Category Archives: running

adventures, clouds, landscape, nature, photography, races, running, san gabriel mountains, southern california, trails, weather, weather

Warming Up for the ANFTR Trail Races

first published & last updated

Stratus in the San Gabriel River drainage from Mt. Wilson road.

Was back on Mt. Wilson this morning, enjoying the mountains, and getting in a little more training for the upcoming Angeles National Forest Trail Run races.

There were already two cars parked in the loop road turnout when I got there, and another car pulled in behind me. All were runners.

The turnout is near the start of the ANFTR course and most of the runners were planning to do the ANFTR 25K loop or a variation. One runner — training for the ANFTR 60K and AC100 — was doing the 50K course.

The extensive layer of low clouds in the canyons of the West Fork and East Fork San Gabriel River at the start of the run was indicative of a cool onshore flow. Too cool and comfortable, really. Anticipating warmer temperatures for the ANFTR race, I wore an extra layer for the run, and probably should have worn more.

The last two years the ANFTR races have been run during record-setting heatwaves. We’ve had a lot of cool weather this year and for a while it looked like the pleasant weather might carry over to race day, July 6. But following the finest of ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment traditions, it now looks like temps will probably be warming up for the race. Maybe not quite as hot as the last two years, but still on the toasty side. We’ll see!

The highest temperature recorded at Clear Creek on the day of the ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races for 2005-2019.
High at Clear Creek for the 2005-2019 ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races. Click to enlarge.
Average hourly Clear Creek temperatures on the day of the ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races for 2005-2019.
Average hourly Clear Creek temperatures for 2005-2019 ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races. Click to enlarge.

Update Thursday, July 11, 2019. As it turned out, temperatures for the 2019 edition of the Angeles National Forest Trail Run were in the “middle of the pack” compared to other years. The high temperature recorded at the Clear Creek RAWS on July 6 was 80°F. This was down 25°F from 2018. Averaged hourly fuel temperatures at Clear Creek ranged from 101°F to 104°F between noon and 5:00 pm. The high at the Mt. Wilson RAWS on July 6 was 75°F, down 20°F from 2018.

Average hourly Clear Creek fuel temperatures on the day of the ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races for 2005-2019.
Average hourly Clear Creek fuel temperatures for the 2005-2019 ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment races. Click to enlarge.

Note: The temperature in a commercial weather station is measured inside a white, ventilated instrument housing, several feet off the ground. Mid-day temperatures in the sun, in the summer, with a cloudless sky will be much warmer than this. Some stations, such as Clear Creek, also measure the fuel temperature — the temperature of a pine dowel in direct sun about a foot off the ground. According to the NWS (and common sense) exposure to full sunshine can increase heat index values by up to 15°F. In my experience the fuel temp gives a better indication of the actual temperature a runner can experience in the sun, especially on exposed mountain slopes facing the sun.

Update Monday, July 1, 2019. Last week the GFS weather model was forecasting temps on race day to be near 100 at the lower elevations and over 90 on Mt. Wilson. This morning’s GFS max temperature forecasts are down about 10 degrees from that. Basically highs in the low 90s (in the shade) for the lower elevations and around 80 at Mt. Wilson. Temps in the sun, especially on exposed sun-facing slopes, could still top 100. If the forecast holds, the temperatures today should be similar to those on race day. We’ll see! Here are links to the Clear Creek RAWS and Mt. Wilson RAWS.

Some related posts: ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment 2019, Another Scorching Angeles National Forest/Mt. Disappointment Trail Race, Record Heat for the 2017 Mt. Disappointment 50K & 25K

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ahmanson ranch, nature, photography, running, smmc open space, trails, upper las virgenes canyon open space preserve, wildflowers, wildflowers

Humboldt Lilies in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve

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Humboldt Lilies in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch) on June 19, 2019.

Although I’d photographed them here before, it is still a bit startling to find Humboldt lilies on a hot, dry, dusty run in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, aka Ahmanson Ranch. The vibrant orange blossoms stand out against the mix of muted greens, grays and straw-yellows of the oak woodland and chaparral and are hard to miss.

