Last year on this date, Southern California was in the middle of a heatwave. On June 20, 2008, Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills reached a record-setting high of 111°F, and on June 21 the temp reached 108°F!

Not so this June! So far this month, Downtown Los Angeles has not had a day when the average temperature was above normal. And it's not only the low elevation stations that have been cool. Several times this month the overnight low at the Big Pines RAWS, near Wrightwood in the San Gabriel Mountains, has dropped into the thirties, and daytime temps have averaged more than 10 degrees below normal.

This translates to great running weather in Southern California, and near perfect weather for trail running in the San Gabriel Mountains. Today, did the Three Points - Buckhorn loop, along with a short detour up to the summit of Waterman Mountain. The route worked out to about 23 miles with a reality-checked elevation gain/loss of about 3800'. Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the run.

The title photo is of Dave Burke, cruising down a nice section of the PCT between Cloudburst Summit and Cooper Canyon.

Related post: Three Points Loop Plus Mt. Waterman

There is nothing quite so compelling as an unanswered question.

Several years ago, in the middle of a trail run, an unusually shaped rock formation caught my eye. After a little bushwhacking and exploration, I found a way to climb the formation, and on its summit found a small pictograph. I wondered if there might be other pictographs in the area, and on the way back to the trail found the inscription pictured above.

Snowbush on the Pacific Crest Trail near Islip Saddle

Below, the throaty rumble of an almost continuous stream of motorcycles echoes through the canyons. Closed by storm damage since the Winter of 2005, Highway 2 from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap is open again.

It is also busy on the Pacific Crest Trail. I'm southbound on the PCT, and some of the hikers I've talked to are doing the route I'm doing -- an out and back from Islip Saddle (6593') to Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399'). At least one group has set up a car shuttle, and will descend to Vincent Gap after climbing Baden-Powell.

Northbound on the PCT, there has been a mix of youth groups returning to Islip Saddle after a night under the stars, and PCTers on their way to Canada. Nearly 400 miles into their 2650 mile trek, the PCTers look great, and if their broad smiles are any indication, they are enjoying life on the trail.

Whether hiking a couple of miles, or a couple thousand miles, it is great day to be outdoors. The weather is cool, and there is not a cloud in the sky. There are patches of snow here and there, and even some snow on the trail. My legs feel good, and I feel good.

Today I decided to keep things simple. Rather than climb Mt. Islip and other peaks along the way, I'm doing a basic out and back route to Baden-Powell. Even so, it's no cakewalk. A quick calculation using the topo map gives an honest elevation gain/loss of at least 3100 ft.

Earlier, as I worked my way above Windy Gap, I was surprised to feel and then hear a distant, powerful, rumbling ka-boom! It wasn't a motorcycle, or thunder -- it was Space Shuttle Atlantis landing at Edwards!

With a few stops, and a mix of hiking and running, it takes me about 2.5 hours to get to Baden-Powell. No one is on the summit. Across Vincent Gulch, Mt. Baldy (10,064') looms in the haze. A few ribbons of snow embellish its north face.

I grab a Clif Bar from my pack, and walk along the ridge, looking at the weather worn trees. After a few minutes, I return to the summit and then descend to the Wally Waldron Tree. For an impulsive moment I briefly debate continuing down to Vincent Gap and doing the South Fork loop. It would "only" be about 7 miles longer, and I'd never done the loop counterclockwise... but instead I hang a left onto the PCT and take the first strides toward Islip Saddle. Maybe next time.

Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the approximately 16.5 mile route.

Some related posts: San Gabriels High Five, Snowless San Gabriels

So far, Brett's intro to Bay Area trail running had taken me to the Marin Headlands and Pt. Reyes National Seashore -- outstanding areas in which to run and hike, with great scenery, terrain and courses. An area that might be overlooked by a visiting trail runner is the Presidio. That's where we were running this morning.

Warm weather had chased the fog away. Saturday, the high temp at SFO was 89 degrees, and today the high was forecast to be in the 90s. So it wasn't a big surprise that at 7:30, the temp was already near 70 when we descended the stairs at Inspiration Point. (SFO would set a record high of 93 later in the day.)

