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

This year the Mt. Disappointment 50K course will be the most difficult to date -- 33.1 miles with an elevation gain/loss of 6195' according to course info. And that isn't a fanciful elevation gain, exaggerated to hype the race. Ask any Mt. Dis runner, it's  real number that has left both the experienced and uninitiated crawling up the Kenyon Devore Trail at the end of the race.

To introduce us to the changes in the 2011 course, Gary & Pam Hilliard and Fausto & Cindy Rowlan arranged today's training run -- complete with course markings and an aid station. Pam and Cindy took care of the aid station at West Fork, and Fausto marked the course. (Thank you!!)

The 50K course is similar to last year's, but instead of running all the way down to Red Box on the Mt. Wilson Road, at about mile 2.5 it turns right onto the Valley Forge Trail and descends 2.7 miles to the Gabrieleno Trail. The course then turns UP canyon and follows the Gabrieleno Trail 1.6 miles to Red Box Road. From this point the 50K course is the same as 2010. The combination of bonus elevation gain, bonus distance, and additional technical trail could increase times in the middle of the pack by 30-40 minutes or more.

On today's training run we did the first 11 miles of the 50K course down to West Fork, then followed the last 5 miles of the course up the Gabrieleno and Kenyon Devore trails to the top of Mt. Wilson. The training run was a little less than half the length, and a little more than half the elevation gain of the 50K course. Working up Kenyon Devore, even having done it numerous times, I was shaking my head and asking myself, "and how is this going to feel after 29 miles?"

About 30 runners participated, many of them sandwiching the training run between races and other difficult runs. Conversations ranged from whether you need to do long training runs to do ultras, to favorite gels and drinks. But one runner's story surpassed all others. He was in a wheelchair from age 6 to age 19, had corrective surgery, and since then has run nearly 200 marathons or ultras -- including a 50K the weekend before the training run!

Note: The title photo is of the Valley Forge Trail. Trail work is currently scheduled on this trail July 30th and August 6th.

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

Storm-damaged Lodgepole Pine and Mt. Baldy

I was at the turnaround point of an out and back run from Islip Saddle (6593') to Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399'), and had descended a short distance down the south ridge of Baden-Powell to enjoy the ridge top view. It had been a good run so far. It was windier and cooler than expected, but that was a good thing. Temps in the valleys were forecast to top 100 degrees today.

I'd been surprised to find no snow on Baden-Powell. In good snow years, remnants of snow will typically last until at least the 4th of July. There was a patch here and there last year, and sizeable drifts in 2005. This year a little remained on the north face of Mt. Baldy, but that was it.

Even if no snow remained, there was evidence it had been a tough winter. It looked like an unusually severe ice storm had struck the area. Normally resistant to such damage, a stout lodgepole pine had had two of its limbs ripped from its trunk, peeling away a thick layer of bark and cambium. On the other side of the peak, near the Wally Waldron tree, an apparently healthy lodgepole pine had collapsed.

If I had been surprised to find no snow on Baden-Powell, I was even more surprised to find no one on the summit. That wouldn't last. A number of hikers were working their way toward the peak from Islip Saddle and Dawson Saddle, and I was sure others were on the way up from Vincent Gap.

After visiting the Wally Waldron tree, and chatting briefly with a hiker, I turned eastward on the PCT -- next stop Throop Peak!

Some related posts: Islip Saddle - Mt. Baden-Powell Out & Back, Running Hot & Cold

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

I was deep in thought, but have no idea what those thoughts might have been. It was at that point in a run when miles, and thoughts, flow freely. The afternoon was warm and calm and the settling sun cast a golden hue on the blond, oak-studded hills. My footfalls ticked out a steady rhythm on the dirt road, and my mind was at ease.

My reverie was suddenly broken by the realization that a coyote was running with me. Not running yards in the distance, or in the brush off to the side, but five or six feet in front of me, as if restrained by an invisible lead!

It must have come from the tall grass along the margin of the road, but from my daydream-warped perspective had just suddenly appeared. I'm surprised I didn't stumble or start. But there was no hint of aggression or malice -- just a mischievous glance backward to see how I was going to react.

I didn't. I've had numerous encounters with coyotes, but this went so far beyond my other experiences, I didn't know how to react.

For more than 50 yards the coyote ran with me, keeping pace in lead along the deserted dirt road.

At some point I started to try and retrieve my camera from the small pack on my waist. The out of synch movement disturbed the delicate balance of this improbable scene, and I could see the change in the animal's demeanor.

Before disappearing into the cover, the coyote looked back a final time, and in so many words seemed to be saying "gotcha, you're it!"

(From a run Tuesday at Ahmanson Ranch, now Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve.)

Related post: Trickster

These unusual clouds are a complex of lenticular clouds to the north-northeast of Mt. Pinos, photographed this morning from near Mt. Abel. They were produced by strong south-southwesterly winds blowing across the east-west oriented Emigdio and Tehachapi mountain ranges, north of Los Angeles. Here's another view of these clouds from near the summit of Mt. Pinos.

