We have a finisher!  Nice job Ben!

Ben is looking strong!  He has had pretty good weather yesterday and today.  He is coming up the back side of Big Pine Mountain right now.  Hopefully mud and/or snow conditions are not too bad out there for him. 
 
This year proper route riders can choose either to summit Big Pine or West Big Pine.  Big Pine is higher, West Big Pine might be a little more scenic.  Both are scramble hikes to reach the top.  Which summit will he choose? 

 It looks like Ben started this morning! Conditions are questionable today,  there are scattered showers all over and it’s pretty cold out there.  Also a High wind advisory today.  It should be fun to watch his progress over the next few days.
http://trackleaders.com/lospadres19f.php

It rained pretty good in Santa Barbara this morning, still a good amount of unsettled pockets of precipitation out there.  Mud is looking more likely now that this 2nd storm has rolled through.  A saturday start might be better than tomorrow.

Hi Ben, Here is probably a more accurate website for rainfall totals.
https://rain.cosbpw.net/map/?sensor_class=10%7C2880&view=8bc6e88f-eeab-4281-9d92-3d723016e945

The 48 hour totals look like a quarter inch in most places, and half an inch up in the higher mountains. maybe a little more rain tomorrow.

It’s a judgment call on your part. For sure there will be snow on Mt Pinos, hopefully not crazy mud elsewhere.
You have a solid bikepacking resume, so if you bring the right gear it could work out.

No one has signed up for this Friday thus far.

Back 2014, the two guys from Ventura did an ITT on April 1st starting right in the middle of a storm. They definitely got the death mud (we could see their dry HAB footprints one week later) but they powered on and were 15 miles from finishing and their GPS ran out of battery! That year was a much harder route.

There are lots of places to camp off Quatal Canyon Road.   Most riders hit Ventucopa and get a meal on the first day and then either make it to Santa Barbara Canyon (tour route)  or Carrizo Plain (proper route) to camp the first night.

A group of guys camped at Toad Springs Campground the first night a few years ago. They were going at a mellow pace. 

I am sure that would be fine with Trackleaders.  I don't see your name on the registration list though.  Are you sure you registered?  Please email info@trackleaders.com if you have any specific questions. 

The weather report is still a bit hit or miss depending on where you look.  Tomorrow is a half inch of rain in Frazier Park (and about 2-4 inches of snow predicted higher up on Mt. Pinos), but less precipitation in the Carizzo Plain.   1 to 3 inches of snow is also predicted for Big Pine mountain area tomorrow if you look on www.weather.gov

The rain and snow remain in the forecast through Thursday night.  Friday looks ok, then "slight" chance of rain and snow start again on Friday night through Saturday.  Sunday and Monday look ok at this point.  If it were me riding, I would look for an alternate weekend with better weather to ride.  If April 26th does not work for you, there will likely be better weather windows over the next few weeks to do an ITT.  Mid April is typically when the wildflowers will peak at the Carizzo Plain. 

If you do decide to ride this weekend, then hopefully you are a very experienced bikepacker, be prepared for a healthy amount of snow on Mt. Pinos, probably some mud on other parts of the route, and more snow/mud on Big Pine Mountain later in the ride.  A tent or other shelter, waterproof clothes, and a 20 degree sleeping bag would be a requirement for gear in my opinion. 

Here is an article about tourists getting stuck in mud at the Carrizo Plain, so I am pretty sure there will be some mud out there after this next storm. https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2019/03/16/sightseers-headed-carrizo-plain-super-bloom-getting-stuck-mud/3192514002/

The weather report for a March 22 start is still a bit hard to judge at this point.  It looks like a small storm coming for sure on the 20th (Wed.)  Looks like a tenth of an inch or so at this point.  And then it looks pretty good until the 23rd. The 23rd to the 25th look like more showers or rain, but the amount of precipitation for those dates is not yet predicted since that is more than a week out.  So the weather report is less reliable at this point for those dates.  If any of these storms bring more than a quarter of an inch, then mud will be an issue. If there is anyone who needs a rental SPOT for the 22nd start, you will need to register and rent a SPOT by Sunday evening.  If you have your own SPOT you can wait until Wed. to decide.  I know it is last minute that way, but the weather report will be much more reliable by Tues./ Wed.

I fixed the registration link on to website. It should say 2018 now. You can register at any time. For SPOT rentals, please register a minimum of 6 days before starting. I got you down for the shuttle.

Looks like trail work is happening on April 6 for Romero Trail so it should be even better by late April. Here is the flier if anyone wants to volunteer and do some trail work.

The Carizzo plain can get peanut butter death mud after a storm, and so can parts of the Sierra Madre Ridge and the climb up to Big Pine. The soils are clay and sandstone, not granite, so rule of thumb is don’t ride 72 hours after a significant storm. Not sure how much precipitation will come next week, we will see.

Trackleaders sign up is ready to go, but the weather is looking questionable at this point for a March 22 start.  The weather report could change, but as of now it does not look stellar.

looks like the super bloom is just starting. here is the latest post i could find on social media.

Cue sheets are now up too. 

Good news!  I rode Romero today and it is WAY better than it was one month ago!  I assume Ray did the work, but i am not sure.  Whoever it was did a fantastic job.  There are only two stream crossings which require walking now.  The trail is much chunkier than it was a few months ago, so you have to watch your downhill speed.  This is not a great year to ride a rigid bike! The first 2 photos below are the two crossings that require walking. The other photos are other sections of the trail. Other than the two crossings, it is rideable both uphill and downhill. 

