Guerilla Growing And Camping

[RangerDanger]

To me, they go hand-in-hand. To me, the Nat'l Forests of the US are for more than growing pot.
And by camping I mean backpack camping.
I've had many interesting experiences in my 35 years of guerilla growing and I'd thought I'd post one from time to time if allowed.

How Spider Cave Got It's Name.
From '67 to '79 I grew in the coastal mountains in SoCal. Then i decieded to move more inland.
I went with 2 other proto-growers to an area I had never been to before. We had no idea of the terrain or trails. I realize now all we had to do was get a trail guide free at any Forest Service station but we didn't know that at the time.
So we hike into the mountain canyon that has the most delightful steam with plenty of waterfalls where side streams empty in to the main one.
We had planned a 3-day 2 night trip.
We spent the first night on a sandbar next to the stream. The 2nd day we discovered a cave that the stream had carved out of the canyon wall over the centuries. It was more of a cavern--about 15' wide and 12' deep and 8' high.
What a perfect place to camp (we thought).
So we set-up camp in the cave. We build a rock ring, collect firewood, lay out out sleeping bags, stuff like that.
So at dusk we deciede to light the campfire and we do.
Within like 2 seconds of the smoke hitting the cavern roof we are covered with spiders.
There were thousands of spiders living in every niche and crack in the cavern walls/ceiling and they were bailing because of the smoke.
Screaming we run out of the cave, strip off our clothes and jump in the stream.
After awhile we recovered our stuff from the cavern and spent an hours shaking out our sleeping bags and emptying out out packs, and ended up sleeping outside under the stars again.
Even tho we had thought we had been thorough, on the hike out the next day a hidden spider would crawl out of out packs and crawl down our back or on our head, making for more instances of the Spider Dance.
And 2 weeks later, when we went camping again and my friend unrolled his bag, a spider crawled out.

 

[Smoke24/7]

Just reading that gave me the creeps. I HATE spiders.

 

[Andrew86]

You kinda have to expect at least 2 spiders when you're camping. Just part of it.

Cool story too, thanks for sharing.

 

[DankCloset]

there just spiders.

 

[RangerDanger]

Accross from Spider Cave, on the other canyon wall, is a place we named Tall Fall.
There are many waterfalls in that area, but Tall Fall was spectacular.
3 cascades, then a 2 & 1/2-story straight drop-off.
During the day, when the sun shines directly onto the falls, water refraction turns the water droplets in a rainbow of colors--red, green, yellow, indigo, etc--the colors of the rainbow.
Standing under it was like taking a shower in jewels.
Often we'd sit there and blaze a fatty while listening to the song the waterfall made. Ever breeze made the water strike the wall and pond in a slightly different way, and it was like music.
About 10 years ago I was heading on out to tend my garden and on the Soto onramp of the 5 Freeway I see 2 hippie chicks hitchhiking.
Now that onramp is in one of the worse parts of L.A. It's like right on the border of a decaying industrial area and homeless encampments and gang hangouts and crack houses and shooting galleries. Some asshole dropped off these 2 girls, on their way from San Diego to Reno, in one of the worse possible places in L.A. They told me they had to take turns sleeping that night, one of them always staying awake with a knife in 1 hand and a can of mace in the other.
Anyway, I pick them up. I ask if they're in a hurry and they say no, and I ask them if they'd like to ride along with me to a trip up to the mountains and they said yeah.
45 minutes to drive to the fireroad, then past the fireroad gate with my magic key, another 15 minute drive to the canyon bottom, then a 15-minute hike downstream to Tall Fall.
We strip off our clothes and are standing in a shower of jewels. We look at each other and, all 3 of us being hippies, had the same thought at the same time, and burst out laughing.
Less than 90 minutes before they had been in one of the worst area's of L.A. and now we are standing under a waterfall in the mountains, one of the most beautiful area's of SoCal.
I forgot about watering on that trip. After enjoying splashing around and getting high I invite them back to my house for the night.
When we get back to my place I call up a friend and he comes over and we had a bitchen time playing guitar and singing.
After awhile my friend had to leave and the girls ask me if I have any good flicks and I'm putting Treasure Of The Sierra Madre in the VCR. When I turn around they are both naked on the couch. It's a way hippie chicks say thanks.
I'm amost ashamed to admit it but I turned down the invitation.
Because one girl was 17 and the other was 16.
I showed them to the spare bedroom and the next morning dropped them off on an onramp in a MUCH better part of town, then headed back on out to the mountains to tend my garden.
Just another positve aspect of guerilla growing. The Ganja Gods were certainly smiling on me thatday!

 

[johndough210]

During the day, when the sun shines directly onto the falls, water refraction turns the water droplets in a rainbow of colors--red, green, yellow, indigo, etc--the colors of the rainbow.
Standing under it was like taking a shower in jewels.
Often we'd sit there and blaze a fatty while listening to the song the waterfall made. Ever breeze made the water strike the wall and pond in a slightly different way, and it was like music.

damn man you tell a story like that first one, which still creeps me out, then something like this, which makes me want to move to cali.

 

[Teazintoo]

I think that growing in the National and State forests is a crime.HAve you seen what's left behind?Nobody is out cleaning up afterwards.I'd say pigs but pigs are very clean in they're pens,given the chance.Most "gorilla" growers could give a rats ass for anything but $$$.

 

[RangerDanger]

I think that growing in the National and State forests is a crime.HAve you seen what's left behind?Nobody is out cleaning up afterwards.I'd say pigs but pigs are very clean in they're pens,given the chance.Most "gorilla" growers could give a rats ass for anything but $$$.

I agree withg you except about the "most" part.
I have hiked prob. over 1,000 miles in the last 40 years, and have come across numerous gardens.
The small ones were usually well-kept. It's when people get greedy that they disregard Mother Nature, just treating her as something to make $ off of and then abandoned.
I once came across a grow of about 100 plants where the growers had cut down four 500-year old Manzanita trees and severly damaged half a dozen more.
Most gardens I've stumbled across I ignore. That garden I reported.

Another danger is growers who who chem. nutrients and pesticides. Both get into the water table and pesticides upset the balance of nature.

Speaking for myself, I've always taken care to have as little impact as possible when I grow. I don't cut things down, I don't use pesticides, I use organic nutrients, and after I harvest I restore the area, as much as possible, to the way it was when I found it.

 

[Teazintoo]

Yes I'm an organic grower as well and don't use any pesticides but peppers and garlic.True that I'm forever fending off the beasts,but it's all good in the long run.People just can't keep ripping up mother earth and trashing her expecting for her to continue to feed and support our asses.