Category Archives: landscape

landscape, los angeles, nature, photography, photography|landscape, photography|wildflowers, pt mugu state park, running, running|adventures, trails, weather, wildflowers, wildflowers

Backbone Trail Mystery

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Pt. Mugu State Park from Boney Mountain
Pt. Mugu State Park from Boney Mountain

The morning was beautiful and sunny. It hadn’t rained for two days, and except for a few contrails, the sky was nearly cloudless.

Earlier in the morning, I’d climbed the Western Ridge of Boney Mountain, then worked my way over Tri Peaks to the Backbone Trail. I’d been on cruise control running down the Chamberlain/Backbone Trail, enjoying the pleasant weather and wide-ranging views.

Hines Peak and other Ventura County Mountains from the Chamberlain segment of the Backbone Trail
Hines Peak and other Ventura County Mountains from the Chamberlain segment of the Backbone Trail

Passing a gap in the ridge, I was surprised to see a person on the hillside, a few yards below the trail. It was an odd place to be.

The person was partially hidden by grass and brush, and all I could see was their head and shoulders. They were wearing an odd helmet and were busy working on something that looked like a pack. I didn’t see a mountain bike.

None of it made sense. Was it someone doing the Backbone Trail? Had they slept there overnight? What was with the helmet? Reaching the end of the Chamberlain Trail, I turned right on the Old Boney Trail and continued the descent toward Blue Canyon.

California poppies and bush sunflowers along the Old Boney Trail
California poppies and bush sunflowers along the Old Boney Trail

Partway down, I heard the clap-clap-clap of helicopter blades approaching the canyon, and that’s when it all fell into place. The mysterious person along the Chamberlain Trail was a SAR crew member.

The helicopter was yellow, probably from the Ventura County Sheriff Search and Rescue Aviation/Medical Team. I’ve seen them in the area a number of times doing exercises.

This wasn’t the first time I’d seen something strange from the Chamberlain Trail. A few years ago, I’d noticed an odd-looking object below the Chamberlain and Old Boney Trails junction. It turned out to be a rescue manikin strapped onto a litter. Practice makes perfect, and exercises help ensure the safety and success of demanding SAR operations.

Stream crossing on the Blue Canyon segment of the Backbone Trail.
One of several stream crossings in Blue Canyon.

Farther down the Backbone Trail, there was a striking display of California poppies and bush sunflowers on the hillside above the junction of the Backbone and Old Boney Trails. After photographing the poppies, I returned to the Backbone Trail and entered Blue Canyon. To this point, I’d managed to keep my shoes and socks dry. But that was going to end.

I’d done a similar route in January, partly to see the condition of the Chamberlain, Blue Canyon, and Upper Sycamore Trails. That was the case again today. In the two months since the January run, nearby Circle X has recorded over 13 inches of rain. Not surprisingly, that has resulted in more water in the streams, more wildflowers along the trails, and a bit more eroded and rougher trails.

Some related posts: Looking for Storm Damage in Point Mugu State Park, Pt. Mugu State Park Debris Flows and Flash Floods (2014)

landscape, los angeles, nature, photography, rocky peak, running|adventures, trails, weather, weather|southern california, wildflowers, wildflowers

Rainy Weather Running on Rocky Peak Road

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San Fernando Valley from Rocky Peak Road.
San Fernando Valley from Rocky Peak Road.

I like splashing through streams as much as anyone does, but today I wanted to try and keep my shoes and socks dry. This Winter that’s been surprisingly hard to do.

Weekdays, I often run from the Victory trailhead at Ahmanson Ranch over to Las Virgenes Canyon and back. But it had rained in the Los Angeles area for four days straight. There was just no question that Ahmanson was going to be wet and muddy, and Las Virgenes Creek would be too wide to jump. I’d have to wade the creek crossings — again.

Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) along Rocky Peak Road
Paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) along Rocky Peak Road

That’s why this afternoon, I was doing an out-and-back run on Rocky Peak Road from the 118 Frwy trailhead. As a result of the area’s sandstone geology, Rocky Peak Road is usually a pretty good place to run during periods of wet weather. For one thing, there are no creeks to cross. Plus, the rocky and sandy road doesn’t have many areas of “glob on your shoes” mud. It also has excellent views of the San Fernando and Simi Valleys and surrounding mountains.

My turnaround point today was the top of the Chumash Trail, which is a little less than four miles from the Rocky Peak trailhead. I sometimes continue past the Chumash Trail another mile to Fossil Point.

Today, there was one short, muddy stretch that could be mostly avoided and a few large mud puddles I could walk around. At the end of the run I didn’t have to switch shoes to drive home!

Some related posts: A Bear on Rocky Peak Road, Chilly Rocky Peak, Mountain Lion Tracks on Rocky Peak Road, Rocky Peak Vernal Pool

backbone trail, landscape, nature, nature|weather, photography, running|adventures, santa monica mountains, snow, trails, weather, weather|southern california

Looking for Snow on Topanga Lookout and Saddle Peak

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Castro Peak snow and Malibu Creek fog following 3-day storm in February 2023.
Castro Peak snow and Malibu Creek fog.

