A surge from the storm

A week after a string of storms, the melting snowpack on Mount Baldy is delivering a strong current on San Antonio Creek. Normally, the creek is a placid babbling brook. In some places you might easily step across it. But, not today. Fortunately, the fairly substantial San Antonio dam shields the communities below the mouth of the canyon from potential floods and muds.

As you might anticipate, the normally rather dry San Antonio Canyon looks comparatively lush this season. Drought has plagued the region in recent years. But, over geologic time, strong storm flows have not been so rare, apparently. The creek has carried a significant number of boulders down the slopes. They litter the canyon bottom. Some of the boulders have wonderful graining, with swirls of grey contrasting with creme colored whites. And, the light granite tones are contrasting with the rich emergent green of new grass in this rainy season.

As someone newly transplanted to the Claremont, California, area it is amazing to me to have ready access to such wild spaces. The scale of the Angeles National Forest is immense. It is a wonder to be enjoyed and protected for the generations who will follow.

Pictures worth a thousand words

(Photos and video above, ©Doug, 2023)