Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Hiking Deukmejian- Circle of Rocks


There are plenty of weird things that you see out on the trail. Things that in the esteemed words of our C+C Music forefathers, make you go hmmm. When I heard about a weird circle of rocks in the Deukmejian wilderness, I knew I had to go and check it out for myself.


It was another beautiful but windy day here in SoCal when I found myself at the Deuk.


The trail start off on a rather rocky track


that follows the Dunsmore Canyon trail but then veers off to the right and heads into the mountains.


If you are a person who loves switchbacks then you might want to take this trail to Vegas and marry it. From here on out it is a 1,000 foot elevation gain with as many switchbacks as you care to hike.

The trail itself is a rugged little guy


which has been made less rugged by the efforts of Karen and all the other great trail building volunteers in the park. They have really been working hard on this trail recently and the evidence is everywhere.


What also is evident is how quickly the park has bounced back from the effects of the fire back in the late 2000s. While there were burnt trees littering the trail, there was also lots of new green growth everywhere and the park is looking in top notch shape.


Eventually, the switchbacks mercifully stop and you make it to the aforementioned circle of rocks. You can go further, the trail will take you to a saddle and then eventually on to Mt. Lukens but today was all about rocks, as the first picture can attest.


What possessed someone to do this? To take rocks up or down the mountain and make them into a circle? I have no idea what the answer is but it certainly is a fun weird hike to do and one that I recommend you take!


1 comments:

  1. I grew up at 3105 Clousdcrest Rd. and Hopeton.
    In 1970, I stared hiking up the ridge from the top of Pinecone.
    My friends and I would stop at the place the circle rocks are now to stop and take a break after the straight up hike on the ridge. I wanted a wind break to heat water with Sterno cans to make soup or what ever.
    With many more hikes, for a 13 year old, I built up a square rock wall with an entry.
    For several years until I graduated from CVHS in 1975, My friends and I used the rock wall as a half way stop to Mt Lukens. We would leave at 4 am to watch the sun rise from Mt Lukens.
    We had a large tarp, that we kept on the side of the hill in bushes, to make a cover over the rocks.
    With the use of a tall stick we had a tent and a place out of the sun.

    On one occasion, while at Mt Lukens, we were sitting waiting for the sun to rise and over 100 Mule deer started running up and around all the building to the point we sat and waited for them to leave.

    When walking the Crescenta view trail, I was very surprised to see that others kept the wind break alive.
    Tom

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