Our loop started on the Ecology Trail and then worked down through the Main Post, under the 101, across Crissy Marsh, and onto the Golden Gate Promenade (Bay Trail). From the Promenade there were iconic views of San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz, Marin, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Just past the Warming Hut we turned up the East Battery Trail stairs, and then continued west, under the southern abutments of the bridge.

Here we followed the Coastal Trail past several 100+ year old defense batteries, to another nice overlook of the Golden Gate. After clambering up on one of the battlements, we headed east to Fort Scott and picked up the Bay Area Ridge Trail. This segment took us through the Presidio's trademark pine, cypress and eucalyptus forest to the high point of the course near Rob Hill Campground, then along the Presidio Golf Course, and finally down past Andy Goldsworthy’s cypress spire to the car. From the point of view of this out-of-towner, the course was spectacular, and it's hard to imagine an urban run with more variety!

Our particular loop worked out to about 5.5 miles, with an elevation gain/loss of about 450 ft. Here's a Presidio Trust map of Presidio Trails and Overlooks (PDF), a NPS Presidio Map, and a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of our loop.

I had a great time in San Francisco, and can't wait to get back and see more... Thanks Brett & Amanda!

Like an Ent, of Tolkien's Middle Earth, the huge tree hummed softly. We were on the Coast Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore, near Kelham Beach, about halfway into a 14.5 mile hike/run. We'd paused under the sprawling limbs of the Tasmanian blue gum to enjoy its shade and eat a quick snack.

Rather than the singing of an Ent,  the resonating buzz was from the wing-beats of many thousands of bees, foraging in the tree. But, it was certainly the kind of day an Ent would relish. Instead of fog and chill gales, the day was warm, with just enough of a breeze to tickle a leaf. Below the bluff, a lazy ocean lapped at the shore, barely mustering enough strength to generate an occasional wave.

Awed by the size of the tree, Brett, Amanda and I joined hands to create a crude measuring tape, but our combined reach only encircled about half of the trunk. We estimated its girth at chest height to be about 30 ft! An oak tree this size would be ancient -- perhaps several hundred to a 1000 years old. But, eucalyptus followed the Gold Rush into California, and the tree could be no older than about 150 years!

It was comfortable in the shade of the tree, and we were not in a rush to get back on the trail. Near record high temperatures had been forecast, and the expected 70-80 degree temps along the coast and 90-100 degree temps inland seemed about right.

We'd started at the Sky trailhead on Limantour Road, and followed the Sky Trail up through lush Douglas fir forest, past Sky Camp, to the Woodward Valley Trail. Here, at an impossibly green meadow, we had turned off the Sky Trail, and followed the Woodward Valley Trail down the shoulder of the ridge to its junction with the Coast Trail.

Now we had to get that elevation back. Nearby a hummingbird dashed and darted among the peach colored monnkeyflowers, and lodged a territorial complaint as we returned to his trail. In a couple of minutes we turned sharply left onto the Sky Trail and began the steep climb back up the hill.

Here's a NPS map of Pt. Reyes (PDF) and Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of our route.

Tomorrow, a loop through the Presidio and under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Drove up to San Francisco to visit Brett & Amanda and sample a few of the Bay Area's excellent trails.

Within an hour of arriving in the city we were across the Golden Gate, and running up the Bobcat Trail in the Marin Headlands. The Bobcat - Miwok loop was the first of three courses we were planning to do over the weekend.

This course was an approximately six mile "after work" loop around the Gerbode Valley, with an elevation gain/loss of a little over 1000 ft. My legs were still a little tired from recent runs and I was happy to be doing the loop in the easier counterclockwise direction -- up Bobcat and down Miwok. Except for a short segment of single track around the east side of an FAA beacon, the course is entirely on dirt roads. Bobcat sightings are relatively common on this circuit, and we hoped we might spot one.

In the city it was windy and cool, and I had grabbed a long-sleeve shirt for the run. But short sleeves would have been the better call. Here there was almost no wind, and the south facing valley was surprisingly warm -- a hint of the record-breaking weather to come. Skies were mostly clear, and views extended south to the city, east across the Bay to Mt. Diablo, and north to Mt. Tamalpais.

Here's a NPS Marin Headlands Trail Map (PDF) and a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of our route.

