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Late Start on the Bulldog Loop

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Saddle Peak from the Mesa Peak Mtwy on the Bulldog Loop.
Saddle Peak from the Mesa Peak Mtwy on the Bulldog Loop.

It was near dawn, and I was driving west on the 101 Freeway, going to the Wendy Drive Trailhead to do a run in Pt. Mugu State Park.

I’d just passed Moorpark Road and changed lanes to exit at Lynn Road. Suddenly, the whole car started to shake. The vibration was so intense it took a moment to realize I had a flat tire. [Expletive deleted!] I pulled onto the shoulder of the freeway and cursed again.

After decades without a flat, I had managed to have two in just three weeks. Both were early on Sunday morning and on the way to do a run. The first happened on Angeles Forest Highway while driving to Islip Saddle. That time, I was able to pull into a large turnout and change the tire. Traffic wasn’t an issue. Not so on the Ventura Freeway. The flat was on the driver’s side, and the shoulder was narrow. I called for service.

Apparently, there aren’t many roadside service vehicles out and about before sunrise on a Sunday. An hour and a half later, I was finally headed back to the San Fernando Valley.

I was first in line when Tires Buy Mark opened at 10:00. While waiting for the tire to be patched, I debated a Plan B for a run. Eventually, I decided to do an extended version of the Bulldog Loop. The run would be in the middle of the day, which wasn’t ideal, but it was nearby.  It would be an excellent 16-mile run, even if a little on the toasty side.

At 11:30, I started up the short hill at the beginning of the Cistern Trail. Even though it wasn’t an unusually hot day, the temperature in the sun was already in the 90s, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

It was slightly cooler on the trail along Malibu Creek. There was still water pooled in the creek, and I was glad the seasonal footbridge was in place. A pool near the M*A*S*H site was surprisingly large.

A section of Bulldog Mtwy low on the climb.
A section of Bulldog Mtwy low on the climb.

I expected it to be warm on the Bulldog climb, and it was. I just pretended I was on the second loop of the Bulldog 50K and continued chugging up the hill. Speaking of which… The Bulldog Ultra was the previous weekend, and a new course record was set in the 50K. Anthony Fagundes did the 29 mile course in the remarkable time of 3:30:03. This works out to an AVERAGE pace of 7:15 min/mile! His race analysis on Strava lists a split on the downhill on Mesa Peak Mtwy fire road at 5:25 min/mile. I don’t have the exact time, but on the first loop it looks like he did the Bulldog climb — from Crags Rd. to Castro Crest Mtwy — in about 30 minutes.

It took me a little longer than that to get up Bulldog. There was a noticeable drop in temperature as I worked up to the top of the long climb. On Castro Crest and Mesa Peak fire roads, the temperature was a relatively comfortable 80-something. The breeze from the ocean was intermittent, but when present, felt like air conditioning.

There weren’t many wildflowers. One interesting exception was Santa Susana tarweed (Deinandra minthornii). It was blooming on the sandstone rocks where the Backbone Trail goes through a prominent rock gateway, east of the Corral Canyon Trailhead.

Santa Susana tarweed along the Backbone Trail, east of the Corral Canyon Trailhead.
Santa Susana tarweed along the Backbone Trail, east of the Corral Canyon Trailhead.

The plant has a California Rare Plant Rank of 1B.2, which means it is considered “rare, threatened, or endangered in California and elsewhere…” The plant normally blooms after Winter rains. In the ANF technical notes** accompanying its description on SMMflowers.org, B. A. Prigge & A. C. Gibson describe how the plant may produce out-of-season flowers in the Summer, following a wet rain season with late Spring precipitation.

Here is an interactive, high-resolution, 3D terrain view of a variation of the Bulldog Loop that starts at the Cistern Trail. The notations assume the route is being done counterclockwise. An optional out-and-back on the Forest Trail is shown as a red track. Two routes are shown for crossing Malibu Creek in Tapia Park. One route uses a trail that rock-hops across the creek, and the other the bridge on Malibu Canyon Road, near the Piuma Road junction.

