Not the green of shamrocks or jade, or an emerald sea,
but of new growth along a trail, softly seen.
From a run of the Trailer Canyon – Trippet Ranch loop, described in Garapito Trail Runs.
Here is a Live Browser View of the run.
Related post: Ferns Along the Garapito Trail
My trail running shoes had not been wet or muddy since sometime in December. During the entire month of January, Downtown Los Angeles (USC) recorded about one-third of an inch of rain. Not only had it been dry, it had been warm. On a dozen of those January days, the high temperature topped eighty degrees, setting a new record!
But Winter had returned. The past three days, Los Angeles had received about 1.5 inches of rain, valley and foothill locations 2-4 inches, and some mountain stations as much as 5-7 inches. And more Winter weather was on the way. Excited about the change in the weather, today’s run was one with good muck and mire potential — the Bulldog Loop in Malibu Creek State Park.
We were not disappointed. Near Century Lake, mud the consistency of peanut butter pulled at our shoes and slowed the climb up Crags Rd, Further west, near the M*A*S*H site, calf-deep water on the trail washed the gunk off.
The trail conditions on the remainder of the loop were more straightforward. From time to time, shafts of sun would pierce the clouds, resulting in a patchwork of shadow and sun that emphasized the rugged terrain. Along the crest, the ocean views were superb! Before descending to Tapia Park we ran out to Mesa Peak, and then followed the ridgeline to an overlook of the coast. (Marked peak 1800 on the topo.)
Including the side trip to the overlook, this variation of the Bulldog loop worked out to an exhilarating 16.5 miles, with an elevation gain/loss of about 2700 ft.
If current forecasts and outlooks for this month hold true, this won’t be our last wet and muddy trail run this February. In a couple of weeks, Los Angeles rainfall totals may climb above normal for the first time this rain season. We’ll see!
Some related posts: Fog Along Malibu Creek, Bulldog Loop and the Corral Fire
The idea was to do an interesting trail run that wasn’t quite as long and strenuous as last week’s Bandit 30K Course Preview. That was the idea. I could have calculated the mileage and elevation gain of our projected route, but sometimes part of the fun of trail running is not knowing the exact route, how long it will take, or how strenuous it might be.
This particular exploration would visit two of the most scenic areas in the Santa Monica Mountains — Serrano Valley and La Jolla Valley. Many variations of this loop are possible. Our base route included the Ray Miller/Backbone Trail, Fireline Trail, Serrano Canyon Trail, Serrano Valley Trail, Old Boney Trail, Wood Canyon Vista Trail, La Jolla Valley Loop Trail, La Jolla Canyon Trail and connecting roads.
In addition to its wonderful scenery, this course is characterized by moderate uphills that are generally very runnable. The side trips to to the old ranch site in Serrano Valley, and to Mugu Peak pushed the route beyond the 30K mark, but were worth every step. Here’s a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route. Since none of us had done the eastern leg of the La Jolla Valley Loop Trail, this time we did Mugu Peak from the east. The route around the valley to the western side of Mugu Peak is also shown.
Here is a Live Browser View of the run.
Some related posts: Serrano Valley from Wendy Drive; La Jolla Valley & Mugu Peak from Wendy Drive; Laguna Peak, La Jolla Valley, and the Channel Islands
Because of a scheduling conflict, two friends weren’t going to be able to enter a challenging new Southern California trail race — the Bandit 30K/14K — so today we previewed the 30K course.
The race starts in Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, and incorporates several of my favorite local trails in Rocky Peak Park. With an elevation gain in excess of 3200 ft., and varied terrain, the race promises to be a memorable test of trail running skill and endurance. A plus is that it is being run in March, when the hills are green; there is water in the creek crossings; and wildflowers along the trails.
So how was the 30K course? In a few words — strenuous, scenic and technical — and more difficult than either the Boney Mountain 21K or Bulldog 22K.
Note: The Bandit Trail Runs are now Rocky Peak Trails.
Related post: Bandit 30K 2009
My legs were still pretty worked from the Boney Mountain Half Marathon. Instead of backing off of the pace on my weekday workouts, I had continued to experiment with a change in running technique that was resulting in faster paced runs. I was excited about the increase in speed, but logging fast times on oft-run courses after a strenuous race doesn’t equal recovery. Neither does blasting up a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains.
But it was one of those impossible to ignore, blue sky, short-sleeved Southern California Winter weekends. This would be an unprecedented eighth straight January day that the high temperature in Los Angeles exceeded eighty degrees. In the yin yang of weather, the western half of the U.S. has been enjoying unusually warm temps, while the eastern half of the country shivered.
Taking maximum advantage of the good weather, yesterday I had done a little kayaking on the Kern River, this morning some rock climbing at Stoney Point, and now we were huffing and puffing up Strawberry Peak (6164′) — and doing it “for time.”
We had started at Red Box, the shortest and technically most moderate way to climb the peak. By this route it’s about 3.4 miles to the summit, with an elevation gain of roughly 1600 ft. About two-thirds of that distance is well-graded trail, the rest is steep use trail up a broad, brush covered ridge.
About halfway between Lawlor Saddle and the summit of Strawberry it became plainly and painfully evident that my legs had given their all. I complain. Miklos — always sympathetic — asks why I can’t go any faster.
On the final steep push to the summit ridge I try a different tactic to slow the pace, and tell a story about an unbelievably angry and aggressive raccoon I once encountered near here. But like President Jimmy Carter’s rabbit incident, it loses something in the telling. Redlined, we crest the summit ridge and sprint (relatively speaking) toward the summit.
On the summit, there is not a breath of wind. The view is exceptional. To the southwest, sunlight gleams on the waters of the Pacific near Palos Verdes, and to the west snow gleams white on Mt. Baldy. Some 90 miles distant, near Palm Springs, is the asymmetric silhouette of Mt. San Jacinto.
Soon we’re headed down. As I drop below the summit ridge, a snowball whizzes past my ear, crashing on the trail ahead. It has been warm and dry for weeks, but remarkably, there are a few patches of snow. It is a reminder that Winter is not over, and like the snow, is lurking in the shadows.
The posts Boney Mountain – Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit and Boney Mountain Western Ridge & Loop describe two routes that ascend the north side of Boney Mountain — a circuitous eastern ridge route, and a more difficult western ridge.
These two routes can be combined into an adventurous loop that starts and ends at the junction of Danielson Road and the Old Boney Trail. The loop, with no side trips, works out to about 4 miles. Add in the 2.5 mile approach from the Wendy Drive trailhead, and the total distance for the course is about 9 miles, with an elevation gain of a bit over 2000 ft.
I did the loop counterclockwise — up the western ridge and then down the eastern. The New Year’s weather could not have been better. Dense fog clung to the coast, but a brisk offshore breeze kept inland views crystal-clear. On the way up the western ridge I couldn’t resist doing a short detour to climb one of the crag’s appealing summits.
At the top of the western ridge, I briefly debated doing Tri-Peaks and Big Dome, but was hoping to make it home by noon, so skipped those side trips.
With gravity on my side, the run down the eastern ridge was not nearly as gnarly as I thought it might be. I was running in Inov-8 Roclite 305s — nimble shoes with a fell running heritage. Mine weigh only 21.1 oz./pair (US 9.0) and were particularly well-suited to the rough terrain.
This climb and adventure run was a great way to start the New Year — and I did make it home in time for lunch with my wife!
Here’s a Google Earth image of a GPS trace of my route.