Sierra Loop - Lon Chaney's Cabin - Friday, September 7, 2018

Waning Crescent  Moon

Perhaps the best thing about Big Pine, CA is the classically appointed triple-roof gazebo that graces the center lawn of the otherwise unremarkable Big Pine Motel. Rather than try to describe its intrinsic motor-court, motellian rotunda-slash-yard-art style and its hexagonally supernatural Old West zeitgeist, I will simply allow you to feast your eyes on this little digital photo.

Big Pine Motel classic gazebo.

The equine weather vane - gosh, it is so powerful - evokes the promise and the memory of winter and sleighs, the ancient earthly theme of change over time, and the Martin Buber dichotomy of I and thou

or maybe just heads or tails. It also indicates which way the wind is blowing, in case you are lousy at directions. The deer are pretty cute, too.

But I did not come to Big Pine to stare at gazebos. No, I came to take a shower, but I did not really need the shower until I hiked my daily hike, this time 3.5 miles up the North Fork Big Pine Trail to Lon Chaney's Cabin. And 3.5 miles back, of course. This was not the first time I attempted to go to this cabin. About twenty years ago, I snowshoed this trail in the dead of winter with a backpack on, to practice suffering hypothermia and falling into tree wells. In a blizzard. What fun. It was a great success.

This time the weather was perfect and I only carried a tiny day pack with water, lunch, snacks and a jacket. Carrying a jacket on a day hike is like a reverse rain dance. If you bring it, rain will not occur. To my surprise, there were very few cars in the hiker parking lot and I made good time up the long, straight, exposed, initial stretch of trail, working up a good sweat and taking in long, clean lungfuls of mountain air with every breath. I passed some younger guys laboring with heavy packs. I was happy not to deal with all that this time. 

The first part of the trail is sunny and pretty straight with a little shade here and there.

Up ahead, I could see the falls and I knew the switchbacks would be coming soon. They were short and not as steep as I remembered, so very soon I was approaching the shady, cool, gurgling, restful paradise of "Second Falls." For this time of year, the waterfalls were still pretty impressive and I stopped to take pictures and chat a little bit with a large group of strong backpackers who were also enjoying the spot. 

One of the rocky switchbacks that lead to the falls.

The head of Second Falls on the North Fork Big Pine Creek.

From the falls, the trail leveled out and proceeded through cool, shaded woods a mile or so to the cabin. I picked out a place where my memory told me was probably the flat area I pitched my tent and froze my hiney off back when, definitely the coldest (and dumbest) night of my life. 

Lon Chaney, Sr., the Man with a Thousand Faces, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, etc., etc. built a cabin (had a cabin built) up on the North Fork during his heyday as a famous Hollywood actor in the old black and white movie era. Big Pine was and is fairly close to L.A. so the cabin provided him with a place to get away and chill whenever time and the weather allowed. Now owned by the U.S. Forest Service, it was beautifully built  and is still well maintained, set back thirty feet or so from the creek and shaded by tall pines. It is locked and boarded up to protect it from animals and vandals, especially the latter. The huge front porch and stairs are a perfect rest stop for hikers coming and going from and to the scenic lakes and the Palisade Glacier along this trail. 

The porch.

The large group of hikers from the falls stopped and ate their lunches at the cabin while I was there. They were from Bakersfield, many of them oil field workers, some in construction, all late 20s guys who work hard for a living. They have been doing trips like this together for several years, good, hardy folks with a love of the mountains. When they moved on toward First Lake, I was able to take the full peaceful measure of the cabin's locale and sneak in a few minutes of shuteye on Lon's porch. I didn't think he would mind. 

The porch.

You do need a fireplace up here.

I took a few photos of the cabin and headed back down trail to see about that shower. This little hike was my favorite of the whole trip. I don't tell you that so you and your friends will come here and love it to death. There are already enough initials carved into the rails of the porch, okay? If you come, be on your best behavior and respect the property.

Solid. Bear-proof.

Lon's privvy.

Peace, Love, and The Phantom of the Opera,

Jim

TBC