Category Archives: trails

The Hill Climbing Helper

Trail runners, do you suffer the embarrassment of continually being passed on hills? Legs aren’t what they used to be? You need the new Hill Climbing Helper®.

The Hill Climbing Helper’s portability is the key! The Hill Climbing Helper® may look heavy, and it is, but that’s part of the genius of its design.

  • Can be used on all your favorite trail runs!
  • Fits most hills!
  • More effective than elliptical or stair-climbing machines!
  • Increases safety. Eliminates fear of slipping or falling.

Includes 10 stairs and 2 hand rails. Constructed of the finest oil field steel – it will last for decades!

You’ll notice the HCH difference on your first run!

(From today’s run of the Las Llajas loop.)

Related post: Chumash-Las Llajas Loop

Mountain Solitude

Descending from Pallett Mountain on Pleasant View Ridge, in the San Gabriel Mountains.

It was a little eerie. There wasn’t so much as an animal track or old bootprint on the trail ahead. The path was perfectly smooth, and I felt a bit guilty as my running shoes left their patterned tracks under foot. Lynn, Frank, and I were working up the Pacific Crest Trail on the west side of Mt. Williamson in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles. As we switchbacked up the trail, the mountain seemed to sigh, happy to have enjoyed at least a few days of solitude.


Angeles Crest Highway
Closed in early September by the Station Fire, this part of Angeles National Forest did not burn. It reopened in October, but is difficult to access because of the continuing closure of Angeles Crest Highway. To get to this point, we had run from the Antelope Valley side of the mountains. First up the South Fork Trail to Islip Saddle, and then along Angeles Crest Highway, through the tunnels, to the PCT near Kratka Ridge. A steep climb up the PCT put us where we were now — nearing the summit of the usually busy peak.

Of course that was part of the fun of trail running. By the time we reached the summit of Mt. Williamson, we would have gained about 3600′ of elevation, and would be a little more than half way through our 21 mile run. From Williamson’s summit we would head west along Pleasant View Ridge, and then descend the Burkhart Trail to Devil’s Punchbowl. The ups and downs along Pleasant View Ridge, and the “minor” climb out from Cruthers Creek, would add another 1500′ or so of elevation gain.


Big horn sheep track
The run up the rugged South Fork trail had been interesting. Low on the trail we had picked up the blocky hoof prints of what was probably a large bighorn sheep. Intent on the tracks, and telling stories of Tom Brown and the Pine Barrens, we almost didn’t notice two deer hunters hiking up the trail ahead of us. Another mile or two up the trail we heard something large moving through the brush, and were surprised to see  a sizable black bear bounding down a slope. I wondered if it might be the sire of the cubs we had seen on this trail earlier in the year. A little higher still, we found a beautifully colored California mountain kingsnake, warming itself in a patch of morning sun.

Those encounters had been a couple of hours before. Now we were just below Williamson’s summit ridge. Reaching the crest, we ran the few remaining yards to its eastern summit. The visibility was stunning. To the south, we could see the thin ribbons of Catalina Island and San Clemente Island, more than 75 miles distant. To the east, Mt. San Jacinto loomed above the shoulder of Mt. Islip. To the north an indistinct line of white floated above the horizon. Was it the Sierra?



The 3 mile traverse of Pleasant View Ridge between Mt. Williamson and Burkhart Saddle was strenuous, but spectacular. The path along the ridge was also untrodden, and it wasn’t until Pallett Mountain that we noticed the first footprints. From Pallett Mountain the route dropped more than 3000′ — much of it excellent running on the Burkhart Trail. It wasn’t until mile 20, when we turned off the High Desert National Recreation Trail and started the mile descent to the Devil’s Punchbowl parking lot, that we finally encountered another person — a runner, jogging up the hill.

Here’s a Cesium browser View of a GPS trace (yellow) of the point to point route, and an elevation profile generated by SportTracks. Using the High Desert Recreation Trail as a connector (red trace in the Google Earth view), the route could be extended to a loop.

