Craig had never done any rock climbing, but was doing a great job of scrambling up the steep gullies, and climbing the short sections of knobby, low angle volcanic rock. We were climbing up through a maze of brush and rock formations on the steep ridge that follows Boney Mountain's western escarpment. The scramble up the western ridge would be well worth the effort. The route is a shortcut to the Backbone Trail and some of the most spectacular running in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Our run had started at Wendy Drive & Potrero Road in Newbury Park. We were doing a 20 mile loop that was about as varied as a trail run can be. In addition to the 1.5 mile ascent of Boney Mountain, there would be about 13 miles of single track trail, 4.3 miles of dirt road, and even 1.7 miles of paved road.

After getting through the maze to the Backbone Trail we would do the classic run down the Chamberlain Trail to the Old Boney Trail. From the bottom of the Chamberlain Trail there are four major variations. Three of these lead to Big Sycamore Canyon and one loops directly back to the start of the climb up Boney Mountain:

- Turn left (west) on the Old Boney Trail and at the junction of the Serrano Valley & Old Boney trails follow the Serrano Valley Trail and then the Serrano Canyon Trail to Big Sycamore Canyon. This was the route we were doing today.

- Turn left (west) on the Old Boney Trail and follow it all the way to Big Sycamore Canyon.

- Turn right (east) on the Old Boney Trail and at the junction of the Blue Canyon & Old Boney trails, continue down the Blue Canyon Trail to the Danielson Multi-use area in Big Sycamore Canyon.

- Turn right (east) on the Old Boney Trail and at the junction of the Blue Canyon & Old Boney trails, turn up the Old Boney trail and  follow it  over the shoulder of Boney Mountain and back to the point where the ascent of Boney Mountain began.

In Big Sycamore Canyon there are many options. Today we would run up Sycamore Canyon Rd to Wood Canyon Rd and pick up the Two Foxes Trail. This trail continues up-canyon and eventually rejoins Sycamore Canyon Rd, which would take us to the Upper Sycamore Trail, and from there to Danielson Road and Satwiwa. Here's an interactive Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of our route. This PDF map from LAMountains.com shows many of the trails in the area.

Note: There is an easier alternative to the western ridge route on the north side of Boney Mountain. The route starts near the Danielson Memorial, and ascends a use trail up the eastern ridge on the north side of the mountain. In places the (unmaintained) trail is very steep, eroded, and rubbly but it is more straightforward and less technical than the western ridge.

Some related posts: What a Great Day for a Trail Run, Sandstone Peak from Wendy Drive, Boney Mountain Views

The viewpoint above is a few hundred yards up the Pacific Crest Trail from Angeles Crest Highway at Inspiration Point. Craig and I had paused near the start of our trail run from Inspiration Point to Islip Saddle to check out the view. 

The mountain across the way is Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399').  Three miles away as the bird flies, our earthbound route along Blue Ridge, down to Vincent Gap, and then up the forty-something switchbacks to the top of the peak would total around nine miles. From the top of the peak it would be about eight miles to Islip Saddle.

Zooming in on the peak, the white arrow marks the location of the Wally Waldron Lodgepole Pine. For more than a millennia this grand tree has stood high on this mountain, resisting the strongest of winds and the most perfect of storms. Not all are so durable. A lodgepole pine feet away from the Wally Waldron tree was toppled in a storm last Winter.

Given the short-sleeve weather, the most unexpected discovery on today's run was ice under the trees just up the ridge from the Wally Waldron tree. The ice had been deposited on the trees a few days before, when an unseasonably strong storm set a new rainfall record for the date in Los Angeles.

The running on the PCT between Mt. Baden-Powell and Islip Saddle was outstanding and the views superb. Along the way we did the short climb to the top of Throop Peak, checked out the Mt. Hawkins Lightning Tree, and enjoyed the cold spring water at Little Jimmy Spring.

Some related posts: Perils of Winter, Surprises of Summer; Wally Waldron Lodgepole Pine; PCT from Inspiration Point to Islip Saddle

The Cottonwood Pass - New Army Pass loop is a longtime favorite that I try to do at least once a year. There's nothing quite like running at 11,000' through a forest of gnarled foxtail pines -- some perhaps a thousand years old -- then working up a glacier sculpted basin to one of the higher passes on the Sierra crest.

