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:

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

Pushed up and over Boney Mountain's two thousand foot western escarpment, Pacific winds condense into thick cloud along its jagged crest. At times breaking free of the mountain's grasp, patches of cloud drift eastward, creating a patchwork of sun and shadow on the steep slopes, and in the valley below.

In the distance, the Ventura Mountains gleam with a mix of snow and cloud, and below the fields of Satwiwa stand out vibrant and green. At my feet hundreds of purple shooting stars dance in the wind; and nearby yesterday's rain seeps and trickles from moss to lichen on the scraggy volcanic rock.

It is a remarkable morning, and an exceptional one to be doing the Boney Mountain north side loop. Here's a short HD video of some of the views along the way. (If the video doesn't play cleanly the first time through because of bandwidth issues, let it finish and then try playing it a second time.)

It had been a long time since I was on the summit of Santiago Peak (aka Saddleback). The last time was in 1975, when I flew from the peak on a Sunbird "Butterfly" hang glider. That day had been spectacular, and this was turning out to be a spectacular day as well.

In the throes of an El Niño Winter, Southern California had been pummeled by a series of Pacific storms. With all the rain and snow it seemed unlikely that the Twin Peaks 50/50 would be run as planned. But the key access roads didn't wash out, most of the snow melted, and blue skies and great weather greeted runners race day morning.

The race started at the bottom of Indian Truck Trail, off the I-15 near Corona. It was warm enough that in our 8:00 wave of 50K runners, only a few people wore sleeves and extra clothing. As we worked up the first switchbacks into the sun, those were quickly shed. The enthusiasm of the other runners was contagious, and this helped with the challenges of the initial 7 mile, 2600' climb to the Indian Truck Trail aid station.

At that first aid station I grabbed a GU gel, and then headed east on the Main Divide Road toward West Horsethief. For some reason I had it in my head that I might get to run on the flat here for a few minutes. The only way that was going to happen is if I ran around the aid station table. On this course you're either going up or you're going down, and here the arrow still pointed up.

The views along the Main Divide were fantastic. The high peaks of Southern California -- Mt. Baldy (10,064'), San Jacinto Peak (10,834') and San Gorgonio Mountain (11,499') -- glistened in the morning sun, their new snow impossibly white. Down in the valley, an ant-like stream of vehicles moved along the Corona freeway, and our parked cars glittered like a string of tiny beads along Santiago Road. To my right, steep, chaparral covered slopes plunged into the depths of Trabuco and Holy Jim canyons. Somewhere down there was the Holy Jim aid station, and it looked like a long way down.

At the West Horsethief Trail aid station (10.2 mi), Billy and Lori greeted me with big smiles and asked if there was anything I needed. I had just been asking myself that same question, wondering if I had enough water to make it to Holy Jim. I guessed that I did, thanked them for being there, and turned down the single track trail.

Varied and technical, the West Horsethief and Trabuco trails were my favorite part of the course. While some sections were rocky, or V-rutted from recent rains, long stretches of of the trail were smooth and fast. Once down in the canyon, the creek crossings on the Trabuco Trail were great fun. With the warm weather, wet socks and squishing shoes were no big deal. The lush green growth and the burbling stream eased the long run down the canyon, and at about the 3 hour mark, I reached the Holy Jim aid station (14.5 mi).

This aid station is on the opposite side of the mountain from the start. You've done a lot of work to get there, and you're going to do a lot more to get back. From here it is about 8 miles and a 3900' gain to the summit of Santiago Peak. It took a while to work up past the cabins in Holy Jim Canyon to the start of the Holy Jim Trail. I knew I was on-route, but I hadn't run any of these trails, and worried I might accidentally run up somebody's long driveway.

As I climbed out on the first switchbacks above the creek, Hiroki Ishikawa, the eventual winner of the 50 mile race, rounded a switchback. Elite athletes stand out in any sport -- there is a an efficiency and fluidity of movement that is unmistakable. Hiroki was quicksilver fast, and seemed to flow effortlessly down the trail.