The Humboldt lily and a few other wildflowers have been added to my Weekday Wildflowers slideshow. These are wildflowers photographed on weekday runs from the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.

Related posts: More Weekday Wildflowers, Weekday Wildflowers

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ahmanson ranch, clouds, drought, landscape, nature, photography, running, smmc open space, trails, upper las virgenes canyon open space preserve, weather, weather

Lasky Mesa: Dark Clouds and Sun

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Dark Clouds and Sun. Photography by Gary Valle'.

From a run this May in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch).

Normal rainfall for May at Downtown Los Angeles (USC) is 0.26 inch. This year Los Angeles recorded 0.81 inch in May, according to the NWS .

It was definitely wet and cool! Nineteen days were partly cloudy to cloudy. Ten days recorded at least a trace of rain. The average high was 70 degrees.

Oddly, during our recent drought, above normal May rainfall totals were recorded in 2011 (0.45 inch), 2013 (0.71 inch), and 2015 (0.93 inch). The most rainfall recorded in May at Los Angeles was 3.57 inches in 1921.

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adventures, landscape, nature, photography, running, san gabriel mountains, southern california, trails, weather, weather

Islip Saddle to Baden-Powell: No Worries About Snow Flurries

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Mine Gulch and Mt. Baldy from Mt. Baden-Powell on June 8, 2019.
Mine Gulch and Mt. Baldy from Mt. Baden-Powell

Each year, around Memorial Day, I like to do the out and back on the Pacific Crest Trail from Islip Saddle to Mt. Baden-Powell. It’s fun to see how much snow (if any) remains on Mt. Baden-Powell and to get an idea of how much snow there is on Mt. Baldy, San Jacinto Peak and San Gorgonio Mountain. It’s also a good way to continue acclimating to higher elevation.

Snow at 8750' near the junction of the PCT and Dawson Saddle Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles.
Snow at 8750′ near the junction of the PCT and Dawson Saddle Trail

This year I was a couple of weeks late getting to Baden-Powell, having done runs on Mt. Wilson Memorial Day weekend and Mt. Waterman the weekend after. That’s OK, over much of the holiday weekend it was cold and snowy at the higher elevations of the local mountains. The temperature at the Big Pine RAWS (6964′) was in the thirties all day Sunday, May 26, and it was certainly much colder than that at 9400′ on Baden-Powell.

There were no worries about snow flurries and cold weather today! The weather was perfect for the run. Cool in the shade and warm in the sun.

Summit of Throop Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles.
Summit of Throop Peak.

In some places between Throop Peak and Baden-Powell there was still snow on the trail, but it could be avoided by moving to the sunny side of the crest. The last time there was more snow here in late May – early June was in 2010.

Perhaps because of the more seasonable weather, there were many (mostly) happy people on the trail that, like me, were thoroughly enjoying the wonderful day.

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news, photography, running

Jon Sutherland Runs Every Day for 50 Years — and Counting

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Jon Sutherland with United States Running Streak Association President Mark Washburne and several other U.S.R.S.A. streakers.
Jon Sutherland with U.S. Running Streak Association President Mark Washburne and other U.S.R.S.A. streakers.

The morning was overcast and — remarkably — there was a 70% chance of rain. An eclectic group of runners was gathered at the Victory Trailhead of Ahmanson Ranch to celebrate Jon Sutherland’s run streak of 18,263 days.

Included in the group were Chaminade and Notre Dame High School athletes Jon has coached, a four-time Olympian, an NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country Champion, CSUN hall-of-fame teammates, members of the United States Running Streak Association, and many, many of Jon’s good friends.

CBS 2 Los Angeles interviews Jon Sutherland regarding his 50-year running streak.
CBS 2 Los Angeles interviews Jon Sutherland regarding his 50-year running streak. Click for larger image.

Jon Sutherland is #1 on the U.S.A. Active Running Streak List and has the longest active streak in the world. Running every day is tough. Heck, it’s tough enough to brush your teeth every day and that only takes a couple of minutes. Jon has run through strains & pains, illness, injury and tragedy. He’s maintained his streak through two knee operations, hernia surgery, and several fractures.

