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Mountain View News Saturday, October 5, 2024

WALKING SIERRA MADRE - The Social Side 

 by Deanne Davis

ADAMS PACK STATION, 
STURTEVANT CAMP AND 
CHANTRY FLATS HAVE REOPENED!

ADAMS PACK STATION: Dedicated to Serving the Big Santa Anita Cabin Community 
and all Outdoor Enthusiasts who find their way to us! While many visitors to the canyon 
think of Adams Pack Station as just a place to purchase food, drinks, hiking maps and 
Forest Service passes, it is also the last remaining pack station in Southern California, and 
the only year-round pack station still operating in the Western United States!

On October 2, Chantry Flats Recreation 
Area in the Angeles National Forest 
above Sierra Madre reopened to the 
public. Crews have been working 
diligently over the past four years to 
help restore this highly-used recreation 
area to pre-Bobcat Fire conditions. 
Certain trails remain closed pending 
further repair. Click here for more 
information regarding trail conditions 
and essential hiking safety tips from our partners at Sierra Madre Search & Rescue.

STATS:

Elevation: 2,000 feet

Amenities: Picnic sites with picnic tables and BBQ grills (not allowed for use when in 
EXTREME or CRITICAL fire restrictions, water fountains where visitors can fill up 
their water bottles, flush and vault toilets, and accessible picnic sites.

Hiking: 

OPEN TRAILS INCLUDE:

First Water Trail

Upper and Lower Winter Creek trails

Sturtevant Loop to Sturtevant Falls

Gabrielino National Recreation Trail from Chantry Flats to Sturtevant Camp

CLOSED TRAILS:

Zion Trail

Sturtevant Trail closed to Mt. Wilson

Anything north of Sturtevant Camp (basically Gabrielino National Recreation Trail) is 
closed to Newcomb Pass

Fees: Day use - Adventure Pass OR America the Beautiful Pass required. 

Nestled high on a ridge in Big Santa Anita Canyon, the Chantry Flat Picnic Area offers 
a quick getaway to nature. To reach Chantry Flat Picnic area, drive 5 miles into the 
mountains from North Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia, CA, off Interstate 210.

The drive itself will deliver epic views of the San Gabriel Valley before reaching the 
shade of Chantry Flat. After parking and displaying an Adventure Pass or America the 
Beautiful Pass, visitors have an array of activities to choose from. Whether its setting up 
a family picnic on one of the many picnic sites tucked into the hillside or choosing to hike 
to various locations, including nearby Sturtevant Falls, this area has a little something 
for everyone.


“Halloween is right around the 
corner. You can tell because all the 
stores 

are decked out for Christmas.” 
Stephen Colbert (Totally true!)

“October was always the least 
dependable of months…full of

ghosts and shadows.” Joy Fielding

“The next two months will be spent 
proving that one can live

solely on things made with 

pumpkin. Beat it Kale! It’s 
pumpkin’s time to shine!

Anonymous Pumpkin

Scarecrows are popping up 
everywhere and creativity is in 
the air, along with the scent of 
pumpkin spice lattes. The picture 
this week is Optimus Prime. 
He is located at our temporary 
library. September was National 
Library Card Sign-Up Month and 
Optimus Prime is a reminder that 
just because September is a thing 
of the past, you can still sign up 
for your own personal library 
card, which will open the door to you of treasures beyond your wildest dreams. Mysteries, 
histories, biographies and cookbooks, funny, sad, informational, instructional…love, oh my 
dear friends and neighbors, the love stories you will find in the library. Old ones, new ones, 
love for places, people, horses, dogs, even raccoons, if you can imagine such a thing! 

Word of advice: Never argue with a librarian…they know too much! Having fun isn’t hard 
when you have a library card! And in case you didn’t know: Optimus Prime, is a fictional 
character and the protagonist of the Transformers franchise. Optimus Prime is generally 
depicted as a brave and noble leader. A perfect choice for the Library scarecrow. 

October always makes me think of Charles Schulz and his immortal comic strip, “Peanuts.”

Linus is probably already out there in his pumpkin patch, hoping that this year the Great

Pumpkin will decide that he has, indeed, created the most sincere pumpkin patch, and will

rise up and scatter presents all over the place. Charlie Brown will be kind but disbelieving, 
Lucy

will be scornful, but Linus will always believe.

Just for fun, here’s a scary excerpt from one of the Emma Gainsworth Adventures:

“Emma Gainsworth walked into a cobweb one cool October day on her way to the pumpkin

patch. She was thinking of making herself a jack-o-lantern, one with scary eyes and a jagged 
mouth to put on her front porch.

Actually, she didn’t just walk into a cobweb, the cobweb reached out and embraced

Emma, cocooned Emma, captured Emma and something spidery began slowly climbing

down the silken strand that led to Emma’s struggling self. All eight of its eyes zeroed in on

her struggling form. Eight hairy legs slowly slid toward her, trembling in anticipation of the 
tasty morsel just inches away. If it had lips, the spider would have licked them. “Drat!” She

whispered, trying to move her head enough to see just exactly who...or what, had captured 
her.

Struggle as she might, the web wound tighter and tighter around her and the spider got closer 
and closer. “This is it,” she thought to herself. “Devoured by a spider.” She could just hear her 
frenemies snorting in disbelief when they heard the news. But just as the spider was about to 
pounce, Emma blew on him. Yes, she blew a gust of garlic-scented breath at him.

You see, friends and neighbors, Emma had dined heartily on “40 Cloves and A Chicken”

for lunch. This Alton Brown recipe did, indeed include 40 cloves of garlic!

1 whole chicken (broiler/fryer) cut into 8 pieces 

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil 

10 sprigs fresh thyme 

40 peeled cloves garlic 

Salt and pepper 

She seasoned her chicken with salt and pepper, tossed it with 2 TB olive oil and browned it 
on both sides over high heat. She removed it from the heat, added the oil, thyme and garlic 
cloves, covered and baked it for 1-1/2 hours.

Hence, when she blew on the spider, she not only discouraged him, but she asphyxiated him, 
melted his web and, landing lightly on her feet, selected the perfect pumpkin for her jack-o-
lantern as the spider weakly kicked his legs in his death throes.

Proving, friends and neighbors, that you never know exactly what you’ll find in a pumpkin

patch!

Dick and Kay Sappington, who have been the heart, soul and constantly working hands of 
the Sierra Madre Rose Float Association for so many wonderful years are retiring. They will 
be missed, not just because the floats have been so fabulous, but because they are splendid 
people. We wish them all the best, the happiest, the most beautiful years to come. We can 
never thank you enough. Now keep having the best time of your lives!

My book page: Amazon.com: Deanne Davis

There are treasures there! Trust me! 

Including “Just Desserts” A Fall Fantasy of Pumpkins Gone Wrong!

And all the Emma Gainsworth Adventures.

Pumpkins are much more than a squash.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com