POVLA For the record, Greg does a LOT of work on all the old firebreak trails. I first met him on the old Blanchard Canyon firebreak about nine months ago, working his butt off. I rotate my hikes between the Blanchard Canyon firebreaks, T5 and The Blue Bug. The mountain bikers have cleared the Blue Bug all the way up, and now the ridge lines up to and between Blanchard and Cooks are cleared, too. Two weeks ago I met a group working on the ridge lines above the Rim of the Valley intersection. This connects Cooks to Haines just below the Blue Bug. We now have quite a network of trails up here. By the way, for the old timers...the day after the Station Fire I went up to ROTV and removed the burned out signs from the fireproof fence post (which is still there). What's left of those signs is sitting on the mantle in my living room. I'll post a photo soon. You can still read the signs, even though they are burned. It's pretty cool. I was also n The Precipice on March 28th. How did we not see each other? Did you go early? Next time! Rich
Greg Im Ralph I met ya on the fire road while you where doing some clearing. During the beginning of the Pandemic we couldn't go anywhere, crazy lockdown! so I spend my time cutting a clear open trail all the way to the the flag pole and its all clear now. We even put rocks in some areas as trail markers. I also cut another trail that cuts across to Haines Canyon and I set a bench that overlooks our magestic valley ;-) Thank you POVLA for putting up this vid and erecting our Flag! and all that have pitched in on maintaining on our local trails
@@ralphy199 I started working on the trail at the "hump" near the Seven Hills trailhead. I looked at Google Earth, and that looks like a pretty good way to go.
Nice work! Was wondering how that flag got bigger all of a sudden, haha. I run these trails daily and actually found an easier, more direct way up to the flag (or Camelback Mountain as some local refer to it). It's probably halfway between Kill Em Quick and Haines Canyon. Not sure of the name but I've always called the hump where the turn off is the Rim Of The Valley Hump. Saw a bow hunter coming down it in full camo about 10 years ago and have been hitting it ever since. Keep up the great work!
ReverendToneZone hey thanks! I know the ridge you are talking about and have wanted to try that one out. From google earth, they look about the same distance, and judging by the fact they ran the bulldozer down the ridge we went up, i assumed it was easier. Maybe not. Have you gone up our way since the trail angels made a super highway up there? Its great! Btw...we put the big new flag up just a few weeks back. The flag in the video is a now a bit older.
@@POVLA Hi POV LA. Nice, you should check it out, it's a great hike! I usually go up from that hump and down to Haines Canyon. Haven't been down since the trail angles worked it though, maybe I'll try heading up that way tomorrow. Just realized this video was from 2019, the giant flag was the one I was referencing though. Would love to join you guys one of these days. Love finding these awesome local trails! Thanks again!
@@POVLA Ran up to Tujunga Henge yesterday, praise those trail saints, that's gotta be the clearest it's been in ages! Didn't have time to make it all the way up to the flag but still think the Rim Of The Valley Hump trail is both quicker and easier. You should definitely check it out. Take care and keep the videos coming.
Hi. Can you give coordinates to the rim of the valley hump? I’m local and hike near seven hills. I think I might know what you’re talking about but 100% sure. Appreciate it!
I rescued the trailhead sign with the photographic map and mounted it in the remains of the chain link wall I dismantled adjacent to the new trail I cut. It can now be clearly seen from the Graveyard Truck Trail, and cannot be removed without the use of cutting tools. No luck with the Lonely Oak Meadow sign yet, but I haven't given up hope. The trailhead sign was evidently carried up about 75' and tossed over the side of the ridge into the canyon on the west. Why someone would do that is beyond me, but the mountain bikers tell me members of the Sierra Club have been dismantling their course, so who knows. Its a crazy world we live in today.
I just spoke to two of the residents that live near the first gate below the debris basin and they've been calling the police because of all the people gathering around the water, ignoring social-distancing, not wearing masks, and, of course, discharging firearms Saturday night. As I mentioned I saw upwards of fifty people gathered around the water's edge. It appeared to be some kind of a party and everyone was Hispanic. They were also concerned that the sign that been vandalized repeatedly, and the Closed to the Public order still stands, which contradicts the forest service order. Whatever. I'm sick of all the drama. I'll be going to Deukmejian Park to hike from this point forward until all this madness ends. What's frustrating is the fact the woman that was going up T5 yesterday afternoon said she walked right by one police car and waved to them and they didn't try to stop her. When I got down to the second gate, there were two police cars and I had to do some fast talking to avoid a $1,000.00 ticket. I knew people would screw this up, I just didn't think it would happen this fast. It's really a shame because T5 is one of my favorite hiking trails, but it's not worth what I went through yesterday.
Great work guys I get to see the flag from my front door I have pictures the I took with my telescope I want to make it up there one day love to see the flag up close thank you guy
A few notes about T5 and Haines Canyon... ...tomorrow at 6:00am the old Mount Lukens fireroad (2N76) and all the adjoining trails will OFFICIALLY reopen, but from what I'm hearing and reading, apparently no one cared about the closure and the area has been filled with hikers and bikers. I personally respected the closures and since the signs were posted have not returned. I had been sneaking up a ridge adjacent to Blanchard Canyon and now that Deukmejian Park is open again, I've been on the Crescenta View Trail. In addition, this is how clueless the US Forest Service is: The ranger I spoke to still thinks there is a fireroad going to up Mount Lukens from Haines Canyon. Um, yeah right. A few weeks after the Station Fire in 2008 a massive storm washed-out what was left of the road and it's been a single-track for 10 years. How is it possible a ranger in charge of that area didn't know that?? Wow. And this guy is a highly-paid, long-time employee of the forest service. Our tax dollars at work, people. Also, I spoke to the woman in charge of the Glendale Parks and Recreation and she told me that the biker that was airlifted out of Haines Canyon on April 11th survived and has been released from the hospital. As mentioned earlier, he was the reason they posted signs at the trailheads and closed the area. The day he was injured was one of the busiest days I have ever seen on Haines Canyon and he brought attention to the fact it was a high-usage area. I'm glad he's okay, but I hope he uses his head next time he's on the trail (yes, pun intended). And finally, to everyone that was sneaking up the closed trail: Has the Lonely Oak Meadow sign re-appeared? I was considering crossing the gate and disregarding the closure order, but I didn't want to break the law and risk a $5,000.00 fine. And PLEASE respect the social-distancing laws so we can all go back to enjoying Haines Canyon. Thanks! Rich
Okay, I worked on the wall for three hours today until I cut my hand and required some first aid. It was a lot more work than I thought. I must have cut half a mile of chain-link and moved a thousands rocks. I even damaged my cutting tool. I wanted to finish a stairway through the wall, and if I hadn't sliced myself, I would have completed the job. The idea was to cut the chain-link and using tie wire from home, bend back the chain-link and make a series of steps before the next rains hit, hoping the mud flow would fill in the gaps, making a perfect set of stairs. I got close...and it's much improved...hopefully next time I will have it finished.
Beautiful video. Very well done. I made it up to 'Tujunga Henge' last week before the sun started to set. Going to get up to that pole tomorrow. Thanks for the hard work.
Kelly Boyle hey that’s great! Thanks for watching!! I hope you make it and If you do, please comment on how the flag is fairing - sometimes it gets tangled up. The best view of the sunland/tujunga valley is from the flagpole! Enjoy!
The Unrestricted Knowing hey there! Neighbor Mike (in the videos) just went to the flag on saturday via the kill em quick trail and then down the ridge to the reservoir. Some group (we think it is the santa monica conservancy) has been doing major work to the KEQ trail and it is much safer and wider now. The trail from the top of KEQ to the flag is less certain and there is one section near the top that requires scrambling on all fours. The quickest/safest/easiest route is from the haines canyon reservoir as described in the video. Mike also said that someone has been improving that trail as well. Thanks to who ever is working on these trails! They are such fun ways to access our mountains. Thanks for watching!!
@@POVLA when I made it up to "Tujunga henge" and had to turn back due to sunset I came across a guy improving it a bit. Greg or Gary I think his name was. He said he hadn't seen the trail before but appreciated ut enough to start trimming here and there. Next time so go, I'll bring my big shears with me and try to improve on an steady spectacular route. Planning to work on sister elsie this summer too. Lastv time i was three she was waaaaay overgrown. We'll see how that goes.
Great Job. Awesome video. I am planning on making the hike to the flag pole. Can you tell me how long it takes to get there starting from Haines Reservoir Thank you
Hello there! Thanks for watching. It all depends on how hard you want to push yourself. If you are in great shape you can make it up in under an hour, as it is only 1.5 miles. But it is the 1500 feet of elevation gain that is the problem. :) The trail is well worn at this point, which helps a lot, but I would suggest giving yourself 1.5-2 hours to make a comfortable hike to the Flag Pole and 45 minutes to get back down. 3 hours round trip is pretty typical for me, as I like to sit at the top and dawdle for an hour. Enjoy! It is the best hike and view around. Lukens doesn't hold a candle to this rocky razor spine!
Such an awesome video. Beautifully shot. I live in Tujunga and have hiked many trails in the area. I've hiked Haines Canyon many times and never knew about the firebreak up the ridge. Definitely on my shortlist of hikes to do, especially since it's basically in my backyard! Where do you get access to these maps, btw? Very cool. I'd love to get my hands on some of the older ones.
You will like this hike. No trees but the view is the best around town. Thanks for watching! You can find digital copies of every USGS map on the National Map Viewer site. Pretty cool site actually. Very high resolution scans for every year produced. It can be tough to navigate at first, so let me know if you find what you are looking for. Cheers!
@@POVLA Good to know! Not yet. Only because I know it's a beast of a hike and I've had some back pain lately - been sticking with "easier" hikes nearby. Soon! Btw, do you do any trail maintenance in the Verdugo's? I recently did this tough climb out of a ravine with my 17lb Boston (he's a beast) up to the Verdugo Crest fire road and want to thank whoever placed all the climbing ropes on the way up. Just east of Whiting Woods trail.
Sadly, i haven’t done any local trail maintenance. And i haven’t done any meaningful Verdugo hikes in 6-7 years. But there is so much cool history, old firebreaks and trails in the Verdugo’s. Maybe one day i will get around to making a video about that wonderful little mountain range!
2098elk thanks watching! The original pole and flag were very small and almost impossible to see from town without a spotting scope or better. We believe the original pole was put up by juvenile offenders and/or the fire dept coming up Kill Em Quick trail from Camp Routh (fire camp 15) as part of wildland fire training. I did a video on camp routh if youre interested. But that is our best guess. But obviously, people have been going up there for a long time. How was the Oregon transition? :)
@@POVLA Took me about 30 minutes to adjust to the slower pace, fewer medical and shopping options but my wife a bit longer. Still have friends in Sunland-Tujunga and stay in touch. Even thought born and raised in Los Angeles don't really have a desire to return. We do get more rain in a year (60 to 80") than 10 years down south. More people in Sunland than in our entire county.
Thanks for the flag work! Just home from making it 3/4 of the way to flag on Kill 'Em Quick route-- too steep/too hot to continue. Best attempted on fully cloudy day, or before May. Have been to top twice from so-called Rim of Valley Hump "trail" (it has been deer/coyote trails and bushwhacking since before the Station Fire) and I am here to tell you it is not the easiest route-- the Haines Cyn one shown in this video is least amount of scrambling on hands/knees, even if it is longer as the crow flies. But the RoV Hump is closer to my house, i can "walk" (read: struggle switch-backing through occasional chest-high brush) door to top without driving, which i enjoy...There was a question about the foundations/walls up the spur off Haines-- it is an old community called Aztec Park that got obliterated by the Flood of "34, rumor has it that it was an artist's retreat. www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-xpm-2001-06-13-export37414-story.html
Hey thanks for watching and love the effort from keq. I still havent completed that route to the top. I would love to know where you heard about Azteca being an artist retreat. I have found bits here and there about it: the sign, the name on maps, and a few short snippets, but never heard the artist part. I surmised it was a group of cabins not unlike some of the other big canyons east of JPL and they just didnt survive. Someone must know the story. You may already know, but there are a half dozen or more foundations down lower in the canyon, including a few chimneys that remain standing. One of the cabins apparently belonged to phil begue, and i believe that is one of the cabins above the oak grove about a mile in. I walked through those foundations a few weeks ago, there are quite a few artifacts up there still. Would love it if you or anyone to chime in with more info! :)
Thanks so much for the info about Aztec Park. I was always wondering what it was. I camped there a few weeks ago while doing some work on Elsie. I assumed it was just an old homestead or something. Good to know. Its still in great condition with a picnic table and a few chairs. Very peaceful back there and despite it easily catching the eye from elsie/bluebug, not many people seems to know how to get to it so I think its staying in good shape... i found no trash in that area. Yesterday I hiked from Lukens to the pole via the ridgeline and you arent lying... that trail was rough. Lots of scrambling and backtracking and bushwacking. It could make for a great loop with haines truck trail or bluebug but I might have to put that one off until it cools down this fall. I tried to extend elsie up to lukens but it got too steep in the last little canyon and it was all shale and not very easy to work with. One could put switchbacks in but it'd be a lot of work. Maybe Ill work on it this fall. Thanks for the info and the link.
Source for Azteca being an arts retreat was from a book i saw I believe at the Bolton Hall museum, I don't have it, will check next time the museum opens.
@@POVLA Yes! I just had a quick look again; long may it wave. And thank you so much for not only an enjoyable video of the hike and work, but for both of you taking the task upon yourselves to put up our nation's banner in such a prominent location.
Just caught your new 'repairing the flagpole' vid. Well done! And what a cute baby! But I don't see the resemblance (jk). LOTS of people working on T5 this past month...a virtual army...and steps have been cut all the way from the trailhead signage to the top of the big ridge below the Henge. And I finally cut out the rest of the chain link at the old wall. One more rain and it will be perfect. And more good news: I believe I have located the Lonely Oak Meadow sign! About 100' below the meadow in the east canyon is a shiny rectangular object. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that's it. Next week I'll try to get down there and dig it out. And by the way: What trailhead are you using to get to the Lonely Oak Meadow? I didn't recognize it in your new vid. Is that the new one Greg cut out? Off of the Graveyard Truck Trail? Looks kinda nasty.