The option on Malibu Canyon Road requires crossing the highway twice. There is a pedestrian walkway on the east side of the bridge and a traffic light and crosswalk at Piuma Road. The trail that crosses the creek directly can be a little tricky to find because of other use trails in the area. When there is heavy rain, the flow may be too high to cross the creek safely.

Today, I decided to use the highway. There was a never-ending line of cars headed to and from the beach. It probably would have been faster — and safer — to use the trail. After crossing the creek on the highway bridge, and before doing the climb on the Tapia Spur Trail, I topped off my water at a faucet in the Tapia Day Use Area. Later, I also grabbed a quick drink at the water faucet next to the restrooms at the main Malibu Creek State Park parking lot.

From the main parking lot, it’s about 1.4 miles along Crags Road to the bottom of the Lookout Trail, and from there another three-quarters of a mile back to the Cistern Trailhead on Mulholland Highway.

Some related posts:
– A Displaced Bridge, Exceptional Backbone Trail Views, and a Card Table Along the Bulldog Loop
– Forest Run
– Best Trailhead to Start the Bulldog Loop?
– Bulldog Loop Plus the Phantom Loop

**A Naturalist’s Flora of the Santa Monica Mountains and Simi Hills, California by Barry A. Prigge and Arthur C. Gibson

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Fog, Flowers and an Ingenious Spider on the Trippet Ranch Loop

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Ingenuity meets Opportunity. Photography by Gary Valle.
Ingenuity meets Opportunity

In their forecast discussion for today, the NWS Los Angeles Oxnard commented, “A long-lasting and extreme heatwave will continue across the region, and especially the interior…” The high temperature was expected to range from 105 to 115 across the interior valleys, mountains and deserts.

Indian pink, golden yarrow, and California everlasting along the Garapito Trail.
Indian pink, golden yarrow, and California everlasting.

I was doing the Trippet Ranch Loop from the Top of Reseda. The highs on the San Fernando Valley side of the Santa Monica Mountains were expected to be in the 90s. But keep in mind that’s essentially the temperature in the shade. In full sun, the temperature could be 10 to 15 degrees higher. When I reached the Hub, at 7:00 in the morning the in-the-sun temperature was already around 90 degrees.

Nearer the coast, temps were expected to be a little cooler. From the Hub, I could see why. A shallow marine layer had developed along the coast. A couple of miles later, as I neared Trippet Ranch, I descended into a bank of wonderfully cool fog. It wouldn’t last, but I enjoyed the coolness as I continued down to Trippet Ranch and around to the Musch Trail.

I hadn’t run very far on the Musch Trail when I came across a remarkable spider web. The spider had ingeniously bowed a flexible stalk of tall grass to build its web. This solution avoided having to span the web between two stalks. I also wondered if the added tension would make the web more efficient.

At Musch Camp, I topped off my water bottle and then continued working up the trail. Near a still-seeping vernal creek, a speckled-orange Humboldt lily bloomed brightly in a patch of poison oak.

Plummer's mariposa lily along the Garapito Trail. (thumbnail)
Plummer’s mariposa lily along the Garapito Trail

From the camp, the Musch Trail climbs about 400′, in a bit over a mile, to the junction of Eagle Rock and Eagle Springs Fire Roads. A left turn here leads past Eagle Rock to the top of the Garapito Trail.

Other than the Bent Arrow Trail—which remains closed—the Garapito Trail is the “End of Reseda” trail most impacted by our back-to-back wet rain seasons. At times, washouts, debris flows, slides, fallen trees, and vigorously growing chaparral plants have made the trail nearly impassable. The Santa Monica Mountains Task Force worked tirelessly over the Winter to restore the trail.

Of course, the rain that caused all the problems on the Garapito Trail has also resulted in numerous wildflowers along that trail. Today, some of the most prominent were scarlet larkspur, scarlet monkeyflower, Indian pink, and Plummer’s mariposa lily. And, Garapito Creek was still trickling in July!