In contrast, I felt a little like mud trying to flow uphill. Fortunately, long stretches of the trail were runnable, and ever so slowly I rose above Holy Jim Canyon. Gradually, the peak tops and rigelines that had been towering above me fell away. About 4.5 hours into the race, I reached the top of the Holy Jim Trail at Bear Springs, and turned left onto the Main Divide road.

The surprising thing about this shady nook is that when you reach this point, you've only done a little more than half (56%) of the gain from Holy Jim to Santiago Peak. But hey, I was happy with that, and it felt good to be in the pines and plodding up toward the peak.

It took about 30 minutes to reach the big switchback at the Upper Holy Jim checkpoint (21.1 mi). From here the summit towers looked tantalizing close. I was happy to keep pace with the "runner in blue" about a hundred yards ahead. As we neared the top of the peak, sun turned to shade, and the road became covered with snow. It was a cool way to finish a warm climb, and a not so subtle reminder of what the weather might have been.

Leaving the top of Santiago Peak (22.6 mi) I thought back to that day in 1975. I wouldn't be flying down the mountain today, with a hang glider or without. In its own way the 10 mile descent from the peak would be just as challenging as the climb up earlier in the day. But I wasn't thinking about that. I was smiling and thinking that the running had been about as good as trail running gets.

Many thanks to RD Jessica DeLine, and all the volunteers and runners for an excellent event! Kudos to the 50 mile runners, who not only got to climb Santiago Peak via Holy Jim, but had the pleasure of running down Holy Jim and then climbing up West Horsethief and doing Santiago a second time.

Here's an interactive Google Earth browser view of the 50K course, and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks. Based on my GPS track, the distance worked out to a little over 33 miles, with an elevation gain of about 7600'. The elevation gain was hand calculated using SRTM corrected profile elevations. (For more info about measuring elevation gains on mountain trail runs, see the post What's the Elevation Gain?)

When split times are available, you can learn a lot about how you, and others, ran the course. Everyone's race is unique, and no one approach works the best. In the following listings, I've calculated the time from the start to each aid station, the time between aid stations, and the split rank at each aid station. These are totally unofficial. In a few places where a split time was invalid (for example earlier than a previous aid station) I've substituted estimated times. The "Rank" indicated is based on the time from the start to that point in the course. In both the 50K and 50M the top runners had missing splits, so for that split, they will not be included in the split rankings.

Here are the 50K Split Calculations and the 50M Split Calculations. If you want to send me your corrected or missing splits, I will update the listings when I have a chance. Please see the Twin Peaks 50/50 web site for official results and information.

This is one of my favorite medium length trail runs in the Santa Monica Mountains. It starts at the Ray Miller trailhead and explores the scenic grasslands of the Serrano and La Jolla Valleys. Along the way there are spectacular ocean and mountain vistas from the Ray Miller Trail and the summit of Mugu Peak.

Most of the route is on single track trail, and except for a short out & back segment to "The Ranch" in Serrano Valley, it is a complete loop of about 20 miles. Many variations are possible.

One of the better online maps I've found of the area is an Interagency Trail Management Map produced by the NPS Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area GIS Lab. It shows the status of trails and public lands in the Santa Monica Mountains and is broken into three parts: West - Central - East. Additional NPS SMMNRA trail management plan maps include Proposed Backbone Trail Facilities and Trails and Proposed Regional Trails.

Here is a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of our route from the Ray Miller trailhead and through Serrano and La Jolla Valleys.

Related post: Serrano Valley - La Jolla Valley Loop, Serrano Valley from the Chamberlain Trail

It was a little eerie. There wasn't so much as an animal track or old bootprint on the trail ahead. The path was perfectly smooth, and I felt a bit guilty as my running shoes left their patterned tracks under foot. Lynn, Frank, and I were working up the Pacific Crest Trail on the west side of Mt. Williamson in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles. As we switchbacked up the trail, the mountain seemed to sigh, happy to have enjoyed at least a few days of solitude.

