As an ongoing series "Blowouts" attempts to share with our clients and friends the pitfalls of scouting and charting trips for Dirt Road Adventures. As we mentioned, not every trip turns out as expected. In fact, due to the vagaries and shortcomings of hardcopy mapping efforts extant in the country today, our scouts never really know what to expect until they get there...on the ground and charting. This is not the first time a trip has "blown out", and, undoubtedly will not be the last.
Here's the latest.
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San Benito County, California
This adventure, close to the San Francisco Bay Area, was scouted to be an easy overnighter for residents to enjoy. South of Hollister on State Route 25 and only two and a half hours from the city itself, campers could be in the backcountry in no time. A mix of pavement and off-road, it was also supposed to be a safe, easy, beginning-level adventure. Neither turned out to be the case.

Arriving at our jumping-off point, all was well. Beautiful country, easy drive. In a half hour we were to be off-road and heading over the Diablo Mountain Range. When we made our turn, however, within a half mile we discovered signs posted that were to grab our attention. "Hazardous Asbestos Area!", a designation not depicted on our Delorme Gazetteer, it goes without saying. Trip over. We would never send our friends into a dangerous area. But we were curious.

So we headed on down the main road in, through a pass and into the Central Valley. We would come in from the back side and check out what we could. The rest you will see.