Emerging from the clouds on a recent run from Wendy Drive that included climbing Boney Mountain’s Western Ridge — aka the Mountaineer’s Route.
Once up the ridge, the run continued to Sandstone Peak, and then returned to the Wendy Drive Trailhead via the Backbone Trail, Sycamore Canyon, and the Upper Sycamore Trail.
According to the CAL FIRE Kenneth Fire Incident Page, the fire burned 1,052 acres, and was contained on January 12, 2025. The Kenneth Fire is the third significant fire to affect this area in the last 20 years — the other two being the 2005 Topanga Fire and 2018 Woolsey Fire.
At about the time the fire started, a personal weather station near the Victory Trailhead recorded the wind from the ENE at about 11 mph, gusting to 22 mph. At this station, the wind moderated somewhat over the course of the afternoon and early evening, but picked back up overnight.
The vegetation within the burn area is oak savanna — a plant community characterized by grassland and scattered oaks. In the case of Ahmanson Ranch the oaks are valley oaks and coast live oaks. The last known blue oak in the Preserve died in the Winter of 2022-23.
Taking into account their respective populations, the percentage of valley oaks destroyed by the Kenneth Fire far exceeded the percentage of coast live oaks. As the climate has warmed, the mortality rate of valley oaks in the southern part of their range has been increasing and their range retreating northward.
Although the wind was not as strong as it was on January 7-8, it was exceptionally dry. Prior to January 2025, Downtown Los Angeles only recorded 0.16 inch or rain for the Rain Year starting July 1 and Water Year beginning October 1. As of January 9, the period July 1, 2024 to January 9, 2025 was tied with 1962-63 as the driest on record.
The Sunday before the start of the Palisades Fire, I ran the Trippet Ranch Loop from the Top of Reseda. Yet another weak cold front had brushed Southern California, producing little precipitation. The weather was nearly perfect for the run — breezy at times, with moderate temperatures and some high clouds.
The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard office was already expressing concern about a potentially dangerous wind event early in the week. In an Area Forecast Discussion midday Sunday, they warned, “..STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS AND HIGH FIRE DANGER LIKELY FOR PORTIONS OF VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES…” Of course, few of us could envision the staggering devastation that would ensue in the week ahead.
Sunrise from Fire Road #30, near the beginning of the Trippet Ranch Loop from the Top of Reseda.
The eastern horizon glowed orange as I ran down Fire Road #30 from dirt Mulholland. If I could have seen a few days into the future, the road would have been filled with firefighters and equipment battling to halt the Palisades Fire’s westward progress. The road was empty this morning, save the scurrying towhees and raucous scrub jays.
At the Hub, I stopped to take a photo of Eagle Rock. Bush poppy, a prolific fire follower, covered much of the area between the Hub and Eagle Rock. This burned in the 2021 Palisades Fire. The hazy view extended past Eagle Rock to Calabasas Peak and Boney Mountain.
Downtown Los Angeles from Temescal Peak and the chaparral typical of the area.
Before descending to Trippet Ranch on Eagle Springs Fire Road, I turned east on Temescal Ridge Fire Road. I would return to the Hub, but first, I wanted to visit Temescal Peak and Temescal Lookout. These viewpoints have expansive views of the Santa Monica Mountains and beyond. This photo (from a previous run) is a view of downtown Los Angeles from Temescal Peak. The chaparral in the photo is typical of the vegetation in the Santa Monica Mountains. Most of this would have burned in the 2025 Palisades Fire. On a day with good visibility, San Jacinto Peak can be seen from either viewpoint. Despite some haziness, San Jacinto Peak could still be seen from Temescal Lookout this morning.
Returning to the Hub, I ran down Eagle Springs Fire Road and through the footprint of the 2021 Palisades Fire. The bright yellow flowers of bush poppy shone brightly in the morning sun. When the perimeter of the 2021 fire is overlapped with the 2025 fire, it suggests that bush poppy and other transitional vegetation in the 2021 burn area did not burn as readily in the 2025 fire as the usual chaparral species.
Continuing past the information kiosk at the corner of the parking lot, I headed up the paved road and picked up the Musch Trail. Although we haven’t had much rain this Rain Year, the past two Rain Years were very wet. Paradoxically, the vegetation is bone dry, but some small creeks and springs that haven’t run for years — such as Eagle Springs — still have water. Reflecting last year’s rain, a heavy load of red-orange berries cover most of the toyon bushes along the Musch Trail and throughout the Santa Monica Mountains.
Canyon sunflower along the Garapito Trail
At the top of the Musch Trail, I turned left and worked up Eagle Rock Fire Road, past Eagle Rock, to the top of the Garapito Trail. At times, over the past couple of years, this outstanding trail has been almost impassable. Volunteer trailwork has cleared and repaired the trail multiple times. It’s a good trail for wildflowers, but the lack of rain has reduced the number of early bloomers. Today, canyon sunflower, California everlasting, and California fuchsia were blooming along the trail. This misshapen bush sunflower was blooming along Fire Road #30, near its junction with the Garapito Trail.
Topanga Ridge, Lookout, and Saddle Peak from Calabasas Peak’s Southeast Ridge.
On the way down from Saddle Peak last Sunday, the “knob” at the end of Calabasas Peak’s southeast ridge caught my eye. For some time, I’ve been curious about the ridge and the unique sandstone ribs that form its backbone. The odd knob at the end of the ridge just increased my curiosity.
Calabasas Peak from the Stunt High Trail.
This morning found me running (and hiking) up Calabasas Peak Mtwy. fire road towards Calabasas Peak. My rough plan was to do Calabasas Peak, explore the rock formations along the peak’s southeast ridge, and then do Topanga Lookout Ridge Loop and Saddle Peak.
Near the top of the fire road, I stopped to take a photo of the rock formations and rising sun. The marine layer created a peculiar veil of fog and haze that accentuated the rocks and ridges.
After a quick ascent of Calabasas Peak, I returned to the viewpoint at the top of the fire road and started working down the southeast ridge. A steep, brushy, convoluted, little-used path wound down and around the tops of the rock ribs along the ridge to a small clearing at a saddle below the “knob.”
Sandstone rib on Calabasas Peak’s Southeast Ridge.
It turned out that it was not a knob but another rocky rib that looked like a knob when viewed head-on. It was relatively easy to access the rib from the clearing. I ascended the rib until I ran out of rock, then descended it to a point below where I had joined it.
Later in the run, when I was on the way down from Saddle Peak, I looked across the canyon at the “knob” on Calabasas Peak and smiled. Checking it out had been an enjoyable adventure.
This bench on top of Calabasas Peak is one of several new benches “with a view” I’ve run across lately. Here’s another one at Ahmanson Ranch (Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve).
Adventurers driving to the remote resort likely would have stopped at the Shell gas station at Brent’s Junction — the intersection of Ventura Blvd. (Hwy 101) and Las Virgenes Road.