Closed in early September by the Station Fire, this part of Angeles National Forest did not burn. It reopened in October, but is difficult to access because of the continuing closure of Angeles Crest Highway. To get to this point, we had run from the Antelope Valley side of the mountains. First up the South Fork Trail to Islip Saddle, and then along Angeles Crest Highway, through the tunnels, to the PCT near Kratka Ridge. A steep climb up the PCT put us where we were now -- nearing the summit of the usually busy peak.

Of course that was part of the fun of trail running. By the time we reached the summit of Mt. Williamson, we would have gained about 3600' of elevation, and would be a little more than half way through our 21 mile run. From Williamson's summit we would head west along Pleasant View Ridge, and then descend the Burkhart Trail to Devil's Punchbowl. The ups and downs along Pleasant View Ridge, and the "minor" climb out from Cruthers Creek, would add another 1500' or so of elevation gain.

The run up the rugged South Fork trail had been interesting. Low on the trail we had picked up the blocky hoof prints of what was probably a large bighorn sheep. Intent on the tracks, and telling stories of Tom Brown and the Pine Barrens, we almost didn't notice two deer hunters hiking up the trail ahead of us. Another mile or two up the trail we heard something large moving through the brush, and were surprised to see a sizable black bear bounding down a slope. I wondered if it might be the sire of the cubs we had seen on this trail earlier in the year. A little higher still, we found a beautifully colored California mountain kingsnake, warming itself in a patch of morning sun.

Those encounters had been a couple of hours before. Now we were just below Williamson's summit ridge. Reaching the crest, we ran the few remaining yards to its eastern summit. The visibility was stunning. To the south, we could see the thin ribbons of Catalina Island and San Clemente Island, more than 75 miles distant. To the east, Mt. San Jacinto loomed above the shoulder of Mt. Islip. To the north an indistinct line of white floated above the horizon. Was it the Sierra?

The 3 mile traverse of Pleasant View Ridge between Mt. Williamson and Burkhart Saddle was strenuous, but spectacular. The path along the ridge was also untrodden, and it wasn't until Pallett Mountain that we noticed the first footprints. From Pallett Mountain the route dropped more than 3000' -- much of it excellent running on the Burkhart Trail. It wasn't until mile 20, when we turned off the High Desert National Recreation Trail and started the mile descent to the Devil's Punchbowl parking lot, that we finally encountered another person -- a runner, jogging up the hill.

Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace (yellow) of the point to point route, and an elevation profile generated by SportTracks. Using the High Desert Recreation Trail as a connector (red trace in the Google Earth view), the route could be extended to a loop.

Some related posts: Peaks Along Pleasant View Ridge, Pleasant View Ridge Snow

San Bernardino Mountain Divide from near Charlton Peak

As I approached the spur trail to High Meadow Springs, I tried to convince myself I had enough water to continue. The problem wasn't the third of a mile detour down to the spring, or even the 280' loss of elevation. The problem was the interruption. Having to get water was like having to stop to remove an annoying little rock from your shoe. You know you should, but one mile passes, then two... The running along the 10,500' crest on the Divide Trail was just so spectacular, I didn't want to stop!

I reached behind my back and squished the Camelbak reservoir with my hand. Yea, there's plenty of water, I don't have to stop. I can make it to the summit of Gorgonio, and then get water at High Camp on Vivian Creek on the way down.

But hadn't I nearly run out of water the last time I did this? I did a rough calculation of the distance... about four miles to the peak, with a gain of 1500', and then another four miles to the creek. Reluctantly, I slowed, and turned off the Divide Trail

At the spring, I pulled the reservoir from my pack. Only about 25 oz. of water remained. The little spring burbled and gurgled energetically, and it didn't take long to replenish my water supply. East of Shields Flat, the trail to High Meadow Springs is about a quarter-mile below the point marked 10,500 on the topo, and about half a mile above Red Rock Flat. At an elevation of 10,120', the springs sit near the top of a steep canyon that drops down to Plummer Meadows. It's an airy location with an expansive view.

