From Devil's Canyon to Pillars of God - Hikes Around Crestline

My daily walks, strolls, and hikes in and around Crestline are taking a wider and wider scope. That's because I am slowly running out of new paths to explore! So while venturing further and further each time, I also end up covering greater distances, and finding new interesting places. This could be some visually stunning paths off the beaten paths, or even some abandoned open-air churches...

Yesterday we had near perfect weather! Sunny and warm, suggesting full blown Summer, of course I could not keep from going ... just a little bit further. Devil's Canyon Road seemed perfect for this, as it was virtually without traffic, and just kept going and going... Eventually it turned into a gravel / dirt road, winding its way around the hills I had explored over the previous weeks. It took me past some remote homesteads, abandoned looking sawmills, and some picturesque old infrastructure, such as this wooden water tower. As the road wound its way back, it offered some amazing views of Silverwood Lake.

As I kept taking turns on paths that I had not been on before, I realized that one of these paths took me closer and closer to a place marked on the map as Pillars of God. At one point I actually tried finding my way to this monument, but at the front gate I was dissuaded from pushing on. Normally I don't mind finding my own way around obstacles, but a Private Property, No Trespassing sign deserves my respect. This is the US, after all, the land of loaded guns.

This time, however, the public dirt road just kept climbing up the hill, without a gate or as much as a sign telling me to turn around. Eventually it stopped looking public all together, as it took me past piles of junk, including dumped furniture, building material, and abandoned RVs. According to my digital map, I was getting really close to the pillars. And then, suddenly the just popped out from behind the trees. I had made it.

From this vantage point the place looked a bit less monumental, and rather shabby. It resembled an amphitheater with very low steps, suggesting that it may have required actual chairs to seat people. In the front a giant cross was towering over a little podium, making it look like a church without an altar. Flanking the cross there were the pillars: twelve of them all together, six on each side.

Interesting, and maybe even impressive as it was, the place looked like it hasn't been used in years, if not decades. The concrete floor was cracking, offering nature numerous places to start taking back the structure. The surrounding area was also quite littered with sizeable junk piles, making me wonder about the history of the place, which I had no clue about at that time.

A quick search revealed that this facility was part of the Mozumdar Camp, the site of worship of a Christian-leaning religion from India, organized by A.K. Mozumdar in the beginning of the 20th century. Since then place had been affected by various adversities, the latest of which was a wildfire. Not that the Pillars of God had too much burnable material to begin with. Interestingly though, the nearby Mozumdar Temple, an impressive Indian looking church, remained unaffected by the fires. Still, it is abandoned and unused... and unlike the Pillars of God, there is no good access to it (at least I haven't found it yet).

On my way back I took the direct route, leading me around the same gate that had deterred me from entering previously. Now of course there were plenty of warning signs of camera surveillance and what not. But since I was coming OUT of the property, I didn't mind. On my way home from the Devil's Canyon and the Pillars of God I came across this beautiful creature. How fitting that after these divinities I should encounter a snake. It seemed super chilled, sunbathing on the warm asphalt. No need to worry, it didn't look like any cars were going to pass by there anytime soon.