Runner on the San Gabriel Peak Trail, working up toward Mt. Disappointment. Mt. Wilson is the peak with the towers. West Fork is in the canyon on the left.
Even in Southern California the weather can be a little fickle. Just two weeks ago, heat had been one of my concerns for the No Name 50K. During that race the temperature reached into the mid-80s. Heat definitely wasn’t an issue for this morning’s race on Mt. Wilson. Several days out one computer model had forecast sleet and a temperature of 32°F! Instead, at the start of the race runners were treated to a spectacular sunrise and a temperature of around 40°F.
After a five year hiatus, the Angeles National Forest (Mt. Disappointment) Trail Race is back. Started in 2005 by R.D. Gary Hilliard, this was the 15th running of the highly regarded event. Today we ran the 25K course, but generally a 25K, 50K, and 60K is offered. Rumor has it there may be a longer distance added next year.
Sunrise from the ALERTCalifornia Mt. Wilson East Camera a few minutes after the start of the race. Click for larger image.
Whatever the distance, a hallmark of any ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment courses is that it starts and ends on top of Mt. Wilson (5739′). While not particularly high, the altitude is just high enough to take the edge off a runner’s performance. Many a runner has underestimated the difficulty of the final five-mile climb from West Fork to the top of Mt. Wilson — especially on a hot day in July or August.
Today’s race was the 15th running of the ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races. Thank you Gary and Pam for your dedication, passion, and the hours and hours of work required to put on a quality event! And thanks also to all the volunteers, runners, and others that support the race.
Ahead, the lights of two runners turned this way and that, and behind me more headlamps danced up the canyon. The moon was high in the sky and nearly full. I took advantage of a smooth stretch of fire road, and turned off my headlamp to enjoy running in the surreal light.
Getting ready to check-in runners at the No Name 50K/15K
I was in Cheeseboro Canyon and a mile or so into the 2024 No Name 50K. Along with several other runners, I had opted for the early start. Partly because there’s something special about running in the hours before dawn, but also because strong Santa Ana winds were forecast, and I wasn’t sure how hot and windy it was going to get. So far, so good. The only wind was a sometimes cool, sometimes warm, down-canyon breeze.
Usually, when I run Cheeseboro Canyon, it’s from the Victory Trailhead at Ahmanson, and I run down the canyon. It was good to be running up the canyon for a change. The Cheeseboro Canyon Trail is a combination of fire road and single track that gains about 500′ over the 4+ miles to the Sheep Corral Trail junction. There are several very short, steep, rocky sections, but most of the trail is straightforward and enjoyable. Because of all the rain the past two years, the trail near Sulfur Springs was a bit muddy. Running by headlamp, I managed to step in the muckiest of the mud.
Dawn from the Sheep Corral Trail.
From the top of Cheeseboro, it’s about a mile over to Palo Comado Fire Road on a well-used, up-and-down single track. Just before Palo Camado, I stopped at an overlook to take in the view to the east. San Gabriel Peak and Mt. Wilson were silhouetted in the distance, and a few orange-red clouds preceded the sun.
Once on Palo Comado Fire Road, it took about 15 minutes to get up to China Flat. The timing was perfect — the warm light of the new sun highlighting Simi Peak and the greens and golds of the oak grasslands.
Downhill on Albertson Fire Road to Lang Ranch.
The aid station at Albertson Mtwy Fire Road marked the beginning of a 3-mile downhill to Lang Ranch. I put out of mind that we would be coming back up this hill and just enjoyed the descent.
Following a quick stop at the Lang Ranch aid station, I retraced my steps on Albertson Fire Road back to the Alapay/Lang Ranch Ridge Trail and the start of a scenic 3.5-mile keyhole loop. This memorable segment sets the tone from the start, gaining about 500′ in a mile. The route is a variation of the popular “Lang Ranch Loop,” and the support from the hikers on the trail was much appreciated. So was the encouragement from the awesome group of local runners (in the title photo) — each of the three times I passed them. I still hear their cowbell!
After returning to the Lang Ranch Aid Station, I started up Albertson Fire Road a second time. The volunteer at the Alapay/Lang Ranch Ridge Trail checked my bib number, and I began the long climb back to China Flat.
China Flat and Simi Peak from Albertson Mtwy Fire Road. From a training run.