Earlier, I had chugged up the Momyer Creek Trail to the San Bernardino Peak Divide Trail. Once past the turn to Alger Camp, this trail becomes more of a footpath, weaving its way through a middle elevation forest of pine and fir, around innumerable bark beetle felled Jeffrey pines, and up to a high mountain habitat of chaparral and Lodgepole pine.

If stretches of trail with a 30% grade are not enough of a challenge, the last couple of miles to the divide include overgrown sections that will not only slow the shorts clad hiker or runner, but over time become annoyingly painful. Chinquapin is your friend, manzanita an adversary, and whitethorn your archenemy. And there is a lot of whitethorn.

After visiting High Meadow Springs, I continued down to Dollar Saddle. Beyond this point I expected to see an increasing number of hikers. The previous Saturday it had been exceptionally busy on Mt. San Jacinto, and the weather was even better today. Eventually, near Jepson Peak, I encountered a couple of hikers returning from the summit, and then passed a couple more working up the trail. But that was it -- and the summit of San Gorgonio was empty. Unusual for such a perfect Autumn day.

Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the 26 mile route, and an elevation profile generated by SportTracks. The approximate elevation gain and loss was about 7000'.

Related post: San Gorgonio High Line, San Gorgonio Mountain - Falls Creek Loop

Spectacular Autumn trail running along Wellman Cienega in the San Jacinto Wilderness.

Lush with ferns and corn lilies in the summer, Wellman Cienega is a mountain seep high on the eastern slopes of Marion Mountain. It's a couple of miles into an excellent 5 mile downhill segment from the top of San Jacinto to Saddle Junction.

From today's trail run to San Jacinto Peak (10,834') and Tahquitz Peak (8828') from the top of the Palm Springs Tram at Long Valley.

Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the route, and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks. The total elevation gain/loss on the 20 mile run was about 4000'.

Related post: Room with a View

We had been scrambling up the rocky north ridge of Boney Mountain for almost an hour. During that time the clouds along the crest seemed unable to make up their mind -- thickening, then thinning, gathering then dissipating. Now, as we climbed the final steep step to the crest, they were gathering and thickening once again. I wondered how difficult the route-finding was going to be in a pea soup fog.

The plan was to work up and over Tri-Peaks to Sandstone Peak, then backtrack on the Backbone Trail to the Chamberlain Trail, following it down into the Sycamore Canyon drainage. From there we would see.

Cresting the top of the ridge, I paused to get oriented. Across the canyon, Tri-Peaks lay cloaked in clouds, with only its broad base visible from my vantage point. As we traversed along the cliff toward the peak's northern flank, nebulous patches of cloud whisked by, carried on a brisk breeze. Reaching a saddle, we wove our way through giant boulders and chaparral to the crags that form Tri-Peaks' summit.

As if passing through a hidden portal, the clouds dissolved as we worked over to the south side of the peak -- opening to a brilliant blue sky. Across the canyon, Big Dome had wrestled free of its tentacles of fog, and to the east, Sandstone Peak stood Everest-like, its summit wreathed in a veil of cloud.

It was a day energized with the zeal of Autumn -- a day to climb a peak, and then run down a mountain, across a valley, and over a distant horizon.

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

Strawberry Spring, about 1.25 mile from Lawlor Saddle

Race day dawned clear, cool and breezy -- nearly perfect conditions for the start of the 2009 Mt. Disappointment 50K and 50 mile Endurance Runs.

This was the 5th edition of the 50K, a classic race that starts and ends on the summit of Mt. Wilson, and features a demanding mix of technical single track trail, dirt fire roads, and the Mt. Wilson Rd. With over 5000' of legit gain and loss, and a climb to the finish of 2600', it is a course that many underestimate. If the 50K is difficult, the 50 mile is difficult squared. In addition to the final arduous climb to the finish, the 50 mile run features a brutally exposed 6 mile ascent to Shortcut saddle that most do during the hottest part of the day.

