View across Blind Canyon to Oat Mountain from the Rocky Peak fire road. At one time slated to become a Los Angeles County landfill, Blind Canyon is now part of Rocky Peak Park.
From an out and back run on Rocky Peak Road to the top of the Chumash Trail.
Related post: San Fernando Valley from Rocky Peak
I was headed home from a whitewater slalom training camp on the Kern River, and wanted to take advantage of being in the Southern Sierra and run an unfamiliar section of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Yes, it was windy and there were lenticular clouds in the lee of the Sierra, which meant it might get REALLY windy. No, I didn’t have my regular trail shoes or a hydration pack. Yep, there was some snow on the north side of the peaks on either side of the highway.
The plan was to do an out and back run north on the PCT from Hwy. 178 at Walker Pass (5250′). I didn’t know how far. I hoped far enough to check out the approach to Owens Peak. But that would depend on the amount of snow on the trail, how cold and windy it became, and how much elevation gain my legs had left in them.
It might not seem that paddling a kayak would be hard on the legs, but your legs are your primary connection to the boat, and my legs were worked following several days of strenuous paddling.
This post’s photograph was taken about five miles into the run. The plaque commemorates the naming of Mt. Jenkins. It honors J.C. Jenkins, whose Exploring the Southern Sierra and Self Propelled in the Southern Sierra books have inspired many an adventure. It was placed where the south ridge of Mt. Jenkins intersects the PCT.
I continued a mile and a half to a point where I could see the saddle and ridge leading to the summit of Owens Peak. Rounding a corner, I emerged from a wind protected traverse, and was slammed with a cold gust of wind. Ahead, I could see another long stretch of snow covered trail. Owens Peak would have to wait…
Notes: There’s an automated weather station at Walker Pass. This hill of wildflowers was a short distance from the pass.
A segment of the Satwiwa Loop Trail at Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park, California.
From Sunday’s run/hike over Boney Mountain.
The Cheeseboro Ridge keyhole loop is a slightly shorter variation of the Ahmanson – Cheeseboro Canyon keyhole loop described in the post Classic Cheeseboro Canyon. Since it ascends the Cheeseboro Ridge Trail, instead of descending Cheeseboro Canyon, the ridge route has a bit more elevation gain.
Cheeseboro Ridge separates Las Virgenes Canyon and Cheeseboro Canyon and on a clear day the views are outstanding. Running the ridge is particularly enjoyable in the Spring when temps are cool and the hills are green. In the heat of summer, the surface of the road develops a powder-like layer of silty dust and the experience isn’t nearly so pleasant.
If starting at the Victory Trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, the length of the run is about 12.75 miles with an elevation gain and loss of about 1600 ft. Here are a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route, and links to trail maps for Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve and Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyons.
The beauty and intensity of the day was infectious. Hours before a cold low pressure trough digging down from the Pacific Northwest had carried showers, thunder, hail, and chilly temps into Southern California. Its rainfall had refreshed the greens of the hills, and accentuated the yellows, purples and reds of the wildflowers along the trail. Its blustery winds had cleansed the sky.
A few minutes before I had completed one run, and now was starting another. I wasn’t certain how much farther I would run — I just knew I had to run.
The day had begun with friends on the Secret Trail in Calabasas. We had run up and over the shoulder of Calabasas Peak, and then ascended Saddle Peak via the Stunt High Trail and Backbone Trail. The view from the summit of Saddle Peak had extended beyond Santa Monica Bay and Palos Verdes Peninsula to the South Bay and Saddleback Mountain. New snow glistened on Mt. Baldy, and to the west the rocky summits on Boney Mountain stood in bold relief.
That 14.5 mile run had ended at Tapia Park. Now I was on the Tapia Spur Trail on the first climb of the Bulldog Loop. On the wind sheltered slope the bright yellow blossoms of tree poppy had begun to unfurl, absorbing the warmth of the midday sun. Distant peaks loomed to within an arm’s reach, and my legs seemed to draw energy directly from the trail. It was a long run kind of day.
Notes: The title photograph is of Saddle Peak from the Backbone Trail, in the Santa Monica Mountains, near Los Angeles. Mt. Baldy can be seen in the distance. The combined length of the runs was about 29 miles with an elevation gain of about 5000 ft.
Some related posts: Tapia Bound, Bulldog Loop and the Corral Fire, Fog Along Malibu Creek
When the rainy season turns wet and the grasses green, all routes to Simi Peak are scenic, but the varied trails and terrain, and the wilderness feel of the more remote sections of this 21.5 mile run makes it one of my local favorites.
It is a longer variation of the route described in the post Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Backcountry. The run starts at the Victory (or Vanowen, or Las Virgenes) trailhead of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve and explores the headwaters of Las Virgenes Creek. At the junction of the power line service road and “backcountry” trail, instead of turning south up the power line service road, this option works west over to Albertson Motorway fire road, and on to China Flat and Simi Peak.
Here’s a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route.