Ha! Thanks! Thats so great people are out working T5! Its so fun! And great news about the lonely oak sign. I had a hunch it got blown or thrown down the hill. Yes, The trail we took the pole up initially and this last run with the steel sleeve is off the graveyard truck trail. The first 50 feet is a bit slippery, but its a fine way to go. Meets at the lonely oak. We decided the other route was “easier” so we planted the sign at the culvert. :). Now the two trails make a nice, short loop.
@@POVLA I'm gonna try to get down there and rescue the sign sometime this week. Hard to believe a metal sign cold blow off of the cliff that far, but this is Tujunga, and the winds up here can be fierce. I moved my family here in April of 1984, and during the first week there was a windstorm....30 MHP sustained with 75 MPH gusts...and all of Foothill Boulevard between Lowell and New York was destroyed. Utility poles, storefronts, traffic lights...it looked for all the world like a tornado came through. And sitting up on top of a ridge in the canyon, that sign didn't stand a chance. I'll bring some tools and move the T5 sign back to the bottom and see if I can plant the meadow sign firmly enough to keep it from happening again...maybe move it closer to the oak.
@@POVLA Well, I made it down the canyon yesterday afternoon...I could have used a machete...nasty business climbing through all that brush...and it appears our wayward Lonely Oak Meadow sign is on the move again. Apparently it was two days too late and that wind storm that produced 75 MPH gusts earlier this week blew it farther down the hill. Our power went out seven times in 48 hours, utility poles and power lines were down, transformers blew and the internet was out... the usual stuff that happens in Tujunga during a windstorm. I thought I might be able to rescue the sign, but it was nowhere to be found. I definitely saw it reflecting in the sun last week, but looks like the winds got her again. That poor sign has been to Hell and back. I'm not giving up yet. After the rains come and go I'll bring some tools down there with me and cut my way through the brush and give it another go. In the meantime I see someone has begun cutting steps up the first ridge above the Henge. Pretty soon they'll be steps cut all the way to the Precipice.
Sorry to report the sign with the photographic map at the trailhead is gone. The rocks at the base of the signpost were clearly removed, so it appears someone pulled the sign out intentionally. It certainly wasn't carried away by the winds. I have a feeling it's nearby, but I didn't have time to look. So that's two signs now that have either been blown away or thrown away. The Lonely Oak sign probably blew off the ridge, but this one was definitely pulled out.
@@POVLA It was getting dark when I got down the hill yesterday, so I'll take a look for it today. I've been up there every day for the past few weeks. I was planning on looking for the Lonely Oak sign again, so I'll look for both of them when I go up there a little later. I can't imagine someone carrying the sign down the hill, and but you never know. In the meantime I went up Crescenta View last week and someone planted a shiny new flag and flagpole complete with lights at the redoubt. Was that you guys? Unlike T5 and Haines, Crescenta View has not been maintained for years and the trail is a mess. But the flag looks nice. :)
Attention fellow T-Fivers! Trailmaster Greg has completed another alternate route to the flagpole that meets with the main trail at the Precipice Sign. Like the other two trailheads*, both of which go to the Lonely Oak Meadow, this trail also begins on the Graveyard Truck Trail, just above the ET House in Sunland. It's a bit more rugged than the main trail, and it's certainly not the fastest way up, but it does offer some variety and at the halfway point there's a chair mounted on top of a rock pile (although the birds have had their way with the stuffing on the seat). *the alternate trailhead to the Lonely Oak Meadow was bulldozed in June and it's very steep at the beginning...too steep for me...but if you like to climb, it's another way up. After two bodies were discovered in Haines Canyon earlier this year, the police authorities demanded the single-track on the old Haines Canyon Motorway be widened back into a passable road so detectives could investigate without being required to be delivered by helicopter and then bushwhack to the location of the corpses. Initially the Army Corps of Engineers informed me they expected it to cost a million dollars per mile (approximately 6 million dollars) to clear the old Haines Canyon Fire Road all the way to the towers on top of Mount Lukens, but in June it only took four men three 12-hour days along with one big Cat, two small Bobcats and two chainsaws to finish the job. The road has been cleared from the Haines Canyon Debris Basin to the top of Mount Lukens, and although it's not as wide and smooth as it was prior to the Station Fire, it's still much better than a single track and this allows authorities access to this side of the mountain. Anyway, there's a new T-5 trial, but be prepared to scrape your shins near the top of the last few ridges as it's still rather narrow in spots. For the beginners, regardless which route you take, I suggest waiting until it rains because it's still crumbling in spots and coming down is dicey. BTW, Greg has named his new trial The Stairmaster.
@@POVLA You'll like it. Greg did a hell of a job. I usually take a break at the Precipice Sign on the way up to the flagpole and I always wondered if someone would eventually build a trail up that ridge. Sitting on the precipice overlooking the valley it appeared there was a trail going up that ridge at one point in time. Anyway there were a lot of fresh footprints, I was sble to recognize the type of boots... from Merrell (Vibram) and Columbia (Omni Grip) and Denali, it looks like some of the locals have already taken advantage of Greig's hard work and are making their way up there. After we get a couple of good storms all three trails should be Optimum for hiking. I can't wait!
@@richvince1627 if you look at google maps historical aerial/sats you can see that trail very clearly. Including several others on the ridges above the little league fields toward seven hills. Cool stuff. A glorious Time to rebuild! Good work greg!
I'm sure everyone knows T5 and the rest of the Haines Canyons trails are closed after the biker was rescued. Not that its stopping anybody, but the second set of signs on the second gate indicate a $5,000 to $10,000 fine for proceeding any farther and I'm not taking any chances. The day the biker was airlifted out, there were multiple fire trucks ambulances helicopters and police cars, I spoke to one of the officers and he said, "I had no idea this many people were coming up here...we're going to shut this down." I hope the bikers okay... they said his nose got pushed into the back of his head... but these guys have to use more common sense on the trails. Three years ago I ended up in the ER after jumping face-first into a pile of poison oak getting out of the way of a mountain biker. I lost a week of work and had a $1,700 ER bill. And two years ago I almost got knocked off a cliff below the Blue Bug and went nose-to-nose with a few bikers. I see confrontations on a weekly basis between hikers and bikers, most recently the day before they closed the canyon, between two women with dogs and two bikers; it got pretty nasty. A little common sense and courtesy would go a long way, but some of these mountain bikers are only concerned about themselves...and sometimes not even that. There's been quite a few serious injuries up there already this year. Anyway I found a way into the mountains. If anyone is interested, you can park on Day Street where Pali dead ends and there's a trail head that connects to the proper network of trails up to Mount Lukens. The first ridge is pretty rugged but then it's not too bad. And there's no signage regarding closures, so they'll be no fines involved. As I'm starting to see more people up there. But be prepared to do a little climbing for the first 30 minutes. It makes T5 look relatively flat.
Okay, this is getting flat-out ridiculous. I went up T5 today. The T5 sign that used to be posted at the trailhead has been relocated to the Lonely Oak Meadow. The Lonely Oak sign is still nowhere to be found. I don't know who's playing T5 Sign Roulette, but I wished they'd stop. Now the REALLY weird part: When I got to the second gate, there were two LAPD units and four uniformed officers standing outside their vehicles waiting for me, along with a brand new massive sign that reads: CLOSED TO PUBLIC USE! I literally had to beg them not to give me a ticket. When I got to my truck, I immediately called the US Forest Service and they assured me that 2N76 is open to the public, from Haines Canyon to Grizzly Flats. The LAPD and the forest service need to get their act together. I don't know if it was the shooting Saturday night or what's going on, but this is freakin ridiculous. I spent ten minutes pleading my case with four cops. I thought for sure I was either going to jail or getting a hefty fine. Even stranger is the fact a woman was hiking up T5 when I was coming down and she said the cops just waved and let her go up past the new sign. But she added that she was worried when she came down that she'd get a ticket. This weekend there were dozens of mountain bikers and hikers all over every trail on the mountain...dozens of people fishing at the basin...morons with pit bulls and German Shepherds off leash...large families hiking in groups of ten with no masks...you name it. Now this. Deukmejian Park looks better and better all the time. At least Glendale PD has their act together. I have absolutely no idea who the 'official' authority is on Haines Canyon anymore. I thought it was the forest service, but today proved me wrong.
rich vince wow! That is nuts. Thanks as always for the update. This comment thread will serve as a nice history for the T5 trail. Glad you were able to get out of the ticket. Did you make it to the flag? Did you by chance happen to look at the aluminum pole at the rocks? We are worried that the larger flag whipping around will eventually wear the pole thin at the point of contact with the rocks and eventually break. Next time you are up, take a look at the dents and see if a sleeve might be necessary to protect the pole. Thanks as always Rich! Nice work!
@@POVLA No problem; I'll check it out thoroughly next time I go up. The flag DOES put a lot of stress on the pole. It's amazing how loud it is on a windy day; you can literally hear it flapping from a 1/2 mile away. But I have to admit, I'm a bit reluctant to go up there again after today. Three of the cops were cool, but one guy was not. He kept asking me "What does the sign say?" I told him it says "Closed to the public." And he said, "Then that's exactly what it means..." I told him the sign was flipped over backwards on the back of the gate when I went up...exactly as it was all weekend...but only because the female officer was cool did they let me go. I also told him that I went to the US Forest Service website prior to hiking, where this is posted in lieu of the closure orders: "The two orders that temporarily suspended activities in high-use areas and developed recreation sites will expire. However, some facilities such as restrooms and campgrounds may not be available while we focus on necessary maintenance. Thank you for your patience and understanding" I talked to my friend in charge of the Glendale Parks and Rec and she said there has always been jurisdictional issues up there. When the fire road was open, it was the LA County Sheriff's jurisdiction...and there used to be bi-monthly patrols with deputies on dirt bikes going up and down Haines Canyon from the basin to Lukens. Since the Station Fire, it's no longer the county's responsibility since the fire road is toast. The microwave towers on top of Lukens all serve the fire department, LAPD, CHP and Sheriff...nothing commercial...and the road itself was 'officially' county property (yes, it's confusing), but with no road, there's no deputies patrolling anymore. I haven't seen one since the fire. But they have to get their poop together and coordinate with the forest service. I was fairly freaked out when I was talking my way out of a ticket. On a final note, I used to talk to the deputies on dirt bikes all the time. I told them they had the best job in the world. They agreed. Getting paid to ride top-of-the-line dirt bikes. It doesn't get better than that... ...anyway, here's the forest service link: www.fs.usda.gov/angeles/
A lot going on at T5 and Haines Canyon this weekend, and here's The Good The Bad and The Ugly: The Good - Apparently people were ignoring the closure order because the Haines Canyon Fire Road (now a single track) has been cleared all the way from the Sister Elsie/Blue Bug junction to the Blanchard tank. That's three-quarters of a mile of trail with all the loose rocks removed and the trail widened to 4 feet. That's a lot of work to accomplish in five weeks since the trail was closed. There must have been a big crew up there with tools. The Bad- Not only is the Lonely Oak Meadow sign nowhere to be found, someone jacked the T5 sign at the trailhead. So two signs are gone. And a group of Middle Eastern teenagers were discharging firearms Saturday night at the debris basin and police were called. This was reported to me by my friend that lives at the first gate. I guess the pandemic is bringing out both the good and bad in people. The Ugly- This afternoon there were several large groups of Hispanics at the basin...probably a total of about 50 people, all ignoring social-distancing and zero masks on any faces. There were also several cars parked at the second gate next to all the No Parking signs. I was sorry to see that when I got down the mountain, but I was not about to confront anyone. It is what it is.......
@@POVLA Yeah, it's a real bummer. But since the pandemic hit, I've seen more people up there each week than I saw every two months. It's been a real zoo...and you're going to get a pure cross-section of society, both the good and the bad. But I don't understand stealing the signs, though. Makes no sense. Then again, they had to remove the drinking fountains from Veteran's Park in Sylmar because as soon as the county fixed them, they were vandalized again the following day. It's just the world we live in, I suppose... ...but despite the new issues, it's nice to have the area open again. I just hope people don't screw it up. Keeping fingers crossed...
Hello - Would someone be able to DM any .gpx files they have for T5? I am having a difficult time sorting out which routes will take me to the flagpole as there are so many names/trails for this area... T5, Kill'em quick, Camelback, . . . I'm also curious about the Zachau route. I'm a Peak Bagger from South OC who frequents the San Gabriels. I am working on completing the named peaks in the San Gs, in addition to the HPS, LPS, SPS . .. someday, eventually... Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!!
Hey there! Thanks for watching and the comment. Sorry, I do not have gpx. But currently, the trail is well marked. There are geocaches along T5, as well as a geocache at the flagpole with routes described on geocache websites. My suggestion is to park on Haines Canyon and hike up, past the reservoir, through the forest service gate (not the first no parking gate), take a left at the first split, heading Northwest. The first drainage you cross has a culvert and rock wall and the T5 trail starts there. Kill ‘em Quick is also a route to the flagpole, albeit a much steeper and less defined variation starting from the West near the abandoned Camp Louis Routh. The Zachau ridge is another route, also less defined than T5, but similar in pitch and nature. The Camelsback (or Camelback) is the rocky outcropping that holds the flagpole. It is not technically a peak, but is an old local term for the two neighboring prominences. And a fitting one when viewed from Big Tujunga Canyon near The Mt Gleason intersection. It looks just like the two humps of a camel. I hope this helps a little. More simply, If you head straight North from the haines reservoir, you will eventually cross T5. Cheers and happy hiking!
@@POVLA Hi! Thank you so much for your awesome video, placing the flag atop the peak, and for the route description! I'm excited to get out there - But it will have to wait until the weather cools down a bit. Thanks again for everything!
Hello Fellow Hikers I have not updated since the storms earlier this year, but I am sad to report the trail is in bad shape. It's so trashed I was forced to bushwhack many sections. The person that cut the new 'steps' straight up the ridge did not do a good job of engineering. He and his partner put a lot of effort into it, but they should have planned the route better. We had begun to cut a new set of switchbacks above the Lonely Oak Meadow, but for some reason he cut a swath of very steep and too tall steps right through the center of the switchbacks, destroying them. And the rains wiped out his work. Now we're left with a rock-filled ravine that's almost impossible to navigate. I do not recommend this trail for beginners. I spoke to two people that used the trail this summer, and both were injured on the way down. As hard as it is going up, going down is a real challenge. But the good news is Trailmaster Greg has completed the alternate route off the Graveyard Truck Trial to the Precipice (trailhead above the "ET House"). Unfortunately, from there it's pretty rough to the flag, especially the final ridgeline. But at least the Precipice can be reached from Graveyard. If you attempt the T5 Trail, please use trekking poles and wear sturdy hiking boots.
