Four years after the Bobcat Fire, the Canyon is due to open in a few weeks. Here are the details and stories as the Conservancy gets ready to welcome the public to Sturtevant Camp.
Special Update: This issue is mostly about recovery from the 2020 Bobcat Fire that destroyed parts of Camp. Now as we go to press, the news in California is dominated by wildfires; one of those (the Bridge Fire) started on our anniversary weekend and continues to burn about 25 miles east-northeast of Big Anita Canyon. Check Wilbur’s Facebook page for timely updates.
Hot Date Anniversary
On the weekend of the fourth anniversary of the start of the Bobcat Fire (September 6, 2020), the smell of wildfire smoke was in the air and the temps soared into the high-90s, fitting reminders as people gathered in Camp to mark the occasion.
Those present were many of the ‘sturdy’ volunteers who worked on disaster recovery both in Camp and on the trails in the years after the Fire. Already this year so far, volunteers have made 200 roundtrip hikes totaling just shy of 1700 miles, visiting every weekend to work except twice (once for rain, once for heat).
Thanks y’all!
Rosa Sanchez, Candace Phillips, Kelly Davidson;
Rear L-R: Tim O’Shea, Jose Recendez, Lance Luciani, Patrick Kelly, Ed and Paige Shieh, Brent Pepper, Peter Vance, Teah Vaughn-Piscopo, Scott Wilson, and Gary Keene.
Guests included staff from the U.S. Forest Service who were also key to the recovery; pictured L-R in the USFS Ranger Cabin are Estephany Campos, Kevin Hunt (who bucked a lot of rock & rebar on the pack trail), and Rosa Sanchez.
Volunteer Ed Shieh helped his daughter Paige ring the Camp bell, inviting guests to a picnic lunch including a lemon dessert made by Teah that morning: turning the oven on despite the hot weather not only baked the cake, it confirmed the Lodge kitchen has recovered from the extensive post-Fire bear damages.
Teah Vaughn-Piscopo, volunteer Host the weekend of the Fire, told the story of first smelling the Fire, and soon after that evacuating guests down the trail as smoke billowed into the Canyon.
Speaking on behalf of the Conservancy’s Board, President Gary Keene detailed thanks to everyone present, noting that the official heat warning for the weekend had kept many others safely at home, but who also deserved thanks.
Everyone praised the outstanding condition of the trails, “better than ever before”, and the Camp looked almost back to normal: just the day before, the last of the post-fire burn debris was finally packed out on the Adams Pack train (packers Lance Luciani and Scott Wilson pictured.)
And There Was Merch
Anniversary guests each had their choice of new souvenir Camp merchandise to take home—appropriately all fluid containers to maintain hydration. Once the Camp opens, these items will be available for purchase to raise funds for the Camp.
The Camp souvenirs feature images of original photos Wilbur Sturtevant across different ages of his life; others use a graphic of the Sturtevant name as it appeared on a 1920’s publicity brochure during the Killian era of ownership (E.J. Killian owned the Camp for 16 years, longer than Sturtevant himself, and second only to the 70 years of Methodist ownership.)
Guests also took a moment to remember Dave Baumgartner, co-leader with Brenda Beck of Restoration Legacy Crew: the Crew did so much of the trail restoration work, with Dave’s rockwork being a standout feature. Folks used Sharpies to sign one of the new Sturtevant bottles for Brenda (pictured) to give to Jane Baumgartner (Jane and Dave were frequent hosts at Camp.)
Open Trails, Open Doors, Open Reservations?
‘When will the Camp re-open?!” After four years of asking, now the question has a scheduled answer: the USFS closure order expires October 1st, opening the Big Santa Anita Canyon to the public. But will Sturtevant Camp open?
Yes – BUT: only the historic Lodge will be open to the public for weekend day-visits on Saturdays and Sundays starting October 5-6.
Crucial work still needs to be done before guests can make reservations to stay overnight. The work needed is not for the Camp’s buildings but for people: a new team of volunteer hosts, docents and ‘techs’ must be recruited and trained to welcome people at Camp. The immediate need, and the place to start for those interested, is to volunteer as a docent now through the end of the year.
Guests in 2025 Means Volunteering Now
Being a docent is the first step to being a Host: the current schedule is to open to guests starting in January 2025, so now is the time to volunteer. To get the docent/host job description and application, including how volunteering earns free overnight stays at Camp, email Teah Vaughn-Piscopo using this address: HostManager@SturtevantCamp.com.
Some Assembly Required
The two big post-Fire projects have been rebuilding trail access to the Camp, and replacing the two water tanks destroyed in the Fire (Cabin-1 was also destroyed but is not being replaced.) The trails and tanks intersect in that the six galvanized, curved, steel panels, each about the size of a ping pong table, had to be carried by hand up the still sketchy trails to Camp.
There they waited through two seasons of record rains, while volunteer work focused on regaining the trails until the burros could deliver cement for the tanks’ support elements. Only then could assembly of the tanks begin.
The tank assembly was not a puzzle; it was obvious where the large, 18-gauge steel pieces should go. But it did require a LOT of hollering between inside and outside of the tanks, tricky use of a ‘spudger’, and the tedious tightening-loosening-re-tightening of hundreds and hundreds of nuts and bolts.
Tasty Vinyl – Who Knew?
Excitement was high when assembly finally reached the point of installing the vinyl liners that actually hold the water. But it turned out that two years in hibernation gave the local mouse population plenty of time to chew holes in the liners: does vinyl taste like cheese? Here Site/Ops Manager Paul Witman sits inside the #3 tank with the swiss-cheese liner: patching didn’t work, so replacement liners are on their way from Texas, due to be packed up the trail soon. Next: water in the tanks and down to the fountain for the public!
ON THE TRAIL AHEAD
October: after the Canyon opens and the public is back on the trail, news from Camp.
November: Wilbur’s 163rd birthday party at Camp AND dedication of the new water tanks! Watch Wilbur’s Facebook page for details.
December: Final orientation for new hosts for the new year, plus Wilbur’s Annual Holiday Wish List for Sturtevant Camp.
BONUS DATA
The ANF Tops the NPS
(From the USFS) “The latest USDA Forest Service statistics (2021), show that the Angeles National Forest received morerecreation-based visits from the public (4.59 million) than Grand Canyon National Park (4.53 million) or Yosemite National Park (3.29 million) in the same year.
FYI, the USFS calculates visitor statistics once every 5 years, not every year like the National Park Service, and statistics for the Angeles National Forest do not include people who only drive through the forest without stopping (like commuters) OR people who directly access the forest from trails in adjacent local communities or from adjacent parklands.”
FYI x 2: in Camp, we’re planning to get a headcount of day-hikers as evidence of foot traffic in the upper Canyon, proof of the popularity and need for the Camp’s services in the wilderness, including free potable water— from those new water tanks.