Except for a few rogue sprinkles, the rain held off for most of the morning. Following a short run up to Lasky Mesa, the group reassembled at the trailhead to recognize Jon’s accomplishments.

Olympic medalist and long-time friend Rod Dixon presented Jon with a signed print of a superb oil painting by Tom Ogiela of Herb Elliott’s world record-setting gold medal finish in the 1500m in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Four-time Olympian, Rod Dixon, presents Jon Sutherland with a print of a painting by Tom Ogiela of Herb Elliott's world record-setting gold medal finish in the 1500m in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
Four-time Olympian, Rod Dixon, presents Jon Sutherland with a print of a painting by Tom Ogiela of Herb Elliott’s world record-setting gold medal finish in the 1500m in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Click for larger image.

Mark Washburne, President of the United States Running Streak Association, then presented Jon with a commemorative plaque and a lifetime membership in the association.

Then it was Jon’s turn. Story-telling is an art at which Jon excels. His poignant story was about the painting of Herb Elliott.

Tom Ogiela, a Sutherland-family friend, was only thirteen when he did the painting. Jon told him, “that one day I would become a good enough runner and Herb Elliott would see his painting.”

Jon Sutherland's thank you to those that have supported him over 50 years of running.
Jon Sutherland’s thank you to those that have supported him over 50 years of running. Click for larger image.

Tragically, Tom was killed as a result of a construction accident at age 20. With the help of Rod, Jon was able to fulfill his vow to the young artist. Herb Elliott did indeed see the painting and the print presented to Jon was signed by the Gold Medalist. The full story is in the Summer 2019 edition of The Streak Registry on the United States Running Streak Association Home page.

Jon wrapped up the event by thanking his family and friends and all those that have helped him along the way.

Congrats Jon! And we all look forward to being back at Ahmanson on July 4, 2021, when your run streak reaches 19033 days and becomes the longest on record.

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adventures, nature, news, photography, running, san gabriel mountains, trails, wildfire

Poodle-dog Bush Near the Top of the Mt. Wilson Trail

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Poodle-dog bush (Eriodictyon parryi) growing along the Mt. Wilson Trail about a half-mile from the top.
Poodle-dog bush near the top of the Mt. Wilson Trail. June 15, 2019.

The Mt. Wilson – Chantry Flat loop is a favorite that I run a couple times a year. Including a little bonus mileage to get to the Mt. Wilson parking lot before the gate opens, the run is about 18 miles long and gains/loses about 4500′ of elevation. The main trails in the loop are the Rim Trail, Gabrielino Trail, Upper Winter Creek Trail and Mt. Wilson Trail.

The weather was perfect for today’s run. Sunny at the beginning, then partly cloudy for the 4000′ climb from the “green bridge” below Chantry to the parking lot on Mt. Wilson. Although there was a lot of poison oak on the Rim and Gabrielino Trails, it was mostly avoidable. About 30 minutes into the run, I was surprised to hear the unmistakable gobble and rustling of a wild turkey high on the Rim Trail.

Near the end of the loop, on the section of the Mt. Wilson Trail above the Mt. Wilson Toll Road, I saw two solo hikers brush against new, vigorously growing patches of Poodle-dog bush (Eriodictyon parryi). I spoke to them, and they were unaware that, like poison oak, Poodle-dog bush can cause an itchy rash. Some people don’t react at all to the plant and others can have a severe reaction. My own experience is described in this post.

Poodle-dog bush is a fire follower that grows in the San Gabriel Mountains, and some other areas. It became very widespread following the 2009 Station Fire. There are still some diminishing patches of Poodle-dog bush on the north side of Mt. Wilson (and elsewhere) from the Station Fire, but the Poodle-dog bush on this part of the Mt. Wilson Trail is a result of the 2017 Mt. Wilson Fire.

Some related posts: Contact Dermatitis from Turricula parryi – Poodle-dog Bush, Mt. Wilson – Newcomb Pass – Chantry Flat Loop, Misplaced on Mt. Wilson, GSU Mt. Wilson CHARA Telescope Array

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