Category Archives: photography

kayaking, kayaking|southern california, photography, photography|kayaking

Whitewater Slalom Racing

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2002 World Champion and 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist Rebecca Giddens zeroes in on a red up gate while racing in the T.J. Slalom at the 2007 Kern River Kayak and Raft Festival.

2002 World Champion and 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist Rebecca Giddens S-turns through a red “up” gate while racing in the T.J. Slalom at the 2007 Kern River Kayak & Raft Festival.

A whitewater slalom course consists of a series of red gates and green gates that are paddled sequentially through a set of rapids. The paddler must pass through red gates moving in the upstream direction, and green gates moving downstream. Racers are timed, and a 2 second penalty is added for each gate that is touched, and a 50 second penalty added for each gate that is missed.

Typically, there are 18 to 25 gates, with 6 to 7 up gates, and the rest downs. The gates are placed to create challenges for the paddler, and the difficulty of a slalom course is usually about a grade higher than if the same rapids were paddled without gates.

In national and International races a specialized whitewater slalom boat is required, but at local citizen races paddlers also use plastic river-running kayaks and even playboats. Paddling slalom gates is a great way to improve your river-running skills!

At the elite level, higher performance boats and custom built whitewater venues have upped the adrenalin factor for competitors and spectators alike. The whitewater events were one of a few that sold out at the attendance plagued Athens Olympics. The Beijing Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom venue  looks challenging, and should warrant good television coverage by NBC.

In the past decade, whitewater kayaking has grown in popularity, but the sport hasn’t lost its “small sport” appeal. The  sport’s medal winning athletes, such as Rebecca Giddens, are not only superb paddlers, but are also very humble, hard working and hard playing people, willing to share their expertise and ideals. Rebecca and her husband Eric — also an elite paddler — now live in Kernville, California and operate the very popular brewpub, the Kern River Brewing Company. Eric will be setting the courses (gate sequences) for the whitewater events at the Beijing Olympics.

1992 Olympic Gold Medalist Joe Jacobi also works hard and plays hard. Joe, along with his partners at Gold Medal Connections offer paddling camps and clinics across the country. This year’s Gold Medal Kayaking Camp was the 11th on the Kern River. Joe will be part of the NBC broadcast team covering Canoe/Kayak events at the Beijing Olympics. For Joe’s “thoughts, ideas, and life lessons from the outdoors” see his blog Gold Medal Living.

If you’re curious about slalom, or whitewater boating, the 2008 Kern Festival is April 19-20 at Kernville’s Riverside Park. The Festival will feature two days of non-stop action with a steep creek race and raft races on Saturday; and a downriver race and the T.J. Slalom Race Sunday. There’s no charge to watch, and as a result of this year’s good snowpack, river conditions should be nearly ideal!

Google search: $g(whitewater slalom), $g(olympics), $g(Kern River), $g(Rebecca Giddens), $g(Joe Jacobi), $g(brewpub)

photography, photography|landscape, running, running|adventures, trails, trails|sierra

PCT North of Walker Pass

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Pacific Crest Trail, north of Walker Pass, in the Southern Sierra.

I was headed home from a whitewater slalom training camp on the Kern River, and wanted to take advantage of being in the Southern Sierra and run an unfamiliar section of the Pacific Crest Trail.

Yes, it was windy and there were lenticular clouds in the lee of the Sierra, which meant it might get REALLY windy. No, I didn’t have my regular trail shoes or a hydration pack. Yep, there was some snow on the north side of the peaks on either side of the highway.

The plan was to do an out and back run north on the PCT from Hwy. 178 at Walker Pass (5250′). I didn’t know how far. I hoped far enough to check out the approach to Owens Peak. But that would depend on the amount of snow on the trail, how cold and windy it became, and how much elevation gain my legs had left in them.

It might not seem that paddling a kayak would be hard on the legs, but your legs are your primary connection to the boat, and my legs were worked following several days of strenuous paddling.


Plaque on the PCT north of Walker Pass, that commemorates the naming of Mt. Jenkins.
This post’s photograph was taken about five miles into the run. The plaque commemorates the naming of Mt. Jenkins. It honors J.C. Jenkins, whose Exploring the Southern Sierra and Self Propelled in the Southern Sierra books have inspired many an adventure. It was placed where the south ridge of Mt. Jenkins intersects the PCT.