Hello Fellow T5ers! Out of sheer boredom...and the fact I live four blocks away...I've been working on the steps through the chain-link again. The good news is my tools were there when got back from The Precipice, and the work is almost complete. On the flip side of the coin, the Lonely Oak Meadow Sign drama continues. Wednesday evening the sign was moved from the pile of rocks and re-mounted on the right side of the ridge. It appeared to be hammered in to the earth, but I didn't check to see how secure it was. On the way up today it was gone. I'm thinking it was probably not anchored sufficiently and got knocked over the edge in the last storm. Since it was raining on the way down, I didn't stop to look for it...but I did run into Greg at the new parking area near the substation at Apperson (the residents have put up barricades around the old parking area because of COVID-19) and I told about the sign...so between both of us we'll probably find it. When I do it, I'll bring a single-jack up and drive it into some hard earth so it won't happen again. It takes a village.........
Well this one takes the cake. So I'm on my way up T5 and there's some guy coming down who jumps in my face and asks me if I'm the person is that's been working on this trail. I told him I'm one of the people that's been working on it and he said, "I'm calling the forest service and the police and having you all arrested". Then he says "Whoever tore the wall apart down there is going to jail!" This guy is 70 years old and weighs 100 lbs dripping wet. I told him to get out of my face and kept hiking and he says, "No I'm not done talking to you." I said yes you are and I kept going up the hill. The most hilarious aspect is I'm a big guy I could have thrown him off of the cliff with one hand. Unreal. As I kept going up the trail he kept screaming at me, "You're going to jail! You're going to jail! You're all going to jail!" You can't make this stuff up.
rich vince wow. That is wild. Those old check gates are 100 years old and well past their usefulness as dams. And i am sure the next local fire will wipe this trail off the map again, just like the last one. Oh well, some people just need to be right or upset. Thanks for sharing. He stayed 6 feet away, correct? 🤪
@@POVLA I've been hiking in the Southern California Mountains since I was a kid. And in 40+ years, I have encountered more than my share of unstable types, including some cave-dwellers that lived up there back in the day. But the guy was bat-sheet bonkers. And he's not the only crazy person up there. We have a couple regulars that are pretty creepy. A few years ago some mountain bikers built a beautiful sign above the Blue Bug on the old Motorway, along with an awesome bridge near the bottom of the canyon, just above the Old Sister Elsie intersection after the first big switchback. My wife and I took some nice pictures of their work. Two days later, they were history. Needless to say, the bikers were furious. All that work, gone in the blink of an eye by some crazy mountain man. And this guy today was The King of Krazy. First he gets in my face without a mask during a pandemic. Then he just wouldn't shut up: "You and your friends have F**** up the trail! Who else is doing this? How many of you are there? What are your names?" Wow, just wow. I started walking away, but he just kept screaming. "Whoever did the top of the trail is going to get some kids killed! I'm calling the police and the rangers! You're breaking the law" My mini-dachshund tried to bite him. I just laughed and bailed, but he kept going and going...and I swear at one point I heard him say "You'll never see that sign again!" I think I found a good candidate for who destroyed the biker's work. Speaking of bikers, yet another was airlifted out Saturday. I talked to his buddies that were arguing about who would retrieve his bike. I asked if he was okay. "No." They said he face-planted into a rock and his 'face was gone'. Just another day at Haines Canyon!
Here a pdf of the exact signage, messages and maps posted on the second gate above the Haines Canyon Debris Basin: www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd720172.pdf Be advised that the closures of ALL the above listed trailheads was extended until May 15th. Here is the notice from the forest service, posted today on their website: www.fs.usda.gov/angeles
Yes! Thanks for looking out and checking in! Four of us (neighbors) journeyed up to fix the flagpole two weekends ago and the new-ish 15x10 flag was in bad shape so we took Old Glory down. That poor flag only lasted 12 days due to it’s extreme size and santa ana winds. We have a new 12x8 flag ready to go and a sherpa neighbor named Jimmy ready to make the run, but haven’t put that piece in motion quite yet. However, we are proud to announce that the flagpole has been repaired, reinforced with 4ft of steel pipe, and is taller and stronger than ever. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Just got off the phone with a supervisor from the US Forest Service. For starters, I cannot believe just how unorganized that organization is. Two of the three phone numbers listed on their website are bogus, and the person in charge of this area was also unaware that the fire road at Haines Canyon no longer exists. As for the new signage and closures, I did get some answers, such as they are: Mountain bikers and the courses they are building. It is unlawful. And this is apparently the reason for the police presence at the second gate. As most hikers know, the area is dominated by mountain bikers. They are building jumps 12' feet high and landing 30' down the mountain. I've seen them cart chain saws, 2 x 4's, cinder blocks and concrete up the trails in wheelbarrows building these bridges and jumps. The supervisor, Nicholas 'Jamaal' Butler, said the LAPD wants to demolish the course and prohibit the bikers from building further. He added that the Sheriff's Department has already begun removing jumps and getting rid of the course, all of this in response to the accident on April 11th, which brought attention to the amount of bikers using the trails. He will be contacting the LAPD through his supervisor and getting a clarification on the closure order. He added that not all of the information in the media about reopening trailheads is accurate, and that the situation at Haines is 'in flux', which once again, is directly related to the mountain biker that was rescued on April 11th. I explained that the residents and hikers need this resolved so we are not threatened with fines and jail for hiking on Haines Canyon. He asked me to take photographs of the remaining jumps on the mountain biking course and send them to him. I have his personal cell phone and email addy. As much as I hate to do this, the mountain bikers brought this on themselves. It was just a matter of time until the authorities became aware of all the construction that's been going on up there. You can only get away with something like this for so long.
Juist a reminder for everyone: Rattlesnake season has apparently begun early. Had to kill a baby rattlesnake threatening my dog on T5 (just below the Precipice) on Thursday the 11th. I hate to do it, because we are invading their turf, but when they represent an immediate danger to people or pets, I take them out. Most experienced hikers are well-aware of the risks and pay close attention, but in the past year I've had to kill several because children and clueless hikers with pets were in the vicinity. I had to kill two on the Crescenta View Trail last summer that posed a threat to group of elderly hikers, and two more near the Haines Canyon basin, then one on the Blue Bug and one more on the Haines main trial near the first lookout. Eight years ago, five years after the Station Fire, some Chinese scientists were in the region researching Southern Pacific Rattlesnake venom and made some interesting discoveries. Immediately after the fire, the mountains resembled the surface of the moon...I have some incredible photographs...and basically the fire turned our local mountains into a desert. The reptile population swelled and remarkably enough, the Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes had developed a more toxic venom. The venom in the rattlesnakes in the San Gabriel Mountains were predominantly hemotoxins, and the desert variety were predominantly neurotoxins. But after the fire, a hybrid venom began to show up in the rattlesnakes in the mountains, a mixture of hemotoxins and neurotoxins. Southern Pacific Rattlesnake venom always had traces of neurotoxins, but since the fire, this new venom is even more dangerous. The scientists reported a higher concentration of the neurotoxins in the snakes they captured. Starting at the highest elevations in the San Gabriels, in areas adjacent to Mount Waterman, and working their way down into the valleys and deserts, the scientists captured dozens of rattlesnakes, and it was determined the desert snakes and the mountain snakes had propagated and created this new, more lethal venom. So be careful up there. A rattle snake bit requires immediate medical attention. Over the years I've encountered hundreds of rattlesnakes...and even stepped on one five years ago near the settlement off the Blue Bug Trail. With no cell signal and two miles from the parking area, it could have been a dangerous situation. I was very lucky. So be aware of your surroundings and remember: Baby rattlesnakes are also very dangerous as they tend to be more aggressive and excitable and cannot control their venom release. And their venom is just as lethal as an adult rattlesnake's venom.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as hard as this is to believe, mountain bikers are now using T5, along with the Blanchard Firebreak Trail. I know how they get to the top of Blanchard, but how in the hell are they getting those bikes up T5? It's getting crazy up there... ...two weeks ago two bikers were seriously injured. One required the aid of the fire department. Before last week's rains, you could clearly see the tire tracks from the fire trucks going up up the old Haines Canyon Motorway. I helped the other injured biker down the hill. Yesterday when two ladies were almost hit on Blanchard, I tired to reason with the bikers about not using the ridgeline trails, as they always tell us to stay off the mountain bike trails in the canyon. They cut me off and said: "We have just as much right to be up here as you do." Then they rode off. There are families with small children on the Blanchard Trail daily. Its's just a matter of time until someone is seriously inured. Or killed. Last weekend there were some elderly Asian hikers on the mountain bike trails and I tried to warn them to hike elsewhere, but they didn't speak English. So I intercepted a father/son mountain bike team that was coming down from the Blue Bug at a high rate of speed. I told them about the hikers not understanding and the son said: "That's their problem. When they see us coming, they'll understand just fine and get out of our way." Then the father said "Damn straight! This trail is for bikes!" I said, "They might not speak English, but I can guarantee their attorney's do, so please don't hit them..." They just took off screaming "Woo-hoo" with no bells on their bikes. When I was parking my truck, longtime resident 'Jim' told me it was getting out of hand. He said the mountain bikers leave trash behind each weekend and he has to pick it up every Monday morning. The ignore the parking sings and leave no where for their guests or visitors to park. The line of vehicles with bike racks now extends down to Day Street and down Apperson. One resident has been calling the police and the sheriffs and taking photos of their license plates. I've heard the screaming matches and seen the confrontations. It's getting ugly. Jim said, "You'd think, as guests up here, they'd treat this area with respect, but they act like they own the place. And some of these clowns are very low IQ men." He called the police, but they said it's out of their jurisdiction. So he called the forest service, but they haven't down anything. Just promises they'd eventually take care of it. I see the bikers hauling lumber and cinder blocks and rebar and chainsaws up there all the time. They travel in large groups and intimidate anyone that gets in their way. They definitely have a gang mentality. Anyway, there are two types of mountain bikers: The intelligent, respectful, considerate bikers...and the other ones. So be careful on T5. We've timed some of these morons coming down the trail at over 30 MPH.
Thanks for the update. I always thought it’d be fun to downhill T5 on a bike and have thought about dragging my bike up there many times, but i am too fat and old for that sort of thing right now. 😂 good to hear that someone has the skill and energy. It is fun to see what the kids will do in the name of fun. I was a crazy twenty something once, so i can sympathize with a certain amount of disregard for the well being of others...that phase has passed thank goodness. But there will always be a few selfish, entitled jackwagons out there looking to spoil the fun for everyone. Sorry to hear about the injuries, bad experiences and run ins with disrespectful people. Life can be unpredictable and dangerous when you’re out there living! 😁
@@POVLA Well you certainly have to hand it to these guys for being in shape; it's hard enough hiking up there. I can't even imagine dragging a bike all the way up to the top of T5. But I only see tire tracks from the Henge down. I'm sitting at the Henge right now, and I took a couple of photos of the tire tracks. I don't see any above the Henge. I have no problem with the mountain bikers being up here as long as they don't hurt anybody. I just wish more of them had bells on the bikes. Hikers Josh and Julia built a birdhouse on a post with maps and bells 50 feet above the Haines Canyon tank on the Blue Bug Trail. I just hate to see anybody get injured. I think I mentioned this belfor, but my mountain biker buddy came off a trail on the backbone near Kanan Dume and he was in the hospital for a month. Broken collarbone, pelvis, hip, femur... lost his job, lost his band, lost his house... forced to move back in with his parents .Plus a $40,000 search-and-rescue + ER bill. That was a very expensive mountain bike trip for him that day!
Dang that sucks about your friend. I’ve spent a few days in the hospital over the years due to skiing and mountain biking accidents. Now that i am older with young kids, i can only afford to be 30% stupid. I like the maps and bells idea, but people really hate to be told what to do. So it will only help as much as people are willing to take it. 1% of the People will trash everything. I remember just a few short years ago, there was no one up there to ring a bell for, except the bears and deer. The wild popularity growth is the main cause for an uptick in injuries and run ins, and i think that will ebb and flow. The popularity boom at Haines was caused by the closure of everything else last summer - everyone spread out to find new places to go. My two cents. From my exploring lately, everywhere is just nuts. Look at trail creek! Onward to new, quiet, unpopulated trails! :)
@@POVLA Thanks! yeah Big John the mountain biker... 6 ft 6 in...built like a combination of the Hulk and Thor, is doing fine now and he has a new nickname "Lucky". When he went off the trail and down the cliff, the accident was witnessed by a doctor with a satellite phone who rendered aid, and there was a paramedic on the highway above him having lunch, and an SAR helicopter overhead or he would have bled to death. And you're absolutely correct about the pandemic changing Haines Canyon hiking trails. I used to hike up here...fairly recently... and see a grand total of 5 people a month. The fact is most of my mountain biker friends.. including Dave and Steve.. who were the only mountain bikers up here, along with my old hiking buddies, are going elsewhere. Just too many people up here no place to park etc. But since I live a few blocks away and I'm stubborn I refuse to be driven off this morning by a view inconsiderate people. I've jumped out of the way of a few bikes in the last few months.. just have to pay more attention...and absolutely positively no headphones anymore. Which is kind of a bummer.
Well, first the good news:I'm standing at the Lonely Oak Meadow and the side has magically reappeared! The bad news: my tools are nowhere to be found. $400 worth of some of my best cutting tools... oh well...like I wrote before, that's my fault for leaving them out in public.
I had to turn around at the Precipice late yesterday afternoon on my way up to the flagpole because the weather became intolerable, but I got some video of what's left of the flag. I do not want to definitively state the flag is destroyed, but it looked pretty bad. The last time I mentioned the flag was toast here on this channel I was threatened with violence by poster Don Jon and his associates... I've never understood that tough-guy routine on the internet, or the need to attack anonymous strangers...I guess it just makes people feel superior. But if I can figure out how to do it I'll post the video here and people can see for themselves. I wanted to make it all the way to the flag, but ice crystals were starting to fall and the winds were ferocious. Not to mention my mini dachshund was freezing. And no one likes a cold wiener. :(
Peeked at the flag through binoculars this morning and it appears ok. Sometimes it gets stuck at the top of the pole and flaps around like crazy, and then the next day it is fine. Strange. Thanks for the heads up. I typically have a good look at it a couple times a week. Enjoy the fun weather!!
