Mesa Springs

I went on a two night backpack a few weeks ago, to Mesa Springs, on the southwest shoulder of Mt Abel, near the Ventura and Kern County lines. I was with my friend Doug, a former Cal Poly employee, now retired, and a long time backpacking partner. The area was surprisingly (at least to me) heavily wooded with Junipers and Pinyon Pines.
A very large grassy potrero jutted into the wooded areas where Mt. Abel finally started to flatten out. The views toward the west were stupendous of the rugged mountains I usually backpack in, along the Sierra Madre Mountains and the San Rafael Wilderness. I could actually see the rock of Lion Canyon from our vantage point.

We stayed at a campground with a fire pit and a table, and got our water out of a large spring-fed wooden barrel, about 100 yards north and uphill from our camp. We debated about it for a second or two, but then just dipped our water bottles into the barrel and drank it without filtering.

Doug and I and my brother, went on our first solstice trip in 1990, to a place called Condor Cave. I remember being ill-prepared for the cold, and pictures of me in denim pants and jacket reinforces the preparation woes. ---I have all the "cool" gear now. I've become a gear head, a group of backpackers I used to make fun of, until I had enough money to spend on gear---and I appreciate being comfortable in the backcountry. I've done my share of cold and hungry.

Doug and I have spent a great deal of time in the backcountry, a lot of it to Lion Canyon, but also to White Ledge and several places along the southern side of the Hurricane Deck. On one memorable trip to White Ledge, we split up for the night and spent about 24 hours alone. I really liked that, and have since spent many nights alone. Once it was three nights alone in Lion Canyon. It was the first day of Spring, perfect weather, wildflowers covered the potreros, and for four days and three nights I only saw one group of backpackers heading east into Pine Corral. One morning I discovered Mountain Lion tracks, just 50 feet from my fire and tent.

We hadn't been out together for a long time, so it was very nice to be with Doug around a fire again. We talked and laughed a lot, drank a flask of Jack Daniels, had other implements of destruction at our disposal, and had a great time. I'm looking forward to getting out with Doug again.