Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
six
Safety & Conservation
H
UNDREDS OF MILES OF TRAILS AND ROADS
crisscross Big Sur's state parks, the
Ventana Wilderness, and the Silver Peak Wilderness. Plan carefully before you venture
into the backcountry. This chapter describes potential hazards and offers gear sugges-
tions to help you prepare for your hike.
The fact that a trail is described in this topic does not mean it's safe for everyone.
Trails vary greatly in difficulty and condition. Some sections are choked with poison
oak, encroaching brush, fallen trees, and debris. The sheer landscape is also subject to
floods and landslides. Conditions can change rapidly. A riverside trail that's safe on a
dry day may be impassable during heavy rains, even for the fittest hiker.
It is essential that you tell someone where you're hiking and when you expect to
return so rescue groups know where to look if you're overdue. Always respect your
limits and avoid hiking alone. Stay on the trail, both to limit erosion and avoid injury.
Following the preparation tips is a partial list of regulations and advice on how to
preserve this beautiful landscape for fellow hikers. If you'd like to volunteer your time,
refer to the list of
conservation organizations
.
Wildlife Hazards
Ticks
Particularly in the Ventana and Silver Peak Wildernesses, trails are often overgrown
with brush. This encroaching brush, in turn, harbors ticks. Tick numbers boom follow-
ing winter's first major rains and don't drop again till early summer. They're most pre-
valent amid dense thickets of chamise, Big Sur's most widespread plant.
Once one of these blood-sucking arachnids latches on, it climbs till it reaches an
exposed patch of skin. Deer ticks start out the size of a comma on a printed page, while
wood ticks are only about twice that size. The tiny hitchhikers often go unnoticed until
they swell with blood.
