Weekend highs in California were down 30-40 degrees from the searing temps earlier in the week. After dealing with the heat, my jaw dropped when I read Sunday's NWS forecast for the Eastern Sierra:

.SUNDAY...PARTLY SUNNY. A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS AND A SLIGHT
CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW LEVEL ABOVE
9000 FEET IN THE MORNING. HIGHS 40 TO 52 IN THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...
AROUND 59 NEAR 8500 FEET. WEST WIND AROUND 10 MPH SHIFTING TO THE
SOUTH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 40 PERCENT.

Now that is great August weather forecast!

I couldn't get to the Sierra, but I could do a run in the Angeles High Country -- and I was willing to bet the upper level trough that was producing unsettled weather in the Sierra would also result in a cool, Autumn-like day in the San Gabriel Mountains.

And it did! Compared to my midweek runs, running up the Mt. Waterman trail was like going for a swim in a high mountain lake. Just spectacular!

Simi Valley and the Pacific Coast from Rocky Peak Road

What better way to recover from the Bulldog 50K than running Ahmanson and Rocky Peak on two of the hottest days of the year?

Yesterday, Pierce College in Woodland Hills hit a scorching 111°F, and then today 109°F. At the start of today's run it was still over 100°F on Rocky Peak, but extra (ice) water, and a bit of a breeze kept things mostly reasonable.

No matter the weather, you'll always see someone else on Rocky Peak!

Some related posts: Rocky Peak Rainstorm, Snow on Oat Mountain

Goat Buttes and the Bulldog Climb from Near the Start

The week following the Mt. Disappointment 50K, with the Edison and Kenyon Devore climbs still etched in my mind, I noticed that the Bulldog 50K hadn't filled yet. Hmmm... Could I do it? The little hill on my Wednesday afternoon run hadn't felt bad. Thursday I had done a little longer run, with a little longer hill. It was no Bulldog climb, but it felt OK. I decided that if the 50K didn't fill by Friday, and the weather forecast for the race wasn't crazy hot, I'd give the Bulldog 50K a go.

Malibu Creek State Park is only about 20 minutes from my home, and I run the Bulldog loop frequently, but because of scheduling conflicts I'm usually unable to run the Bulldog 50K. It often falls on the same weekend as the Miracle Hot Springs Whitewater Slalom race, and just two weeks after the Mt. Disappointment 50K. This year, because of a good "El Nino" snowpack, the paddling season on the Lower Kern was going to be longer than usual, and the Miracle Race was moved to late September. But had my legs recovered enough from Mt. Dis?

Friday the 50K hadn't filled, the weather forecast looked OK, my legs seemed to be OK, so click-click enter, click-click enter, and I was doing Bulldog.

As the week before the race progressed it became evident a) my legs were not as recovered as I had hoped, and b) race day temps were going to be a little warmer than originally forecast. The RD's day-before-the-race email confirmed the warmer weather:

"IT WAS 82 DEGREES AND NO CLOUD COVER AT 8:30AM THIS MORNING AT THE PARK. BE PREPARED FOR HIGH TEMPERATURES AND FULL SUN ON RACE DAY TOMORROW... NSD"

Race day dawned coolish, but there was not a cloud in the sky. (Last year there had been cloud cover until around 11:00 a.m.) At the Malibu Hills weather station, the temperature at 6:00 a.m was 71°. By 8:00 it would be 80°, and by 9:00 84°. It would be even warmer in the direct sun.

Whatever the thermometer said, the temperature on the first loop wasn't an issue. There were a couple of warm spots on the Bulldog climb, but there was also a lot of shade. Bulldog was actually pretty painless, and I commented to another runner that I wished it would be like that the second time around!

The last time I'd done the Bulldog 50K was in 2003. Back then the course wasn't a double loop. There are pros and cons to the double loop format. Sometimes it helps to know what's coming, and sometimes it doesn't. It depends on what kind of day you're having. This morning the first 25K had gone well, and as I jogged under the oaks along Malibu Creek at the beginning of the second loop, I thought maybe, just maybe, my legs would last.

It was about half-way up the Bulldog climb the second time that reality set in. The sun was 3 hours warmer, the climb longer, and gravity (for sure) stronger. I overheard another runner remark, "from here there's no more shade." And there wasn't.

From the top of Bulldog it's less than a mile of downhill to the Corral aid station. My mind liked the idea of running downhill, but after all the miles of uphill my legs were having trouble with the transition, and were getting a little crampy. It probably wasn't a coincidence that this was also the point where I started to run out of gas. Not a full-on bonk, but there wasn't much left in the tank.

The parts of the course I enjoy the most -- running through the rock formations east of the Corral aid station, and the panoramic views of the ocean and mountains from Mesa Peak fire road -- were a bit of a struggle. It helped to talk with some of the runners along the way. There were new runners, old runners, fast runners, and slow. Every runner has a different story, perspective and challenge.

Eventually I reached the start of the long, sometimes steep, downhill to Tapia Park. On the way down, one runner that passed me commented, "I was looking forward to this section, I didn't expect it to be so hard!" No argument there. After cooling off at the Tapia aid station, it was on to another tough part of the course. I was prepared for the Tapia Spur Trail to be an oven, but a nice breeze kept the temperature reasonable.

I had been warned that the final little climb up the paved road and around to the finish would be a killer. It was a long, long half mile, and at one point I wondered if the course might continue past the entrance station and out of the park! A couple minutes later I was across the finish line. And about a minute after that I was eating a big chunk of ice cold watermelon!

Many thanks to R.D. Nancy Shura-Dervin and Larry Dervin, all the volunteers, sponsors, support personnel, and runners for a great race. The aid station volunteers were fantastic. All I had to do was soak my head in ice water while my bottles were being filled! For Nancy's race report, all the results, and 2000+ photos, see the Bulldog 25K/50K web site.

Here's a Google Earth tour of the first loop of the course generated from my GPS trace. Press the "play" button to start the tour. The tour can be paused at any point, and you can look around by rotating, zooming, and tilting the view. The mileages are from my trace of the course, and were calculated by SportTracks. To view the tour the Google Earth plugin has to be installed.

The most remarkable thing about this year's Mt. Disappointment Endurance run is that there was a 2010 race. The Station Fire and heavy Winter rains decimated the San Gabriel Mountains. Without the hard work and dedication of Gary & Pam Hilliard and a host of volunteers the 6th edition of the race never would have happened.

There were some changes in the course. After descending from Mt. Wilson to Red Box, the 50K course normally goes down to Clear Creek Station, circuits Strawberry Peak, and then returns to Red Box. Not this year. The Colby Canyon and Strawberry Trails were particularly hard hit by rock slides and washouts, and could not be used. Instead, after running down to Red Box, we hung a right and continued down Red Box Road to the West Fork aid station. Usually done after mile 20, it was great to run this segment while it was still cool, and I had some life left in my legs.