This high-resolution, interactive, 3-D terrain view shows the Trippet Ranch Loop (yellow). The track of the closed Bent Arrow Trail is shown in red.

Some related posts:
– Trippet Ranch Loop, Musch and Garapito Trails – February 2024
– Trippet Ranch Loop Plus Temescal Peak and Temescal Lookout
– Fogbow Near the Top of Hell Hill in Pt. Mugu State Park

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Out and Back Trail Run from Islip Saddle to Mt. Baden-Powell – July 2024 Update

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Mt. Baden-Powell from the PCT near Throop Peak.
Mt. Baden-Powell from the PCT near Throop Peak.

Update July 22, 2024. The Poodle-dog bush along the PCT near Islip Saddle has been cleared by Gary Hilliard and the AC 100 Trail Team!

When I reached the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399′), it was empty, save an opportunistic raven who was evaluating the chances that the Larabar I was eating might fall to the ground.

On top, the heat of the strong Summer sun was offset by a cooling breeze. There was still a few thin ribbons of snow in the chutes on Mt. Baldy. With the excellent visibility, San Jacinto Peak could be seen in the notch between Mt. Baldy and Dawson Peak, and San Gorgonio Mountain was sharply visible to the left of Pine Mountain.

Poodle-dog bush (Eriodictyon parryi) along the PCT just east of Islip Saddle. (thumbnail)
Poodle-dog bush along the PCT just east of Islip Saddle.

Other than a few people at Little Jimmy hike-in camp, I saw no one on the way up from Islip Saddle. A quarter-mile from the trailhead, there was an astonishing display of Poodle-dog bush along the PCT. In 2011, when a large part of Angeles National Forest reopened following the Station Fire, I developed an extensive rash after bushwhacking through Poodle-dog on overgrown trails. After that experience I’ve been more careful around the plant, and haven’t had a bad case since.

Trees were across the trail in a few places. Most were fairly easy to bypass, but a couple were “inconvenient,” such as this big log, about 0.75 mile east of Windy Gap.

Bright red beaked penstemon (Penstemon rostriflorus) along the PCT above Windy Gap. (thumbnail)
Bright red beaked penstemon along the PCT above Windy Gap

As I worked up the switchbacks above the log, to the southwest I could see the observatory and towers on Mt. Wilson. As a result of the damage to Chantry Flat in the Bobcat Fire, Mt. Wilson was on the Angeles Crest 100 Mile course last year, and will be again this year. As the raven flies, Mt. Wilson was only about 16 miles away, but for someone running the AC100, the miles along its challenging course would total well over 50!

For several years I’ve been following the regrowth of conifers in four places along the PCT that were burned in the 2002 Curve Fire. What has been underscored in my informal study is a) trees take a long time to regrow, and b) frequent fires in an area are particularly devastating. Stand #1 (1.5 miles east of Islip Saddle on the PCT) was recovering nicely from the 2002 Curve Fire when it was burned in the 2020 Bobcat Fire. This comparison shows the result. The other three stands continue to recover well, with south-facing Stand #4, west of Throop Peak, growing particularly vigorously.

View WNW along Mt. Baden-Powell's west ridge. (thumbnail)
Limber pine (left) along Mt. Baden-Powell’s west ridge.

Ascending the final 400′ of gain on Baden-Powell’s west ridge, I was surprised to see a couple of small patches of snow remained on the north side of the ridge. The snowpack here was nowhere near as big as in 2023, but it was still pleasing to see that a little of the white stuff survived until July.

No out and back to Baden-Powell is complete without a quick stop at Little Jimmy Spring. Today, the water from spring was so cold it was painful to hold my hand in the water flowing from the pipe!