The trail run is the closest high altitude loop to Los Angeles that is almost entirely over 10,000'. Although its 21 mile length and 3400 'elevation gain/loss appear relatively moderate from an ultrarunning perspective, keep in mind it is a high mountain run that reaches an elevation of 12,300', and includes 12 miles that are over 11,000'. Nearly three miles are above tree line. It's kind of like driving to the top of Mt. Baldy and then starting your run from there.

This year a record-setting snowpack pushed back the date the loop could be done (as a trail run) to late July. I'd hoped to do it two weeks before the Mt. Disappointment 50K, but thunderstorms and flash floods quashed that plan. The next opportunity to do the loop was on Saturday, but once again thunderstorms were in the forecast.

A look at the SWFRS Bald Mountain #5 web cam midday Saturday confirmed the sketchy weather. The camera showed developing clouds from Olancha Peak on the south to New Army Pass, Mt. Langley and Mt. Whitney on the north. We wanted to enjoy the run in short-sleeves and shorts, so postponed the run to today.

And today the weather was perfect! A plus was that Saturday's rain had dampened the sometimes sandy and dusty trails, improving their condition and refreshing the landscape.

One of the interesting aspects of the run was that patches of snow remained from last Winter's heavy snowpack. Not only were there patches of snow on New Army Pass, and elsewhere above 12,000', but there was snow in lower, more exposed locations such as on the southeast-facing slopes above Chicken Spring Lake. Much of this high altitude snow will carryover into this Winter.

Here's a Google Earth browser view and elevation profile of a GPS trace of the loop. The view can be zoomed, tilted, panned, etc. Additional info, a slide show, and more photos are available in previous posts about this loop.

Some related posts: Cottonwood - New Army Pass Trail Run, Cottonwood - New Army Pass Loop, Mt. Langley in a Day from L.A., Climate Change and the Southern Foxtail Pine

Andy Goldsworthy's Presidio forest sculpture Wood Line.

Running along Coyote Ridge in the Marin Headlands.

NPS maps of the Marin Headlands and the Presidio can be downloaded from the NPS Golden Gate National Recreation Area Maps page.

The plan earlier in the week had been to do a day trip to the Sierra Saturday or Sunday and run the Cottonwood - New Army Pass loop, but computer models had shown a monsoonal flow developing, and a look at a satellite image Friday afternoon confirmed the forecast. Friday evening Whitney Portal was hit by a flash flood with water and mud reported up to waist deep in the campground. Runoff from the t-storms was increased by rain melting higher elevation snow, and by the ground already being wet from the prolonged melt of this year's record-setting snowpack.

Computer forecasts indicated thunderstorms would likely continue in the mountains and deserts of Southern California through the weekend. Saturday I ran a few miles in the morning and then around lunchtime checked the weather in the Sierra. Strong thunderstorms had developed in the Southern Sierra, and a flash flood warning had been issued for the eastern slopes of the Sierra in the vicinity of Cottonwood Lakes Basin. Time to switch to plan B.

Plan B was to do a training run on the Mt. Disappointment 50K course. Mt. D is a figure-8 course, where each loop of the eight contributes about 16 miles and 3000' or so of elevation gain/loss. Earlier this July there was a training run from Mt. Wilson on the Valley Forge - West Fork - Kenyon Devore part of the eight. Today we did another part of the figure-8 starting at Shortcut Saddle, running down the Silver Moccasin Trail to West Fork, then up to Newcomb Saddle, and then completed the loop to Shortcut on Edison Road. In the 50K, this loop would start at West Fork, but the sequence of trails would be the same.

Along with the race-ending climb up Kenyon Devore to Mt. Wilson, the climb out from the West Fork San Gabriel River to Shortcut Saddle on Edison Road is one of the more "memorable" sections of the Mt. Disappointment course. At least Kenyon Devore has some shade. Even on a blustery Spring day the 5.5 mile climb up Edison Road (2N23) can be a warm one, and in direct sun in the heat of Summer it can be downright scorching. Not so today -- a layer of monsoon clouds, a fresh breeze, and an occasional drop or two of rain kept the temperature on the ascent disturbingly reasonable.

The run worked out great, but may have been a bit misleading in terms of preparing for Mt. D. It's unlikely we'll have a giant sun shade for the race like we did today!

