where do we start? At hike # 7, Potrero John Trail in the Sespe Wilderness. My 82 Great Hikes of Ventura County describes this as an uncrowded, lightly used trail, and they're not kidding! Could be the fact that its a bit off the beaten path... the trail head is 21 miles north of Ojai on Highway 33... or that you need a wilderness permit to use this part of the Los Padres National Forest. Whatever the reason, the lack of humanity made for a serene experience.
What started as a loose shale trail, quickly turned into well packed dirt that led into a narrow, steep walled canyon. Crossing Potrero John Creek several times, with the aid of my trusty Laki hiking poles, added to the beauty of the terrain. While we saw lots of tracks, we never saw any wildlife other than a boat load of lady bugs! What do you call a group of lady bugs anyway? I know crows travel in 'murders' (no surprise, since that's the first thing that comes to mind when they start their annoying cawing!), and clams cluster in 'beds' but what about these delicate creatures? A bevy? A swarm?
Hiking past what we thought was the 1 mile mark, the trail continued on, although rough and unmaintained. Previous hikers were kind enough to leave colored markers on the path to give us a hint of direction and even provided a tow rope tied to a tree to assist in climbing a large boulder that blocked the path. Can I now add rock climbing to the list of training activity?
If you live in the area, and are looking for a remote hike that is actually only about 30 minutes from town, put Potrero John on your list. The creek adds pools, cascading water and a few small falls to this amazing trek!
