Tucked in the heart of the forest sits the former home and mine of prospector and Civil War veteran Charles Tom Vincent, a fugitive who, after murdering three claim jumpers in Arizona, escaped here in 1870. Vincent, whose real name was Charles Vincent Daugherty, lived a solitary life here until his death in 1926. During that time, Vincent hunted deer, grizzly bears and bighorn sheep. His rustic cabin was filled with the horns and skulls of the game he shot. His only friends were Valyermo postmistress Dorothy Evans Noble, and her husband, geologist Dr. Lee Noble. After Vincent’s death, Dorothy wrote a memoir of Vincent for the U.S. Forest Service. The full account can be read in “The Mountaineers” by Pearl Comfort Fisher or at this link.

FAST FACTS

Distance: 5 miles round-trip

Level: Moderate

Elevation Gain: Approximately 1,000 feet

Trailhead: Depart from the parking lot at Vincent Gap, Take the trail on your left.

Vincent Gap Parking Lot:  From the junction of Table Mt. Rd., N4, and Hwy 2 at Big Pines, take Hwy 2 west approx. 5 miles. Park on the left near the base of Mt. Baden Powell.

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