Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Massive pot farm raids near Independence

Story here...
Massive pot farm raids near Indy

And here...

Marijuana Farms Hidden In the Sierra

"Hikers and recreators that may come in contact with any growing operation on public lands are advised to leave the area as quickly as possible, and never, under any circumstances, get into a confrontation situation with the farmers or guards at the site. If possible, Lutze said, get a location for the site, and report it as soon as possible to local law enforcement.
Hikers should never enter a marijuana garden, as they have been known to be booby-trapped."

This is an increasing issue all over the Sierra, and I think it is something that hikers should be aware of, particularly if they go off-trail, as some love to do.

The train maintenence group I work with on the west side, has an active program to restore the sites, once law enforcement has cleared the area. Lots of toxic stuff gets left sitting around.
We cart stuff out by the ton.
Pictures from one trip, to give an idea of the terrain:

http://www.trailcrew.org/2005/photo_webpages/a2005_marijuana2.htm

That's pretty shocking. I knew this was a problem in the coastal ranges, but didn't expect to read about it in an area where I occasionally wander. Wonder who the 'two dead bodies' were? Unlucky hikers?

Unfortunately, pot farms pose a very real threat to hikers in all parts of the Sierra, Mt.Whitney is not immune. After living in the Shasta area for three years and inadevertantly walking into two small pot grows (which immediately puts the fear of death into you) I started carrying a fire arm with me. You can't do this in Inyo and because of this the original post should serve as a warning.

For what it is worth, in the 20-odd cleanups the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew has done, I think that law enforcement officers(LE, or LEO'S), have only apprehended two people. As apparently was the case here, they typically employ illegal migrants, who run at the first sound of a helicopter in the area (this time, they were able to surround the area in advance).

Also, no booby traps have been found. I know on the coast, it has been different.

Good job Janice - I'll be leaving my truck at the Shepherd Pass trailhead for 16 days in Aug. Anyone know how far from the Shepherd Pass TH this was?

From Janice' second article:

"Tuesday morning, Sheriff Lutze reported that some Hispanic people reported to his office that they found members of their family burned to death up in the Inyo Complex fire area. Sheriff Lutze said that Search and Rescue and deputies began the search and did find two bodies. Lutze said the two were found next to another marijuana grow site of some 15,000 plants. It appears the two were victims of the Inyo Complex fire."

HIGHER MATH:

From the first article: "By the end of the day Monday, CAMP and local officials had cut down and destroyed more than 28,500 plants, less than half of the 100,000 plants at the site."

Uh, yeah. That's "less than half." Thanks for spelling it out.

The writer should have written that they "destroyed more than 28,500 of the 100,000 plants at the site" and should have allowed readers to figure out the proportion on their own.

But maybe he was writing for those check-out clerks who have to rely on the cash register display to tell them which coins to give as change when a customer hands over a dollar bill when buying a 60-cent item.

Bob Burd wrote in his write up of climbing Williamson of pot farms in their infancy. I'm not sure I would include that info in a TR but then again pot farmers don't read online journals such as these.

A Society in denial.

Back in the late 1970's-early 1980's this was a major problem along California's north coast mtns. You always stayed on trails in those years. Booby traps and warning gunshots (or rock salt in your backside) were the norm. Problem was the economy was so depressed in those years, and pot was such a huge part of the local economy, that the local sheriffs wouldn't do anything unless there was a violent criminal act committed.