The winds were associated with the circulation of an unseasonably strong low pressure system off the California coast. The storm system has resulted in measurable rain as far south as Santa Barbara County, and new rainfall records for the date were set in San Francisco, Paso Robles and Santa Maria.

The photographs were taken during a blustery out and back trail run from Mt. Pinos to Mt. Abel on the Vincent Tumamait Trail in the Chumash Wilderness. At the start of the run, the temperature at the Chula Vista trailhead (8400') on Mt. Pinos was a chilly 39°F. In exposed areas the wind speed was 20-25 mph with gusts to around 50 mph.

Other than the potential for deadfall, the wind wasn't too bad in the trees. The Vincent Tumamait Trail was in the best condition I've seen in years.

Update June 6, 2011. The low that was off the Central California coast Saturday and most of Sunday and an associated cold front set a new rainfall record for June 5 at Santa Barbara Airport, and produced a few sprinkles and showers in the Los Angeles area.

Some related posts: Mountain Weather, Lenticular Wave Clouds, Mt. Pinos - Mt. Abel Out & Back

Scorched Jeffrey Pines on the South Side of Waterman Mountain

It was very odd to run up the Mt. Waterman Trail on the Sunday of a 3-day Memorial Day weekend, and see no one. And hear nothing, except the wind in the trees, the distant call of a jay, and the periodic drone of a contractor's truck working on the highway. That's because -- surprise, surprise -- Angeles Crest Highway was closed a little east of Three Points and on to Islip Saddle. CalTrans Road Conditions had only listed the Winter closure from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap. Based on the number of cars parked at the closure, not many people knew about it.

I hadn't known about it until I saw the Ranger's truck and closed gate from the Pacific Crest Trail. I was doing a loop from Three Points up the PCT to the Burkhart Trail, then up to Buckhorn, over Mt. Waterman, and back down to Three Points. Part of this loop -- from Mt. Waterman to Three Points on Trail 10W04 -- had just reopened, and like last weekend I wanted to see how recovery from the 2009 Station Fire was progressing.

The conditions were much better on this loop, than last week's. Although within the initial Station Fire Closure area, and closed for eight months, 11 of the first 13.5 miles of the loop were not burned in the Station Fire. This mostly unburned stretch opened in late May 2010 and is described in the post Three Points to Waterman Mountain, the Long Way.

The remaining six miles of the loop, which winds in and out of the shallow canyons on the south side of Mt. Waterman, was in the burn area. Conditions along the trail appeared to generally correspond to BAER burn severity maps and images. At the higher elevations, fingers of the fire had run up the steep slopes, burning understory and scattered Jeffrey pines and incense cedars, while leaving other areas untouched.

At lower elevation, particularly in the chaparral and pine at the head of the north branch of Devils Canyon, the fire effects were more severe. The chaparral is recovering, but numerous Coulter and Jeffrey pines appeared to have been killed, and their replacement will be a slower process. This area is traversed by the last two miles of Trail 10W04, leading to Three Points.

There was very little, if any, damage from runoff and the trail was generally in good shape. The trail was slightly overgrown in spots, particularly at lower elevation, but was nothing like the Gabrieleno Trail between Switzer and Red Box. There was some Turricula at lower elevation, but for the most part it was fairly easy to avoid. Some pine needle covered sections of trail were indistinct, but it was like that before the fire.

From a trail running perspective, it is still a very "runnable" course with varied terrain and much to see and enjoy. Cooper Canyon Falls is very short side trip from the PCT's junction with the Burkhart Trail. The side trip to the summit of Mt. Waterman (8038') adds about two miles to the loop.

Some related posts: Three Points - Mt. Waterman Loop, Three Points Loop Plus Mt. Waterman

Recovering Chaparral and Bigcone Douglas-fir in Bear Canyon

Most Southern Californians have direct experience with wildfire and its effects. Wildfires are often described as being a "natural part of the ecosystem," but in Southern California wildfire is anything but natural. Urbanization, land management policies and firefighting practices shape fire frequency, behavior, intensity and effects -- often with unexpected and tragic consequences.

According to InciWeb, the Station Fire started on Wednesday August 26th, 2009 at approximately 03:30 p.m. and was fully contained at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 16, 2009. Two firefighters were killed in the arson caused blaze, numerous homes and structures were lost, and 160,577 acres burned. The fire was the largest recorded in Angeles National Forest since it was established in 1892 and the 10th largest fire in California since 1933.

In January 2011 the Station Fire Closure was updated and extended to January 2012. At that point, it looked like it might be a long time before any substantial part of the closure area would be opened to the public. But with increasing public pressure to open more of the Forest, Angeles National Forest reopened about half of the Station Fire Closure area earlier this week. Today I did a run/hike in the newly opened area to see first-hand how recovery from the fire, and subsequent debris flows and flash floods, is progressing 19 months after the fire was contained.