My hiking colleague and I planned a backcountry hike up Figueroa Mountain on July 9, but part of Soxtonocmu (Figueroa) was already ablaze in the ever-growing Lake Fire. We immediately pivoted to driving south on Highway 101 instead.

Dropping the plan to head to the smoke-filled north, we came to Ventura and sped past Ojai on Highway 33, then followed the Maricopa Highway (still 33) on to Rose Valley. Turning into Rose Valley, we drove a few miles to the end, noticing a stray camel on the way (yes) and parked at the spacious (and empty) Piedra Blanca Trailhead (4.1.1.).

One of our goals could be reaching the two streamside U.S. Forest Service camps at Piedra Blanca and Twin Forks, about three miles into the Sespe Wilderness, but I also knew simply getting across the swollen Sespe River would be its own challenge. Then, on the return, we’d have to find our way back across the stony wash.

The wide and rocky Sespe River streambed had frustrated me when returning from Twin Forks Camp in October of last year, so wild Peter and I were well-prepared to reconnoiter and assess how to cross the jumbled stone “wash.” The breadth and trackless nature of these rocky overflows that create the floodplain had confused me before, so I was now wary.

One part of our plan included carrying old tennis shoes around our necks to don if the Sespe was too wide and deep to cross without stepping right into the flowing water. We’ve had heavy winter rains, and even in early July the Sespe, like all of our local creeks, has continued to flow strongly. The bigger issue comes with the extremely wide “wash” area lining both sides of the Sespe watercourse that occasionally stretches into hundreds of yards. Also, there is no “main channel” but three primary areas to ford; the lead photograph here shows only one of the main channels and plenty of boulders in between.

With the spate of heavy winter precipitation, the supposed “trail” simply disappears when one is out on the grapefruit-size boulders and rocks of the “wash” area. While hikers put up occasional “cairns” to indicate the path, this winter blew them all down, so we had to navigate differently (for the return). Many of the larger stones are still insecure and wobble when stepped upon — not so good, thus wielding the twin poles becomes crucial, and I’ve gotten dexterous with them.

After fording the various Sespe channels, and leaving our old tennis shoes right on the riverbank — we never saw any other people all day — we trudged uphill into the interior. Without careful attention, casual hikers can miss the turn-off directly into the mountains (north up Pine Mountain) and continue on the Middle Sespe Trail (22W04), which you do not want. You need sharp eyes to note the Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca offshoot (22W03). There is a very small wooden sign stuck in the ground with Piedra Blanca scrawled on it in black, but it’s easy to miss.

The white sandstone formation forms a fabulous playland, the sort of outcroppings that catch any hiker’s eye — full of shallow caves, exotic shapes and likely areas ripe for Indigenous rock art. Campfires are not allowed now in any case.

We sauntered through the engaging formations of the piedras blancas on a sketchy trail that led down into a narrow arroyo where a streamlet flowed, even in July. We needed to get over a low chaparral-clad ridge and slip into the bigger canyon with Piedra Blanca Creek running, gushing and beautiful.

Our skimpy trail 22W03 petered out completely. Minor debris flows and stream flooding simply effaced the path; I couldn’t discern any cairns and would have needed loppers and heavy gloves in order to bust over into the larger canyon.

Dramatically rising heat shocked us into wordless acceptance of that shimmering symbol of solar power, the burning orange disk blasting all the rocks around us. We were stymied, and by 9 a.m. the heat was spiking into the 80s — amid the harsh beauty of abundant chaparral.

After quiet contemplation, and more assessment, wild Pete and I chose caution over valor and turned back, with smiles and a bit of relief. If we had managed to bushwhack over into the next valley, it would have required at least an hour to reach Twin Forks Camp on Piedra Blanca Creek.

After a pleasant lunch amid the shade of some of the white sandstone, we descended back to the Sespe and pondered where the trail would pick up on the other side — way over there, across several sections of confusing rocky “wash.” Blocked by clumps of isolated sycamore trees plus a few random pools with dark green water, we couldn’t see where to get up out of the boiling white wash and onto the side trail leading to the trailhead and our truck.

We had made three preparations for this challenge, since I knew it would come and had suffered from staying out on the rocks too long last October.

I always carry a compass as well as a good map when hiking, so I had set it up when we came in and memorized that southeast was the correct start for the return fording of the several Sespe channels.

Wild Pete is a math guy, and deploying his excellent GPS device, we had set a single “waypoint” on the other side, so now on the return we turned on the GPS and it pointed to the waypoint Pete had marked on the way in (where we first crossed the Sespe). This direction did gibe with the southeast direction on the compass.

The third preparation was to go slow and rest on one’s experience and topographic intuition.

I’ve been hiking in this area since the mid-1970s with guru Franko, perhaps 25 trips. I remembered that the direction to relocate the emerging “trail” on the other side of the Sespe’s broad and rocky wash was definitely counter-intuitive. So, the obvious choice was southeast.

After clumsily trudging on the stones, we still couldn’t visually spot where to climb up out of the wash onto the emerging path, but the GPS pointed us right into a screen of sycamores, and presto! There, the trail picked up again, and we were at the truck in 10 short minutes.

Near the parking area, Wild Pete spotted some bounding jackrabbits with their huge ears, and driving out, we checked on beautiful Upper Rose Valley Lake.

I do recommend the two-mile hike into the white sandstone formations on the Marshall-Piedra Blanca Trail. I recommend against going farther into the Sespe Wilderness and up Piedra Blanca Creek until the fall and when others have sketched out a continuing path.

4.1.1.

Map: Tom Harrison’s “Sespe Wilderness Trail Map” covers this hike.

Driving directions: Take Highway 101 south to Ventura. Then, take Highway 33 to Ojai; continue along Maricopa Highway (Highway 33) to the Rose Valley turnoff and drive to the end where it meets the large Piedra Blanca Trailhead parking lot. It’s about 90 minutes from Santa Barbara. Note: Highway 33 still has three sets of traffic signals between Ojai and the Rose Valley turnoff, and there will be some waiting in either direction. Wild Pete uses a Garmin Inreach Mini 2 as a navigation aid.