At West Fork, after ten miles of downhill and losing 2600' in elevation, the infamous 16 mile Shortcut loop begins. Usually part of the Mt. Dis 50 mile course, the Shortcut loop is best known for it's scorching 5.6 mile, 2000' climb up Edison Road to Shortcut Saddle. It's one of those climbs that doesn't look that bad on paper, but a topo map doesn't show the sun beating down on your head mile, after mile, after mile. Fortunately, the weather was kind. The high on Mt. Wilson only reached 73 degrees -- several degrees cooler than the usual temperature for this race.

Wow, the Edison climb and the Kenyon Devore climb all in one 50K! But what are two classic climbs without a tough descent in between? The Silver Moccasin Trail between Shortcut and West Fork was obliterated by slides, debris flows and flash flooding. Hours and hours of work were done on the trail to make it passable. In the lower half of the canyon, flooding and debris flows widened the streambed, making it difficult to connect the remnants of old trail into a recognizable path. The challenge wasn't staying on the course, it was very well marked, but trying to pick the best route through a maze of sand, stream, cobble, and bits and pieces of the old trail.

Then came the Kenyon Devore climb. After doing 10 miles of fast-paced downhill, the Edison climb, and the Silver Moccasin rock dance, the ascent of Kenyon Devore was not easy! But it never is! There were a couple of newly fallen trees to clamber over, and some other challenges, but all-in-all it was the same classic climb.

To borrow an old rock climbing quip, an endurance run "ain't no weenie roast," and this year the Mt. Disappointment 50K was just a bit more of a challenge. Here's an elevation profile, and a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the course. In SportTracks my trace of the course worked out to about 31.6 miles. This is a mile or so shorter than the web site mileage because Mueller Tunnel was closed and we skipped the Mt. Disappointment section. The mileages in the Google Earth view are from my trace of the course, and may not be accurate.

Congrats to the overall Men's and Women's winners Patrick Sweeny (4:40:46) and Sada Crawford (5:28:17). Patrick ran the race in Vibram Five Finger KSO Trek's. Check out all the results on the Mt. Disappointment web site!

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

Developing cones on a limber pine near the start of the Vincent Tumamait Trail on Mt. Pinos (8831'). Limber pines are a hardy, 5-needled, species generally found at higher altitude in the western U.S.

Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) is a white pine, related to whitebark and bristlecone pines. They are slow growing, and can be very long-lived. According to the Gymnosperm Database, two trees have been crossdated with ages of about 1600 years.

In Southern California limber pines are found on Mt. Pinos, Mt. Baden-Powell, San Gorgonio Mountain, Mt. San Jacinto, and some other areas above about 8500'.

Related post: Forest Green

It was eerily quiet high on the mountain. No birds chattered in the chaparral, and it was so still the mountain seemed to be holding its breath. Sometimes in cloud and sometimes in sun I made my way along the rocky ridge. Was I on the correct route? In the thick brush and towering rocks it was hard to tell.

Descending along a narrow, rubble strewn path, I stopped at the base of a rocky outcrop. An odd plant was growing on the steeply inclined face, and I climbed up to take a closer look.

The plant looked as if it belonged in the Triassic. Long tentacle-like stalks radiated menacingly from a central spiral of pointed, wedge shaped leaves. The outer leaves of the rosette were wilted and rusty, and the entire plant had the chalky appearance of something that was part alive, and part dead.

I couldn't quite see the structure of the flowers and leaned closer to take a photo. Suddenly...

This is the point in the story where the plant should grab me, or release a puff of toxic dust from its flowers, or do something equally malevolent. Not this time. But I can't think of a more bizarre looking plant than a chalk liveforever on a rocky outcrop in full bloom.

From Sunday's Clouds & Crags trail run.

Some related posts: Chalk Liveforever, Canyon Liveforever

The clouds are in the Conejo Valley and the crags are a prominent highpoint on the ridge that tops the west face of Boney Mountain. Here's a Google Earth aerial view SSE along the ridge that shows the topography. From the upper cliffs the west face drops over 2000' to the Backbone Trail in Blue Canyon.

Ascending the western ridge, or easier eastern ridge, is an adventurous way to access the Backbone Trail from Wendy Dr. Once over Tri-Peaks and on the Backbone Trail several loop variations are possible. These range from a relatively direct return on the Boney Trail, to lengthy excursions to Serrano Valley or La Jolla Valley.

Today's variation worked out to about 20 miles. Once on the upper section of the Backbone Trail, I followed it west down the Chamberlain, Boney and Blue Canyon trails to the Danielson Multi-use area in Sycamore Canyon. After doing a circuit in Sycamore Canyon I picked up the Upper Sycamore Trail and headed back to Danielson Road, Satwiwa, and the trailhead at Wendy Drive.

Some related posts: Boney Mountain Western Ridge & Loop, Sandstone Peak from Wendy Drive, Boney Mountain North Side Loop

Originally posted November 25, 2006. Updated July 24, 2010.

Nature isn't necessarily nice. Behavior and interactions among animals are often violent. So it is with mountain lions. But the mountain lions of the Santa Monica Mountains also have to cope with the additional problems of living on an island of lion habitat in the middle of an ocean of urban sprawl.

The mountain lion tracks above were photographed on a run at Sage Ranch Park in late January 2000 . They might have been made by a young male mountain lion designated P3, whose territory encompassed this area. There is also a possibility there were from an older female lion, P4 that frequented the Rocky Peak area. Unfortunately both these animals were killed in late 2004 by eating prey (coyote) that had eaten rodents that had consumed anticoagulant based poisons. These poisons are used by parks, schools, golf courses and housing developments for rodent control.

The P3 and P4 pumas were tracked as part of a ongoing study started by the National Park Service in 2002 to learn more about mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. As of June 2010, nineteen mountain lions, P1 to P19, have been studied, and their history has been quite a saga.

The patriarch of the lions in the study is P1. He was the first lion captured and collared in 2002, and at that time was estimated to be 5-6 years old. In his prime, P1 was a large, 140+ lb. male whose territory was essentially all of the Santa Monica Mountains. In August of 2004, P1 and P2 - the only female lion known to be in P1's range - produced a litter of four cubs -- two males (P5 and P8) and two females (P6 and P7).

Despite high hopes for the lions and their new litter, things turned ugly in August of 2005, when P1 killed his mate P2. A few months later, in June of 2006, P1 also killed one of the 22 month-old females from the litter, P7. According to biologists these were not the actions of a lion run amuck, but were most likely related to conflicts over kills, or in the case of P2, a mother protecting her offspring.