I continued a mile and a half to a point where I could see the saddle and ridge leading to the summit of Owens Peak. Rounding a corner, I emerged from a wind protected traverse, and was slammed with a cold gust of wind. Ahead, I could see another long stretch of snow covered trail. Owens Peak would have to wait…

Notes: There’s an automated weather station at Walker Pass. This hill of wildflowers was a short distance from the pass.

Google search: $g(Southern Sierra), $g(Pacific Crest Trail), $g(PCT), $g(trail running)

nature, nature|clouds, photography, photography|landscape, running

Clearing Clouds on Boney Mountain

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Clearing clouds on Boney Mountain in Southern California's Santa Monica Mountains.

Clouds still covered the rocky summit of Boney Mountain as we scrambled up the steep trail on its northern flank. A few hours before a weak front had passed through the area, thickening the clouds and generating a few showers.

Now the clouds were lifting and dissipating, and the just-bathed chaparral glistened in the intermittent sun. This morning, like many mornings in recent weeks, was remarkable. The mountains were alive with the color and vitality of Spring. Purple shooting stars and wild hyacinth adorned the trail, and groves of manzanita and red shanks shone electric green in the warm light.

What better way to begin a day?

Related post: Boney Mountain – Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit

Google search: $g(landscape photography), $g(trail running), $g(Boney Mountain), $g(red shanks)

photography, photography|landscape, running, trails, trails|smmc open space

Ahmanson – Cheeseboro Ridge Loop

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Spring afternoon on the Cheeseboro Ridge Trail.

The Cheeseboro Ridge keyhole loop is a slightly shorter variation of the Ahmanson – Cheeseboro Canyon keyhole loop described in the post Classic Cheeseboro Canyon. Since it ascends the Cheeseboro Ridge Trail, instead of descending Cheeseboro Canyon, the ridge route has a bit more elevation gain.

Cheeseboro Ridge separates Las Virgenes Canyon and Cheeseboro Canyon and on a clear day the views are outstanding. Running the ridge is particularly enjoyable in the Spring when temps are cool and the hills are green. In the heat of summer, the surface of the road develops a powder-like layer of silty dust and the experience isn’t nearly so pleasant.

If starting at the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, the length of the run is about 12.75 miles with an elevation gain and loss of about 1600 ft. Here are a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route, and links to trail maps for Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve and Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons.

nature, nature|botany, nature|wildflowers, photography, photography|wildflowers

All in Which Family?

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Indian warrior (Pedicularis densiflora) on the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Indian warrior’s varying tones of carmine contrast sharply with its lush green leaves and create a striking combination of colors when seen along a trail. Surprisingly, it is the green of its leaves that is one of its interesting features.

Indian warrior (Pedicularis densiflora) resembles two other wildflowers you might see along a Southern California trail — Indian paintbrush (Castilleja affinis) and Owl’s clover (Castilleja exserta). All three are related root parasites that obtain water and nutrients from their host, but also contain chlorophyll and can photosynthesize carbohydrates.

It seems this characteristic would be of value in a climate where seasonal rainfall is highly variable, extending the parasitic plant’s access to water.

Recent genetic analysis has revealed that Pedicularis and Castilleja are related to plants in the Broomrape family (Orobanchaceae), rather than those in the Figwort family (Scrophulariaceae), in which they have been classified. This was a somewhat unexpected result because one of the distinguishing characteristics of Orobanchaceae had been the lack of chlorophyll.

The photograph was taken on the Backbone Trail on the run described in A Long Run Kind of Day.

Technical References:

The Physiology of Plants Under Stress By Erik T. Nilsen, David M. Orcutt

PLANTS THAT LIKE HOSTS By Toni Corelli

Phylogeny of the parasitic plant family Orobanchaceae inferred from phytochrome A[1]

Jonathan R. Bennett and Sarah Mathews

Google search: $g(parasites), $g(Orobanchaceae), $g(chlorophyll), $g(phylogeny), $g(genetics)