@@POVLA That's amazing... from the Precipice, it look like it was in bad shape. I just checked out the video I took and it was pretty funny.... the wind was blowing up the mountain and at a few points the flag was directly above the pole...it looked like there was another pole attached to the top of the flagpole. Other times look like a shredded handkerchief and sometimes it looked like tetherball swinging around. Anyway I'm glad it's okay. I should be up at the flag tomorrow. In the meantime I'm heading back up there today and see how my handiwork came out. I was up there yesterday was a shovel clearing all the steps from the trailhead to the Henge because the steps filled with sand and debris and rocks. Anticipating the rain I was hoping maybe it would tamp down the steps. I appreciate all the hard work everybody did but quite frankly with the steps filled with loose gravel and sand, they were basically useless. I also worked on the wall at Trailhead again and if everything goes according to plan, after that rain last night it should be perfect.
@@POVLA if I didn't see it I wouldn't believe it. The flag's fine... looks brand new... now I'm really glad I got video of it yesterday otherwise I would have thought I was losing my mind that hallucinating. Meanwhile the steps came out fine all the way of the hinge nice and clean the rain helped but my plan for the wall failed. all the accomplished was exposing more chain link. I'm glad I brought tools...I cut the chain link out and bent it back, filled it with rocks and tied it back. .. then I shoveled some dirt over the top. This should be the last stage I've been working on it 13 months. Anyway standing on the Camelback looking at the flag... looks brand new. Man after what I saw yesterday that's one tough flag
@@POVLAWell, that was a 'duh' moment for me! ha ha One would think that living in Southern California my entire life, I would remember our Santa Ana winds. Thank you for your time and effort placing the flag up there. I do appreciate what you did as it was always so encouraging for me to look up there and see it wave.
@@alzorama2876 neighbor mike and i just fixed the broken pole again put a new flag up the day before new years this year. So if its gone already, there ya go. :). We’ve probably put up 10 since we dragged that pole up there. And the pole is now about 10 feet shorter, cuz the wind keeps hacking that to pieces too. We’ve been talking about a steel pole…but talk is cheap. Haha
Absolutely beautiful... Don't get much better than that...
Went to my local Sunland Ralph’s the other day to purchase some items for my hiking trip.
Had a moment in the bread section as I was looking for Dave's Killer Bread to fill myself up on my journey.
I saw this VERY attractive young lady in the store so I became distracted.
Little did I know, my bad eyesight made me pass by the bread section a couple of aisles ago.
I guess you can say I had a rich vince moment
I grew up 2 block from the Graveyard trail. From 1963 to 1978. I climbed Camelback in 1972 and 1976 when I was 13 and 17 years old. We walked in from Parsons Trail up the ridge line. Was not as much brush on the ridge back then. As I recall there was a small flag back then at the top. Great job with the flag pole and the video. Brought back some great memories.
hey les! dave stewart here!
John Muir has a great quote... :-)
STEEP TRAILS
John Muir
Chapter 11
The San Gabriel Mountains (Cir. 1880)
After saying so much for human culture in my last, perhaps I may now be allowed a word for wildness -- the wildness of this southland, pure and untamable as the sea.
In the mountains of San Gabriel, overlooking the lowland vines and fruit groves, Mother Nature is most ruggedly, thornily savage. Not even in the Sierra have I ever made the acquaintance of mountains more rigidly inaccessible. The slopes are exceptionally steep and insecure to the foot of the explorer, however great his strength or skill may be, but thorny chaparral constitutes their chief defense. With the exception of little park and garden spots not visible in comprehensive views, the entire surface is covered with it, from the highest peaks to the plain. It swoops into every hollow and swells over every ridge, gracefully complying with the varied topography, in shaggy, ungovernable exuberance, fairly dwarfing the utmost efforts of human culture out of sight and mind.
But in the very heart of this thorny wilderness, down in the dells, you may find gardens filled with the fairest flowers, that any child would love, and unapproachable linns lined with lilies and ferns, where the ousel builds its mossy hut and sings in chorus with the white falling water. Bears, also, and panthers, wolves, wildcats; wood rats, squirrels, foxes, snakes, and innumerable birds, all find grateful homes here, adding wildness to wildness in glorious profusion and variety.
------------ And the rest of the chapter is wonderful.
There were OUZELS here? I can scarcely imagine it, I have only ever seen them in the high Rockies where there was 10x the water there is here.
I FINALLY found/saw it today past the old cemetery and I think heading down Teresita? My husband was driving our Jeep so I could check it off my bucket list! YAY! just rewatched this video........such a scary climb! and with such a pole! Just so you know, it matters to me!
Kim Weaver that is great!
Glad you found the needle on the ridge-line.
Thank you for the kind words.
I am glad it matters to you! We made the trek because it matters to us too.
Gratitude is a wonderful emotion. It has this fantastic ability to dissolve fear and anger.
Be well, be happy, and be strong out there!!
Someone reported today on Sunland Tujunga Community News that the base of the flag pole is broken.....Suad BisognoSunland Tujunga Community News
S1t8Spolnasohnred ·
Hey STCN,
My husband ran to the flag today on the top of Tujunga (yes, he’s crazy). When he arrived he saw the base broke. He temporarily put the flag back up but doesn’t think it’s gonna last long.
If anyone knows who typically maintains the flag, please let them know!
@@kcw35892 i did see that. Thanks Kim! We Will make a trip up to fix as soon as this next baby gets here. Any day now ;)
@@POVLA well congratulations and best wishes for a speedy and safe delivery of a healthy little human.
That’s amazing! Never knew there was a trail going to that ridge so near the mount Lukens one...will for sure make it a goal to check out that flag soon. Great content!
Thanks for watching! It’s a good hike.
Awesome job
Hey thanks for watching!
In the past four months, we've made remarkable progress on manicuring the main trail to the top of T5. The Lonely Oak Meadow sign got knocked down in the wind two months ago. Someone put it back up before my next hike the following day (Thanx!)
Three months ago I cut out the chain-link wall at the bottom below the first sign. It took an hour and four sets of cutting tools: A pair of high-leverage diagonal pliers, a bolt cutter, a pair of high-leverage linesman pliers and a ratcheting cable cutter. There are several sets of chain-link walls going up the old Haines Canyon Fire Road, but I had no idea they were so deep and had so much chain-link. It was hard work. But after watching a hiker fall off of the wall in December, I decided to cut out an access point.
I've been up to the flagpole and/or the precipice 30 times so far this year. Everyone there knows me. I'm the guy with the mini-dachshunds. T5 is their favorite hike. Mine too.
Since the stay-at-home order last week, I've seen more hikers there than any time since I began hiking Haines decades ago. Same for the old firebreak across the canyon to the Blanchard and Cooks Tank. The the Blue Bug has been busier than usual, too.
Best hike in LA.
The mystery has been solved! Thanks for all the hard work! Mike and I put the Lonely Oak sign back up and have made two night hikes to the top and mike made the loop from Kill em Quick a few weeks ago. We are going to put up a new, larger flag when the rain stops. The trail looks great!
@@POVLA No problem; my pleasure!
I felt obligated to help out after I saw a girl fall backwards off of the wall. She was okay; she fell on her backpack. Her boyfriend wasn't so lucky. He freaked-out and tried to pull a Ninja and jumped off the wall to help her, but his shoelace caught a tie-wire on the chain-link and he did a header into the concrete below. I told them the next time they made the hike, I'd clear a pathway through the wall.
Anyway, another hiker (I forget his name) has been manicuring the trial, so I got my clippers and did the same, all the way to the top. Do you know who put the new flag up there?
Sunday (March 27th) I passed two groups of hikers on my way down. Nice to see more people up here!
My favorite trails, besides the Blanchard/Cooks firebreaks above Haines, are May Canyon to the old ICBM Silos above Sylmar, Merrell to the Location Scopes at Inspiration Point, Crescenta View to Lukens, Chumash Trailhead through Mugu Peak to La Jolla Valley and the Temescal portion of the Backbone in the Santa Monica Mountains.
By the way, I LOVE your vid! Good work! I'm sure we'll meet at some point up there!
@@POVLA *typo*
It was March 22nd I passed the two groups on the way up T5. Stupid fingers.......
rich vince hey thats fantastic seeing people going up T5 and great to hear it is being manicured. That was always the idea: to create a pathway to that beautiful overlook and celebrate our little town and country. As far as we know, the flag currently flying is the 2nd one we installed. The first did not last long, so we replaced with the 9x6(i think). Mike has a new flag ready to go. Before lockdown, we were going to hit up the local facebook hiking group and get a group hike to the top. We are scrapping that, but will be going up soon. The flags only last a few months, as i am sure you have noticed it gets windy up there, so we are hoping that anyone who wants to keep the tradition going, will replace when needed. Also, we planned on securing the pole with guywires and bolts into the granite, but found the current situation to be good enough. I am not sure how long that flagpole will last under constant beatinf against the rock. We may need to reassess the guy wires, so the pole doesnt buckle. It is aluminum, so time will make that thing fold at some point if a dent forms. However, that flagpole stood in my yard for decades, so who knows. Thanks for sharing! Find mike and brian if you search “flag” in hiking in the foothills fb. See you up there and keep up the good work!
POV LA
I happened to be in town visiting my dad after he came home from being in hospice care, and while driving south west in the residential neighborhood I just happened to look up at old Camels back mountain and noticed something peering up within the twin peaks there, wondering what it was, and who put it there. Only someone who is very familiar with the area and it's surroundings would even notice it (good eyes help also) although that particular day (3/28/20) I didn't notice the flag, I could definitely see the flagpole.
The family has resided in the Sunland/ Tujunga area since 1959, and still own the house.
All these years I've wanted to climb to the top of this particular mountain top and have wondered what it would be like.
Thank you for providing the amazing footage presented here, and showing us all the way.
Your efforts and determination to accomplish the task and planting that great ol' flag is inspiring and heartwarming to say the least.
God bless!🇺🇸
Great video. Thanks for doing this guys (and thanks to all of those clearing the trail!) I look up at the flag often, and check it out with my binoculars and telescope as well. I've been wanting to get to the top of Camelback for a number of years. One of these days - I'll make an attempt.
Scott Popjes thanks for watching and for keeping an eye on the flag. I take a peek at it almost daily through binoculars as well and have seen quite a few people up there recently. Fun to see people making the pilgrimage. I hope to see you up there. Give yourself a few hours on a cool morning and you’ll be very pleased by the journey.
You guys done good! Lived in Sunland for 25 years before relocating to Oregon. Love the love of country! Hoorah!
Thanks for watching. Yeah i moved now too. Hoping to start making vids again soon.
Awesome. So glad people are fixing things that need it.
Thanks for watching!
Standing at the Blanchard Canyon Water Tank @ 12:40 p.m. on Saturday November 28th looking up at the flagpole. The gentleman I passed on Haines Canyon above the parking area appears to be working on the flagpole. I watched him go up T5, and, I can see him moving around up there and the flags down. I had a feeling he was going up T5... I said hello but I should have introduced myself. Nice guy...and I'll say one thing: Man, he was fast. He made the flagpole in less than an hour.
In a remarkable coincidence, as I was posting this, Greg Chapp came by the Blanchard Tank, and we're both marveling over the athleticism of this guy, as we're watching him work on the flag.
By the way, Greg's working on a new trail up to T5 that starts on the Graveyard Truck Trail above Alpine Village.
Neighbor mike, mark, blake and i hiked up and fixed the flag pole today. That was us. :) That guy came up and met us. Jimmy was his name, a local montrose search and rescue guy. He was repelling off some rocks near the top. Good guy. Flagpole is back in business. Stronger that ever. We dragged some steel up to reinforce. Had to take the flag down as it was shredded. Only lasted 12 days. Thanks for the flag Neighbor Tanya!
@@POVLA Jimmy needs to change his name to Spider-Man. I've never seen a human being scale a mountain that fast. I timed him at approximately 55 minutes from Haines Canyon Avenue to the Camelback Cairn. The guy is a freakin' machine.
When I got to the bottom of the canyon, I could see the shiny new flagpole going up. You guys are the best!
@@POVLA Hmmm, I wonder if it's the same Tanya I hiked with earlier this year? I was on my way down from The Blue Bug and she was finishing her hike to the microwave towers. We hiked the last two miles down Haines together as she wanted some company. Super nice person...and I told her about this TH-cam channel, the flag and T5. I've been looking for her ever since, but haven't seen her again. But she was very interested in T5.
I've met and hiked with more nice ladies this year than all the other years combined...and I've been hiking Haines for decades.
We went up with the intent to strengthen and repair the broken pole and then reraise the flag, but it was in bad shape, so we had to take it off. At 10x15 feet it Was too big. We dont personally know tanya, but she reached out and asked if we would put up a flag if she purchased one and we said of course. Mike took it up two weeks ago. We informed her of what happened and she has already purchased a replacement which we will probably give to jimmy to raise, as he goes up several times a week! What a great community. Thanks again for caring and keeping an eye on things!
Great content! The balcony of LA! Nice video and editing...
Thanks for watching!
Thank You!!!
Cliff B - You are very welcome!
For the record, Sherpa Mike carried that flagpole, by himself, up a significant portion of the upper route, including the entire spine to Preachers Chair.
Sherpa Mike is The Man...my kindred spirit. You too, Brian!
There are some dicey parts between The Precipice and Camelback. I used a claw-hammer two weeks ago above The Precipice Plateau and Camelback, trying to make some steps. The easier and safer the better. We want as many people up there as possible. The views from The Flagpole are amazing.
I'm up there more than anyone else...and did I mention the The Rock I found? It's currently being examined by professionals. It may be the largest meteorite in the world (keeping fingers crossed so I can retire, but it's non-magnetic). It was sitting on the ridge just above The Precipice. It stood out like a sore thumb...half of it is as sharp as a razor...I cut my hand picking it up... and the other half is melted into a shiny, smooth glassy material. I might have really found something.........
rich vince hey there. I saw that you made a comment about your tools getting taken and the sign going down. That is awful. I think youtube will not post the comment due to language, was not up to me. I see that you commented, but it wont let me see it or review. Sorry again rich. Good work up there. Were the signs still at the bottom?
@@POVLA Quite frankly, I didn't notice. The tie-wire and my tools were stashed about 50' above the signs where the trail gets step and turns north. By the time I got to the bottom I was so upset the signs could have been on fire and I wouldn't have noticed.