Both routes are up and finalized for 2019 here: https://tourdelospadres.weebly.com/ride--route-info.html

I will upload the cue sheets and waypoints to the website in the next day or two.

So just to recap-- there will be two group start dates this year.  March 22 and April 26th.  You choose the date which best fits your needs.  I will post here when the Trackleaders sign up is up and running.  Those wishing to head out March 22nd should wait until Friday or so to sign up, to get a more accurate weather report. 

Thanks for the input from all of you More snow came last night Photo below from this morning from my friend who lives in Cuddy Valley (mile 7 on the routes). 

Also I hiked up to McKinley Peak this weekend. This is the peak next to Big Pine. There is currently about 2" to 4" of snow (only on north facing slopes), starting at about 5500' elevation. Photo below.

I am going to go ride Romero Trail today at lunch.  I am hearing rumors that it has been repaired in the last few weeks (fingers crossed).  Then I am going to post the final routes and cue sheets later tonight and get the Trackleaders sign up ready. 

I know this is unorthodox, but with all the crazy weather this winter, having two start dates seems like the best solution this year to maximize the fun for everyone. 

I will give an update later tonight after I ride Romero, update the tracks, and update the cue sheets.

Happy Friday. Here is the latest update on weather, conditions, etc. 

The recent storms brought heavy rain (and probably some erosion).  But the snow levels were high, so the lower half of Mt. Pinos (6500' feet elevation and lower) might be rideable by now.  The upper part of Mt. Pinos remains at 2 to 3 feet of snow still:   http://www.frazmtn.com/fmcoc/snowcond.htm

I have not been able to do any scouting near Little Pine, Big Pine, etc. along Buckhorn Road.  Its been too muddy and wet the last few weeks.  So conditions of that road are unknown.  Buckhorn Road last year was completely re-built.  Its been 2.5 years since the Rey Fire, so I would imagine some erosion has occurred on that road from the recent rains, but probably not as bad as in 2017. 

Long term weather outlook looks pretty good.  Looks like it is going to warm up by late next week.  If it is dry from March 15 to March 26, March 22nd MIGHT be feasible.

I am hearing a good amount of support for postponing the date.   A postponement to April 26 would probably be the responsible thing to do. Then there would be more time for scouting, and trail reports to surface, etc.  Also Romero Trail MIGHT be re-bulit by late April (but probably not).  I like to hear from those who still would like to do the March 22nd start.  From what I can tell over the past two weeks, there are not many folks left who want to do the March 22nd start. I am tempted to move the date to April 26, but would like to hear from more people first before making that official. 

-Erin

Happy Friday. The start date will stay as March 22nd for now, but there is a decent chance that the date may need to be pushed back due to snow/ rain/ mud conditions. 

Here is an update on conditions now that it is March 1st:

Snow levels are around 5,500-6,000 feet right now.  The high point of the route at the upper part of Mt. Pinos has about 36" of snow based on a friends facebook photos from last week.  Big Pine Mountain also has snow now too.  Its probably more like 6" to 12" on Big Pine right now.  The nearby webcams seems to confirm this. 
Cuddy Valley about 5500' elevation: http://www.frazmtn.com/cuddycam/
Pine Mountain Club houses in cam are at about 5,700 and top of mountain in cam is at about 8,800' (http://www.frazmtn.com/mount_abel_cam/

The weather forecast over the next 10 days sounds wet. 3 storms in the forecast. But the storms also sound warm, so snow levels will likely stay 8,500' and higher. 

I did a 2 day trip last weekend here in the Santa Barbara backcountry.  We crossed the Santa Ynez River a few times.  It was about waist deep, but passable with the bike on your shoulders.  Camuesa Connector Trail is in good shape.  We didn't ride much of Big Pine/ Buckhorn Fireroad, but the section we did ride is in good shape too.  Camuesa Road between the old Mono Campground and Big Pine/ Buckhorn Fireroad is not in good shape on the western end of the road.  The forest service has not done any maintenance on that road since the Rey Fire 3 years ago.  So the routing of the "tour" route in that area will stay the same in that area as in 2018.

March 22nd is going to be a last minute game time decision this year, so please keep checking in here over the next few weeks.  April 26th seems like the logical push back date, so keep that date open in case of a postponement.

Photos from my trip last weekend below.

A bit of bad news...Romero Trail was damaged pretty good in the last big storm 2 weekends ago. I tried riding it and I turned around halfway up. Parts of the trail are still fine, but most of the drainage crossings are blown out and full of 3 to 4 foot diameter boulders and debris. But there is potential good news. Ray, who restored Romero last year after the 2018 Montecito mudslides, said he is going to jump back on it with a mini excavator as soon as he gets a good weather window. So that being said,  I won’t have the 2019 routes up until the last minute this year.

If storms keep coming every other day like they have been, it will be questionable if March 22 is a realistic date.
The weather over the next few weeks will tell the story.

I knew the March 22nd date wouldn't work for everyone, but that seemed to be the consensus. Lots of storms this year.  There will be no shortage of water.  Hopefully the weather will behave, but if you can, save April 12 and/or 26 in case of an inclement weather postponement.

I would expect a superbloom of wildflowers in the Carrizo Plain this year too. Two years ago the flowers were so heavy that the line was a little hard to follow if you didn't look hard.