TR: SUL Sespe Backcountry and Beyond Loop

[JW]

On March 23-24, fellow BPL member Nick Bobroff and I did a fun two day trip covering ~40 miles in the beautiful Sespe Wilderness and beyond into other drainages. On night 2, we decided to hike out in the dark as a snow storm blew in which dropped 12-14" of snow. By midnight we were off the mountain. The 'good pro' photos are by Nick :-)

View the full album here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/108683197222833871997/albums/5731031212065139473

Happy Trails,

Jhaura
http://www.LiteTrail.com

[Andy Duncan]

Thanks for posting your Sespe pxts Jhaura. I have been planning a similar loop in Sespe for this spring. Good to see you made it out before the storm.

[HkNewman]

I enjoyed the pictures. What were the temps like? Does it follow the southern coastal California model of greening up in winter?

[Nico .]

Thanks for posting the photos Jhaura; had it been left up to me, I'm not sure when I would have got around to posting something up on BPL.

@Andy, this route was great; you could easily squeak another day or two out of it with some detours to other places along the way like Little Mutau or the Fishbowls, or continue west from PML area toward Haddock and/or Reyes Peak. Good Sierra warm-up terrain…

@HK, the river valley and south slopes green up nicely in the spring, say Feb to May. The rest of the year, everything is pretty dry and brown. The high country gets a little greenery in the spring, but the vegetation is a lot more sparse (other than the trees). This year was pretty much a dud around these parts for spring colors and wildflowers. No rain for most of the winter and then some late season snows really confused everything.

[Erik Dietz]

Hi,

I'm heading up there tomorrow after work for the weekend. I called the Ojai Ranger Station and they said bear canisters weren't required but they are recommended. I noticed that you guys hung your food. What would you recommend?

I'm going from Piedra Blanca trail head to Willett hot springs but was considering just going all the way to Sespe hot springs as I've heard they're better. Is the trail easy to follow from Willett to Sespe?

Thanks and great pictures!

Erik

[JW]

Hi Erik,

We hung our food and always have. A bear canister in these parts is not necessary. The Ursack is a good middle ground if you are very cautious.

I recommend you go all the way to the Sespe HS because the whole trail is like a freeway, super easy hiking. Plus Willet was badly damaged in a fire and is not what it used to be.

Have a great trip!

[Author]

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