Some related posts:
– It’s Mid-July And There Is Still Snow in Los Angeles County!
– A Cool and Breezy Out and Back Trail Run from Islip Saddle to Mt. Baden-Powell
– Contact Dermatitis from Eriodictyon parryi – Poodle-dog Bush
– Regrowth of Trees Along the PCT Following the 2002 Curve Fire

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Hot Weather on the Three Points Loop

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Approaching Waterman Meadow on the Three Points - Mt. Waterman Trail.
Approaching Waterman Meadow on the Three Points Loop around Mt. Waterman.

When Angeles Crest Highway opened between Upper Big Tujunga Road and Islip Saddle last Fall, I jumped on the chance to do the Three Points loop around Mt. Waterman. When in good condition and with good weather, the 20+ mile loop is one of my favorites. That day, the trail conditions could have been better.

Twin Peaks from the Three Points - Mt. Waterman Trail, about 1.5 miles from Three Points. (thumbnail)
Twin Peaks from the Three Points – Mt. Waterman Trail, about 1.5 miles from Three Points.

Turn the clock forward to this Spring, and once again, road closures were limiting access to Three Points. Angeles Crest Highway was still closed between Red Box and Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, and the alternate route — Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road — was “Only Open To Contractors, Residents, & Emergency Vehicles.” Recently, the Los Angeles County Road Closures website updated the status of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road to “Access Limited, Expect Delays.”

An easy-to-follow stretch of the Three Points - Mt. Waterman Trail. (thumbnail)
An easy-to-follow stretch of the Three Points – Mt. Waterman Trail.

Excited to get back on the Three Points Loop, on Sunday I found myself motoring up Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road, headed for the Three Points Trailhead. There were no problems or delays getting to Angeles Crest Highway, and I pulled into the Three Points parking lot at about 6:30 a.m.

Beardtongue penstemon accommodates the bulbous shape of its pollinator -- bumblebees. (thumbnail)
Beardtongue penstemon accommodates the bulbous shape of its pollinator — bumblebees.

Having done the Three Points Loop many times and in a variety of conditions, I didn’t think much about the difficulties on the loop in November. Like others that relish the outdoors, my brain is very good at shaping memories so as to emphasize the positive and downplay — or outright ignore — the negative.

I’d checked the weather — a Heat Advisory had been issued for the San Gabriel Mountains, and there was a chance of thunderstorms from a dissipating tropical storm. A key part of the loop, Cooper Canyon, has a rep for being hot. Much of the PCT on that stretch is on sparsely-forested, south-facing slopes. My thought was that maybe there would be enough clouds to take the edge off the heat.

Downed trees across the PCT in Cooper Canyon. (thumbnail)
Downed trees across the PCT in Cooper Canyon.

Nope! The in the sun temperature in Cooper Canyon was around 100 degrees. The good news was Buckhorn Campground was open and my favorite water faucet had plenty of water. Plus, the creek in Cooper Canyon was running, so I could cool off and supplement my water.

The trail conditions were virtually identical to those last November, but with heat added. The Three Points — Mt. Waterman Trail was a bit overgrown, and there were many downed trees across the trail. In November there was a particularly inconvenient tree blocking the PCT on the north side of the creek, just west of the Burkhart Trail junction, and it was still there today.

Postcard clouds belie the hot weather on the PCT in Cooper Canyon. (thumbnail)
Postcard clouds belie the hot weather on the PCT in Cooper Canyon.

There seemed to be more Poodle-dog bush than back in November, or maybe it was easier to spot because it was blooming. The big winner among the multitude of wildflowers was beardtongue penstemon, which was blooming profusely on some of the slopes burned in the Bobcat Fire. Other wildflowers I saw along the trail included bigleaf lupine, little paintbrush, scarlet monkeyflower, narrow-leaved lotus, golden yarrow, gilia, wallflower, and red columbine.

Because of the trail conditions, heat, and altitude, the Three Points Loop today was more difficult than the 50K I ran two weeks ago!

This high resolution, interactive, 3-D terrain view shows the Three Points Loop (yellow) along with a couple of options (red). The side trip to the summit of Mt. Waterman adds about 1.75 miles to the run.

