"A Scout is Cheerful": Labor Day 2013 a Success!

Over Labor Day weekend, Pico Blanco welcomed over 300 Scouts, leaders, and parents for a celebration of the end of summer. Scouts participated in a wide range of activities including swimming, boating, nature hikes, a star trek, archery, rifle and BB shooting, and handicraft activities. In addition, many Scouts participated in dayhikes to Pioneer Camp, Fish Camp, Little Sur Camp, and Skinner Ridge as well as backpack trips to Fox Camp and Mt. Pico Blanco. The late summer sunset from Mt. Pico Blanco was breathtaking!

Saturday night, the Pico staff put on a campfire program that only Pico staff could do. The program consisted a mix of skits and songs from both staff and campers all tied into a central story line. It was great to see the campfire bowl as full as it was.

From the smiles on everyone's faces, both campers and staff, one had sufficient proof that "A Scout is Cheerful."

Plans are already being made for Memorial Day. We plan to expand our hike offerings, including more backpack trips for Troops and Venture Crews, and offer more activities in the program areas.

We look forward to serving you soon.

Level IV Fire Restrictions in the Los Padres National Forest

A small fire on the other side of the Santa Lucia Mountains in the Tassajara Creek area reminds us that it is fire season and that it's been a dry year. The Los Padres National Forest has raised fire restrictions to Level IV. Note: These apply on forest lands, not inside Pico Blanco Scout Reservation. Please inquire about fire restrictions from council personnel.

The full order can be read here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lpnf/news-events/?cid=STELPRDB5428916

Here is a summary:

-Campfires (open flame) are prohibited anywhere in the National Forest, including developed campgrounds.

-Gas stoves are only permitted in certain developed campgrounds.

-No gas stoves in the backcountry; cold camping only.

Thank you for abiding by these policies. We do not want another 2008 to be caused by humans. Let nature start it's own fires.

ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT FOREST FIRES!

Fire Restrictions

Due to dry conditions, campfires are not permitted in the backcountry of the Los Padres National Forest effective May 17 and through the summer. If you would like to use a stove while backpacking, please print out and complete a California Campfire Permit and carry it with you.

We all remember the Basin Complex Fire of 2008 which forced the camp to be closed for a year. While fire plays a vital role in the ecosystems of Central California, we all are challenged by the Outdoor Code to be careful with fire.

New PBSR Parking Permit System for Hiking

Do you want to use Pico Blanco Scout Reservation as a trailhead? Pico's trailhead provides access to the Little Sur Trail, Circular Pools, Fish Camp, Fox Camp, The Window, Pico Public, Mt. Pico, Launtz Creek, and other great destinations.

Parking in camp is $8/day per vehicle. Parking at Bottcher's Gap, the closest public parking, is $5/day. By parking at Pico, you save an extra 4 miles of road hiking each way with over 1000' elevation gain on the way out.

You can reserve your permit online at this link:
http://fs10.formsite.com/svmbc/form196/index.html

More Trail Work!

On November 10, a crew of 17 volunteers cleared 58 fallen trees along the trail to Fish Camp. This greatly expands hiking opportunities for Scouts and the general public along the North Fork of the Little Sur River. This trail also provides to more challenging destinations such as the Circular Pools and The Window. Once again, Fish Camp and Jackson Camp can be used as a beginners hike for troops.

Many thanks to our dedicated volunteers!

Labor Day Weekend 2012

This year's Labor Day Weekend Scouter Retreat was one of the busiest on record. This year the Pico Staff served over 180 campers and offered an expanded program including waterfront, shooting sports, slingshots,        handicraft, nature, and scoutcraft demonstrations. The campfire program was filled with great skits and songs  from troops, packs, venture crews, and the staff.

This year, our program expanded beyond the camp into the Ventana Wilderness where Scouts of all ages took part in a wide range of hikes. A group of Cub Scouts went downstream from camp to Little Sur River Camp and enjoyed walking in the river. Several older Scouts went with some staff upstream to Jackson Camp to see an albino redwood and some other Scouts did a challenging hike to visit Al Clark's Lost Silver King Mine and then to Pico Public to take a refreshing swim in the waterfall fed pool

Several units decided to go backpacking over the weekend, using Pico as a base camp. A troop from Monterey spent the night at Fox Camp and took a side trip to the Circular Pools. A patrol from the Los Padres Council hiked to Jackson Camp and spent the night. Two Venture crews elected to do some more challenging treks. One crew hiked to Pico Public and then went up Mount Pico for the night, enjoying stunning views of the sunset over the Pacific. A crew from the Los Padres Council attempted Ventana Double Cone, a 4,852 ft peak above camp with views of the entire Ventana Wilderness, Monterey Bay, and  the Big Sur Coast, spending two nights at Pat Spring Camp.

Scouting was alive and well at Pico Blanco that weekend!