Note: Weather stations on Mt. Wilson and at Clear Creek can be used to get an idea of what temperatures are running in the vicinity of the race course. Note that the temeprature specified is measured in the shade. In my experience the "fuel temperature" is a better indicator of the temperature in the sun. The fuel temperature is included in the Clear Creek listing.

Some related posts: Mt. Disappointment 50K 2011 Training Run, Mt. Disappointment 50K 2010 Notes

In a real-world test of Turricula (Poodle-dog bush) exposure, during a recent training run at Mt. Wilson approximately 30 runners ran a mile-plus section of trail overgrown with Turricula. Reactions varied from none at all, to at least one runner who had a strong reaction similar to my first bout with Turricula several weeks ago.

Here are some runner comments:

"I can't believe it, but I had very little reaction. Just a few little bumps. You saw how careful I was trying to be. Maybe not man-handling it helps."

"Not much sleep for the last two days...arms, legs, and abdomen burn way worse than Poison Oak. By nightfall the blisters break and ooze."

"I finally had a mild reaction today, red rashes that turned into very small blisters..."

"Absolutely nothing happened, I'm either not allergic to it, or the soap & brush took the top layers of skin off and the poison with it."

"I've got the stuff in my left eyelid (I must have rubbed my eye after hand contact with T. while carefully trying to part it as I inched my way down VF); I've got it on my stomach at waist band and lower, and I'm waiting for my legs, although I may get lucky there."

Since I'd had a strong reaction before, I expected the worst. Fortunately my reaction was relatively minor. Like several other runners, I had a same-day irritation/inflammation along the waistband of my running shorts. In addition the top of one ankle and a small area on the inside of one arm developed a very mild rash. It was barely noticeable, and cleared up completely in about five days.

There are several possible reasons I didn't have a strong reaction this time. Even though contact was unavoidable, I did not run in areas where the Turricula was the most dense, and I attempted to avoid the plant as much as possible. This time around my legs and arms were not covered with the sticky goo from the plant. Even so, as soon as I was out of the area with Turricula I stopped at a creek and washed off my legs and arms. I also washed again at the end of the run.

Another reason I might have reacted differently is the age of the plants. As Turricula matures, the lower leaves wither and fall. (This gives the plant the appearance of the groomed tail of a poodle.) There's anecdotal evidence that as the plant dries out the almost microscopic hairs that cover the leaves, stems and flowers are easily broken and shed, and can contribute to the irritation/inflammation the plant causes. It seems plausible that these hairs could be an irritant, or might even act like a minuscule time-release capsule of the plant's active compounds.

Note: The trail was the Valley Forge Trail. Trail work is scheduled on this trail the next two weekends.

Some related posts: Contact Dermatitis from Turricula parryi (Poodle-dog Bush), Turricula Along Angeles Crest Highway

It had been about four months since I'd been to the summit of Mt. San Jacinto. Last time there had been several feet of snow, and the summit had been an inhospitable place with frigid temperatures and buffeting winds. Not so today. Short sleeves and running shorts were the attire of the day, and the weather was more like Malibu Beach than the summit of a 10,000 foot peak.

I was running with Craig Kinard, a long-time backpacker, but relatively new convert to trail running. With the help of Team CrossFit Academy, Craig discovered he likes to run up mountains, and has done well in both the Baldy Run to the Top and Mt. Wilson trail races. Next month he's planning to run his first ultra -- the Mt. Disappointment 50K.

Today we were doing an approximately 20 mile course from Long Valley (8400'), near the top of the Palm Springs Tram, up to San Jacinto Peak (10,834'), then down to the historic Tahquitz Peak Fire Lookout (8,828'). From the Lookout we would return to the Tram by way of Hidden Lake Divide. Totaling about 4000', the ups and downs would be good training for the 6200' of elevation gain in this year's Mt. Disappointment race.

Winter snow translates to Summer water, and its beneficial effects could be seen in everything from the new growth on the chinquapin to the healthy green of the pines. Wellman Cienega was a green wonderland of ferns and corn lily, and near Skunk Cabbage Meadow bright yellow lemon lilies were sprinkled among the bracken and old growth Jeffrey pines. In places western azalea bloomed in profusion, its sweet fragrance mixing with the smells of damp earth and sun-warmed pine needles.

Smoke from the Eagle Fire remained trapped below a strong inversion most of the morning, and for a while views of Tahquitz Peak were crisp and clear. As temps warmed the inversion weakened and there was a flare-up on the Eagle Fire. By the time we reached Tahquitz Peak Lookout, a smoky haze had moved into the area.