My goals for this year's 50K were to a) complete it, b) have fun!, and c) try to get my time back down under 7 hours. I'd been working some on improving my running technique. Would it make any difference?

Following are some notes from this year's race. This year I've used the GPS distance as calculated by SportTracks, rather than the official aid station distances. These distances are approximate. The times between aid stations should be relatively accurate, but may differ from the official times.

Mile 0 to 4.7 (Red Box Aid #1)

As a result of the Mt. Lowe Fire Road closure, instead of turning at Eaton Saddle and climbing up and over the shoulder of Mt. Disappointment, the first leg of the race followed (paved) Mt. Wilson Rd. all the way down to Red Box. According to the topo map, this reduces the total elevation gain by about 700' -- from about 5800' to 5100'. Comparing GPS traces from last year and this year, it looks like the 2009 course is about 0.8 mile shorter -- 5.5 miles vs. 4.7 miles.

How much would the change in course effect times? And, how do you compare a 2008 time to 2009 time? And, what time on this course would be (more or less) equivalent to my goal of finishing in under 7 hours on the standard course?

In my case, I've run the 50K four times before, so I know my average time down to Red Box is about 60 minutes. This year the split was 20 minutes faster. I figure about 16-17 minutes of that is due to the difference in courses, This is close to what the 8:1 Naismith's Rule would predict. Assuming an 8.5 min/mile pace on the flat, the 700' climb should add about 9 minutes, and the additional 0.8 mile should add about 7 minutes. So, subtracting 16 minutes from 7:00 hours my new time goal was 6:44.

I might have run this leg a little too fast -- I did feel some tightness in my quads at Red Box -- but the long, fast downhill on pavement was an offer I couldn't refuse.

2007: 59 min 2008: 66 min 2009: 40 min

Mile 4.7 to 10.2 (Clear Creek Aid #2)

Behind me, I heard the surprisingly loud, "thunk!"of the toe of a running shoe catching on a rock, and then a grunt. Time expanded as I turned, and I watched in slow motion as a runner gracefully flew through the air, tucked, rolled, and in a backlit cloud of swirling dust, slid 50 feet down the steep, pine needle covered slope.

Maybe because it's downhill and in shade, I've seen a number of runners trip on this section of the course, but this fall took the Gold. The good news was the runner was OK.

Although this was probably the fastest I've done this leg, it didn't feel that way. I wasn't holding back, but wasn't pushing the pace either.

2007: 58 min 2008: 63 min 2009: 56 min

Mile 10.2 to 12.7 (Josephine Aid #2.5)

OK, OK, I know better than to push the climb up the Josephine Fire Road too hard. To this point, I was hanging with a some runners that would eventually finish the 50K in the 6:00-6:15 range. Didn't know that at the time, and in my enthusiasm passed them on the hill. Bad move.

2007: 43 min 2008: 43 min 2009: 38 min

Mile 12.7 to 20.5 (Red Box Aid #3)

I coughed and sputtered after accidentally inhaling some of the Heed I was trying to drink. Jimmy Dean Freeman was cracking me up telling stories about some recent ultras.

There are two legs of the course where training pays big dividends, and this is one of them. Jimmy Dean and his wife, Kate, were running free and easy. It didn't take long and they started to pull away. Runners trained for longer distances seem to have a much better time of it on this part of the course.

Even on a coolish day like today, the climb to Lawlor Saddle was on the warm side, and I found myself walking stretches that with just a little more "umph" I could have been running. For a while, I ran with a runner, who -- if I heard correctly -- warmed up for the Mt. Disappointment 50 miler by doing an Ironman Tri the previous weekend!

Although my time from Clear Creek to Red Box was 10 minutes faster than last year, I think my overall time would have been faster if I had taken it easier on the Josephine climb.