As might be expected, the young males from the litter, P5 and P8, headed for opposite ends of P1's territory. However, urbanization and limited linkages essentially prevented their escape to other wildland areas.

Early this September 2006 P5 was likely killed by P1, and in a development that surprised researchers, P8 appeared to have been killed by an unknown lion, probably male, inside of P1's territory. The "unknown lion" was the male P9, who was killed by a vehicle on Las Virgenes road in July 2007.

P6, a female, is the the only surviving lion from P1 and P2's 2004 litter. One other female lion, P13, has been collared. DNA testing suggests that P13 is a daughter of P6.

It is not known if P1 is still alive. P1 appears to have been injured in a battle for dominance in March 2009. A bloody radio collar and tufts of hair were found in a tree in Hidden Valley, near Thousand Oaks. P1's opponent was suspected to be P12, a lion collared in December 2008, and the first lion to be tracked crossing (under) the 101 Freeway. Scat found three weeks after the fight was genotyped, and found to be P1's. At least four male lions - P10, P12, P14 and P15 - now inhabit P1's original territory.

In May 2010 P13 had a litter of three kittens -- P17 (female), P18 (male), and P19 (female). The father is suspected to be P12. Since P12 likely originated from an area other than the Santa Monica Mountains, this would increase the genetic diversity of the mountain lion population in the study. CougarMagic.com has some fascinating wildlife camera footage of P12 and an uncollared female lion.

In addition to the new kittens, a male lion living in the Santa Susana Mountains west of I-5 was collared and given the designation P16. This is the first lion to be followed in the Santa Susana Mountains since P3 and P4 died in 2004, after eating contaminated prey.

The map above shows the home ranges of the mountain lions P10, P12, P13, P14 and P15 in the Santa Monica Mountains, and some monitored locations of P16 in the Santa Susana Mountains. Here is another map that shows the home ranges of the mountain lions P1 to P12 in the Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains. It was adapted for the web from this NPS map (PDF), produced in 2009. According to Lauren Newman, Policy and External Affairs Manager, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the following lions have (at one time) been collared, and are presumed to be alive:

P6 - female, alive, no active collar
P10 - male, alive, collar
P12 - male, alive, collar
P13 - female, alive, collar
P14 - male, alive, collar (collared in August, 2009)
P15 - male, alive, collar (collared in November, 2009)
P16 - male, alive, collar (collared in May, 2010)

The mountain lion saga continues...

Following are some previous updates to this post, with links to additonal articles and information.

Update August 7, 2009. According to Where the Mountain Lions Live in the Santa Monica Mountains in laist.com, P1 may have survived the fight with another mountain lion back in March. DNA from scat collected about two weeks after the fight matched P1!

Update March 28, 2009. There was sad news earlier this month. According to an article in the Daily News, mountain lion P1, the long standing patriarch of the Santa Monica Mountains, appears to have lost a battle for dominance with another mountain lion. A bloody radio collar and tufts of hair were found in a tree in Hidden Valley, near Thousand Oaks. P1's opponent is suspected to have been P12, a lion collared in December, and the first lion to be tracked crossing the 101 Freeway.

Update October 6, 2008. The Ventura County Star reported that a young male lion was found dead October 2 on the 118 freeway, just west of Rocky Peak Road. A wildlife passageway crosses under the freeway nearby and has been used by at least one other lion. On July 18 a mountain lion was reported in the area of the Chumash Trail.

Update May 1, 2008. NPS wildlife biologists are currently aware of 4 lions in the Santa Monica Mountains -- 2 recently radio-collared young males designated P10 and P11, and P1 and P6. There is probably at least one more female, the mother of P10 and P11. A remote camera picture has also been taken of a lion in the Simi Hills.

Update January 25, 2008. An article in the Simi Valley Acorn reports that on January 13, 2008, a mountain lion was discovered in an abandoned building near Chatsworth Reservoir. Two days later there was another mountain lion sighting in the nearby Simi Hills by employees at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

Update August 7, 2007. According to an article in the Malibu Times, on July 31 a five or six year old mountain lion, was hit by a car near the tunnel on Malibu Canyon Road and died shortly thereafter. The mountain lion, designated P9, was recently collared, and along with P1 and P6 was one of three mountain lions being tracked by the NPS. There is speculation that P9 may have been the unknown lion that killed P8.

Technorati Tags: mountain lion, Santa Monica Mountains, animal tracks

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

An unusual spider web, and the spider that made it.

Also from Sunday's out and back run to Saddle Peak.

Leaves of climbing penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia) on the Hondo Canyon Trail. Its seems to have especially benefited from our Winter rain, and its orange flowers are widespread in the chaparral this year.

From Sunday's out and back run to Saddle Peak.

It was about 9:45 a.m., and I was switchbacking up through a surprisingly dense forest of California bay on the Hondo Canyon segment of the Backbone Trail. The trail was carpeted in bay leaves, and a hint of the sharp, sweet smell of bay lingered in the still morning air. It had been four years since I had run this trail, and I had forgotten just how lush and green it was. The geology, oaks, bay trees, ferns, and poison oak were spectacular.

The run from the end of Reseda to Saddle Peak (and back) was going well. The route was a tricky one, and it really helped that I had done it before. Lower in the canyon there had been a misleading Backbone Trail marker, and that was just one of several potential gotcha's.

Even if you know the way, the run is no gimme. Depending on the route used, its length works out to around 26 - 28 miles, and it has a legit elevation gain/loss approaching 5000'. Throw in the route-finding challenges, and it's possible to have a long day.

The run starts at Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park, on the San Fernando Valley side of the Santa Monica Mountains. The first leg of the run goes to Trippet Ranch. I usually run the fire roads out to Trippet Ranch, and then take the Musch, Garapito, and Bent Arrow trails on the way back to Reseda.

The route-finding fun begins on the Dead Horse Trail at Trippet Ranch. From Trippet Ranch to Saddle Peak the route is all on the Backbone Trail, and is (almost) all single track. Some of it is marked, and some of it isn't. Some of it is obvious, and some of it is not.

The most obscure section is between Topanga Canyon and Old Topanga Canyon. From the Dead Horse Trail parking lot, the Backbone Trail starts behind the bathrooms, and follows a brushy canyon down to Topanga Canyon Blvd. The trail picks up again across Topanga, about 50 yards west on Greenleaf Canyon Road. The trail is on the left, just before a creekbed, and leads uphill. There are some nature trail markers along the steep trail, and the top of the hill is about a quarter-mile from Greenleaf. From the top of th hill, the trail zigs south and zags west, working down to a dirt road. The route continues across the road and down an overgrown slope to the north side of the water tanks. A trail leads northwest from the water tanks and down to Old Topanga. The total distance from Topanga to Old Topanga is about 0.6 mile.

