Sespe Hot Springs

From the rock layer beneath the Los Padres National Forest, several hot springs bubble to the surface. But the Sespe Hot Springs, in the heart of the Sespe Wilderness, have a reputation among hikers as the hottest in Southern California. No one, it seems, keeps an official ranking of hot springs, but having soaked in a few natural hot springs over the years, I wanted to answer the question: Is Sespe Hot Springs tepid, like dishwater, or "¡Ay, caramba!" hot?

From the rock layer beneath the Los Padres National Forest, several hot springs bubble to the surface. But the Sespe Hot Springs, in the heart of the Sespe Wilderness, have a reputation among hikers as the hottest in Southern California. No one, it seems, keeps an official ranking of hot springs, but having soaked in a few natural hot springs over the years, I wanted to answer the question: Is Sespe Hot Springs tepid, like dishwater, or "¡Ay, caramba!" hot?

Three backpackers stranded in Los Padres National Forest after heavy rains were rescued Friday afternoon by a Ventura County Sheriff's Department helicopter, officials said. Roger Hope, 57, of Imlay, Nev., had been backpacking in the wilderness for eight days and was due back Thursday. Alerted by a friend of Hope, a sheriff's search-and-rescue helicopter was sent into the Sespe Wilderness, officials said. At Sespe Hot Springs, Hope had met two Ojai men--Clarence Sterling, 51, and Richard Campbell, 41--who had been backpacking together.

Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ventura) and three other congressmen introduced an extensive conservation bill Wednesday that designates vast portions of Los Padres National Forest as wilderness protected from development.

Perhaps a greater health risk in hot springs is the danger of extreme temperature changes, from tepid to scalding in minutes. In general, the pools can hold temperatures of up to 140 degrees and hotter. The hottest hot springs in Southern California is believed to be Sespe Hot Springs in the Los Padres National Forest. One longtime visitor said the water is so hot, he once boiled an egg in the pool.

In 1992 it became official: the Sespe Wilderness. But this land near Ojai has always been a wilderness. It remained a wilderness after Don Carlos Antonio Carrillo and his Rancho Sespe cattle operation and the gold miners of the 19th century came through; it even retained its wilderness character when oil companies drilled wells in the 20th century. The Sespe area had long been recognized as something special.

Staff writer Jeff Meyers and photographer Alan Hagman have been a bit hard to live with since they returned from their trip to the Sespe Wilderness. Just because they went into the rugged outback and stared danger in the face without blinking, they figure that the rest of us are supposed to be really impressed.

A portion of the massive Newhall Ranch housing project just east of Ventura County lies in a proposed critical habitat for the endangered arroyo toad, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said Wednesday. The housing project is being watched closely by Ventura County officials and environmentalists who believe it could affect water supplies, traffic and the Santa Clara River, which is the region's last free-flowing river.

The hikers who make up the Rancho Simi Trail Blazers didn't pick their name justbecause it was cute and snappy. Sure, they like to hike, but they actually build trails and maintain them too. The group has existed officially for a year now, and they've attracted some 40 members. During that time they finished one trail segment and have since tackled another.

A long-lost herd of bighorn sheep, given up for dead in the towering cliff country north of Fillmore, has suddenly reappeared in seeming good health, raising hope that the animals will become a permanent fixture in Ventura County's environment.