CHAPTER 2
Campo to Warners Springs

"See," I told my crew the next morning after arising at dawn (actually it was 7:30 A.M.), packing fairly efficiently (Esther fedus breakfast so it hadn't been necessary to unpack our pots and pans), and making tracks in the right direction, all of our difficulties are behind us now." Oh, I knew we had a few adjustments to make, minor problems that would require a little attention—nothing we couldn't handle.

Our printed trail guide recommended, "Proceed to Descanso." The only direct route was along the highway. It is dangerous riding horseback along a busy road, and twelve times more impossible when leading a pack string. Whenever a car pulled past with a friendly honk, we had a small rodeo.

I thought we had the answer to this situation. A number of locals had recommended following a power line access road that paralleled the blacktop. Unfortunately this didn't work too well as we ran into locked gates, dead-ends, and detours that lead right back to the highway.

A-hah, I had another plan. Number 36B. Before leaving, I spent $4.25 making a phone call to the Forest Service to verify an alternative way through. The ranger had recommended a "long cut," that was an interesting bit of trail, and had a few excellent camping sites.

What he failed to mention was a cattle guard made of rolling pipe, with locked by-pass gate. At this stage of our expedition we did not carry a fence tool. We had to unpack what was to become our second most needed trail maker, a shovel. By filling in part of the pit, the horses crossed on solid ground. Once done, how were we to get the dirt out? So, we left, more or less, the gate open.