After doing the steep climbs on the Lang Ranch loop, the grade on Albertson didn’t seem so bad. Plus, the weather was cooperating. We were on the second day of a Santa Ana wind event, and I had envisioned running into a 20 mph headwind here. Other than a couple strong gusts, the wind was more of a cooling breeze.
The runner passing me confirmed that the Albertson climb was made for poles — if only I had them. I’d done Albertson on a training run and debated using them for the race. Poles are helpful in a lot of ways, but more efficient uphill propulsion is probably the most important.
After a false summit or two, I eventually reached the aid station at the top of the climb. The smiling volunteers asked me if I needed anything. I told them I was good to go and continued down into China Flat. I could relax for a while. It would be mostly downhill until the aid station in Palo Comado Canyon — about 3.5 miles away.
Palo Comado Canyon Trail/Fire Road below China Flat. From a training run.
Running down Palo Comado from China Flat was a bit like the run down Albertson, except it was 20 degrees warmer. With the low humidity, I reminded myself to stay hydrated and not pound the downhill. The Cheeseboro Ridge section of the course was a few miles ahead, and the last thing I needed was crampy legs.
At the Palo Comado aid station, I grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and headed up the hill. Like the climbs at Lang Ranch, the hill was steep but relatively short. As I started the descent into Cheeseboro Canyon, I looked across to the power lines on Cheeseboro Ridge. There were runners over there, and I wondered how they were doing. I would find out soon enough.
At the Cheeseboro aid station, I filled my Camelbak to the brim, put some chips in a baggie to eat on the run, and started up the fire road toward Cheeseboro Ridge.
The Cheeseboro Ridge segment of the course follows an SCE powerline service road for about three miles, gaining more than 700′ along the way. On a hot day, it can be very hot, and on a windy day, very windy. There is zero shade. The Cheeseboro Remote Weather Station is passed about a mile up the service road.
Superb running in Cheeseboro Canyon.
Keeping in mind that the station measures the temperature inside a white, ventilated instrument housing several feet off the ground, the Cheeseboro RAWS midday temp was around 78degF and the wind was 16 mph out of the ENE, gusting to 29 mph. On the fire road, the in-the-sun temp was at least in the mid-80s but didn’t feel too bad.
I was glad to get to the high point of the ridge at the rocky overlook. There were still a couple of small hills to go, but from the viewpoint, it was going to be mostly downhill to the finish.
Many thanks to SoCal Trail, the volunteers, photographers, runners, and everyone involved for a great race!
October 18, 2024. Updated approximate Bridge Fire Closure boundary for Forest Order 05-01-24-11.
October 13, 2024. Updated Bridge Fire perimeter. Added the Vista Fire perimeter. Added trails from the National Forest System Trails Feature Layer. Added a “guesstimate” of the Bridge Fire Closure boundary. See below for an explanation.
Multi-year fire closures have become common on the Angeles. Generally, trails and the land affected by trail are is a minuscule percentage of the area burned. Some jurisdictions reopen parklands and open space areas weeks after a fire with no apparent negative impact on the area’s recovery. Is there science to support multi-year closures of trails in fire areas?
In some cases, closures include trails that are outside of the fire’s perimeter and didn’t burn. These closures may make sense in the short term — when there is a plausible threat from the fire, such as the recent flare-up east of South Mt. Hawkins. But many times, these unburned trails remain part of a long term, multi-year closure. Sometimes it seems the trail just happens to be on the wrong side of a section line, road, or other feature that is convenient to use as a closure border.
Trails that were closed in Forest Order 05-01-24-10, but now appear to be open according to Forest Order 05-01-24-11:
Dawson Saddle Trail PCT east of Windy Gap to Vincent Gap
Trails outside of the Bridge Fire and Vista Fire perimeters that remain closed according to Forest Order 05-01-24-11:
Devil’s Backbone Trail Hawkins Ridge Trail South Hawkins Trail
The following summits are within the updated closure area, but did not burn and are accessible via unburned trails. Peaks marked with ** are just inside of the closure boundary:
For those of us passionate about the outdoors, the closure of any trail or peak is a loss. But the long term closure of the most popular trails and peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains without justification would be indefensible. Hopefully, the closure order will be modified when the Forest Service determines the threat from the Bridge Fire is past.