Some related posts: Peaks Along Pleasant View Ridge, Pleasant View Ridge Snow

San Gorgonio High Line 2009

San Bernardino Mountain Divide from near Charlton Peak

San Bernardino Mountain Divide from near Charlton Peak

As I approached the spur trail to High Meadow Springs, I tried to convince myself I had enough water to continue. The problem wasn’t the third of a mile detour down to the spring, or even the 280′ loss of elevation. The problem was the interruption. Having to get water was like having to stop to remove an annoying little rock from your shoe. You know you should, but one mile passes, then two… The running along the 10,500′ crest on the Divide Trail was just so spectacular, I didn’t want to stop!

I reached behind my back and squished the Camelbak reservoir with my hand. Yea, there’s plenty of water, I don’t have to stop. I can make it to the summit of Gorgonio, and then get water at High Camp on Vivian Creek on the way down.



But hadn’t I nearly run out of water the last time I did this? I did a rough calculation of the distance… about four miles to the peak, with a gain of 1500′, and then another four miles to the creek. Reluctantly, I slowed, and turned off the Divide Trail

At the spring, I pulled the reservoir from my pack. Only about 25 oz. of water remained. The little spring burbled and gurgled energetically, and it didn’t take long to replenish my water supply. East of Shields Flat, the trail to High Meadow Springs is about a quarter-mile below the point marked 10,500 on the topo, and about half a mile above Red Rock Flat. At an elevation of 10,120′, the springs sit near the top of a steep canyon that drops down to Plummer Meadows. It’s an airy location with an expansive view.

Earlier, I had chugged up the Momyer Creek Trail to the San Bernardino Peak Divide Trail. Once past the turn to Alger Camp, this trail becomes more of a  footpath, weaving its way through a middle elevation forest of pine and fir, around innumerable bark beetle felled Jeffrey pines, and up to a high mountain habitat of chaparral and Lodgepole pine.



If stretches of trail with a 30% grade are not enough of a challenge, the last couple of miles to the divide include overgrown sections that will not only slow the shorts clad hiker or runner, but over time become annoyingly painful. Chinquapin is your friend, manzanita an adversary, and whitethorn your archenemy. And there is a lot of whitethorn.

After visiting High Meadow Springs, I continued down to Dollar Saddle. Beyond this point I expected to see an increasing number of hikers. The previous Saturday it had been exceptionally busy on Mt. San Jacinto, and the weather was even better today. Eventually, near Jepson Peak, I encountered a couple of hikers returning from the summit, and then passed a couple more working up the trail. But that was it — and the summit of San Gorgonio was empty. Unusual for such a perfect Autumn day.

Here’s a Cesium browser View of a GPS trace of the 26 mile route, and an elevation profile generated by SportTracks. The approximate elevation gain and loss was about 7000′.

Related post: San Gorgonio High Line, San Gorgonio Mountain – Falls Creek Loop

Autumn Trail Running on Mt. San Jacinto

Autumn trail running along Wellman Cienega in the San Jacinto Wilderness.

Spectacular Autumn trail running along Wellman Cienega in the San Jacinto Wilderness.


Tahquitz and Suicide Rocks from the PCT
Lush with ferns and corn lilies in the summer, Wellman Cienega is a mountain seep high on the eastern slopes of Marion Mountain. It’s a couple of miles into an excellent 5 mile downhill segment from the top of San Jacinto to Saddle Junction.

From today’s trail run to San Jacinto Peak (10,834′) and Tahquitz Peak (8828′) from the top of the Palm Springs Tram at Long Valley.

Here’s a Cesium browser View of a GPS trace of the route, and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks. The total elevation gain/loss on the 20 mile run was about 4000′.

Related post: Room with a View

Rocky Peak Rainstorm

Rocky Peak Rainstorm

Clouds swirled around me as I worked up the steep trail toward an overlook near Rocky Peak. I stopped and listened to the patter of the rain against the rocks, its intensity rising and falling with the gusts of wind.

The wind-driven rain trickled down my face, tasting cool and clean. It didn’t matter that my running clothes were soaked and that with each gust I could feel a chill. It was raining!

In the same manner that a color will sometimes appear especially pure and vibrant, there was an unusual liveliness to this rain.