The crest of the Santa Monica Mountains east of Castro Peak stands out in bold relief above a tumultuous ocean of low clouds and fog.
From this morning’s run of the Bulldog loop in Malibu Creek State Park.
Some related posts: Bulldog Loop or Saddle Peak Out & Back?, Malibu Creek State Park Scenic Loop
Although we didn’t have the deluge they experienced in Central and Northern California, Southern California did get some rain. From Tuesday night (11/27) to Monday morning (12/3) Downtown Los Angeles (USC) recorded 1.03 inches, bringing the water year total to 1.36 inches. As of today that’s 1.08 inch below normal.
Some foothill and mountain stations were able to wring out much more rain from the moist tropical flow. Opids Camp recorded 3.02 inches, White Ledge Peak 4.09 inches, Refugio Pass 4.61 inches, and Rocky Butte 8.51 inches. For some storm totals from up north and more info about the “atmospheric rivers” that relayed the moisture up from the tropics, see my December 8 post on Southern California Weather Notes.
The photo above was taken between “storms” early Sunday morning, December 2, on a run in Topanga State Park. It started to rain shortly after I finished the run.
It looks like we might get a little more rain this next week, with a chance of rain on Wednesday and then maybe again on the weekend. We’ll see!
The marine layer spills over the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains between Saddle Peak and Malibu Canyon.
From this evening’s run on the Phantom Trail and other trails in Malibu Creek State Park.
Related post: Saddle Peak from the Phantom Trail
Even by Pacific Northwest standards it had been wet. Over the past five days Portland had recorded over four inches of rain. Earlier in the week heavy rain and strong winds had pummeled the area — flooding roads, toppling trees, causing numerous traffic accidents and leaving thousands without power.
Today, Thanksgiving Day, was the first in several that no rain was forecast. Taking advantage of the good weather our Thanksgiving Day — and that of many Portlanders — started with a hike at the Hoyt Arboretum.
The arboretum’s collection includes over 1000 species, accessed by a 12 mile network of well-maintained and marked trails. The collection includes species from around the world. Some examples are dawn redwood from China, butterfly maple from North Korea, Himalayan Juniper from Nepal and Patagonian Cypress from the Andes. Given they are usually found near treeline, I was surprised to see the arboretum’s collection includes bristlecone pines.
My run on the Wildwood Trail started at Fairview, at the end of a loop hike in the arboretum that had taken us to an overlook with a view of Mt. St. Helens — and on a clear day — Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams. I had promised to be back to the house in “about two hours ” so the plan was to run north on the Wildwood Trail for about an hour and then head back.
Trail runners love running new trails — especially trails as beautiful and well-maintained as the Wildwood Trail. The 30 mile long trail is just part of a 70+ mile system of trails in a 5100 acre urban park managed by the Forest Park Conservancy.
I was amazed — after all that rain the Wildwood Trail was in great shape. My socks were dry and my running shoes were just a little damp around the edges. The running was superb. I’d run down to Burnside, up to Pittock Mansion, and then down to Macleay Park. Continuing to descend, I’d run along Balch Creek and past the iconic Stone House.
The theme was green on green, with towering Douglas-fir, hemlock and cedar. A mixed understory of alder and maple was highlighted by mosses, ferns and remnant splashes of yellow, orange and brown.
At Wildwood’s junction with the Aspen Trail I was about 55 minutes out. Time to start thinking about turning around. I ran a few yards down the Aspen Trail, then decided I’d rather stay on the Wildwood Trail.
It had been just four days since I’d run a 50K in Kernville, California, and I knew I was going to be slower on the way back. At some point soon I really would need to turn around. I started up some switchbacks, wondering what was on the trail ahead…
Was that rain I heard outside of the motel? Bleary-eyed, I grabbed my phone and checked the current weather radar. If it wasn’t raining, it would be soon. The radar showed an elongated patchwork of lime green blotches, sprinkled with yellow, approaching the blue dot marking the room in Kernville, California.
It looked like the front was going to pass through a bit earlier than forecast — right about the time we would be starting the 50K. The good news was there didn’t appear to be a lot of shower activity behind the front. Whether that would be the case in the middle of the day remained to be seen.
The annual Run-4-A-Way Burger Run follows the 14.5 mile Whiskey Flat Trail from the Burlando Trailhead in Kernville up the Kern River to Johnny McNally’s Fairview Lodge and Restaurant. This year R.D. Mike Lane had added a 50K. That’s what I was running. The “Double Burger” would do the trail both ways — from McNally’s down to Kernville and then back again.
It was rainy, dark and gloomy as we drove up Mountain 99 toward McNally’s. I like the rain as much as anyone in Southern California, but hoped the radar was right, and we wouldn’t have to deal with wet weather for the next several hours. I reminded myself that when the weather looks wet and rainy it’s (almost) always better on the trail than it looks like from the car.
Up at McNally’s Donni and Neil got us signed in, handed out the bib numbers and T-shirts, and got us started at 7:01. There were just a few of us running the 50K and the faster runners were soon out of sight. They would make it down to Burlando in less than 2.5 hours.
Whatever your pace, the running was spectacular! The light rain turned to showers after the first few miles. On the higher mountains snow could be seen along the margins of the clouds. From time to time the sun would break through the clouds, illuminating the valley. At one point showers and sun mixed in dazzling display.
The Whiskey Flat Trail was in great shape. According to Stewards of the Sequoia Executive Director Chris Hogan, volunteers worked 500 hours to restore the trail — clearing brush, improving the tread, removing down trees, and installing water bars to control erosion. Their hard work, and the work of other volunteer trail maintenance groups, keeps our trails open and enjoyable.
Although I wasn’t particularly speedy, the run went well for me. I ran the race in Hoka One One Mafate 2s. The Mafate 2s are way different from the shoes I’ve been using in ultras. The Double Burger 50K is 100% single track and the shoes handled it well. Whether it was the shoes, the weather, my pace, or whatever I don’t know; but my legs and feet felt better (and I felt better) over the last several miles of the course than in any 50K I’ve done the past few years.
Many thanks to Mike Lane, Donni & Neil Higgins, John Seals & Lisa Ross, McNally’s, all the volunteers, and all of the hikers & runners for a great event! Here’s an interactive Cesium browser View of the Burger Run course and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks.
Related post: Whiskey Flat Trail Burger Run 2011
Here are a few additional photos from the run. Click for a larger image:
 Whiskey Flat Trailhead |
 Sun Shower |
 Granite Slabs |
 Rainbow |
 Aid Station |
 View Downriver |
NOAA’s Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Climate Center headquarters at Crissy Field, San Francisco.
From Saturday morning’s Presidio loop run.