Some related posts:
– Three Points Loop Following the Reopening of Angeles Crest Highway
– Cool Weather, Old Trees, Grape Soda Lupine and a Restored Trail
– Three Points Loop Adventure – July 2020

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Yellow Valley Lupine in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch)

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Yellow valley lupine (Lupinus microcarpus) in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch)
Valley lupine

An unusual amount of annual precipitation not only increases plant populations and growth, it can spawn the growth of plants not usually seen in an area.

On a recent run at Ahmanson, a glimpse of bright yellow along the trail caught my eye. I stopped to take a look and was surprised to find it was a yellow lupine — a variety of valley lupine (Lupinus microcarpus) not usually seen at Ahmanson Ranch.

Radially symmetric whorls of valley lupine flowers. (thumbnail)
Radially symmetric whorls of valley lupine flowers. Click for larger image.

The last two Rain Years have been exceptionally wet in the Los Angeles area. The result at Ahmanson Ranch has been pronounced, with two seasons of growth, out-of-season wildflowers, and unusually large populations of Spring wildflowers. It’s Summer, and upper Las Virgenes Creek still has flowing water.

Valley lupine is native to California, but in this case may be an escapee from a garden, its seed having hitch-hiked a ride to Ahmanson Ranch.

Some related posts:
– Ahmanson Ranch and Las Virgenes Creek After Six Days of Rain
– East Las Virgenes Canyon After a Seventh Day of Rain
– A Second Spring at Ahmanson Ranch
– Looking For Local Impacts of Tropical Storm Hilary

adventures, mountain biking, nature, nature|wildflowers, nature|wildlife, photography, running, running|adventures, san gabriel mountains, trails, trails|san gabriels, wildflowers, wildflowers, wildlife

Twenty-Plus Years Running the Strawberry Peak Circuit

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Large boulder near Strawberry Protreo marking the Colby Canyon Trail.
Can’t miss trail marker on the Colby Canyon Trail near Strawberry Protreo.

The repeated cries of a falcon called from high on the north face of Strawberry Peak. Along the sandy trail, lupine, paintbrush, penstemon and yarrow bloomed in a profusion of blues, reds, and yellows. Tracks from running shoes, bikes, boots, and a black bear proclaimed the trail to be truly multi-use.

I sighed and took it all in. I’d been doing this classic 16-mile route for more than 20 years. A favorite of mountain bikers and runners alike, the loop can be broken down into the following segments.

Josephine Fire Road Climb
Scarlet bugler along Josephine Fire Road. (thumbnail)
Scarlet bugler along Josephine Fire Road.

From the Clear Creek Trailhead, Josephine Fire Road climbs about 1250′ over 2.5 miles to a divide connecting Josephine and Strawberry Peaks. At the junction, the route turns right (east) onto a trail along the divide that goes to Josephine Saddle. A left (west) turn goes to Josephine Peak.

On the way up from Clear Creek, the switchbacks on the fire road look intimidating, but the climb goes relatively quickly. There are good views of Strawberry Peak along the way. In the Spring and early Summer, the bright yellow flowers of invasive Spanish broom line the road.

Clear Creek Trailhead from Josephine Fire Road. (thumbnail)
Clear Creek Trailhead from Josephine Fire Road.

An out-and-back ascent of Josephine Peak from the junction adds about three miles to the loop.

There is a Remote Automated Weather Station (RAWS) at Clear Creek Station. The “2.0m Temperature” is more or less the temperature in the shade and the “Fuel Temperature” is a good indicator of the temperature in the sun.

Colby Canyon Trail
Colby Canyon Trail northeast of Josephine Saddle. (thumbnail)
Colby Canyon Trail northeast of Josephine Saddle.

The route joins the Colby Canyon Trail at Josephine Saddle. A large cistern is found here. Just past the saddle, the climber’s trail to Strawberry Peak branches off the main trail and goes up the ridge. The Colby Canyon Trail contours along the left (northwest) side of the ridge and traverses a steep slide area. After that, it works around the shoulder of Strawberry, then turns east and descends, winding in and out of the small canyons on the northwest and north slopes of Strawberry.

