Looking north on Angeles Crest Highway from the Angeles Crest fire station. The return crossing (Photo – Reg Green)
Are Trails Open or Closed?
By Reg Green
The parking lot for the Mt. Lukens fire road in the Angeles National Forest was still closed on Sunday morning even though the forest service has said repeatedly that forest trails, banned to hikers and mountain bikers since April 4, would reopen this weekend.
The stern warning signs were still plastered everywhere, threatening severe penalties if anyone disobeyed: up to $5,000 in fines or six months in gaol or both.
The desire to get back into the open air was too strong, however. The small turnout across the road was filled with cars, even though everyone who parked there had to cross Angeles Crest Highway and avoid the speeding sports cars, motorbikes and family cars whose drivers were equally impatient to break free.
Darting back was even more dangerous: as the photo above shows, it is impossible to see more than about 30 yards up the road. Not the most successful of reopenings I think you could say, particularly as the closure of the trails was ordered in order to save lives!
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