2007: 129 min 2008: 103 min 2009: 98 min

Mile 20.5 to 25.7 (West Fork Aid #4)

I don't know what makes this leg so difficult, but every year it's a tough one for me. Fresh, it would be a run in the park. After 21 miles of this race, and 4000' of elevation loss, "it ain't so easy anymore." Some years there is water in the creeks that cross road, and a cap-full of water over the head helps. Not this year.

Lynn Longan, another one of the runners I'd passed on the climb up to the Josephine aid station, caught up to me a little before the West Fork aid station. In addition to two 50 milers earlier in the year, she had run the TRT 50 mile three weeks ago, and the Miwok 100K before that. I was about to learn what running longer can do for you.

2007: 66 min 2008: 61 min 2009: 57 min

Mile 25.7 to 31.1 (Finish on Mt. Wilson)

I left the aid station a little ahead of Lynn, but it wasn't long and I heard footsteps coming up behind me. Looking strong, she cruised past and was soon out of sight.

I was worked. I could run some on the flat, but uphill running was not going to happen. Then there the water issue. Two bottles is never enough for me on the Kenyon DeVore climb. I knew that going in, and should have taken the time at the West Fork aid station to drink more water and defizzed cola. The plan had been to refill at a creek crossing a couple of miles up the trail. But there was a potential problem -- this year almost all of the small creeks had been dry!

The creek wasn't dry, but it wasn't all that wet either. The flow was marginal and there was a lot of debris in water. But I had refilled here several times before, so maybe it would be OK. I'd already gone through my first bottle, and had started on the second, and there was still 3.5 miles and 1700 feet of climb to go. I decided I would only drink it if I had to. Without inspecting the source too carefully, I filled the bottle and hurried back to the trail. While I had been busy getting water, two runners had run past.

The Kenyon DeVore trail is cruel. Glimpses of the antennas on Mt. Wilson look tantalizingly close, but the trail climbs, turns, and then climbs some more. I drank all of the creek water and was happy to have it. Even with the extra water, my legs were getting crampy, and I just hoped I could get to the finish without a full-on bout of adductor and hamstring cramps.

2007: 112 min 2008: 100 min 2009: 104 min

Time in... 6 hours 34 minutes -- with an average pace more than a minute per mile faster than last year, and ahead of my adjusted time goal of 6:44.

Here's an elevation profile, and a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the course, with mile splits generated by SportTracks. Click on the red icon for the split time. The 2009 course is the yellow trace, and the 2005-2008 course is the red trace.

As always the event was superbly conducted by race director Gary Hilliard, the Mt. Disappointment 50/50 Staff, and a extraordinary group of friends and volunteers. Thank you!

Related post: Mt. Disappointment 50K 2008 Notes

Technorati tags: Mt. Disappointment 50K, trail running

The thing about a dangerous situation is that you almost never see it coming. In an instant a pleasant adventure can turn really serious. We were in the San Gabriel Mountains about 2 miles down the little used South Fork Trail, and 20 minutes from Islip Saddle, when my running partner shouted, "Do you see that!"

From the tone of her voice I knew it was something serious. My first thought was a mountain lion, but then I saw it -- a bear cub clinging to a tree on the trail ahead. Sh*&! How many times had I told friends that I didn't worry too much about black bears, "unless, of course, it's a mother with her cubs."

Where was Mom? She had heard us coming down the trail, but apparently only had enough time to send her cub up the tree, and take cover. Not good, and potentially very dangerous. We couldn't see Mom, we couldn't hear Mom, but knew she was nearby. Most likely she was in the thick brush on the steep slope below the trail.

Suddenly, the cub scurried higher in the tree, its long claws digging noisily into the bark of the tree. That's when we saw that there were two cubs! The noise startled me, and I wondered if Mom -- wherever she was -- would react.

After a quick assessment, we walked quietly by the tree, and in a second or two started to jog. In a matter of seconds we were out of danger. It was fortunate that there were two of us and we were relatively noisy. A solo runner would have almost certainly surprised the mother with her cubs.