Looking to do a longer run? Numerous variations and trail link-ups are possible. The course of the Miwok 100K winds through here and continues north past Mt. Tam to Bolinas Ridge, descending to a turnaround point at Hwy 1 about 5 miles south of Olema. Cross the Shoreline Highway, and you're in Pt. Reyes National Seashore. (Bolinas Ridge fire road continues north to Sir Francis Drake Blvd. about a mile east of Olema.)

Tomorrow the Sky Trail at Pt. Reyes... but we are going to drive there.

I glanced at my watch -- 5.25 miles. Clouds and fog had kept temps on the cool side for more than three-quarters of the Bulldog climb, but the sun was finally breaking through. Even though temps were down a few degrees, the long climb had still been grueling. The runner next to me was breathing heavily, and I mentally repeated my Bulldog mantra -- don't redline, don't redline.

For many of us, that's the problem with Bulldog -- some of it is runnable and some of it isn't. For the moment I was running, but I knew the grade well, and just ahead the fire road switchbacked right, and steepened.

I've been over the "I can run this hill no matter what" thing for a long time. For me, and the majority of trail runners, walking the steeps is a good thing. The little bit of time lost by walking is generally made up -- and more -- on other sections of the course.

Rounding a corner, the grade did steepen, and I slowed and started to walk. Taking advantage of the slow pace, I ate a Gu, took a Salt Stick cap, and gulped down some Gatorade. Another runner and I had been swapping leads up the hill, and he passed me -- again. As he increased his lead, I wondered if I should be pushing a little harder.

A left turn never felt so good! A few minutes before I had reached the top of Bulldog grade, and the highest point on the course. Now gravity was on my side, and I was enjoying the downhill. There were more challenges ahead, but for now I was lost in the moment -- savoring the wind in my face, the far reaching views along the rocky crest, and that wonderful feeling of being a runner.

Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the 22K course with my half-mile splits. (Generated in SportTracks.) See the XTERRA Malibu Creek Challenge web site for race results and additional info.

Some related posts: Malibu Creek State Park Shadow & Sun, Fog Along Malibu Creek, Bulldog Loop and the Corral Fire, Rock Formations Along the Backbone Trail

Tom Sloan Trail in Bear Canyon

Update August 9, 2009. A section of trail necessary to complete this loop has been closed by the Forest Service, and there is no workaround. According to the Angeles National Forest web site "The Mount Lowe Truck Trail (Forest Trail No. 2N50) has been closed from its intersection with Eaton Saddle, west ½ mile to its intersection with Markham Saddle." See Forest Order #01-09-02 (PDF).

The creek burbled a gentle song of Spring, and downstream a Canyon Wren replied. Standing near the bottom of the narrow gorge, my eyes followed the soaring trunks of a grove of alders to their canopy of new leaves -- backlit and bright green in the sun.

Bright green in the sun... In my run-altered state it was one of those aha! moments. The alders are just tall enough to reach from the shadows of the canyon into the sun - and - without the water in the stream that cut the canyon, the alders could not grow to the necessary height. The pieces fit -- or was it the endorphins talking?

A view of the Conejo Valley from the crags west of the Danielson cabin site. The grassland area in the valley is Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa in Newbury Park, California.

From Sunday's adventure hike and run to Sandstone Peak in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Related post: Satwiwa Loop Trail

Big Dome and Sandstone Peak from Tri-Peaks

Whatever route you use to get there, Sandstone Peak (3111 ft.) is a rewarding summit with sweeping views that range from the Channel Islands to Mt. Baldy and beyond. It is the highest peak in the Santa Monica Mountains, and a popular destination.

The peak is usually done as a steep 3 mile hike (round trip) from the Sandstone Peak Trailhead, or as part of a scenic 6 mile loop from the Mishe Mokwa trailhead. This National Park Service PDF provides additional information and a map of these trails.

A third option is to skip the drive to Yerba Buena Rd., and do the peak as an adventure hike/run from Wendy Drive trailhead in the Conejo Valley. This can be done by ascending one of the routes on the north side of Boney Mountain, then continuing up and over Tri-Peaks to the Mishe Mokwa/Backbone trail junction. From here the Backbone Trail leads to a spur trail that climbs the peak.

