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44 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2015 The Take a Hikers lost a trio of good friends in June, friends we visited annually and whose hospitality we always enjoyed. These three, Barton Flats, Jenks Lake and the Aspen Grove, were all in the path of the fire that torched the upper San Gorgonio Mountains. We will miss our visit in 2015 but we will return in 2016 to witness their rebirth. Their glory will not be regained in our lifetimes, but our grandchildren will behold their wonders near the end of the century. We will marvel at their rebirth as small plants and sprigs pop up from the ashes next spring, and in later years saplings will reach toward the skies. And perhaps for our senior citizens, that is a much more rewarding vision. The unburned San Jacinto Mountains absorbed an influx of summer hikers due to the fire closure. Our "secret" parking spot for the Ernie Maxwell trail was crowded with intruders on our morning hike in July. Temperatures in the 70s promised a great day for hiking, as June gloom finally arrived in July to send cool air up the mountain. A 2015 group high of 17 hikers debarked, shook off the cobwebs of an hour drive up the mountain and hopped on the trail. We had a couple of scouts out front as we walked single file up the trail. Volunteer and ranger crews keep this trail navigable and evidence of chain saw work on fallen tree trunks was apparent. It is a 600 foot climb in two plus miles to our regular snack pause, and then back down to lunch in Idyllwild. Ernie Maxwell has always been a good hike and lived up to its reputation on this day. To find out where we are hiking in 2015 call or email Lynette Simonson, Hike Central at (951) 377-0392 or lynette.simonson@gmail.com. ~Len Tavernetti Take a Hike Jenks Lake in 2011 Snack pause: L-R seated: Larry Anderson, Susan Wilson, David Kershaw, Jim Seim, Adona Lamar, Bruce Heimlich, Walt Webster, Bertsy Seim, Lynette Simonson, Mary Liebenberg and Bev Webster. L-R standing: Jerome Liebenberg and Will Von Klug Horseshoe Meadows in Barton Flats in 2009 Aspen Grove in 2012