I was glad to have that convoluted stretch behind me. A few minutes ago I'd reached the top of Hondo Canyon, and turned onto the Fossil Ridge Trail. When the visibility is good, the views along Fossil Ridge and the crest leading to Saddle Peak are excellent. Today the marine layer had been slow to clear, and the tops of the peaks were cloaked in fog. The chaparral plants were so wet that I was able to squeeze a gulp of water from the brush-like flowers of a laurel sumac.

After about a half-mile on the Fossil Ridge Trail, I emerged from the chaparral, turned left on Topanga Tower Mtwy, and ran down to the popular overlook at the junction of Schuerren, Stunt and Saddle Peak roads. Here I continued west across the highway and scrambled up to a ridgetop trail that leads to a big water tank. From the water tank it's about 0.3 mile up the trail to the turn off to Saddle Peak, and then another 0.4 mile to the summit. The western peak (2805'), the one with all the communications equipment, is the high point.

Keeping in mind that GPS traces are not exact, and the route I used isn't necessarily the "official" or "best" route, here's a Google Earth interactive view of a GPS trace of my 27.5 mile route.

Some related posts: Garapito Trail Runs, Born to Run, Musch Trail Mule Deer

From Sunday's run from Three Points to Waterman Mountain.

Twin Peaks (East) from the Mt. Waterman Trail

Today was the first chance I had had to run the recently reopened stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail between Three Points and Cloudburst Summit. Originally within the Station Fire closure area, this segment of trail was reopened when the size of the closure area was reduced in late May. In addition to checking this section of the PCT, I also wanted to see the condition of the forest and trail at the current closure boundary near Mt. Waterman.

Between Three Points and Cloudburst Summit, the PCT generally parallels Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy 2), and crosses the highway several times. In general, the burn severity along the trail appeared to match the burn severity depicted in the NASA Ikhana BAER image and Angeles National Forest BAER Station Fire Soil Burn Severity Map. In the first two miles some trees were lost, but much of the forest in the immediate vicinity of the trail did not appear to be severely burned.

That was not the case about a half mile west of Camp Glenwood, where the PCT crosses Hwy 2 and climbs up a hill. Here the burn severity was much higher, and most of the trees were killed. The trail was in good shape and it didn't take long to get through this section and back into unburned forest. Remarkably, Camp Glenwood was unscathed.

The remaining 3 miles to Cloudburst Summit were not burned. Some trail work had been done on this stretch, as well as down in Cooper Canyon. As always, the running through Cooper Canyon was superb. At the PCT's junction with the Burkhart Trail I turned right and climbed up to Buckhorn Campground, and then followed the camp entrance road up to Hwy 2. From here it was short jog west to the Mt. Waterman Trail.

Most of the forest of Jeffrey pine and incense cedar on the east side of Mt. Waterman was outside of the fire area, and it wasn't until near the junction with trail 10W04, that some damage from the fire could be seen. It looked like spot fires had run up the mountain, burning primarily in the understory. The north face of Twin Peaks, across from Mt. Waterman, appeared to be unaffected by the fire.

It is unclear why the Forest Service chose to define the updated Station Fire closure area (Forest Order No. 01-10-02) so that the trail to Twin Peaks remains closed. Based on the Forest Service's own BAER report, the burn severity down to Twin Peaks Saddle is generally categorized as low to very low/unburned, and the north face of Twin Peaks is outside of the burn area.

Some related posts: Cooper Canyon Cascade & Falls, Mt. Wilson Area Peaks From Twin Peaks

Last year's Station Fire, and the Winter storms that followed, combined to damage many miles of trail in the San Gabriel Mountains. Among the volunteers working hard to restore the trails are runners that will doing the Mt. Disappointment 50K and Angeles Crest 100 mile endurance runs later this Summer.

Gary Hilliard, trail maestro and R.D. of the Mt. Disappointment runs, dedicates an astonishing amount of time to the task of preserving trails -- encouraging and organizing volunteers, surveying trails, and doing the down and dirty work of maintenance and restoration. If it's a Summer Saturday, chances are good you'll find him in Angeles National Forest, working with a group of runners to make a trail better.

Today's trail was the Kenyon DeVore Trail on the north side of Mt. Wilson. Originally a part of the Rattlesnake Trail, the trail was renamed in tribute to the Forest Service patrolman, hydrographer, and Angeles National Forest volunteer, Kenyon DeVore. The trail is the toughest part of infamous final leg of the Mt. Disappointment 50K and 50 mile courses, climbing about 2300' in 3.6 miles.

There was plenty to do on the Kenyon DeVore Trail, and Gary divided us into three groups. One group was given the job of restoring a long stretch of trail that had been obliterated by debris flows, and another group was assigned the chore of clearing a rock slide. Our group's task was removing several trees that had fallen across the trail, and working on the trail along the way.

The largest of the trees blocking the trail was a sizable bigcone Douglas-fir. At the point where it was cut, the diameter of the trunk was about 26"-28". For its size, the tree was surprisingly old. A rough count of the rings from a contrast enhanced photo gives an approximate age of 310 years. The age was not cross dated, but appeared reasonable when compared to a standard tree ring chronology.

The cut sections of the tree had no obvious fire scars. The CDF/FRAP Fire History Database indicated that, prior to the Station Fire, a large part of the canyon in which the tree was located had no reported fire history.

When we were done, about two-thirds of the Kenyon Devore Trail had been restored. No worries about the other third, Gary has trailwork scheduled most weekends through the end of July.

I'd just run up the long hill we call "The Beast," and was running east on a relatively level stretch of gravelly dirt road on Lasky Mesa, when it's movement caught my eye.

My first thought was "Tarantula!" but this spider was slightly smaller than a tarantula, and running. Tarantulas walk, they (usually) don't run. This spider ran with a smooth, agile, articulated gait that must be the envy of the Arachnid world. I had never seen a spider like this, and started moving in its direction.

Lurking in the back of my mind was an experience I'd had with a tarantula, also on Lasky Mesa. In an attempt to redirect the tarantula from the margin of a dirt road, I'd blocked its intended path with my foot. This had worked a couple of times before, but this time the big spider briefly paused and then continued to walk toward my running shoe. My shoe was on top of some dried oak leaves, in the grass on the side of the road. I thought maybe if I rustled the leaves... with lightning speed the tarantula charged my foot, and I jumped the proverbial mile.

Today I was going to have to react quickly if I was going to get a photograph. As I started moving toward this unusual spider, it saw me, and increased its speed. I continued to move in its direction, and it suddenly began a series of bizarre, defensive leaps. In a couple of seconds, the spider did three exaggerated "accordion" leaps, extending vertically to the full length of its impossibly long legs. The motion was somehow reminiscent of the propulsive action of a jellyfish. It was unexpected, and very effective!

