From bhami@netcom.com Sat Sep 27 23:23:45 1997
X-Sender: bhami@popd.ix.netcom.com
Date: Sat, 27 Sep 1997 23:18:02 PDT
To: xmbcmembers@hesp.es.xerox.com
From: Bruce Hamilton <bhami@netcom.com>
Subject: Trip report: Deep Creek from Mojave Forks Dam
Mime-Version: 1.0

Today Bruce Corning and I hiked to Deep Creek Hot Springs today from Mojave
Forks Dam.  You drive 5 miles south from Rock Springs Rd. in Hesperia (off
of I-15, just north of Cajon Pass) on Deep Creek Rd., then bear left when
the pavement ends and go 0.8 miles on dirt.  You park on the right side of
a spillway.  Bruce clocked 15.4 miles from I-15 to the road head.

There is no evidence of any "reservoir" -- I think this spillway is
strictly for 100-year floods.

The hike is about 4.5 miles each way, exactly 2 hours each way of steady
hiking.  The trail climbs quickly above the spillway on the north side of
the creek, then continues in a steady contour about 100 ft. above the
creek, crossing a bridge (wide enough for horse or human) to the south side
of the creek about half way to the springs.

The trail was about 90% in sun hiking in (we left the spillway around 10:40
AM), and about 80% shaded on the return (we left the springs around 4:30 PM).

There were TWO Green Tortoise buses there; one bound for the Grand Canyon
and another cross-country via Big Bend (Texas), with the usual sort of
group of mostly European 20-somethings.  There were perhaps 40 bus people
and half a dozen regulars.

Re: the "trashing" of the springs reported a week ago: one of the regulars
said it was some gang bangers from East LA, and they had been doing some
shooting.  Anyhow, the regulars had long since cleaned up any trash.

The creek was perhaps 6" higher than usual and a bit cooler (65 degrees?),
following Wednesday-Thursday's storm.  There were still a few puddles along
the road and parts of the trail were slightly damp.

The air was perfect.  It looked a bit smoggy in the morning but cleared in
the afternoon, rather the opposite of usual.

Next trip I want to try what looks like a trail down from highway 173, near
Lake Arrowhead.  Are any of you familiar with that?  It's shown on my
DeLorme Gazeteer and looks a bit shorter hike than from the dam.

--Bruce  (Bruce Hamilton, Redondo Beach, CA)
bhami@netcom.com (preferred)
bhami@hesp.es.xerox.com  --day
310-333-3538  --day