Whatever. It's my fault. I should have known better. Pandemic or not, you can't leave valuables in public.
rich vince I have some tools i’d be happy to donate. :) thanks again for all the effort. The trail is great.
POV LA
Thanks I appreciate the offer but I have a spare set of diagonals and linesmans and another claw hammer.
The Greenlee ratcheting cable cutter is a bummer though... that was 250 bucks with my contractor discount 10 years ago.
Thanks anyway but I'm retiring from working on the trail...Ive done my share.
And kudos to whoever found the Lonely Oak metal sign and put it back up!
What A Great video guys,,,that’s way Cool,,,
Thanks for watching! I am glad you enjoyed. It’s a fantastic hike with a magnificent view over a wonderful little community. :)
Magical! Thank for the awesome video!!!!
Thank you!!
I've directed a dozen people to the T5 trailhead in the past 2 weeks after I removed the stop sign from the forest service at the second gate.
All the hikers were women except one gentleman on Memorial Day who parked all the way on Big Tujunga Canyon looking for the trailhead and had passed it when he asked me if I knew where it was.
These people are lucky they found the right person to ask; most people have no idea how to get up there.
Yesterday I directed a really nice lady named Tanya to the trailhead and she photographed the sign at the bottom.
Sadly it appears the flag is gone. But at least a lot of people are going up there.
As for the gentleman on Memorial Day, he had to be the fastest hiker I've ever seen. I was on the Blanchard Firebreak Trail and watched him go to the flagpole and back down in less than 2 hours; that's remarkable. Going going up in one hour is doable, but coming back down in 1 hour is unbelievable. Even more remarkable is the fact he came down from the flagpole and then took the Blue Bug Trail all the way up to Lukens. That's well over twenty miles on some rough terrain in one day.
rich vince Flag is gone? Or just not flying? Thanks for the update?
@@POVLA Yesterday a VERY athletic lady came down T5...I saw her as she hit the Graveyard Truck Trail and I asked her if the flag was up there cuz I didn't see it from the Blanchard Tank, and she said there was no flag up there. This is actually the second person that's reported no more flag, can't confirm that personally. I haven't been feeling well lately so I've been sticking to the flatter trails.
rich vince you should get your eyes checked my guy
@@donjon3136
My eyesight is fine.
I have been up there for months.
I got this information secondhand.
Learn how to read.
HAVEN'T been up there for months.
Just wanted to make sure I wrote 'haven't'
correctly so you don't come back and tell me that my eyesight is effed-up
Absolutely Beautiful God bless America!!
Thanks so much!
Great content! I recently moved to Tujunga and have checked out Haines Canyon. I noticed the flag and wondered how to reach out. Thanks for posting the video. I love all the history of this area.
Manuel Herrera hey thanks for watching. It is a great hike and some people have been turning our route into an actual trail now. It is much easier to get to the top. :)
Quick update:
I made the loop (Haines, Blue Bug, Lukens, Flagpole) yesterday. The ridgeline from Lukens to the flagpole was as brutal as advertised. My GPS clocked it at 9.1 miles and 3291 feet elevation. A few steep hands-and-feet scrambles, a few angry stabby plants, a nice healthy sunburn, and a tweaked ankle later and I finally got to the pole. I couldnt figure out why it took so long to see it until I realized that the flag was down. I saw a group of 3 come from the west (likely had come up Kill em Quick) and I thought that might have been you but was in a bit of a rush to get back to water so I didnt even go all the way down to the pole. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know that the flag (as of Sunday 6.7.20) was down.
Cant believe i missed this comment! Good work on the Luken-camelback connector. Ive wondered if that was as bad as it looks. I have wanted to do haines-sister elsie to camelsback and down t5. Not time. Mike and i are talking about doing T5 to the flag on July 3rd. :)
Happy to report a virtual army of volunteers, including children with buckets, were working on T5 Saturday. And work has begun on what appears to be some new signage about 25 ft above the trailhead. On the way up yesterday I noticed someone had dug a post hole six inches in diameter and 24 inches deep. Sure nuff on the way down the hole had been replaced with concrete and a six-foot piece of 3/4 inch rigid pipe complete with holes drilled and 1/4 20 nuts bolts and washers Inserted in the holes.
I think it's great the community is coming together to work on the trail.
Everyone is doing a fantastic job. I've been manicuring the steps Ralph and his partner cut, and the children are lining the steps with stones. It's hard to believe how much progress has been made in the last 15 months.
It takes a certain type of adventurer to want to scale the heights of a rocky climb, just to see the sight, and to say...I made it. There was something poetic about a wicked rugged climb up unsure footing to a peak where our nations flag was unfurled for all to see across the Sunland & Tujunga below. My son in law has the spirit of Freemont in him.
Wow! Thanks for upfitting the old flag, which apparently is down again? Super scary trail. How nice it was all recorded since it was such a hard task to complete. God Bless America and Sunland and Tujunga.
Kim Weaver flag is still up. I can see it. :)
@@POVLA oh thanks.......I will look for it when I venture out today....and please, what does POV LA mean?
Kim Weaver - point of view los angeles :)
@@POVLA Thank you.....that's great! Watching your Mt Gleason missile video now.....I am learning all sorts of interesting things .
I couldn't find it...I am almost at Lowell, and so I ventured further N W....even up Haines Canyon and 7 Hills......recommendations of where I should go to see it? TIA
looks like a cool trail... would have to try it when im back in cali sometime
Its better than any video can show.
After a couple failed attempts mostly foiled by sun/heat/outta shapeness, made it up to the pole today with my pal Mike Zonshine (thank you June gloom!) -- i think it helped that we are both horn players so lungs in decent shape. Went via T5, wow, the trail is in great shape! Passed some trail workers-- thanks for everyone's help up here on the Mt Lukens area ridges. i was getting tired of bushwhacking and getting ticks on me. Saw plenty of Solitary Bees hovering and working the flowers-- go team! Once going up Mt Lukens from Deukmajian, came across a vast expanse of their individual dens built right next to each other in the sand.
I'm the Greg mentioned below that was doing some trail grooming. It's a great trail, great view from the top.
I was thinking that it might be nice to add a bit of trail at the bottom to the road so that you wouldn't have to climb over the wire. Any votes or comments on that? Looks quite doable to me.
Greg Chapp thanks for the hard work! Mike and I hiked to the top Saturday (march 28th)and it was incredible. We replaced the flag. There is currently a step through the wire now, but whatever you think works best. Thanks again for making it much more relaxing of a trail! Ha!
Hey Greg! Thanks for chiming in! When I bumped into you and those two young ladies this morning I couldn't wait to tell you about this vid and the guys that made it.
By the way, I'm sorry I forgot your name. I'm great with faces, but bad with names.
Yesterday when I was up there, I was considering bringing back my tools (I'm a high-voltage electrician) and cutting out more of the wall. I can leave the bolt cutters behind and just use the diagonal pliers and the ratcheting cable cutter, which was designed to cut 500 MCM copper. It's an awesome tool.
Those chain-link walls are tough...made with 24" cubes of chain-link tied together with HEAVY steel cable and filled with rocks. If I cut out two more cubes, it would just about kill the wall, but I don't think it would be a problem as far as flooding is concerned since there is an uncompromised drainage tunnel right below the wall. And with two more cubes removed, it would just be a two small steps onto the trail with zero climbing.
So....you put the girls to work today and just 'supervised' eh? Good for you!
See you soon !
Rich
@@POVLA For the record, Greg does a LOT of work on all the old firebreak trails. I first met him on the old Blanchard Canyon firebreak about nine months ago, working his butt off. I rotate my hikes between the Blanchard Canyon firebreaks, T5 and The Blue Bug. The mountain bikers have cleared the Blue Bug all the way up, and now the ridge lines up to and between Blanchard and Cooks are cleared, too.
Two weeks ago I met a group working on the ridge lines above the Rim of the Valley intersection. This connects Cooks to Haines just below the Blue Bug. We now have quite a network of trails up here.
By the way, for the old timers...the day after the Station Fire I went up to ROTV and removed the burned out signs from the fireproof fence post (which is still there). What's left of those signs is sitting on the mantle in my living room. I'll post a photo soon. You can still read the signs, even though they are burned. It's pretty cool.
I was also n The Precipice on March 28th. How did we not see each other? Did you go early?
Next time!
Rich
Greg Im Ralph I met ya on the fire road while you where doing some clearing. During the beginning of the Pandemic we couldn't go anywhere, crazy lockdown! so I spend my time cutting a clear open trail all the way to the the flag pole and its all clear now. We even put rocks in some areas as trail markers. I also cut another trail that cuts across to Haines Canyon and I set a bench that overlooks our magestic valley ;-) Thank you POVLA for putting up this vid and erecting our Flag! and all that have pitched in on maintaining on our local trails
@@ralphy199 I started working on the trail at the "hump" near the Seven Hills trailhead. I looked at Google Earth, and that looks like a pretty good way to go.
Nice work! Was wondering how that flag got bigger all of a sudden, haha. I run these trails daily and actually found an easier, more direct way up to the flag (or Camelback Mountain as some local refer to it). It's probably halfway between Kill Em Quick and Haines Canyon. Not sure of the name but I've always called the hump where the turn off is the Rim Of The Valley Hump. Saw a bow hunter coming down it in full camo about 10 years ago and have been hitting it ever since. Keep up the great work!
ReverendToneZone hey thanks! I know the ridge you are talking about and have wanted to try that one out. From google earth, they look about the same distance, and judging by the fact they ran the bulldozer down the ridge we went up, i assumed it was easier. Maybe not. Have you gone up our way since the trail angels made a super highway up there? Its great! Btw...we put the big new flag up just a few weeks back. The flag in the video is a now a bit older.
@@POVLA Hi POV LA. Nice, you should check it out, it's a great hike! I usually go up from that hump and down to Haines Canyon. Haven't been down since the trail angles worked it though, maybe I'll try heading up that way tomorrow. Just realized this video was from 2019, the giant flag was the one I was referencing though. Would love to join you guys one of these days. Love finding these awesome local trails! Thanks again!
@@POVLA Ran up to Tujunga Henge yesterday, praise those trail saints, that's gotta be the clearest it's been in ages! Didn't have time to make it all the way up to the flag but still think the Rim Of The Valley Hump trail is both quicker and easier. You should definitely check it out. Take care and keep the videos coming.
Hi. Can you give coordinates to the rim of the valley hump? I’m local and hike near seven hills. I think I might know what you’re talking about but 100% sure.
Appreciate it!
@@Jaebird82 sorry just saw this. Here you go - 34.27327° N, 118.28940° W
I rescued the trailhead sign with the photographic map and mounted it in the remains of the chain link wall I dismantled adjacent to the new trail I cut. It can now be clearly seen from the Graveyard Truck Trail, and cannot be removed without the use of cutting tools. No luck with the Lonely Oak Meadow sign yet, but I haven't given up hope.
The trailhead sign was evidently carried up about 75' and tossed over the side of the ridge into the canyon on the west. Why someone would do that is beyond me, but the mountain bikers tell me members of the Sierra Club have been dismantling their course, so who knows. Its a crazy world we live in today.
I just spoke to two of the residents that live near the first gate below the debris basin and they've been calling the police because of all the people gathering around the water, ignoring social-distancing, not wearing masks, and, of course, discharging firearms Saturday night.
As I mentioned I saw upwards of fifty people gathered around the water's edge. It appeared to be some kind of a party and everyone was Hispanic.
They were also concerned that the sign that been vandalized repeatedly, and the Closed to the Public order still stands, which contradicts the forest service order.
Whatever. I'm sick of all the drama. I'll be going to Deukmejian Park to hike from this point forward until all this madness ends.
What's frustrating is the fact the woman that was going up T5 yesterday afternoon said she walked right by one police car and waved to them and they didn't try to stop her.
When I got down to the second gate, there were two police cars and I had to do some fast talking to avoid a $1,000.00 ticket.
I knew people would screw this up, I just didn't think it would happen this fast. It's really a shame because T5 is one of my favorite hiking trails, but it's not worth what I went through yesterday.
Damn, nice drone shots
God bless that cute flag we did same in big tujunga but different country flag
Hey thanks for watching! Where is your other flag? What country? I’d love to find it. Be well, forgive, and be grateful! :)
Is passing rancho ibarra if you go my Facebook you will see where because idk how explain where is exactly
i remember shitting myself up there. good times good times.
Can’t think of a better place to shit oneself.
homo sapien yah , no kidding . I plan on taking the socks to a police department so that they can track down this son of a shitter .
Great work guys I get to see the flag from my front door I have pictures the I took with my telescope I want to make it up there one day love to see the flag up close thank you guy
@@mojarra1990 thanks for the comment! Love it when people get to enjoy it. Mike and I are Hoping to make it up there tonight :) we’ll see.
A few notes about T5 and Haines Canyon...
...tomorrow at 6:00am the old Mount Lukens fireroad (2N76) and all the adjoining trails will OFFICIALLY reopen, but from what I'm hearing and reading, apparently no one cared about the closure and the area has been filled with hikers and bikers. I personally respected the closures and since the signs were posted have not returned. I had been sneaking up a ridge adjacent to Blanchard Canyon and now that Deukmejian Park is open again, I've been on the Crescenta View Trail.
In addition, this is how clueless the US Forest Service is:
The ranger I spoke to still thinks there is a fireroad going to up Mount Lukens from Haines Canyon. Um, yeah right. A few weeks after the Station Fire in 2008 a massive storm washed-out what was left of the road and it's been a single-track for 10 years. How is it possible a ranger in charge of that area didn't know that?? Wow. And this guy is a highly-paid, long-time employee of the forest service. Our tax dollars at work, people.
Also, I spoke to the woman in charge of the Glendale Parks and Recreation and she told me that the biker that was airlifted out of Haines Canyon on April 11th survived and has been released from the hospital. As mentioned earlier, he was the reason they posted signs at the trailheads and closed the area. The day he was injured was one of the busiest days I have ever seen on Haines Canyon and he brought attention to the fact it was a high-usage area.
I'm glad he's okay, but I hope he uses his head next time he's on the trail (yes, pun intended).
And finally, to everyone that was sneaking up the closed trail: Has the Lonely Oak Meadow sign re-appeared? I was considering crossing the gate and disregarding the closure order, but I didn't want to break the law and risk a $5,000.00 fine. And PLEASE respect the social-distancing laws so we can all go back to enjoying Haines Canyon.