After that the spider hunkered down, but seeing how quickly it had moved, I only took photos from a "respectable" distance. I wasn't real excited about putting my hand a couple of inches from its big fangs.

Saturday, I was running at Ahmanson with Brett, on Lasky Mesa, and shortly after telling him this story, he spotted the wolf spider (probably Schizocosa mccooki) pictured above!

Related post: Tarantula Time

Notice anything peculiar about the Mountain Phlox (Phlox austromontana) in this photo?

Usually 5-lobed, several of the blossoms here have six lobes.

These are along the Cougar Crest Trail, near Big Bear Lake. The photo is from a couple of weeks ago, the day before doing the Holcomb Valley 33 mile Trail Run.

The Havasupai reportedly use a preparation made from the plant (externally) for body aches.

Brett was down for Father's Day, and today we hiked/ran Mt. Baden-Powell (9399'). Baden-Powell is one of the most popular peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, and several of my favorite trail runs visit its summit.

The trail from Vincent Gap switchbacks up through an old-growth forest of Jeffrey pine, sugar pine, white fir and lodgepole pine. There are some impressive trees. The Wally Waldron Lodgepole Pine, near the summit, is estimated to be 1500 years old, and some limber pines in the area are thought to be even older.

Today, the weather was perfect for pushing the pace. Along the trail fresh green growth could be seen on limb tips of the white firs, and yellow wallflower, red paintbrush, and blue larkspur added a mix of color to the understory.

Not far from the trailhead we had seen fresh Vibram FiveFinger (VFF) tracks headed up the trail, and we were talking about the minimalist shoe. Today Brett was in conventional shoes, but on his home trails about half his runs are in VFFs. He was recounting how the specialists doing a video gait analysis had been blown away when he switched from regular running shoes to VFFs.

I had asked Brett how many miles he had logged on his VFFs, but before he could answer, our conversation was interrupted by a loud shout of "25!" from somewhere on the trail above. A couple of minutes later, and a bit closer, there was another shout of "24!"

Named after the founder of the scouting movement, Mt. Baden-Powell is the culminating point of the scout's Silver Moccasin Trail. Most summer weekends you'll find one or more youth groups on their way to the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell. This enthusiastic group was counting down and calling out the 38, 40 or 41 switchbacks (depending on the reference) on the way to the summit.

One of the more interesting hikers on the trail was a hard looking Royal Marine veteran that was thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Hoping to minimize snow issues on the high Sierra passes, he was a little behind the main wave of PCTers. He had stopped at Lamal Spring to fill some water bottles, and told of hellish temperatures in the desert.

Here the temps had been nowhere near triple digits, but a considerable amount of snow had melted in three weeks since I had last been on the peak. Even so, there were still some large patches of snow on the steep slopes north of the summit, and on the north side of the ridge extending west to to Mt. Burnham.

After topping out, we hiked out along the scenic south ridge of the peak. To the southeast, across the mile deep chasm of Vincent Gulch, some ribbons of snow could still be seen on Mt. Baldy's north face. After a few minutes we returned to the summit, and began the much easier run down the peak. It was a great way to spend Father's Day!

Some related posts: Running Hot & Cold, Wally Waldron Lodgepole Pine, Bear Cubs on the South Fork Trail, PCT from Inspiration Point to Islip Saddle

At aid station #2 we turned onto the Pacific Crest Trail, and followed the smooth single-track through a serene Jeffrey pine forest on the north slopes of Delamar Mountain. It was a little chilly and breezy at 7800', and the strong June sun felt good on my bare arms. I was at about mile 9 of the Holcomb Valley 33 Mile Trail Run and all was good. The subtle vanilla scent of the pines wafted through the trees, and here and there bright yellow blossoms of western wallflower seemed to mark the way.

Rounding a corner, a pine framed image of Big Bear Lake and snow covered San Gorgonio popped into view. Behind me, a runner exclaimed, "Gorgeous!" As she passed, she commented, "This is my favorite race!" And I can see why. Not only is the race well organized, with great aid stations and super helpful volunteers, it challenges the runner with a unique mix of terrain and altitude.

Some stretches of the course are smooth and fast, some technical, and some downright gnarly. Most of the hills are not steep -- at least by sea level standards -- and the total elevation gain/loss is only about 3600'. But the gotcha is this: the course has the highest average elevation of any 50K race in Southern California, including the Bishop High Sierra 50K! Nearly 30 miles of the course is above 7000', and the altitude has an unavoidable effect on performance, particularly for the unacclimatized, middle-of-the-pack runner.

How much of an effect? There is an often referenced chart in the book the Daniels Running Formula that can be used to estimate how much slower we will run at a particular altitude. Using an online running calculator based on the chart, we can project that a runner that does a 33 mile course at an elevation of 1000' in 6.5 hours would take about 7 hours at 7500' -- assuming the runner is fully acclimatized! In the book, Daniels says that the increase in time could be as much as double for an unacclimatized runner. So 33 miles in 6.5 hours near sea level might turn into 7.5 hours at 7500'.

At altitude, elite runners have an advantage -- even more of an advantage than they have at lower elevations. Because of the reduction in air density and drag, running at altitude at their faster pace is more efficient than near sea level. This partially offsets the loss in aerobic power that results from the reduction in atmospheric pressure. Again using the Runworks calculator, a runner that runs 33 miles in 4 hours at 1000', would be projected to run about 4:18:00 at 7500'.

Apparently immune to the altitude, and flowing over the rocky sections of trail like the wind, Michelle Barton and Jorge Pacheco set new records on the Holcomb course this year. Michelle Barton flew through the 33 mile course in 4:56:21 (8:59 min/mi), and Jorge Pacheco cranked out an amazing 4:13:44 (7:41 min/mi). To put those times in perspective, this year the median time (half the runners above, half below) was about 7:36:00.

Here is a Google Earth interactive browser view of my GPS trace of the 33.1 mile course, and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks. Distances specified are based on the trace, and were calculated in SportTracks. During the race the only segment that seemed significantly longer than expected was from aid station #4 to aid station #5. Part of the reason is it was a tough leg, and has some very rocky stretches. But it also looks like the segment was about 7 miles long, rather than the expected 5.9 miles.

Many thanks to Pam and Gary Kalina, Bear Valley Search & Rescue, the sponsors, and all the volunteers for a great race! All the results can be found on the Holcomb Valley Trail Runs web site. Steve and Melanie Lentz of SMS Event Photography did a fantastic job photographing the race, and were able to get shots from a variety of locations and perspectives.

Was up at Big Bear Lake this weekend for the Holcomb Valley 33 mile trail run. (More on that in a later post.) Got up to the lake around 2:00 in the afternoon, and on such a fantastic day couldn't just sit around.