In the Spring and Summer colorful patches of lupine, paintbrush, and other wildflowers are found on this stretch of trail. Long-limbed big cone Douglas-firs grow on these cooler north-facing slopes.

Lupine and paintbrush along the Colby Canyon Trail. (thumbnail)
lupine (violet) and paintbrush (red) along the Colby Canyon Trail.

The bare trunks of trees burned in the 2009 Station Fire are mixed in with surviving trees. Today, I was surprised to find another reminder of the Station Fire — poodle-dog bush. The plant can cause a poison oak-like rash and was much more common following the 2009 Station Fire.

On this stretch, the large rock face on the north side of Strawberry Peak comes into view, and shortly after, the trail passes a huge boulder. The flattish area that follows is Strawberry Protreo. The “meadow” reminds me of lower elevation areas of the Southern and East Side Sierra.

North face of Strawberry Peak. (thumbnail)
North face of Strawberry Peak.

Several climbing routes have been done on Strawberry’s formidable north face. The consensus seems to be that the rock quality is poor and the risk high.

Beyond Strawberry Protreo, the trail descends along the margin of a moraine-like landslide. Then it turns south, reaching a flat, sandy area just before the Colby Canyon Trail – Strawberry Trail junction. I’ve often seen bear tracks on this stretch of trail. The loop takes the right fork onto the Strawberry Trail and climbs to Lawlor Saddle.

Climb to Lawlor Saddle
Yerba Santa along the Strawberry Trail. (thumbnail)
Yerba Santa is a close relative of Poodle-dog Brush.

The Strawberry Trail gains about 750′ over two miles on its way to Lawlor Saddle. As the post “Trail Games” mentions, this stretch will tell you a lot about how your day is going. It dips in and out of side canyons, passing Strawberry Spring along the way. Today, Strawberry Spring was running, but the spring was dry during our recent drought.  It is generally not a dependable water source.

Lawlor Saddle to Red Box
New growth on a bigcone Douglas-fir seedling. May 2024. (thumbnail)
New growth on a bigcone Douglas-fir seedling.

The 2.5 miles to Red Box are enjoyable single-track trail. Most of it is flat or downhill. On the weekend, numerous hikers are on the trail, heading up to climb Strawberry Peak. It is by far the busiest trail on the loop.

There’s a water faucet at Red Box at the Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center which generally (but not always) has water.

Gabrielino Trail to Switzer’s
Josephine Peak from the Gabrielino Trail between Red Box and Switzer's. (thumbnail)
Josephine Peak from the Gabrielino Trail between Red Box and Switzer’s.

The 4.4 miles down to Switzer’s include some fast-paced stretches and some of the most technical sections of the loop. It is popular with mountain bikers and V-ed and rutted in places. At one point, the trail drops down to the stream (if it’s running) and crosses the creek twice.

Among the many wildflowers found along this trail is crimson-spotted rock rose.

As the trail nears Switzer’s, derelict nature signs are seen along the trail, which the Forest Service apparently can’t afford to repair or remove.

Nature’s Canteen Trail to Clear Creek

The Nature’s Canteen Trail is roughly half a mile long and connects Switzer’s to Clear Creek. It starts a third of a mile up the steep access road between Switzer’s and Angeles Crest Highway. The trail is sometimes overgrown.

Strawberry Peak Variation

There is a more adventurous variation of the Strawberry Peak Circuit that goes over the top of Strawberry Peak instead of around it. This variation requires good route-finding and rock-climbing skills.

This interactive, 3-D terrain view shows the classic Strawberry Peak Circuit and the Strawberry Summit Loop variation.

Some related posts:
– Showers on the Strawberry Peak Circuit
– Strawberry Peak Summit Loop – Spring 2023 Update
– Strawberry Peak Circuit