Trail Report: Snow on 3N14 at Camp Whittle

[Russ Chung]

I was in Big Bear yesterday to attend a meeting with the Forest Service. After the meeting, Greg Hoffman, the FS OHV co-ordinator suggested that we go up to Camp Whittle to look at the snow. He said that the snow was about four feet deep. So Ryan (Hook&Ladder), Kurt (Rat Patrol) and I went to check it out. 3N14 (Coxey Truck Trail) had been cleared of snow up to Camp Whittle, although the last few hundred yards was only one lane wide. Kurt didn't have his Jeep, so he only drove to the end of the cleared road. Ryan and I decided to continue to Hanna Flat Campground for a quick look around.



We didn't want to take time to air down or chain up, so our tires were running with street pressure. We were about 1/4 mile from Hanna Flat Campground at 7000' elevation when we decided to turn around. Here's a link to a video of Ryan when he turned around. After he packed down the snow, I was able to turn around with much less effort. It will be interesting to come back to this same point this summer and see what it looks like.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x_FeFnKPdY

Sorry, but I don't have any more pictures. I didn't have my camera with me, so I took these with my iPhone. I think Ryan and Kurt might have more pictures.

[RAT]

I have some pics of the Whittle Camp area I'll post tonight when I get home.

[Roger]

Russ,

It 3N14 open to the public?

[Russ Chung]

Russ,

It 3N14 open to the public?

It is open to the public from Fawnskin to the Hanna Flats Campground, but when we turned around, there were no tire marks ahead of us in the snow.

[RAT]

Only took a few

I was in the truck, and as you can see the snow was up to the bottom of the window. That's Russ and Ryan heading in toward Hanna Flats.


Most of the buildings at Whittle Camp were completely covered. There were a bunch of kids there having a ball


There's Snow business like Show business... Only the old guys will get that...


Muddy trails to you, until we meet again...

[JeepGal]

Did Oz get to play in the snow??

We still want to get up there before it all melts

Tam

[calkid]

3N14 from Apple Valley

Last Monday my Buddy and I made it all the way to Big Pine Flat Campground from Apple Valley. The gate was locked so we couldn't go through to Fawnskin. There were no tracks at all on 3N16. We winched out a couple that had slid down a slope and were wedged against a tree about 2 miles out from Oak Springs Ranch, they were sure happy to see us!

[Russ Chung]

Some, but not much snow left

I was at Big Bear yesterday, so I drove over to Camp Whittle to see if there was any snow left. The earlier pictures were taken on February 17, these were taken on April 16. They were taken about the same time of day, but the sun was at a much lower angle in the earlier photos:

Camp Whittle (compare to Kurt's picture in post #5):



This is 3N14 one-half mile from Hanna Flat (compare the tree with the light colored trunk to Kurt's picture in post #5 and my photo in post #1):



Here's where we turned around (the twisted tree is a good landmark):





This time I drove all the way to the gate.



There are still a few patches of snow on the ground at Hanna Flat Campground:

[ocTJ]

I miss going places like that..when I was younger (boy scout age) we went up the the sierra's and planted tree's for like 14 hours one day...literally our troop was a no mercy kind of troop.. I want to say I went through several hundred saplings we had power digger to put holes in the ground which was awesome..except for carrying it all day...I just miss the smell and the .. everything about it. I looked like a cole miner I had so much black soot caked on me when we left but I was happier than a pig in mud if only people would pay me to work up there lol.