First things first, I had to check out the trail on which the race would begin and end, the Cougar Crest Trail. The trail looked good. It wasn't too steep, and climbed up through an open forest of juniper, piñon pine, and Jeffrey pine. In hot weather the south facing trail would cook, but with morning temps in the 40's and afternoon temps around 70, that wouldn't be an issue. At about the mile mark the trail reached a level spot, and switchbacked left. It was a good point to turn around -- I'd see the rest tomorrow.

After a quick side trip to Holcomb Valley to check out another part of the course, I headed over to the Gray's Peak trailhead. It looked like this trail would have nice views of Big Bear Lake, and all the snow on north facing slopes of the San Bernardino Mountains.

With every switchback, this pretty trail tempted me higher and higher. I was torn between getting the scenic shot that seemed to be just around the next corner, and not overdoing it before the race. After a number of these switchbacks, I had to call it quits. I scrambled to a highpoint and took the photo above. Here's a larger image that shows the peaks a little more clearly.

The view framed by the trees extends from San Gorgonio Mountain (11,499') on the left, to San Bernardino Mountain (10,649') on the right. The peak just right of center, with the large snowfields, is San Bernardino East Peak (10,691'). One of my favorite trail runs climbs from Mill Creek on the other side of the range to San Bernardino East Peak, and then follows the crest to the summit of Mt. San Gorgonio. About 11 miles of the loop course is above 10,000'.

Related post: San Gorgonio High Line 2009

From a recent run on the Farmer Ridge trail, which works up onto the ridgeline above Mulholland, about a quarter mile west of its junction with Sullivan Ridge Fire Road. The single track trail bypasses a 1.1 mile stretch of Mulholland fire road, and is also about 1.1 miles long.

From a mid May run in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, formerly Ahmanson Ranch.

Given its vibrant chartreuse color, it isn't surprising that wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina) has been used by various indigenous groups to make a dye. Perhaps more of a curiosity is that it is toxic, and has reportedly been used as a poison, and medicinal remedy.

From Sunday's trail run in the Chumash Wilderness on the Vincent Tumamait Trail.

Some related trail runs: Fresh Air Traverse, Mt. Pinos - Mt. Abel Out & Back

I found this and several other variable checkerspots (Euphydryas chalcedona) flittering about and feeding on golden yarrow along the Garapito Trail, on a recent run in the Santa Monica Mountains.

A closer look revealed an outlandish creature with black-spotted orange ladybug eyes, a bright orange spiked hairstyle, and a substantial spiraled trunk.

The "hair spikes" are part of the butterfly's sophisticated scent sensing system. They are probably used in combination with the antennae to provide a three dimensional olfactory picture of the butterfly's surroundings. This would help guide the butterfly to food or potential mates.

Butterflies are masters of low speed flight, and exploit several unusual mechanisms to generate aerodynamic lift. They are also opportunistic, and will take advantage of thermals and variations in the windfield to move from one place to another.

Several times when I've encountered a butterfly on a run, it has flown along with me for a surprising distance. I know that butterflies can be attracted by color, that's happened in my bright yellow kayak. But in this case I don't think it's color or coincidence. It seems to me the butterfly is surfing the wave of air pushed around me as I run, similar to the way a porpoise surfs the bow wave of boat.

Related posts: Sylvan Hairstreak, Western Tiger Swallowtail

Mt. Baldy fron the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell

Yesterday, Woodland Hills topped the 90° mark for the first time this year. But somebody forgot to tell the local mountains about the warmup. This morning, I was about a mile into an out and back trail run from Islip Saddle to Mt. Baden-Powell, and with the wind chill, it felt like the temp was in the 40's.

It was chilly in running shorts, and I debated pulling some warmer clothes from the pack. In addition to a short-sleeve shirt, I did have on a pair of pull-on long sleeves. For the moment that seemed to be enough. Rounding a corner, the trail leveled, and up ahead I could see a hiker headed my way. Based on the time, I figured he was descending from Little Jimmy Campground. We exchanged greetings, and as we passed, he commented, "you know there's a lot of snow on the trail."

This Spring the weather in California has been dominated by a series of cool troughs, slowing the snow melt and in some cases adding to it. It its May 27th Summary of Snow Water Content, California Cooperative Snow Surveys reported the statewide snowpack at nearly twice the normal amount for the date. Squaw Valley reopened for Memorial Day weekend; and with over 100 inches of snow since April 1, Mammoth Mountain plans to operate through July 4.

On the shaded, north facing slopes of Mt. Islip there was more snow than I'd seen since the Spring of 2005. It couldn't be avoided. However, the route was well-traveled, and where there was snow, dirt-covered steps eased the way. I had picked up a short length of downed fir, and it worked OK as a crude ice axe, or if you prefer, a stubby trekking pole. It enabled me to move a little faster, and had the added benefit of keeping my upslope hand out of the snow.

It didn't take long to reach Windy Gap (7588'), and soon I was working up the trail to the gap above Windy Gap. Here the trail winds through a ghost forest of old growth trees, burned in the 2002 Curve Fire. Recovery has been slow, and it was heartening to see a young Jeffrey pine in the midst of all the deadwood. It also gave me a sobering perspective of the time that was going to be required for the recovery of the forests decimated by the Station Fire.

The trail climbs up to the crest of the San Gabriels near peak 8426, about a mile east of Windy Gap. From here it more or less follows the prominent divide all the way to Mt. Baden-Powell (9,399'). It's the "more or less" part that's key in a snowy year. The shaded north side of the divide may be completely snowbound, while the crest and south side are snow free. The way the ridgeline is oriented, storm winds create deep bands of snow along and just north of the crest. In places the trail can be buried in several feet of snow.

On the east side of Mt. Hawkins I checked out a tree that had been struck by lightning, and then continued along the ridge. The wind was little more than a breeze now, and the temperature comfortable. I pulled off my running sleeves, and then followed the trail across the warm, south facing slopes of Throop Peak. Sometimes on the trail, and sometimes on the crest, I descended to a saddle and then climbed up and over Mt. Burnham (8997').

On the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell there was almost no wind. The sun was warm and the air clear. Across Vincent Gulch Mt. Baldy gleamed alpine white, its summit ridges still heavy with corniced snow. Many miles to the east, snow could also be seen on San Gorgonio Mountain, and Mt. San Jacinto. A Clark's nutcracker complained raucously from the top of a Lodgepole Pine, and I assured the bird that I would be leaving the summit soon.

Some related posts: San Gabriels High Five, Islip Saddle - Mt. Baden-Powell Out & Back

Eagle Rock From Eagle Springs Fire Road

Is it May or March? With all the blustery weather systems that have been moving through Southern California, it's been hard to tell.