At the fire lookout volunteer host Joe Mendoza described the history of the tower and demonstrated the use of the Osborne Fire Finder. Using an earlier sighting he plotted the location of the fire and showed us it was in the vicinity of Warner Hot Springs. He also showed us the "hot seat" used in lightning storms. Thanks Joe!

It was an outstanding run! Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the route, and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks.

Here are a few additional photographs:

Toro & Tahquitz Peaks Near Miller Peak Wellman Cienega

Corn Lily Tahquitz Peak & Rock Near Tahquitz Peak

Some related posts: Room with a View, Autumn Trail Running on Mt. San Jacinto, Mountain Weather

Rock Formations Along Calabasas Peak Fire Road

There are several good trail runs that start at the trailhead for the Secret Trail on Mulholland Highway in Calabasas. All are a mix of single track trail and dirt road. The longer options listed incorporate segments of the Backbone Trail. Mileages and elevation gain/loss are approximate.

• Out & Back to Calabasas Peak: 4.25 miles 870' gain/loss
• Out & Back to Stunt Road: 7.5 miles 1500' gain/loss
• Out & Back to Saddle Peak: 15.5 miles 3300' gain/loss
• Secret Trail to Malibu Canyon via Saddle Peak: 14.3 miles 2600 gain' 3600' loss

Following yesterday's Mt. Disappointment training run, I was looking to do something without a huge elevation gain (Kenyon Devore was plenty) and not too long. The out and back to Stunt Road was the perfect run for the day.

Some related posts: Secret Trail to Calabasas Peak, A Long Run Kind of Day, Tapia Bound

Some runs in the San Gabriels are more adventurous than others, and I'd mentioned to Devy that on this run we would likely have to deal with rock slides, washed out sections of trail, an annoying amount of bugs, and warm -- if not hot -- temperatures. We might even run into a bear. Devy is the owner of Andes Adventures, and having cut his trail running teeth exploring Peru's Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash, his response was "sounds like fun, let's go!"

The loop is a favorite, combining sections of the High Desert National Recreation Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. The route starts at Islip Saddle (6593'), descends to South Fork Campground (4560'), then climbs all the way back up the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399'). From Baden-Powell it returns to Islip Saddle on the PCT. It's 23.5 miles of scenic single track trail with a cumulative elevation gain/loss of around 5700'. Done as part of a normal week of running, and with stops along the way, it usually takes about the same time to do this course as a hilly 50K race.

The South Fork and Manzanita trails are part of the High Desert National Recreation Trail. The 5.25 mile long South Fork Trail descends the rugged canyon of the South Fork of Big Pine Creek. Due to the tortured geology of the area -- the San Andreas fault zone is nearby -- the trail is in a constant state of change. Each time I've run it, its condition has been a bit different. It has many rocky sections, and at various points along the trail it is necessary to cross the debris from small rock slides.

According to the nearby Valyermo RAWS the temperature was around 80 degrees when we rolled into South Fork Campground. Not too bad. It would be near 100 later in the day, and it's not uncommon for temps to hit the 90's here by 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning. The (unmarked) Manzanita segment of the High Desert National Recreation Trail starts on the east side of the campground and in about 5.6 miles leads to Vincent Gap (6565').

The news of the day was the condition of the Manzanita Trail. Sections of this trail have been washed out for several years, and after December's record-setting rainfall it seemed the trail could only be worse. Surprise, surprise, the trail was mostly repaired! We didn't even have to use tree roots for handholds!

Vincent Gap is at about mile 11 on the route, and about 2200' into the 5000' climb up Baden-Powell from the desert. As you might expect on a nice Summer weekend the PCT up Baden-Powell was very busy. In part because we wanted to save some for the outstanding running between Baden-Powell and Islip, and in part because we couldn't go any faster, the pace was pretty leisurely going up the peak.

Ah... the water at Little Jimmy Spring... Like last week, still so cold I thought it was going to give me an ice cream headache.

Related post: Islip Saddle - Mt. Baden-Powell South Fork Loop

Enjoyed a combination Father's Day & July 4th visit from Brett over the weekend. Friday we did a fun run at Malibu Creek State Park and today we headed up to Mt. Pinos to get in a cooler, higher altitude run.