The paved turnout where I usually park at the Stunt Road trailhead was covered with mud, rocks, and debris. And near the entrance of Calabasas Peak fire road, two large boulders had been dragged to the shoulder to clear the road.

Following another big storm in a Winter of big storms, I was doing the Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop — curious to see what I could see. Nearby Stunt Ranch Reserve had recorded over 10 inches of rain the past three days, and there had been numerous reports of low elevation snow.

Here’s a slideshow of what I found.

Some related posts: Snow on Oat Mountain, Looking for Snow in the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga Lookout Loop Plus Saddle Peak

adventures, landscape, nature, photography, running, topanga state park, trails, trails|topanga state park, weather, wildflowers, wildflowers

Out and Back Trail Run from the Top of Reseda to Parker Mesa Overlook

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Upper Santa Ynez Canyon and Eagle Rock from East Topanga Fire Road
Upper Santa Ynez Canyon and Eagle Rock from East Topanga Fire Road

The view from Parker Mesa Overlook was the uniform gray of the inside of a cloud. I was about 30 minutes too early, and the low clouds hadn’t cleared. The Pacific Ocean was out there somewhere.

Even so, the run from the Top of Reseda to the Overlook had been excellent. The hills and canyons were painted in a muted palette of sun and shadow. Purple-pink prickly phlox brightened the roadside, and the “Beech-nut Gum” scent of Bigpod Ceoanthus filled the air.

Prickly phlox along East Topanga Fire Road
Prickly phlox along East Topanga Fire Road

Fire Road #30, Eagle Springs Fire Road, and East Topanga Fire Road had all been cleared of the sluffs and slides that resulted from January’s rainstorms. Overnight, there had been a little drizzle, but the fire roads hadn’t been muddy at all.

Rather than just retracing my steps, on the way back to the Top of Reseda I opted to do the Musch and Garapito Trails. I had run the Garapito Trail in mid-January but hadn’t been on the Musch Trail since the January deluge.

The Trippet Ranch parking lot had been packed, and several groups appeared to be on their way to Eagle Rock via the Musch Trail. Overall, the trail weathered the storms reasonably well, but one badly eroded section and a couple other spots will need some work.

Section of the Musch Trail damaged in January 2023 rainstorms.
Damaged section of the Musch Trail

While it still had some issues, use of the Garapito Trail had moderated its condition since the last time I was on it. Some brush that had blocked the trail had been removed, and paths were evolving through the collapsed sections of trail. However, some extra care was still required in some spots.

The Bent Arrow Trail was closed, necessitating a return to dirt Mulholland on Fire Road #30, following the same route as had been used at the beginning of the run.

Here is an interactive, 3D terrain view of a GPS track (yellow) to Parker Mesa Overlook from the Top of Reseda. The Bent Arrow Trail is temporarily closed for repair and is shown in red. To change the view, use the control on the upper right side of the screen. Track and placename locations are approximate and subject to errors. Poor weather and other conditions may make this route unsuitable for this activity.

Some related posts: More Malibu Creek Flooding, Looking for Storm Damage in Point Mugu State Park, Popular Trails in Topanga State Park Damaged by Winter Storms

adventures, landscape, los angeles, malibu creek state park, nature, photography, running, santa monica mountains, southern california, trails, weather, weather

More Malibu Creek Flooding (January 2023)

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Malibu Creek near M*A*S*H site following January 2023 flooding
Malibu Creek near M*A*S*H site

April 26, 2023 Update. As it turns out, the shiny, new bridge on the Crags Road Trail that made it easy to cross Malibu Creek was not washed away! According to the Malibu Creek Docents, the bridge was designed to be portable, and was removed and stored before this Winter’s rain. It is expected to be reinstalled when the threat of flooding is over — which should be soon.

I was just a couple of miles into an extended version of the Bulldog Loop. The temperature was in the mid-30s, and once again, I was having to cross Malibu Creek on a makeshift bridge of wobbly limbs and debris.

Flood debris on the Crags Road Trail January 2023
Flood debris on the Crags Road Trail

The flood was the result of a series of three increasingly wet storms between December 30 and January 10. During that period, the Malibu Canyon RAWS recorded about 13 inches of rain. In the last storm of the series, 6 inches of rain was recorded in about 33 hours.

The flooding along the Crags Road Trail from the Forest Trail junction to the M*A*S*H site was similar to the February 2017 and December 2021 events. In the January 2023 event, more debris was deposited on the trail, and sections of the trail were obliterated. That stretch of trail is popular, and a new use trail is already taking shape.

Rainfall and runoff were even higher in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. The Rose Valley RAWS recorded over 22 inches of rain for the three storms. According to preliminary streamflow data, the Ventura River Near Ventura reached a new record stage height of 25.42 feet on January 9. The Sespe Creek Near Fillmore gage malfunctioned at the peak flow but reached at least 20.38 feet.

Some relate posts: Malibu Creek December 2021 Floods, Malibu Creek Flooding, Southern California Creeking