Thanks!
Rich
This is amazing content man, literally everything about it
Much appreciated! Thanks for watching.
Okay, I worked on the wall for three hours today until I cut my hand and required some first aid. It was a lot more work than I thought. I must have cut half a mile of chain-link and moved a thousands rocks. I even damaged my cutting tool.
I wanted to finish a stairway through the wall, and if I hadn't sliced myself, I would have completed the job. The idea was to cut the chain-link and using tie wire from home, bend back the chain-link and make a series of steps before the next rains hit, hoping the mud flow would fill in the gaps, making a perfect set of stairs.
I got close...and it's much improved...hopefully next time I will have it finished.
rich vince very cool. I will check it out in the next few days. Heal up!
@@POVLA "Tis but a flesh wound!"
Seriously, if it wasn't rusty wire, I would have kept working. I'll finish it next time......
Beautiful video. Very well done. I made it up to 'Tujunga Henge' last week before the sun started to set. Going to get up to that pole tomorrow. Thanks for the hard work.
Kelly Boyle hey that’s great! Thanks for watching!! I hope you make it and If you do, please comment on how the flag is fairing - sometimes it gets tangled up.
The best view of the sunland/tujunga valley is from the flagpole! Enjoy!
@@POVLA Will do. I'll get a couple pics and link my insta when I do so you can check it out.
The Unrestricted Knowing hey there! Neighbor Mike (in the videos) just went to the flag on saturday via the kill em quick trail and then down the ridge to the reservoir. Some group (we think it is the santa monica conservancy) has been doing major work to the KEQ trail and it is much safer and wider now. The trail from the top of KEQ to the flag is less certain and there is one section near the top that requires scrambling on all fours. The quickest/safest/easiest route is from the haines canyon reservoir as described in the video. Mike also said that someone has been improving that trail as well. Thanks to who ever is working on these trails! They are such fun ways to access our mountains. Thanks for watching!!
@@POVLA when I made it up to "Tujunga henge" and had to turn back due to sunset I came across a guy improving it a bit. Greg or Gary I think his name was. He said he hadn't seen the trail before but appreciated ut enough to start trimming here and there. Next time so go, I'll bring my big shears with me and try to improve on an steady spectacular route. Planning to work on sister elsie this summer too. Lastv time i was three she was waaaaay overgrown. We'll see how that goes.
Kelly Boyle thanks for the update! I guess that guy improved it all the way up. Good job Gary or Greg!!
Long may it wave!
There’s a good crew replacing this one now. Hopefully it sticks. I think it will.
Putting up flags in true ‘murican style. ‘Murica! Absolutely love the vid.
Yay ameriKa
Great Job. Awesome video.
I am planning on making the hike to the flag pole.
Can you tell me how long it takes to get there starting from Haines Reservoir
Thank you
Hello there! Thanks for watching. It all depends on how hard you want to push yourself. If you are in great shape you can make it up in under an hour, as it is only 1.5 miles. But it is the 1500 feet of elevation gain that is the problem. :) The trail is well worn at this point, which helps a lot, but I would suggest giving yourself 1.5-2 hours to make a comfortable hike to the Flag Pole and 45 minutes to get back down.
3 hours round trip is pretty typical for me, as I like to sit at the top and dawdle for an hour. Enjoy! It is the best hike and view around. Lukens doesn't hold a candle to this rocky razor spine!
@@POVLA Wonderful Thank you for the quick follow up.
I will let you know how it goes and the overall condition of the flag. Cheers!
Such an awesome video. Beautifully shot. I live in Tujunga and have hiked many trails in the area. I've hiked Haines Canyon many times and never knew about the firebreak up the ridge. Definitely on my shortlist of hikes to do, especially since it's basically in my backyard!
Where do you get access to these maps, btw? Very cool. I'd love to get my hands on some of the older ones.
You will like this hike. No trees but the view is the best around town. Thanks for watching! You can find digital copies of every USGS map on the National Map Viewer site. Pretty cool site actually. Very high resolution scans for every year produced. It can be tough to navigate at first, so let me know if you find what you are looking for. Cheers!
Have you made it to the flag yet? A new flag is up!
@@POVLA Good to know! Not yet. Only because I know it's a beast of a hike and I've had some back pain lately - been sticking with "easier" hikes nearby. Soon!
Btw, do you do any trail maintenance in the Verdugo's? I recently did this tough climb out of a ravine with my 17lb Boston (he's a beast) up to the Verdugo Crest fire road and want to thank whoever placed all the climbing ropes on the way up. Just east of Whiting Woods trail.
Sadly, i haven’t done any local trail maintenance. And i haven’t done any meaningful Verdugo hikes in 6-7 years. But there is so much cool history, old firebreaks and trails in the Verdugo’s. Maybe one day i will get around to making a video about that wonderful little mountain range!
great work was listening to lofi music while skipping thru
This is the way
Very cool. Thanks for your efforts. Lived in Sunland for 25+ years and never knew of this. In Oregon now. Who put it up and why? Thanks again.
2098elk thanks watching! The original pole and flag were very small and almost impossible to see from town without a spotting scope or better. We believe the original pole was put up by juvenile offenders and/or the fire dept coming up Kill Em Quick trail from Camp Routh (fire camp 15) as part of wildland fire training. I did a video on camp routh if youre interested. But that is our best guess. But obviously, people have been going up there for a long time. How was the Oregon transition? :)
@@POVLA Took me about 30 minutes to adjust to the slower pace, fewer medical and shopping options but my wife a bit longer. Still have friends in Sunland-Tujunga and stay in touch. Even thought born and raised in Los Angeles don't really have a desire to return. We do get more rain in a year (60 to 80") than 10 years down south. More people in Sunland than in our entire county.
For the past month, the flag has been entangled, but today i saw it fully unfurled. Go flag go!
Thanks for the flag work! Just home from making it 3/4 of the way to flag on Kill 'Em Quick route-- too steep/too hot to continue. Best attempted on fully cloudy day, or before May. Have been to top twice from so-called Rim of Valley Hump "trail" (it has been deer/coyote trails and bushwhacking since before the Station Fire) and I am here to tell you it is not the easiest route-- the Haines Cyn one shown in this video is least amount of scrambling on hands/knees, even if it is longer as the crow flies. But the RoV Hump is closer to my house, i can "walk" (read: struggle switch-backing through occasional chest-high brush) door to top without driving, which i enjoy...There was a question about the foundations/walls up the spur off Haines-- it is an old community called Aztec Park that got obliterated by the Flood of "34, rumor has it that it was an artist's retreat. www.latimes.com/socal/glendale-news-press/news/tn-gnp-xpm-2001-06-13-export37414-story.html
Hey thanks for watching and love the effort from keq. I still havent completed that route to the top. I would love to know where you heard about Azteca being an artist retreat. I have found bits here and there about it: the sign, the name on maps, and a few short snippets, but never heard the artist part. I surmised it was a group of cabins not unlike some of the other big canyons east of JPL and they just didnt survive. Someone must know the story. You may already know, but there are a half dozen or more foundations down lower in the canyon, including a few chimneys that remain standing. One of the cabins apparently belonged to phil begue, and i believe that is one of the cabins above the oak grove about a mile in. I walked through those foundations a few weeks ago, there are quite a few artifacts up there still. Would love it if you or anyone to chime in with more info! :)
Thanks so much for the info about Aztec Park. I was always wondering what it was. I camped there a few weeks ago while doing some work on Elsie. I assumed it was just an old homestead or something. Good to know. Its still in great condition with a picnic table and a few chairs. Very peaceful back there and despite it easily catching the eye from elsie/bluebug, not many people seems to know how to get to it so I think its staying in good shape... i found no trash in that area.
Yesterday I hiked from Lukens to the pole via the ridgeline and you arent lying... that trail was rough. Lots of scrambling and backtracking and bushwacking. It could make for a great loop with haines truck trail or bluebug but I might have to put that one off until it cools down this fall. I tried to extend elsie up to lukens but it got too steep in the last little canyon and it was all shale and not very easy to work with. One could put switchbacks in but it'd be a lot of work. Maybe Ill work on it this fall.
Thanks for the info and the link.
Source for Azteca being an arts retreat was from a book i saw I believe at the Bolton Hall museum, I don't have it, will check next time the museum opens.
Just heard about this: I can see it from my house.👍🏻
Still waving strong! Thanks for watching!
@@POVLA Yes! I just had a quick look again; long may it wave. And thank you so much for not only an enjoyable video of the hike and work, but for both of you taking the task upon yourselves to put up our nation's banner in such a prominent location.
Thank you - found this on the 5th of July. xo a local
Thanks for watching! :)
Just caught your new 'repairing the flagpole' vid. Well done! And what a cute baby! But I don't see the resemblance (jk).
LOTS of people working on T5 this past month...a virtual army...and steps have been cut all the way from the trailhead signage to the top of the big ridge below the Henge. And I finally cut out the rest of the chain link at the old wall. One more rain and it will be perfect.
And more good news: I believe I have located the Lonely Oak Meadow sign! About 100' below the meadow in the east canyon is a shiny rectangular object. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that's it. Next week I'll try to get down there and dig it out.
And by the way: What trailhead are you using to get to the Lonely Oak Meadow? I didn't recognize it in your new vid. Is that the new one Greg cut out? Off of the Graveyard Truck Trail? Looks kinda nasty.
Ha! Thanks! Thats so great people are out working T5! Its so fun! And great news about the lonely oak sign. I had a hunch it got blown or thrown down the hill.
Yes, The trail we took the pole up initially and this last run with the steel sleeve is off the graveyard truck trail. The first 50 feet is a bit slippery, but its a fine way to go. Meets at the lonely oak. We decided the other route was “easier” so we planted the sign at the culvert. :). Now the two trails make a nice, short loop.
@@POVLA I'm gonna try to get down there and rescue the sign sometime this week. Hard to believe a metal sign cold blow off of the cliff that far, but this is Tujunga, and the winds up here can be fierce.
I moved my family here in April of 1984, and during the first week there was a windstorm....30 MHP sustained with 75 MPH gusts...and all of Foothill Boulevard between Lowell and New York was destroyed. Utility poles, storefronts, traffic lights...it looked for all the world like a tornado came through. And sitting up on top of a ridge in the canyon, that sign didn't stand a chance.
I'll bring some tools and move the T5 sign back to the bottom and see if I can plant the meadow sign firmly enough to keep it from happening again...maybe move it closer to the oak.
@@POVLA Well, I made it down the canyon yesterday afternoon...I could have used a machete...nasty business climbing through all that brush...and it appears our wayward Lonely Oak Meadow sign is on the move again. Apparently it was two days too late and that wind storm that produced 75 MPH gusts earlier this week blew it farther down the hill. Our power went out seven times in 48 hours, utility poles and power lines were down, transformers blew and the internet was out... the usual stuff that happens in Tujunga during a windstorm. I thought I might be able to rescue the sign, but it was nowhere to be found. I definitely saw it reflecting in the sun last week, but looks like the winds got her again. That poor sign has been to Hell and back.
I'm not giving up yet. After the rains come and go I'll bring some tools down there with me and cut my way through the brush and give it another go.
In the meantime I see someone has begun cutting steps up the first ridge above the Henge. Pretty soon they'll be steps cut all the way to the Precipice.
Sorry to report the sign with the photographic map at the trailhead is gone. The rocks at the base of the signpost were clearly removed, so it appears someone pulled the sign out intentionally. It certainly wasn't carried away by the winds. I have a feeling it's nearby, but I didn't have time to look. So that's two signs now that have either been blown away or thrown away. The Lonely Oak sign probably blew off the ridge, but this one was definitely pulled out.
Nothing lasts forever. :) time for a new sign, i suppose.
@@POVLA It was getting dark when I got down the hill yesterday, so I'll take a look for it today. I've been up there every day for the past few weeks. I was planning on looking for the Lonely Oak sign again, so I'll look for both of them when I go up there a little later. I can't imagine someone carrying the sign down the hill, and but you never know.
In the meantime I went up Crescenta View last week and someone planted a shiny new flag and flagpole complete with lights at the redoubt. Was that you guys? Unlike T5 and Haines, Crescenta View has not been maintained for years and the trail is a mess. But the flag looks nice. :)
Did you guys start the hike up on Haines cyn from foothill.blvd.?
We started toward the very top end of Haines Canyon, near the reservoir. Starting at Foothill would kill my will to finish the hike.
Attention fellow T-Fivers! Trailmaster Greg has completed another alternate route to the flagpole that meets with the main trail at the Precipice Sign. Like the other two trailheads*, both of which go to the Lonely Oak Meadow, this trail also begins on the Graveyard Truck Trail, just above the ET House in Sunland. It's a bit more rugged than the main trail, and it's certainly not the fastest way up, but it does offer some variety and at the halfway point there's a chair mounted on top of a rock pile (although the birds have had their way with the stuffing on the seat).
*the alternate trailhead to the Lonely Oak Meadow was bulldozed in June and it's very steep at the beginning...too steep for me...but if you like to climb, it's another way up.
After two bodies were discovered in Haines Canyon earlier this year, the police authorities demanded the single-track on the old Haines Canyon Motorway be widened back into a passable road so detectives could investigate without being required to be delivered by helicopter and then bushwhack to the location of the corpses. Initially the Army Corps of Engineers informed me they expected it to cost a million dollars per mile (approximately 6 million dollars) to clear the old Haines Canyon Fire Road all the way to the towers on top of Mount Lukens, but in June it only took four men three 12-hour days along with one big Cat, two small Bobcats and two chainsaws to finish the job. The road has been cleared from the Haines Canyon Debris Basin to the top of Mount Lukens, and although it's not as wide and smooth as it was prior to the Station Fire, it's still much better than a single track and this allows authorities access to this side of the mountain.
Anyway, there's a new T-5 trial, but be prepared to scrape your shins near the top of the last few ridges as it's still rather narrow in spots. For the beginners, regardless which route you take, I suggest waiting until it rains because it's still crumbling in spots and coming down is dicey. BTW, Greg has named his new trial The Stairmaster.
Can’t wait to try it!
@@POVLA You'll like it. Greg did a hell of a job. I usually take a break at the Precipice Sign on the way up to the flagpole and I always wondered if someone would eventually build a trail up that ridge. Sitting on the precipice overlooking the valley it appeared there was a trail going up that ridge at one point in time.