A Scoutmaster reviews packing techniques with his troop before heading out on a backpack trip

A staffer is excited to be at Jackson Camp

And excited to find an albino redwood along the Little Sur River

Crossing the Little Sur River

Hiking to Pico Public

Searching for Al Clark's Silver Mine

The Blue Hole at Pico Pubilc

Swimmers and Boaters Enjoying the Waterfront

Canoeing at the Waterfront

The Nature Director imparts wisdom upon some Scouts

Driving out Palo Colorado Canyon after a fun weekend

Fox Camp

Fox Camp is a beautiful outpost camp in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest about 2 hours upstream along the North Fork of the Little Sur. This is a great base camp as one can continue up the North Fork to the Circular Pools or follow Jackson Creek to Upper Esselen and La Ventana.

Fox Camp is also a great overnight or day hike destination since it lies in the redwoods and is a relatively flat hike. The hike is lined with swimming holes and the camp itself is divided by the river in to two sites, each of which could accommodate several patrols. In fact, we've had 2 full troops camped at Fox Camp before. Each site is flat and has a fire ring.

Fox Camp is also home to Drum Rock but we'll save that story for later...

Experience Quicksand at Skinner Creek

As part of the Pico Pathfinders High Adventure program, some scouts explored off-trail up Skinner Creek, looking for sights rarely seen by humans. One was some quicksand on a sandbar. As an added bonus, the Pathfinders got to name some of the campsites they discovered for use by Scouts in the future.

The South Fork of the Little Sur

Hike west over Launtz Ridge and enter a the beautiful valley of the South Fork of the Little Sur. The river runs beneath old growth redwoosa while the trail passes through chaparral and porteros, grassy meadows. Mount Pico Blanco rises to the north and the Pacific sits to the west. Pico Public is a large campsite above the river that can accomidate several units in a large field and has an attractive waterfall and swimming hole. It is a hike great for a wide range of abilities.

Take a Hike! The Pico Blanco Trailhead

Pico Blanco Scout Reservation is very fortunate to have a National Forest trailhead right at the edge of camp. Without driving anywhere, you can head off into the wilderness and explore the redwood lined Little Sur River, the waterfalls of the Circular Pools, the vast porteros (meadows) of the South Fork of the Little Sur, the marble topped Mt. Pico Blanco, and the remote Window, the namesake of the Ventana Wilderness. You can even hike out to the beautiful Big Sur Coast.

All units are encouraged to do some sort of hike during their stay at Pico. Day hikes are offered on Adventure Day, staff are available to lead hike to our various outpost camps for overnighters, and nature hikes and the famous star trek are available throughout the week. We have hikes for all abillity levels that go to a a diverse range of destinations, some taking an hour while others taking up to a week.

For Scouts seeking a week long backcountry experience, our Pico Pathfinders high adventure program is a great opportunity.

Our staff is just as excited to head into the backcountry as you are, so feel free to ask your favorite staffer for good hikes. You might even want to ask him along!

Adventure is all around the Pico Blanco section of California. It is a land of spectacular scenery. The Little Sur River, wending its way through a primitive forest of giant redwoods, a waterfall gushing from the mountainside into the river, its spaciousness, its wild tempestuous backdrop, and its latent opportunities for wilderness treks and exploration are symbolic of the area’s rugged beauty.

-Men in the Making, Alfred Young, 1963

(Photo: The waterfall at the Second Circular Pool of the Little Sur River. About 6 miles upstream from Pico Blanco, the hiker enters a series of deep pools with large waterfalls. The trail is gone at this point. It is a true High Adventure experience.)

Summer 2010 #3: Pathfinders Rise Again!

This week, 2 Scouts participated in the Pico Pathfinders program, a high adventure program for older boys. On Thursday, they set out for the South Fork of the Little Sur for a day of epic proportions. Following instructions on the back of a napkin, they successfully discovered Al Clark's Lost Silver King Mine, which was mined by a hermit in the early 20th Century and since then has been visited by few. For a version of the legend behind the mine, visit http://www.angelfire.com/theforce/douggie/pages/ventana.htm#AlClark. That evening, the Pathfinders ascended Mt. Pico Blanco and watched fog from the Pacific Coast completely encircle the mountain.

High Adventure at Pico Blanco

Sunset and Sunrise from Mt. Pico

A famous event at Pico Blanco Scout Reservation is the Monday night ascent of Mt. Pico for Scouts 14 and older. Scouts depart after merit badges and ascend the Great White Mountain, arriving at the 3709' summit cone just in time for the most glorious sunset ever over the Pacific Ocean. After a night atop the mountain, Scouts arise as the sun rises over the Ventana Cones and make it back to camp for a well deserved breakfast. This hike is challenging and strenuous but rewarding.

Circular Pools Pt. 1

It was a lovely day for an A-Day Hike. The Scoutcraft crew took some campers along the Little Sur River to the first Circular Pool, where we rendezvoused with the Pico Pathfinders in the last leg of an overnighter. More Pictures to come.

List of Midnight Mountaineers

Midnight Mountaineer:
A person who either ascends or descends Mt. Pico Blanco in it's entirety under cover of darkness. Credit only given if entire ascent or descent occurred between sunset and sunrise.
1. Alex McCann
2. Christopher Sandoval
3. Kyle Carbajal
4. Reed Thayer

(if you belong on this list, send an email to an admin)