Like scarlet monkeyflower, yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus) loves springs and seeps. These are at a spring at Sheep Camp, between Mt. Pinos and Mt. Abel.
From Sunday’s run on the Vincent Tumamait and North Fork trails in the Chumash Wilderness.
Paintbrush on the Vincent Tumamait Trail
Thursday afternoon the temperature in Woodland Hills hit 107°F. Friday was 103°F, and Saturday 104°F. Weekdays I run in the afternoon, and after running in that heat, I needed to escape to cooler climes. One way to beat the broiling temps was to head for the high country.
There are several higher elevation areas within a couple hours drive of Los Angeles. My favorites are Mt. Baden-Powell (9399′), Mt. Baldy (10,064′), Mt. Pinos (8831′), Mt. San Jacinto (10,834′) and San Gorgonio Mountain (11,499′).
Today the choice was Mt. Pinos. It had been a few weeks since I’d run there, and the driving time to the Chula Vista parking lot on Mt. Pinos is about the same as that to Islip Saddle in the San Gabriels. Also, it’s usually cooler running between Mt. Pinos and Mt. Abel, than between Islip Saddle and Mt. Baden-Powell.
It was a little breezy and chilly up on Mt. Pinos, Sawmill Mountain and Mt. Abel. What a change from during the week. At the start of the run the temperature was about 40-50 degrees cooler than my last run at Ahmanson Ranch.
I did an extended version of the usual 14.5 mile out and back course on the Vincent Tumamait Trail. This variation drops down to Lilly Camp (6600′) on the North Fork Trail before continuing to Mt. Abel. The side trip adds about 6 miles and 1700′ of gain. It was a bit warmer down at Lilly Meadow Camp, but the air conditioning kicked back in once I returned to the main trail.
Some related posts: Running Hot & Cold, Up & Down Mt. Baldy’s South Ridge, Vincent Tumamait Trail, Autumn Trail Running on Mt. San Jacinto, San Gorgonio High Line 2009
Its long limbs bending with the weight, a sugar pine reaches as far as it can to drop its heavy, resin-covered cones.
Because of its short needles and long branches, the silhouette of a sugar pine is particularly distinctive.
From Sunday’s run on the PCT.
Some related posts: Sugar Pine & Clouds, Kratka Ridge Sugar Pine
Scarlet Monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis) at Little Jimmy Spring, in the San Gabriel Mountains.
From Sunday’s run on the PCT.
Pacific Crest Trail Near Mt. Burnham, in the San Gabriel Mountains
At an elevation of 9000′ the weather was sensational. Skies were partly cloudy, accentuating the terrain, and hinting of a thunderstorm later in the day. I was on the Pacific Crest Trail between Mt. Burnham and Mt. Baden-Powell, about 8 miles into a 18 mile run in the San Gabriel Mountains.
Remarkably, there was still a small patch of snow along the trail. According to seasonal summaries in Your Guide to Snowfall, the 2009-2010 season in Southern California was the best since the big Winter of 2004-2005. But it wasn’t necessary to check the snow history to know the snowfall had been above average. All that was needed was to look around, and the mountains told the story.
The remnants of snow were only part of the tale. Broken and downed trees told of strong Winter winds, and the stalks of red snow plant of a cool Spring. Now springs flowed freely and once dry seeps were damp and green. Wildflowers bloomed in profusion. Squat bumblebees waddled from flower to flower, and hummingbirds darted from patch to patch of scarlet bugler.
It had been a good Winter. Sugar pines were heavy with pine cones, and new growth decorated the limbs of the white firs. The growth of tree seedlings in the Curve Fire burn area seemed to have accelerated, and the protracted process of forest replacement was underway.
Southern California’s erratic weather demands that plants and trees be opportunistic. In time they have learned that an El Nino Winter is often followed by one that is dry, and La Nina looms.
Speckled Clarkia (Clarkia cylindrica ssp. cylindrica) along the Garapito Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains, near Los Angeles.
Because they tend to bloom in late Spring and early Summer, this species of Clarkia and several others are sometimes referred to as Farewell to Spring.
From last Sunday’s out and back run to Saddle Peak.
Related post: Elegant Clarkia