Anyway there were a lot of fresh footprints, I was sble to recognize the type of boots... from Merrell (Vibram) and Columbia (Omni Grip) and Denali, it looks like some of the locals have already taken advantage of Greig's hard work and are making their way up there.
After we get a couple of good storms all three trails should be Optimum for hiking. I can't wait!
@@richvince1627 if you look at google maps historical aerial/sats you can see that trail very clearly. Including several others on the ridges above the little league fields toward seven hills. Cool stuff. A glorious Time to rebuild! Good work greg!
We have been taking the newest route mostly. It's a good climb. Then loop back down the other way. We're local. 2 miles house to flag.
I'm sure everyone knows T5 and the rest of the Haines Canyons trails are closed after the biker was rescued. Not that its stopping anybody, but the second set of signs on the second gate indicate a $5,000 to $10,000 fine for proceeding any farther and I'm not taking any chances.
The day the biker was airlifted out, there were multiple fire trucks ambulances helicopters and police cars, I spoke to one of the officers and he said, "I had no idea this many people were coming up here...we're going to shut this down."
I hope the bikers okay... they said his nose got pushed into the back of his head... but these guys have to use more common sense on the trails. Three years ago I ended up in the ER after jumping face-first into a pile of poison oak getting out of the way of a mountain biker. I lost a week of work and had a $1,700 ER bill. And two years ago I almost got knocked off a cliff below the Blue Bug and went nose-to-nose with a few bikers. I see confrontations on a weekly basis between hikers and bikers, most recently the day before they closed the canyon, between two women with dogs and two bikers; it got pretty nasty.
A little common sense and courtesy would go a long way, but some of these mountain bikers are only concerned about themselves...and sometimes not even that. There's been quite a few serious injuries up there already this year.
Anyway I found a way into the mountains. If anyone is interested, you can park on Day Street where Pali dead ends and there's a trail head that connects to the proper network of trails up to Mount Lukens. The first ridge is pretty rugged but then it's not too bad. And there's no signage regarding closures, so they'll be no fines involved. As I'm starting to see more people up there. But be prepared to do a little climbing for the first 30 minutes. It makes T5 look relatively flat.
Just how big is that flag? I can see it from Mt. Gleason school.
SL M it is a healthy 8x10. We shall see how long it and/or the pole lasts under the increased strain.
Correction. 8x12.
@@POVLA you can see the new light on the new flag tonight. It's really clear.
@@joeohara7175 awesome!
Any word on if the flag will return?
It’s unfortunately not up to me anymore. ;)
Okay, this is getting flat-out ridiculous.
I went up T5 today. The T5 sign that used to be posted at the trailhead has been relocated to the Lonely Oak Meadow. The Lonely Oak sign is still nowhere to be found. I don't know who's playing T5 Sign Roulette, but I wished they'd stop.
Now the REALLY weird part:
When I got to the second gate, there were two LAPD units and four uniformed officers standing outside their vehicles waiting for me, along with a brand new massive sign that reads:
CLOSED TO PUBLIC USE!
I literally had to beg them not to give me a ticket. When I got to my truck, I immediately called the US Forest Service and they assured me that 2N76 is open to the public, from Haines Canyon to Grizzly Flats. The LAPD and the forest service need to get their act together. I don't know if it was the shooting Saturday night or what's going on, but this is freakin ridiculous. I spent ten minutes pleading my case with four cops. I thought for sure I was either going to jail or getting a hefty fine. Even stranger is the fact a woman was hiking up T5 when I was coming down and she said the cops just waved and let her go up past the new sign. But she added that she was worried when she came down that she'd get a ticket.
This weekend there were dozens of mountain bikers and hikers all over every trail on the mountain...dozens of people fishing at the basin...morons with pit bulls and German Shepherds off leash...large families hiking in groups of ten with no masks...you name it. Now this.
Deukmejian Park looks better and better all the time. At least Glendale PD has their act together. I have absolutely no idea who the 'official' authority is on Haines Canyon anymore. I thought it was the forest service, but today proved me wrong.
rich vince wow! That is nuts. Thanks as always for the update. This comment thread will serve as a nice history for the T5 trail. Glad you were able to get out of the ticket. Did you make it to the flag? Did you by chance happen to look at the aluminum pole at the rocks? We are worried that the larger flag whipping around will eventually wear the pole thin at the point of contact with the rocks and eventually break. Next time you are up, take a look at the dents and see if a sleeve might be necessary to protect the pole. Thanks as always Rich! Nice work!
@@POVLA No problem; I'll check it out thoroughly next time I go up. The flag DOES put a lot of stress on the pole. It's amazing how loud it is on a windy day; you can literally hear it flapping from a 1/2 mile away.
But I have to admit, I'm a bit reluctant to go up there again after today. Three of the cops were cool, but one guy was not. He kept asking me "What does the sign say?" I told him it says "Closed to the public." And he said, "Then that's exactly what it means..."
I told him the sign was flipped over backwards on the back of the gate when I went up...exactly as it was all weekend...but only because the female officer was cool did they let me go. I also told him that I went to the US Forest Service website prior to hiking, where this is posted in lieu of the closure orders:
"The two orders that temporarily suspended activities in high-use areas and developed recreation sites will expire. However, some facilities such as restrooms and campgrounds may not be available while we focus on necessary maintenance. Thank you for your patience and understanding"
I talked to my friend in charge of the Glendale Parks and Rec and she said there has always been jurisdictional issues up there. When the fire road was open, it was the LA County Sheriff's jurisdiction...and there used to be bi-monthly patrols with deputies on dirt bikes going up and down Haines Canyon from the basin to Lukens. Since the Station Fire, it's no longer the county's responsibility since the fire road is toast. The microwave towers on top of Lukens all serve the fire department, LAPD, CHP and Sheriff...nothing commercial...and the road itself was 'officially' county property (yes, it's confusing), but with no road, there's no deputies patrolling anymore. I haven't seen one since the fire.
But they have to get their poop together and coordinate with the forest service. I was fairly freaked out when I was talking my way out of a ticket.
On a final note, I used to talk to the deputies on dirt bikes all the time. I told them they had the best job in the world. They agreed. Getting paid to ride top-of-the-line dirt bikes. It doesn't get better than that...
...anyway, here's the forest service link:
www.fs.usda.gov/angeles/
A lot going on at T5 and Haines Canyon this weekend, and here's The Good The Bad and The Ugly:
The Good - Apparently people were ignoring the closure order because the Haines Canyon Fire Road (now a single track) has been cleared all the way from the Sister Elsie/Blue Bug junction to the Blanchard tank. That's three-quarters of a mile of trail with all the loose rocks removed and the trail widened to 4 feet. That's a lot of work to accomplish in five weeks since the trail was closed. There must have been a big crew up there with tools.
The Bad- Not only is the Lonely Oak Meadow sign nowhere to be found, someone jacked the T5 sign at the trailhead. So two signs are gone.
And a group of Middle Eastern teenagers were discharging firearms Saturday night at the debris basin and police were called. This was reported to me by my friend that lives at the first gate.
I guess the pandemic is bringing out both the good and bad in people.
The Ugly- This afternoon there were several large groups of Hispanics at the basin...probably a total of about 50 people, all ignoring social-distancing and zero masks on any faces. There were also several cars parked at the second gate next to all the No Parking signs.
I was sorry to see that when I got down the mountain, but I was not about to confront anyone. It is what it is.......
Thanks for the update. Too bad about the signs.
@@POVLA
Yeah, it's a real bummer. But since the pandemic hit, I've seen more people up there each week than I saw every two months. It's been a real zoo...and you're going to get a pure cross-section of society, both the good and the bad. But I don't understand stealing the signs, though. Makes no sense. Then again, they had to remove the drinking fountains from Veteran's Park in Sylmar because as soon as the county fixed them, they were vandalized again the following day. It's just the world we live in, I suppose...
...but despite the new issues, it's nice to have the area open again. I just hope people don't screw it up.
Keeping fingers crossed...
Whats the name of the background song ?
th-cam.com/video/ABsRDPl2m_k/w-d-xo.html
Hello - Would someone be able to DM any .gpx files they have for T5?
I am having a difficult time sorting out which routes will take me to the flagpole as there are so many names/trails for this area...
T5, Kill'em quick, Camelback, . . . I'm also curious about the Zachau route.
I'm a Peak Bagger from South OC who frequents the San Gabriels.
I am working on completing the named peaks in the San Gs, in addition to the HPS, LPS, SPS . .. someday, eventually...
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated!!
Hey there! Thanks for watching and the comment. Sorry, I do not have gpx. But currently, the trail is well marked. There are geocaches along T5, as well as a geocache at the flagpole with routes described on geocache websites. My suggestion is to park on Haines Canyon and hike up, past the reservoir, through the forest service gate (not the first no parking gate), take a left at the first split, heading Northwest. The first drainage you cross has a culvert and rock wall and the T5 trail starts there. Kill ‘em Quick is also a route to the flagpole, albeit a much steeper and less defined variation starting from the West near the abandoned Camp Louis Routh. The Zachau ridge is another route, also less defined than T5, but similar in pitch and nature. The Camelsback (or Camelback) is the rocky outcropping that holds the flagpole. It is not technically a peak, but is an old local term for the two neighboring prominences. And a fitting one when viewed from Big Tujunga Canyon near The Mt Gleason intersection. It looks just like the two humps of a camel. I hope this helps a little. More simply, If you head straight North from the haines reservoir, you will eventually cross T5. Cheers and happy hiking!
@@POVLA Hi! Thank you so much for your awesome video, placing the flag atop the peak, and for the route description!
I'm excited to get out there - But it will have to wait until the weather cools down a bit.
Thanks again for everything!
rainyangel1 absolutely wait until it cools down. Unless you like torture and heat stroke. It does make a nice night hike!😁
Hello Fellow Hikers
I have not updated since the storms earlier this year, but I am sad to report the trail is in bad shape. It's so trashed I was forced to bushwhack many sections. The person that cut the new
'steps' straight up the ridge did not do a good job of engineering. He and his partner put a lot of effort into it, but they should have planned the route better. We had begun to cut a new set of switchbacks above the Lonely Oak Meadow, but for some reason he cut a swath of very steep and too tall steps right through the center of the switchbacks, destroying them. And the rains wiped out his work.
Now we're left with a rock-filled ravine that's almost impossible to navigate. I do not recommend this trail for beginners.
I spoke to two people that used the trail this summer, and both were injured on the way down. As hard as it is going up, going down is a real challenge.
But the good news is Trailmaster Greg has completed the alternate route off the Graveyard Truck Trial to the Precipice (trailhead above the "ET House"). Unfortunately, from there it's pretty rough to the flag, especially the final ridgeline. But at least the Precipice can be reached from Graveyard.
If you attempt the T5 Trail, please use trekking poles and wear sturdy hiking boots.
Thanks for the update! Glad to hear the trail has maintained it’s challenging status. T5 will not be tamed! Stay safe out there. :)
Hello Fellow T5ers!
Out of sheer boredom...and the fact I live four blocks away...I've been working on the steps through the chain-link again. The good news is my tools were there when got back from The Precipice, and the work is almost complete.
On the flip side of the coin, the Lonely Oak Meadow Sign drama continues. Wednesday evening the sign was moved from the pile of rocks and re-mounted on the right side of the ridge. It appeared to be hammered in to the earth, but I didn't check to see how secure it was. On the way up today it was gone. I'm thinking it was probably not anchored sufficiently and got knocked over the edge in the last storm. Since it was raining on the way down, I didn't stop to look for it...but I did run into Greg at the new parking area near the substation at Apperson (the residents have put up barricades around the old parking area because of COVID-19) and I told about the sign...so between both of us we'll probably find it. When I do it, I'll bring a single-jack up and drive it into some hard earth so it won't happen again. It takes a village.........
rich vince great to hear about the tools! And maybe the lonely oak sign just wants to float around a bit. Ha! Thanks for the update.
Well this one takes the cake.
So I'm on my way up T5 and there's some guy coming down who jumps in my face and asks me if I'm the person is that's been working on this trail.
I told him I'm one of the people that's been working on it and he said, "I'm calling the forest service and the police and having you all arrested". Then he says "Whoever tore the wall apart down there is going to jail!"
This guy is 70 years old and weighs 100 lbs dripping wet.
I told him to get out of my face and kept hiking and he says, "No I'm not done talking to you." I said yes you are and I kept going up the hill.
The most hilarious aspect is I'm a big guy I could have thrown him off of the cliff with one hand.
Unreal.
As I kept going up the trail he kept screaming at me, "You're going to jail! You're going to jail! You're all going to jail!"
You can't make this stuff up.
rich vince wow. That is wild. Those old check gates are 100 years old and well past their usefulness as dams. And i am sure the next local fire will wipe this trail off the map again, just like the last one. Oh well, some people just need to be right or upset. Thanks for sharing. He stayed 6 feet away, correct? 🤪
@@POVLA I've been hiking in the Southern California Mountains since I was a kid. And in 40+ years, I have encountered more than my share of unstable types, including some cave-dwellers that lived up there back in the day. But the guy was bat-sheet bonkers. And he's not the only crazy person up there. We have a couple regulars that are pretty creepy.
A few years ago some mountain bikers built a beautiful sign above the Blue Bug on the old Motorway, along with an awesome bridge near the bottom of the canyon, just above the Old Sister Elsie intersection after the first big switchback. My wife and I took some nice pictures of their work. Two days later, they were history. Needless to say, the bikers were furious. All that work, gone in the blink of an eye by some crazy mountain man.
And this guy today was The King of Krazy. First he gets in my face without a mask during a pandemic. Then he just wouldn't shut up: "You and your friends have F**** up the trail! Who else is doing this? How many of you are there? What are your names?"
Wow, just wow.
I started walking away, but he just kept screaming. "Whoever did the top of the trail is going to get some kids killed! I'm calling the police and the rangers! You're breaking the law"
My mini-dachshund tried to bite him.
I just laughed and bailed, but he kept going and going...and I swear at one point I heard him say "You'll never see that sign again!" I think I found a good candidate for who destroyed the biker's work.
Speaking of bikers, yet another was airlifted out Saturday. I talked to his buddies that were arguing about who would retrieve his bike. I asked if he was okay. "No." They said he face-planted into a rock and his 'face was gone'.
