Simi Peak and the city of Agoura Hills from Ladyface. Simi Peak is the high point of the Simi Hills.
Some related posts: Ladyface Loop, Sunny Sunday
Monthly Archives: December 2010
Coast Live Oaks at China Flat
Coast live oaks along the Simi Peak Trail at China Flat. From Sunday’s run to Simi Peak.
Valley Oak Sunset II
From a short run at Paramount Ranch last Saturday after climbing Ladyface.
Sunny Sunday
Today was one of those spectacular, sunny, warm December days we relish in Southern California; perfect for just about any outdoor activity. High temperatures were forcast to be in the high 80’s or low 90’s, and temperature records for the date were expected to be broken in many areas. As I ran north in upper Las Virgenes Canyon, I wasn’t sure where, or how far, I was going to run. On such a great day, it really didn’t matter.
Yesterday I’d looked across at Simi Peak while ascending Ladyface, and realized it had been more than a year since I’d run to Simi Peak from the Victory trailhead at Ahmanson Ranch. Rain was forecast the following weekend, so I’d better take advantage of the good weather while I had it! The out and back run to Simi Peak would be a good one.
The most direct route to China Flat and Simi Peak from upper Las Virgenes Canyon road is the Sheep Corral Trail. This singletrack trail forks left (west) from the road where Las Virgenes Canyon splits, initially following the main creek west, rather than the pipeline north. The singletrack is popular with mountain bikers and can be used to connect to the Cheeseboro Ridge and Cheeseboro Canyon trails. Both of theses trails are good options for doing a lollipop loop back to Las Virgenes Canyon.
Today I would continue past Cheeseboro Ridge and Cheeseboro Canyon to the Palo Comado fire road. Palo Comado leads up and over a low pass to an old sheep corral at China Flat. Simi Peak is bit more than a mile west of the corral. It usually takes about 15-20 minutes to run there from the sheep corral.
Here’s an interactive Cesium browser View of a GPS trace of my out and back route.
Some related posts: Simi Peak Out & Back, Scenic Route to Simi Peak, Vernal Pool at China Flat
Ladyface Loop
Like many good peaks that are mostly “walkups,” the ascent of Ladyface requires a bit of scrambling. By that I mean some use of the hands is required. And some care. Some of the rock is sound, and some of it isn’t. A few short sections on the frequently used east/southeast ridge are very loose and manky.
I like to do the 2.5 mile loop counterclockwise — ascending the northeast ridge, and descending the east/southeast ridge. The route generally follows the ridges, but the route-finding can be quirky in places.
The path up the northeast ridge doesn’t appear to be as popular as the east/southeast ridge route, but is cleaner overall. Sections of the northeast ridge are brushy, but no significant bushwhacking is required — if you stay on route. The northeast ridge ends a couple hundred feet below the top of the peak. A zig-zag path up the steep north face winds its way through knobby volcanic rocks to the summit.
The volcanic rocks on Ladyface include several components of the Conejo Volcanic Suite, and tell a story of volcanism associated with plate subduction, rifting, and continent-building.
If you don’t pay too much attention to the cars zooming along the 101 Frwy a thousand feet below, the Ladyface loop in Agoura Hills is one of the more scenic and interesting short hikes/climbs in Southern California.
The title photo is of a subsidiary crag, east of the summit of Ladyface. In the background is Saddle Peak, Malibu Creek State Park and Brent’s Mountain.
Related post: Ladyface the Long Way
Long Shadows, Cool Canyons
It’s that time of year. Willows and wild walnut trees are showing some Fall color, and the valley oaks are losing their leaves. Even on a warm day, the long shadows, clear skies and low humidity of late Autumn cool the hillsides, generating chilled katabatic flows down gullies and canyons.
As temperatures warmed up this week I took a probe thermometer on my afternoon trail runs at Ahmanson Ranch (Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve) and measured the temperature of some of these invisible streams.
My general weather data reference for the area is the Cheeseboro Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS). The high temperature at the Cheeseboro RAWS ranged from 73°F on Tuesday to 75°F Thursday. The temperature in the shade at the Victory trailhead parking lot at the beginning of my runs (around 4:00-4:15) was about 70°F.
Tuesday, the temperature on the road about 1.1 miles from the parking lot, and above East Las Virgenes Canyon was about 69°F. A quarter-mile away, down in the dry streambed, the temperature was a chilly 47°F — a drop of 22°F.
Wednesday, I ran to upper Las Virgenes Canyon. The temperature at a saddle above the canyon was 66°F. Down in the canyon near one of the stream crossings, the temperature was 45°F — a difference of 21°F.
Thursday I ran back to the same point in Las Virgenes Canyon. Even though the high temperature for the day was about the same as Wednesday, the humidity was higher, and there were some high clouds. The katabatic flow was not as well-defined, and the temperature drop was only about 13°F.
Conditions during the week were not especially favorable for hillside radiational cooling, and I expect temperature differences of 30°F might be possible in ideal circumstances. In any case it feels like that in running shorts and a short-sleeve shirt.