While doing a run from the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch) yesterday, I came across the tracks of mountain lion headed (north) up the fire road in Las Virgenes Canyon.
The tracks were on the smaller side for a mountain lion, and probably those of a female or adolescent.
Some related posts:
– It’s Raining Mountain Lion Tracks!
– Mountain Lion Tracks on Rocky Peak Road
– Mountain Lion Saga
The information in this post may be incorrect or out of date. For official information, see the Kenneth Fire incident page on the CAL FIRE website. The perimeter is from the Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS) Group and National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website. The perimeter shown has a poly_DateCurrent of 1/11/2025 1:34:57 AM UTC.
The Kenneth Fire started Thursday afternoon, January 9, 2025, near the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch).
According to an MRCA post on Instagram, Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve reopened on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
The last time Downtown Los Angeles had more than a smattering of rain was mid-April 2024 — more than 250 days ago. To date, the Rain Year beginning July 1, 2024 has been one of the two driest in the 147+ year weather record for Downtown Los Angeles.
Because of the time of year, and lack of rain, not many wildflowers were blooming along Los Angeles area trails at the end of 2024. One exception was this brittlebush (Encelia farinosa) on the southwest corner of Lasky Mesa in Ahmanson Ranch.
If Los Angeles doesn’t see any rain by January 9 — which appears likely — the period July 1, 2024 to January 9, 2025 will be tied with 1962-63 for the driest on record.
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).
It’s always a treat to see a tarantula ambling along a road or trail.
In Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch) the most likely time to see a tarantula is in September or October.
They are generally not aggressive, but can move very quickly if needed.
Some related posts:
– September & October are Tarantula Months!
– Tarantula Time
It was very odd. After persisting in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon for 18 months, the pool on Las Virgenes Creek had unexpectedly receded.
When I’d run past the pool on September 6, it had been full. Just five days later — the day before the 4.7 Malibu earthquake — it had shrunk to a small puddle.
Anyone that hikes, runs, or rides in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon would be familiar with the pool — it’s where the fire road crosses the creek, about a quarter-mile south (downstream) of the pipeline monitoring station and 0.7 mile from the Las Virgenes Trailhead. A use trail has evolved to the east of the road to bypass the pool.
The earthquake occurred on September 12, 2024, at 07:28:21 PDT. That afternoon I ran out to Upper Las Virgenes Canyon and checked the pool again. It was already refilling. Five days later it was nearly back to its normal level.
Was the change in the pool level a precursor to the Malibu earthquake?
The pool is about 11 miles from the earthquake’s epicenter. Water level changes in wells miles from an event have preceded earthquakes similar in size to the Malibu quake. It’s something to wonder about.