Walking the Perimeter

We had almost unbearably beautiful weather after all the storms this weekend and I was treated to a walk along the edge of the Angeles National Forest. It was warm, but not too hot. Wildflowers were beginning to bloom. I saw poppies and lupines and although there are places along the edge of the mountains where the devastation from fire and mud is readily apparent, if you look the other direction everything looks normal.

I don’t know at exactly what point our walking took us out of Tujunga and into the Forest. I think the trail we were on goes in and out of the Angeles Forest. I didn’t see any signs or markers; on the other hand I wasn’t paying much attention to that. Although I remember after the fires that it was announced that the Forest was closed, a couple of months ago the openings of the roads running through the forest were announced, although subject to closure on stormy days. In my mind this meant that the Forest was also open. How do you close a forest while the roads running through it are open? Just as we reached the Haines Canyon junction three very shiny dirt bikes crested the trail ahead and came toward us. We stepped aside to make room for them to pass and one came to a stop right in front of us. That was when we saw the sheriff’s insignia the rider was wearing. Ah, so then we are informed that the Forest is indeed closed, don’t you know. We take a peek at the Haines Canyon Debris Basin and head back the way we came. I wonder in hindsight, do they really take those bikes down the rocky embankments and ford the stream?

Angeles National Fire Area Closure Order