Just another day at Haines Canyon!
rich vince dang. Thats really awful about the biker.
Here a pdf of the exact signage, messages and maps posted on the second gate above the Haines Canyon Debris Basin:
www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd720172.pdf
Be advised that the closures of ALL the above listed trailheads was extended until May 15th. Here is the notice from the forest service, posted today on their website:
www.fs.usda.gov/angeles
rich vince interesting. Thanks for the update and links!
Looks like the flag is down right now. Haven’t been up to check yet.
Yes! Thanks for looking out and checking in!
Four of us (neighbors) journeyed up to fix the flagpole two weekends ago and the new-ish 15x10 flag was in bad shape so we took Old Glory down. That poor flag only lasted 12 days due to it’s extreme size and santa ana winds.
We have a new 12x8 flag ready to go and a sherpa neighbor named Jimmy ready to make the run, but haven’t put that piece in motion quite yet.
However, we are proud to announce that the flagpole has been repaired, reinforced with 4ft of steel pipe, and is taller and stronger than ever. 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Just got off the phone with a supervisor from the US Forest Service. For starters, I cannot believe just how unorganized that organization is. Two of the three phone numbers listed on their website are bogus, and the person in charge of this area was also unaware that the fire road at Haines Canyon no longer exists.
As for the new signage and closures, I did get some answers, such as they are:
Mountain bikers and the courses they are building. It is unlawful. And this is apparently the reason for the police presence at the second gate.
As most hikers know, the area is dominated by mountain bikers. They are building jumps 12' feet high and landing 30' down the mountain. I've seen them cart chain saws, 2 x 4's, cinder blocks and concrete up the trails in wheelbarrows building these bridges and jumps.
The supervisor, Nicholas 'Jamaal' Butler, said the LAPD wants to demolish the course and prohibit the bikers from building further. He added that the Sheriff's Department has already begun removing jumps and getting rid of the course, all of this in response to the accident on April 11th, which brought attention to the amount of bikers using the trails.
He will be contacting the LAPD through his supervisor and getting a clarification on the closure order. He added that not all of the information in the media about reopening trailheads is accurate, and that the situation at Haines is 'in flux', which once again, is directly related to the mountain biker that was rescued on April 11th.
I explained that the residents and hikers need this resolved so we are not threatened with fines and jail for hiking on Haines Canyon. He asked me to take photographs of the remaining jumps on the mountain biking course and send them to him. I have his personal cell phone and email addy.
As much as I hate to do this, the mountain bikers brought this on themselves. It was just a matter of time until the authorities became aware of all the construction that's been going on up there. You can only get away with something like this for so long.
Triggered!
pra3t0rian 100%
POV LA but really, thanks for doing this. Love your vids. Looking for future content.
Juist a reminder for everyone: Rattlesnake season has apparently begun early. Had to kill a baby rattlesnake threatening my dog on T5 (just below the Precipice) on Thursday the 11th. I hate to do it, because we are invading their turf, but when they represent an immediate danger to people or pets, I take them out. Most experienced hikers are well-aware of the risks and pay close attention, but in the past year I've had to kill several because children and clueless hikers with pets were in the vicinity. I had to kill two on the Crescenta View Trail last summer that posed a threat to group of elderly hikers, and two more near the Haines Canyon basin, then one on the Blue Bug and one more on the Haines main trial near the first lookout.
Eight years ago, five years after the Station Fire, some Chinese scientists were in the region researching Southern Pacific Rattlesnake venom and made some interesting discoveries. Immediately after the fire, the mountains resembled the surface of the moon...I have some incredible photographs...and basically the fire turned our local mountains into a desert. The reptile population swelled and remarkably enough, the Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes had developed a more toxic venom. The venom in the rattlesnakes in the San Gabriel Mountains were predominantly hemotoxins, and the desert variety were predominantly neurotoxins. But after the fire, a hybrid venom began to show up in the rattlesnakes in the mountains, a mixture of hemotoxins and neurotoxins. Southern Pacific Rattlesnake venom always had traces of neurotoxins, but since the fire, this new venom is even more dangerous. The scientists reported a higher concentration of the neurotoxins in the snakes they captured.
Starting at the highest elevations in the San Gabriels, in areas adjacent to Mount Waterman, and working their way down into the valleys and deserts, the scientists captured dozens of rattlesnakes, and it was determined the desert snakes and the mountain snakes had propagated and created this new, more lethal venom.
So be careful up there. A rattle snake bit requires immediate medical attention. Over the years I've encountered hundreds of rattlesnakes...and even stepped on one five years ago near the settlement off the Blue Bug Trail. With no cell signal and two miles from the parking area, it could have been a dangerous situation. I was very lucky.
So be aware of your surroundings and remember: Baby rattlesnakes are also very dangerous as they tend to be more aggressive and excitable and cannot control their venom release. And their venom is just as lethal as an adult rattlesnake's venom.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but as hard as this is to believe, mountain bikers are now using T5, along with the Blanchard Firebreak Trail. I know how they get to the top of Blanchard, but how in the hell are they getting those bikes up T5? It's getting crazy up there...
...two weeks ago two bikers were seriously injured. One required the aid of the fire department. Before last week's rains, you could clearly see the tire tracks from the fire trucks going up up the old Haines Canyon Motorway. I helped the other injured biker down the hill.
Yesterday when two ladies were almost hit on Blanchard, I tired to reason with the bikers about not using the ridgeline trails, as they always tell us to stay off the mountain bike trails in the canyon. They cut me off and said: "We have just as much right to be up here as you do." Then they rode off. There are families with small children on the Blanchard Trail daily. Its's just a matter of time until someone is seriously inured. Or killed.
Last weekend there were some elderly Asian hikers on the mountain bike trails and I tried to warn them to hike elsewhere, but they didn't speak English. So I intercepted a father/son mountain bike team that was coming down from the Blue Bug at a high rate of speed. I told them about the hikers not understanding and the son said: "That's their problem. When they see us coming, they'll understand just fine and get out of our way." Then the father said "Damn straight! This trail is for bikes!" I said, "They might not speak English, but I can guarantee their attorney's do, so please don't hit them..." They just took off screaming "Woo-hoo" with no bells on their bikes.
When I was parking my truck, longtime resident 'Jim' told me it was getting out of hand. He said the mountain bikers leave trash behind each weekend and he has to pick it up every Monday morning. The ignore the parking sings and leave no where for their guests or visitors to park. The line of vehicles with bike racks now extends down to Day Street and down Apperson. One resident has been calling the police and the sheriffs and taking photos of their license plates. I've heard the screaming matches and seen the confrontations. It's getting ugly.
Jim said, "You'd think, as guests up here, they'd treat this area with respect, but they act like they own the place. And some of these clowns are very low IQ men." He called the police, but they said it's out of their jurisdiction. So he called the forest service, but they haven't down anything. Just promises they'd eventually take care of it. I see the bikers hauling lumber and cinder blocks and rebar and chainsaws up there all the time. They travel in large groups and intimidate anyone that gets in their way. They definitely have a gang mentality.
Anyway, there are two types of mountain bikers: The intelligent, respectful, considerate bikers...and the other ones. So be careful on T5. We've timed some of these morons coming down the trail at over 30 MPH.
Thanks for the update.
I always thought it’d be fun to downhill T5 on a bike and have thought about dragging my bike up there many times, but i am too fat and old for that sort of thing right now. 😂 good to hear that someone has the skill and energy.
It is fun to see what the kids will do in the name of fun. I was a crazy twenty something once, so i can sympathize with a certain amount of disregard for the well being of others...that phase has passed thank goodness. But there will always be a few selfish, entitled jackwagons out there looking to spoil the fun for everyone.
Sorry to hear about the injuries, bad experiences and run ins with disrespectful people. Life can be unpredictable and dangerous when you’re out there living! 😁
@@POVLA Well you certainly have to hand it to these guys for being in shape; it's hard enough hiking up there. I can't even imagine dragging a bike all the way up to the top of T5. But I only see tire tracks from the Henge down. I'm sitting at the Henge right now, and I took a couple of photos of the tire tracks. I don't see any above the Henge.
I have no problem with the mountain bikers being up here as long as they don't hurt anybody. I just wish more of them had bells on the bikes. Hikers Josh and Julia built a birdhouse on a post with maps and bells 50 feet above the Haines Canyon tank on the Blue Bug Trail.
I just hate to see anybody get injured. I think I mentioned this belfor, but my mountain biker buddy came off a trail on the backbone near Kanan Dume and he was in the hospital for a month. Broken collarbone, pelvis, hip, femur... lost his job, lost his band, lost his house... forced to move back in with his parents .Plus a $40,000 search-and-rescue + ER bill. That was a very expensive mountain bike trip for him that day!
@@POVLA Oh and I forgot to mention, Ralph and his partner and I have now cut steps all the way from the trailhead to the Henge.
Dang that sucks about your friend. I’ve spent a few days in the hospital over the years due to skiing and mountain biking accidents. Now that i am older with young kids, i can only afford to be 30% stupid.
I like the maps and bells idea, but people really hate to be told what to do. So it will only help as much as people are willing to take it. 1% of the People will trash everything.
I remember just a few short years ago, there was no one up there to ring a bell for, except the bears and deer.
The wild popularity growth is the main cause for an uptick in injuries and run ins, and i think that will ebb and flow. The popularity boom at Haines was caused by the closure of everything else last summer - everyone spread out to find new places to go. My two cents.
From my exploring lately, everywhere is just nuts. Look at trail creek! Onward to new, quiet, unpopulated trails! :)
@@POVLA Thanks!
yeah Big John the mountain biker... 6 ft 6 in...built like a combination of the Hulk and Thor, is doing fine now and he has a new nickname "Lucky". When he went off the trail and down the cliff, the accident was witnessed by a doctor with a satellite phone who rendered aid, and there was a paramedic on the highway above him having lunch, and an SAR helicopter overhead or he would have bled to death.
And you're absolutely correct about the pandemic changing Haines Canyon hiking trails. I used to hike up here...fairly recently... and see a grand total of 5 people a month.
The fact is most of my mountain biker friends.. including Dave and Steve.. who were the only mountain bikers up here, along with my old hiking buddies, are going elsewhere. Just too many people up here no place to park etc. But since I live a few blocks away and I'm stubborn I refuse to be driven off this morning by a view inconsiderate people. I've jumped out of the way of a few bikes in the last few months.. just have to pay more attention...and absolutely positively no headphones anymore. Which is kind of a bummer.
Lets reunite these states with worker solidarity 🇺🇸
I propose a new anthem: “reunited and it feels so good.” To be played right after everyone agrees to the terms of reunition.
@@POVLA We already have an anthem and a great one. People just need to remember its meaning.
@@ToyotaGuy1971 i completely agree.
Well, first the good news:I'm standing at the Lonely Oak Meadow and the side has magically reappeared!
The bad news: my tools are nowhere to be found.
$400 worth of some of my best cutting tools... oh well...like I wrote before, that's my fault for leaving them out in public.
I had to turn around at the Precipice late yesterday afternoon on my way up to the flagpole because the weather became intolerable, but I got some video of what's left of the flag. I do not want to definitively state the flag is destroyed, but it looked pretty bad. The last time I mentioned the flag was toast here on this channel I was threatened with violence by poster Don Jon and his associates... I've never understood that tough-guy routine on the internet, or the need to attack anonymous strangers...I guess it just makes people feel superior. But if I can figure out how to do it I'll post the video here and people can see for themselves. I wanted to make it all the way to the flag, but ice crystals were starting to fall and the winds were ferocious. Not to mention my mini dachshund was freezing. And no one likes a cold wiener. :(
Peeked at the flag through binoculars this morning and it appears ok. Sometimes it gets stuck at the top of the pole and flaps around like crazy, and then the next day it is fine. Strange. Thanks for the heads up. I typically have a good look at it a couple times a week. Enjoy the fun weather!!
@@POVLA That's amazing... from the Precipice, it look like it was in bad shape. I just checked out the video I took and it was pretty funny.... the wind was blowing up the mountain and at a few points the flag was directly above the pole...it looked like there was another pole attached to the top of the flagpole. Other times look like a shredded handkerchief and sometimes it looked like tetherball swinging around.
Anyway I'm glad it's okay. I should be up at the flag tomorrow.
In the meantime I'm heading back up there today and see how my handiwork came out. I was up there yesterday was a shovel clearing all the steps from the trailhead to the Henge because the steps filled with sand and debris and rocks. Anticipating the rain I was hoping maybe it would tamp down the steps. I appreciate all the hard work everybody did but quite frankly with the steps filled with loose gravel and sand, they were basically useless.
I also worked on the wall at Trailhead again and if everything goes according to plan, after that rain last night it should be perfect.
@@POVLA if I didn't see it I wouldn't believe it. The flag's fine... looks brand new... now I'm really glad I got video of it yesterday otherwise I would have thought I was losing my mind that hallucinating.
Meanwhile the steps came out fine all the way of the hinge nice and clean the rain helped but my plan for the wall failed. all the accomplished was exposing more chain link. I'm glad I brought tools...I cut the chain link out and bent it back, filled it with rocks and tied it back. .. then I shoveled some dirt over the top. This should be the last stage I've been working on it 13 months.
Anyway standing on the Camelback looking at the flag... looks brand new. Man after what I saw yesterday that's one tough flag
Nice!
No fault to the guys of this channel, but, sadly and unfortunately, I don't think the flag is there any longer.
The flags only last a few weeks. A couple Months at best. The wind is just too much.
@@POVLAWell, that was a 'duh' moment for me! ha ha One would think that living in Southern California my entire life, I would remember our Santa Ana winds. Thank you for your time and effort placing the flag up there. I do appreciate what you did as it was always so encouraging for me to look up there and see it wave.
@@alzorama2876 neighbor mike and i just fixed the broken pole again put a new flag up the day before new years this year. So if its gone already, there ya go. :). We’ve probably put up 10 since we dragged that pole up there. And the pole is now about 10 feet shorter, cuz the wind keeps hacking that to pieces too. We’ve been talking about a steel pole…but talk is cheap. Haha
@@POVLATen poles?! I didn't realize how committed both you and Mike were. Thank you.
Ten flags. One pole. 😄
Commenting to yourself is so lame.
100% agree.
@ rich vince
LNT😞
Leave no trace is a good practice and one I try to adhere to. But we all make tradeoff in this life. I wish you the best on your journey.