Today I had planned to head back to the high country of the San Gabriels, but instead decided to take advantage of the spectacular weather and do a rambling 24 mile run in the Santa Monica Mountains.

It was a good choice. Early in the run growing mountains of silver-lined cumulus towered above the Hub, and a brisk wind tempted me to pull the sleeves from the pack. Wildflowers lined the trails, and the chaparral teemed with color, sound and scent. It was a long run kind of day.

Note: Later in the day I talked to a runner who had been at Lake Arrowhead early in the morning. He said it had been snowing down to 3000 ft! According to the NWS, record low temperatures for today were set at Lancaster (41°), San Luis Obispo (38°), and Sandberg (28°).

Davidson's Phacelia (Phacelia davidsonii) near Cooper Canyon trail camp, in the San Gabriel Mountains. From last Sunday's run.

Washoe phacelia (Phacelia curvipesa) is similar, but it's blossom is not as large.

A closer look at one of several developing yucca stalks found on the warm, south-facing slopes of the Burkhart Trail.

From last Sunday's run on the PCT and Burkhart Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Snow plant emerging from pine needles and other detritus on the forest floor.

From Sunday's run through Cooper Canyon.

Related post: Snow Plant

From today's out and back run from Cloudburst Summit (7018') to Burkhart Saddle (6959') in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles.

The running was excellent, and except for a few fallen trees the trails were in good shape. Thanks to the runoff from a good Winter's snowpack there was plenty of water in Little Rock Creek, and even the smaller side streams were flowing. Most of the snow below 7000' was history, but there was still a lot of white on the north facing slopes at the higher elevations.

The trailhead for this run is on Highway 2 at the boundary of the area closed by the Station Fire Recovery Order. The run follows the southbound Pacific Crest Trail, and northbound Burkhart Trail, which define the eastern boundary of the closure area north of Highway 2.

Update May 29, 2010. Angeles National Forest has issued Forest Order 01-10-02 redefining the Station Fire closure area. The southbound Pacific Crest Trail, and northbound Burkhart Trail no longer define the boundary. See the Angeles National Forest web site and this May 29, 2010 post for more info.

From Cloudburst Summit, the southbound PCT winds down into Cooper Canyon, and eventually joins the Burkhart Trail, just west of Cooper Canyon Falls. In about a quarter-mile, the trail crosses Little Rock Creek. Here, the northbound Burkhart Trail forks left from the (closed) PCT, and continues 3.75 miles to Burkhart Saddle.

Here is an HD video snapshot of Cooper Canyon Cascade and Falls.

Note: The PCT northbound has been rerouted at Islip Saddle. See the Pacific Crest Trail Association web site for more info. Also, the PCT trail segment between the Burkhart Trail and Eagle's Roost is within the area closed by the Williamson Rock Closure Order.

Some related posts: Cooper Canyon Falls, Cool Running in Southern California, Pleasant View Ridge Snow

We've had some great running weather in Southern California this Spring, with more than our usual share of cool days and postcard skies. Remarkably, the highest temperature recorded at Downtown Los Angeles so far this year was in the final few days of Winter, when the temperature hit 88 on March 16.

The title photograph is from a recent run in the Simi Hills.

The great view confirmed it -- we had run uphill. The new section of the Backbone Trail was so well-graded that the 850 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead at Encinal Canyon Rd. seemed almost effortless. For the next 14 miles, we would run through one of the most scenic areas of the Santa Monica Mountains; a rough and rugged highland with a character that might put it halfway around the world, rather than 35 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

On this May Day morning, the canyons were cool, the sun warm, and the skies clear. From the craggy heights views extended from Catalina to the Channel Islands; and from Topa Topa to the San Gabriel Mountains. Winter rains had produced a profusion of wildflowers, accenting the trails with the whites, blues, yellows and reds of Spring.

It was an extraordinary day in which mile after mile of trail would pass underfoot with surprising ease. It was the best kind of training -- a run in which the training was an afterthought, and the focus was on the experience, rather than the logbook.

Here's an interactive Google Earth view of the 23 mile route from Encinal Canyon Rd. to PCH at Sycamore Canyon. The elevation gain on the run was about 2500 ft., and elevation loss about 3800 ft. Continuing to the Ray Miller trailhead by way of the Wood Vista, Overlook and Ray Miller trails would add about 3 miles and another 1000 ft. of gain. Another option would be to run through Serrano Valley to Sycamore Canyon. The Fireline Trail is a short distance down canyon from the Serrano Valley Trail, and could also be used to link to the Overlook and Ray Miller trails.

And here's a photo of the Yerba Buena segment of the Backbone Trail when it was under construction in 2003.

Related post: Boney Mountain Crags

From today's trail run to Castle Peak in the western San Fernando Valley.

From today's 8 mile trail run to Saddle Peak and back on the Stunt High and Backbone trails.

From today's run of a variation of the Boney Mountain Half Marathon course from Wendy Dr.

Related post: Above Satwiwa

This year's Kern River Festival had the best weather and water the event has seen for several years. Racers had a great flow for paddling the waterfalls, steep drops, and slides on Brush Creek; and boaters enjoyed paddling a challenging slalom course through the whitewater of Riverside Park in downtown Kernville.

A new event this year, the Hooligan Boat Race, was a spectator and participant favorite. Inspired by the event at the FIBArk River Festival, paddlers constructed their own boats out of "non-boat" materials and attempted to paddle their creations from upstream of the bridge in Kernville, down through the class II rapids in Riverside Park.

The photograph above is of "Al's Original Bucket Boat." Usually a bucket boat refers to a raft that isn't self-bailing, but in this case the boat is made of buckets, and the paddles from bucket lids.

As you might expect there were some outrageous designs, and not every boat made it to the finish line.

Next year the Hooligan Boat Race is expected to be even more popular. The Kern River Festival is held annually, the third weekend in April, in Kernville, California. In 2011 it is scheduled for April 16-17. (Easter is April 24, 2011.)

I heard a news report the other day that Southern California's rain season would end in two weeks. While Southern California typically receives the bulk of its precipitation in the months of November through April, the rain season doesn't turn off like a switch on May 1. There certainly can be significant rain in May, and even June.

The water year for Downtown Los Angeles (USC) is from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. So far, Downtown Los Angeles (USC) has recorded 16.17 inches of rain during the current water year. This is more than an inch above the 1971-2000 annual climate norm for Los Angeles of 15.14 inches.

Our Sunday-Monday storm put Downtown Los Angeles at 1.51 inches of rain for the month of April -- well above the climate normal of 0.83 inches. The normal amount of precipitation for May is 0.31 inches, and for June is 0.06 inches. But those are just averages. On occasion we receive much more than this, and sometimes much less. On the up side, according to NWS data, in April 1965 Los Angeles recorded a total of 6.02 inches of rain. In May 1921, 3.57 inches was measured; and in June 1999 0.98 inch was recorded.

