[pct-l 58] Section D, Three Points to Islip Saddle, May 17-20, 2024

[David Hough reading PCT-L]

Over May 17-20 I dayhiked part of section D from Three Points east to the
Buckhorn Campground EXIT on the Angeles Crest Highway 2.
I followed the PCT from Three Points to the Burkart Trail and followed
the latter south to its trailhead below Buckhorn Campground, then 
followed the Buckhorn EXIT lane to Hwy 2.    I also hiked bits of
Kratka Ridge and Mt Williamson from both sides, and the PCT from Islip
Saddle to the first snowy gully, about a mile.

Highlights were vast fields of wallflowers, more than I've ever seen,
and the nice stream in Cooper Canyon.

FROG CLOSURE

The Burkart Trail/Hwy 2 road walk might as well be the official PCT route now.
Road traffic was light since Hwy was closed at Islip Saddle and at Red Box.
Several through hikers missed the unsigned Buckhorn EXIT lane and got in another
mile of road walk to the Buckhorn ENTRANCE lane.    If leaving Eagles Roost
you watch for a paved road with a white gate (closed then, maybe open now)
on the north side of the highway, that's it.    You can't tell from across the
highway, but get up close and you can read the PCT markings at the gate.
This is the only Forest Service campground that I can recall having one-way
ENTRANCE and EXIT lanes a mile apart.

Eastbound hikers would not have recognized the EXIT lane in the
Buckhorn campground.    It starts near the stop sign in the middle of
the campground.   Although paved, it looked like an abandoned muddy road on 
Monday 20, but may be cleaned up now.

Several other through hikers liked the road walk so much they continued on
to Cloudburst Summit, skipping the descent to Cooper Canyon and subsequent
ascent.

The remains of the former "official" Frog Closure bypass are still
detectable from the picnic table at Islip Summit.    The trailhead sign
is just a burned stump, and grass has overgrown the descending trail tread, with
no indication of any recent use.

At the other end, I followed the PCT a short distance east
from its southern junction with the Burkart Trail, past the waterfall, which
looks really interesting from the trail but too precarious to get a good view.
I had planned to continue a short distance further to the official trail
closure, but the trail tread became loose and a bit sketchy so I didn't
bother.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Buckhorn Campground was closed during this period, and the water turned off
and the toilets locked, EXCEPT the toilet at the Burkart trailhead.
On Monday 20, Forest Service personnel appeared to be cleaning up the
campground and it might well be open now for Memorial Day and later.

Cooper Canyon trail campground was well used, lots of flowing stream water
and picnic tables, one toilet with no TP.    The service road was blocked
by two large trees in the half mile south of the campground, both blocking
to stock and thus to service vehicles as well.

Camp Glenwood offers two picnic tables and a toilet.    The water was
not turned on Friday 17.

Trailhead parking areas at Islip Saddle, Eagles Roost, and Three Points
offer tables and toilets but no water.

>From Cooper Canyon to Islip Saddle there is a lot of 
narrow, exposed, steep, loose trail tread.    I got tired of it and that's
why I skipped the middle of Kratka Ridge and Mt Williamson.

WATER

I didn't see any water from one mile east of Islip Saddle to the Buckhorn
Campground, which had water flowing over the campground road, which might
not be your first choice.    In another mile or so you get to ford or
rock-hop Buckhorn Creek and Cooper Canyon Creek with lots of very 
attractive water.

Eventually you climb away from the creek to reach Cloudburst Summit,
and the next water is three (possibly seasonal) branches of Little Rock
Creek in Cloudburst Canyon.    Any of these would be adequate water sources; 
the next good ones are at Sulphur Spring, although the Camp Glenwood water
might be turned on eventually.    

TREES and other obstacles

As mentioned, I ended my hike at a snowy gully just east of Islip Saddle.
It's not really blocking to hikers or even to stock, I think, but I didn't
need any more adventure.

I did not notice anything absolutely blocking to stock between Islip Saddle
and Buckhorn Campground, but there is a rockfall pile on Mt Williamson
at about 7000', about half a mile above the Hwy 2 crossing at Kratka Ridge.
Some of it is a bit loose, but it wasn't discouraging any through hikers.
In fact a family of two parents and one front-packed infant came down
that way and continued west.    That's what I call adventurous.    Can they
be through hikers?     Except the the infant, they looked it.    The
infant was gurgling happily as they passed.

Between Buckhorn Campground and Cooper Canyon Trail Campground, the trail
is carved out of steep canyons, and there are many
trees to deal with, and while none might be absolutely impassable to stock,
stock would do a lot of damage on the sketchy bypasses to an already sketchy
trail.    They are mostly in the 24" range; some tree trunks look worn enough 
to have been in place for a while. 

>From Cooper Canyon to Glenwood, there aren't any notable tree obstacles on
the trail, but as mentioned, the service road is blocked.
Poodle Dog Bush is everywhere.

An interesting only-in-LA phenomenon is that where the trail follows just
below the highway, one finds an interesting assortment of car parts washed
down along with the rocks and mud.     Unfortunately these sketchy trail
bits get resketched every winter so there's not much to be done about them
except step carefully.     The worst is just east of Camp Glenwood.

Between Camp Glenwood and Three Points there are several large trees across
the trail, but they all seem passable to stock, perhaps by dismounting.


After 400 miles, including much worse, through hikers wouldn't even notice
any of the obstacles mentioned.     But they might matter to equestrians
and elderly day hikers like me.


David Hough