We took this last option and climbed Boney Mountain's more technical western ridge. Done this way, it was about 6.5 miles to Sandstone Peak's summit, with an elevation gain of about 2400 ft. Here's a view west from Sandstone Peak of the Boney Mountain summit area. Tri-Peaks is the rocky peak on the skyline, right of center, and Big Dome is to the right of Tri-Peaks. The route up the western ridge tops out on the crest between these two peaks.

The basic choices for getting back to the Wendy Drive trailhead are to go back down one of the trails on Boney Mountain's north side; descend the Chamberlain Trail to the Old Boney Trail, and then loop back over the shoulder of Boney; or descend to Big Sycamore Canyon and then return from there.

Miklos and Krisztina had not run down Boney's eastern ridge, so they backtracked over Tri-Peaks, and descended the use trail to the Danielson cabin site. I was looking to do some additional mileage, so ran down the Chamberlain, Old Boney and Blue Canyon trails to the Danielson multi-use area in Big Sycamore Canyon, and then up Sycamore Canyon to the Upper Sycamore Trail, and back to Satwiwa.

Here's a Google Earth image, Google Earth KMZ file, and Google Earth Browser View (Chrome, IE7, IE6, Firefox) of a GPS trace of my route. The eastern ridge route is also shown.

Related posts: Balance Rock, Boney Mountain Western Ridge & Loop

My trail running shoes had not been wet or muddy since sometime in December. During the entire month of January, Downtown Los Angeles (USC) recorded about one-third of an inch of rain. Not only had it been dry, it had been warm. On a dozen of those January days, the high temperature topped eighty degrees, setting a new record!

But Winter had returned. The past three days, Los Angeles had received about 1.5 inches of rain, valley and foothill locations 2-4 inches, and some mountain stations as much as 5-7 inches. And more Winter weather was on the way. Excited about the change in the weather, today's run was one with good muck and mire potential -- the Bulldog Loop in Malibu Creek State Park.

We were not disappointed. Near Century Lake, mud the consistency of peanut butter pulled at our shoes and slowed the climb up Crags Rd, Further west, near the  M.A.S.H. site, calf-deep water on the trail washed the gunk off.

The trail conditions on the remainder of the loop were more straightforward. From time to time, shafts of sun would pierce the clouds, resulting in a patchwork of shadow and sun that emphasized the rugged terrain. Along the crest, the ocean views were superb! Before descending to Tapia Park we ran out to Mesa Peak, and then followed the ridgeline to an overlook of the coast. (Marked peak 1800 on the topo.)

Including the side trip to the overlook, this variation of the Bulldog loop worked out to an exhilarating 16.5 miles, with an elevation gain/loss of about 2700 ft.

If current forecasts and outlooks for this month hold true, this won't be our last wet and muddy trail run this February. In a couple of weeks, Los Angeles rainfall totals may climb above normal for the first time this rain season. We'll see!

Some related posts: Fog Along Malibu Creek, Bulldog Loop and the Corral Fire

The idea was to do an interesting trail run that wasn't quite as long and strenuous as last week's Bandit 30K Course Preview. That was the idea. I could have calculated the mileage and elevation gain of our projected route, but sometimes part of the fun of trail running is not knowing the exact route, how long it will take, or how strenuous it might be.

This particular exploration would visit two of the most scenic areas in the Santa Monica Mountains -- Serrano Valley and La Jolla Valley. Many variations of this loop are possible. Our base route included the Ray Miller/Backbone Trail, Fireline Trail, Serrano Canyon Trail, Serrano Valley Trail, Old Boney Trail, Wood Canyon Vista Trail, La Jolla Valley Loop Trail, La Jolla Canyon Trail and connecting roads.

In addition to its wonderful scenery, this course is characterized by moderate uphills that are generally very runnable. The side trips to to the old ranch site in Serrano Valley, and to Mugu Peak pushed the route beyond the 30K mark, but were worth every step. Here's a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route. Since none of us had done the eastern leg of the La Jolla Valley Loop Trail, this time we did Mugu Peak from the east. The route around the valley to the western side of Mugu Peak is also shown.

Here is a Live Browser View of the run using the Google Earth browser plug-in (Chrome, IE7, IE6, Firefox).

Some related posts: Serrano Valley from Wendy Drive; La Jolla Valley & Mugu Peak from Wendy Drive; Laguna Peak, La Jolla Valley, and the Channel Islands