Although the current El Niño has weakened, convection is still somewhat enhanced in a broad region of the equatorial Pacific, and the MEI, ONI, and GWO indicate the continued presence of El Niño. This could result in more active Spring weather than usual, and more opportunities for rain in Southern California.

At the moment, the next opportunity for some Southern California rain looks to be next week, around Tuesday or Wednesday. We'll see!

The title photo is from a run on the Chumash Trail at the end of March.

Davidson's Blue-Eyed Mary (Collinsia bartsiifolia var. davidsonii) along the Secret Trail in Calabasas, California.

From a trail run on March 30.

One of the largest Southern Pacific Rattlesnakes I've seen at Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve -- formerly Ahmanson Ranch. This one was on the East Las Virgenes Canyon Trail (aka Main Drag).

I counted 12 rattle segments, and as this HD video snapshot shows, the snake was nearly as long as the dirt road was wide.

From a run on Wednesday from the Victory trailhead to Las Virgenes Creek.

A couple of weekends ago, I was running up toward the Hub on Fire Road #30 with a couple of runners training for Leona Divide. One of them stopped suddenly, and pointed, "That's a scorpion!"

It was -- about an inch or so in length. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but somehow I just didn't expect to see a scorpion out in the middle of a fire road, on a run to Trippet Ranch.

The title photo is a view from Eagle Springs Fire Road, between the Hub and Trippet Ranch, in Topanga State Park. Saddle Peak is in the distance.

Even though it was Summer, it was cold. Except for the clinking of our climbing gear, it was still and quiet at 13,000 ft. The sun had not yet risen, and I was perched on an icy step just below the bergschrund of Palisade Glacier. Tom had just crossed the large crevasse, and the brightly colored red rope ran through my hands as he worked up the ice of U-Notch couloir.

After a few moments the rope stopped. My view of Tom on the steep ice slope above was obscured by the lip of the bergschrund, but from the clanking of the ice screws it sounded like Tom had paused to put in some pro. It was early in the climb, and while keeping tabs on what was happening above, I surveyed the glacier below.

Even if the glacier was minuscule by Pacific Northwest standards, it was the largest in the Sierra Nevada, and my first "real" glacier. Most of the snow on its surface had melted, exposing the gray glacier ice. Also uncovered were parallel crevasses where the ice had flexed over a buried ridge or projection, and cracked. We had bivied on the glacier just for the experience, peering into turquoise blue crevasses, and listening to its creaks and groans.

Now in the brightening light, my gaze followed the ice sculpted canyons down into the Owens Valley and then across to the Inyo Mountains, along whose crest the sun would soon emerge.

What the -- suddenly there was a loud buzzing at my ear, and in the second it took to identify the sound, a hummingbird landed on the climbing rope, just a few inches from my gloved hand. I stayed as still as I could, and hoped Tom would not move. Curious eye met curious eye and we just pondered each other, asking in so many words, "What are you doing here?"

On another Sierra climbing excursion, Phil and I were hiking from the South Fork Kings, over the Monarch Divide, to the turrets in the Gorge of Despair. On a late summer morning, in a high, gilia covered meadow, we paused to take some photos of wildflowers. There was much buzzing about the meadow, and several hummingbirds.

Watching the activity, we stood in awe as a pair of hummingbirds flew at ground level from opposite ends of the meadow. Just feet above the wildflowers, they flew directly at each other, meeting in the middle of the meadow and them zooming upward together in a frenzy of flight. The pair then circled back and repeated the maneuver.

My most recent hummingbird encounter was Saturday at Stoney Point. I had done my usual circuit through the array of massive sandstone rocks, stopping at various boulders to do particular rock climbing moves. Earlier, I had watched some rabbits "playing chase" with a ground squirrel. I say "playing" because that's what it looked like. Neither animal appeared particularly concerned, and the squirrel would weave and wind, running first from one rabbit and then another.

I had worked around to the back of Stoney Point and had just passed Maggie's corridor when I heard buzzing and the familiar "tsk-tsk" of an upset hummingbird, followed by the equally familiar warning whistle of a ground squirrel. Hummingbirds are territorial, and I just assumed that I had stumbled onto some kind of weird territorial dispute. I looked for the hummingbird and for a moment did not see it. The squirrel whistled again, this time very near. This was odd. A squirrel will usually dive for cover when a threat is close.

Then I saw the hummingbird. It was about three feet way, back lit by the sun, and perched in the bare branches at the top of a sumac bush. As I watched, it continued to "tsk-tsk" its concerns. Then, in an explosive intake and expulsion of air that very briefly swelled its body, it expelled the loud warning note that I had mistaken to be the warning whistle of a squirrel!

The title photo is of a male Anna's hummingbird on showy penstemon, near Eagle Rock in the Santa Monica Mountains.

From a run this week on the Secret Trail in Calabasas, California.

Wow -- what a great ride! That was my impression the first time I used the Salomon XT Wings trail running shoe, and seven pairs and a couple thousand miles later, the XT Wings is still my shoe of choice for longer trail runs. Now the shoe has been upgraded to the XT Wings 2, and the good news is Salomon listened to the feedback from runners, and made a very good shoe even better.

One of the most obvious changes in the XT Wings 2 is the change from an asymmetric speed-lacing system that would sometimes fray, to a symmetric speed-lacing system with lower friction eyelets. None of my Salomon trail shoes with symmetric lacing have had lace-fraying issues, and these new laces look bombproof!

Update 07/05/10. I now have about 190 miles on each of three pairs of Salomons with the the new eyelets (XT Wings, XT Wings 2 & XT Hawk 2), and I've had no problems with the laces fraying.

Not so obvious until you run in the shoe is the redesign of the toe cap to increase flexibility. I thought the gait transition was smooth in the original XT Wings, and it is even better now. I was also happy to find that my new pair of XT Wings 2 (US Size 9.0) weigh 26 oz., which is a bit less than my first pair of XT Wings.

The shoes felt great on Sunday's Trippet Ranch loop; they had that familiar XT Wings' combination of comfort, smooth ride, cushioning, traction and support.

Related posts: Salomon XT Hawk 2, Salomon XT Wings

This Spring it has been especially easy to choose a good trail run in Southern California -- run anywhere there's a trail and some open space!

It's been warm and dry in recent weeks, but rainfall in the Los Angeles area in October, December, January and February was above normal. The hills are green, small streams are flowing, and the chaparral is blooming. Don't miss out! Pick a local trail and go for a run, hike or ride!

The photograph of bush sunflowers and Saddle Peak is from today's run on the Secret Trail in Calabasas.