In addition to Mt. Pinos (8831'), there are three other peaks along the broad ridge traversed by the Vincent Tumamait Trail -- Sawmill Mountain (8818'), Grouse Mountain (8582'), and Mt. Abel/Cerro Noroeste (8280+'). I've run past the indistinct path to Grouse Mountain numerous times on the way to Mt. Abel, always commenting "someday I have to check that out." Finally, today we did.

On the way to Grouse we did the short detour to the top of Sawmill. Since my last visit the Chumash spirit tower on the peak had grown, no doubt from the many fine days and views enjoyed here. This morning the snow-covered mountains of the Southern Sierra could be seen above the haze of the San Joaquin Valley.

The ascent of Grouse was straightforward. Like Sawmill Mountain, it has two nearly equal height summits. We found a small granite crag northeast of the summit and climbed a short steep route on its west face. It had fun technical moves on mostly good holds, but in running shoes you had to pay attention -- especially on the downclimb!

On the way back to Mt. Pinos we stopped by Sheep Camp. The short side trip to this idyllic spot is essentially compulsory. It would be easy to spend the afternoon here, listening to the wind in the pines and the gurgling of the spring; smelling the sun-warmed pine needles; and enjoying the greens, yellows, reds and blues of Summer.

I always feel a little twinge of regret when leaving Sheep Camp, but it was a great day to be on the move, and soon we were back on the trail and enjoying that as well.
 
Some related posts: Vincent Tumamait Trail, Atmospheric Dynamics

50K Runners Returning from the Rocky Peak Trailhead

Cool temps, clearing skies, and snowy vistas greeted runners doing the 2011 edition of the Bandit trail races at Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, California.

If you're going to have a trail race after a rainstorm, Rocky Peak is the place to do it. Rain gauges in the area recorded as much as two inches of rain in the 48 hours leading up to the race, and for a while it looked like there might be a dusting of snow on the highest points of the course. Except for a couple of short muddy sections, and having to dodge a few mud puddles, the dirt roads and trails were in good shape.

This year the race was expanded to include a 50K. This new option doubled the fun on the Chumash-Las Llajas loop of the 30K course, running the loop twice, and also took a short sightseeing trip down to the Rocky Peak trailhead at Santa Susana Pass. The 30K course was the same as last year, but the 15K course was shortened from last year's 16K or so to 15K.

The 50K course is a tough one, including about 7 miles of technical single track trail, 22 miles of fire road, and a mile of paved road. The elevation gain/loss is about 5400', which is a little more than the Bulldog 50K course, and a little less than the original Mt. Disappointment 50K course. Here's an elevation profile of the Bandit 50K course.

There are several difficult stretches on the 50K course. Just a mile into the race runners have to deal with a very steep climb -- an 800 foot ascent in just one mile. In my mind it's the most important mile on the course, and how hard you push here can have a big effect on how you feel over the next 28 miles! There are a couple of other long climbs. The 2.3 mile climb from the Rocky Peak trailhead to the top of the Rocky Peak grade gains over 1000', and the gain over the 1.75 miles from the Las Llajas split to the highpoint at Shells/Fossil Point is 800'. Runners doing the 50K get to do the Las Llajas to Shells climb twice.

One of the toughest sections for me was the run up Las Llajas Canyon on the second Chumash-Las Llajas loop. This section starts at about mile 19 and ends at the Las Llajas split, where the road forks right and up through the oil fields. For the most part the grade is not steep, but the miles are deceptively long and grueling. Also tough on tired legs is the very technical plunge back down to Corriganville at the end of the race.

Congrats to 50K winners Chris Price and Nancy Ishizawa. Clearly enjoying the day, Chris flew through course in a remarkable time of 4:12:51, averaging 8:28 minute miles. In the 30K Marcelo Mejia set a new course record with a blazing time of 2:52:31. On a slightly shorter course than last year, Fernando Ramirez and Jen Todd put down fast 15K times. For all the results and race photos, see the Bandit web site.

All in all it was fantastic day for a run! Many thanks to the race organizers -- Randy & Sarita Shoemaker, Larry Lee, and Todd Baker -- and all the volunteers and sponsors for an outstanding event!

Here are a few additional photos. Click for a larger image and description:

Start of 800' Corriganville Climb	Running Up from Rocky Peak Trailhead	Snow on Ventura Mountains
15K Runner Headed Back	Descending Chumash	Casey's Water Cache