After a time the adrenalin subsided, and the rest of the run went very well. Temps were not quite as hot as expected on the low part of the course, and were pleasantly cool on Mt. Baden-Powell. Both the South Fork Trail and Manzanita Trail had been recently maintained. Some slides and washouts remain, but these are an integral part of the adventure and character of this trail run.

Update October 8, 2009. Here's a video of the cubs and Mom taken a couple of months after our encounter. The cubs have grown! It's from Cougarmagic.com, a video blog with fascinating footage of mountain lions, bears, deer, bobcats, foxes and other animals found in the mountains near Los Angeles.

More info about the approximately 23.5 mile course can be found in the post Islip Saddle - Mt. Baden-Powell South Fork Loop.

Related post: Wally Waldron Lodgepole Pine

Poison Oak Along the Blue Canyon Trail.

Since nearly all my weekday runs are in the afternoon, on Summer weekends I usually like to escape the heat and do a run in the mountains -- the higher, the better. But today even the mountains were going to be hot. Hot enough that the National Weather Service had issued an Excessive Heat Warning for a combination of heat and humidity that would "create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are likely."

It would be cooler at the higher elevations of the Sierra, but there was good chance of thunderstorms developing along the crest of the Sierra, as well as most of the higher mountains of Southern California. Considering the options, I finally decided to do an early morning run in Pt. Mugu State Park. If I was going to run in the heat, it might as well be a scenic run close to home. Maybe the weather in the mountains would be better next weekend.

There are many excellent courses at Pt. Mugu State Park. The course I was doing today is a "backward" variant of the Boney Mountain Half Marathon Course -- up the Old Boney Trail, down to the Danielson Multi-use area, up Ranch Center fire road to the Hidden Pond Trail, and then back on the Upper Sycamore Trail. Water is normally available at Danielson Multi-use area and at the start of the Upper Sycamore Trail.

I should have started the run at dawn, but instead ambled along a section of the Satwiwa Loop trail at sunrise. The light was muted and golden, stretching my shadow well out on the trail ahead. Cool trickles of air filled each dip and gully and I wondered how long the temperate conditions would last. Ironically, the last time I had done this course it had been blustery and cold, and there had been snow on the mountains above Ventura. Not today...

It was warm running up the east facing section of the Old Boney Trail, but not yet hot. The crags to the west of the Danielson cabin site, gleamed in the morning sun, and for a brief instant I debated climbing the ridge. The impulse passed, and once over the shoulder of Boney Mountain, I thoroughly enjoyed the (mostly) downhill running through the Boney Mountain Wilderness to the Blue Canyon Trail junction. Cool air draining from the shaded slopes of Boney Mountain kept temps reasonable in the canyon, and the running was good all the way to the Danielson Multi-use area.

At the Multi-use area there is a choice. The coolest and most direct route to the Upper Sycamore Trail is up shaded (and paved) Sycamore Canyon road. But with the Mt Disappointment race looming, I wanted to get in more time and elevation gain, so opted for the longer, more exposed route up the Ranch Center fire road, and then along the ridge on the Hidden Pond Trail. Yes it was hot, and the humidity was up a bit, but it was still scenic and enjoyable in a "I'm not going to let the heat get to me" kind of way. And I knew a water faucet was waiting for me at the point where the Hidden Pond Trail rejoins Sycamore Canyon road, and the Upper Sycamore Trail continues eastward.

Maybe it was the heat, or maybe the coyote had learned to scavenge food from hikers -- whatever the case the coyote ahead of me on the Upper Sycamore trail didn't seem to be in any particular hurry to get off the trail. Coyotes are an odd sort, very intelligent and adaptable, but in my experience not normally any kind of threat.

Usually they will scurry away from a runner. This coyote wasn't scurrying anywhere. I picked up the pace and clapped my hands, and eventually the animal grudgingly took cover to the side of the trail. But, as it turns out, only about 4 feet off the trail. This was odd, brazen behavior, and I kept a wary eye as I passed.

The final challenge of the morning was the hot climb up to Satwiwa on the Danielson road from the end of the Upper Sycamore Trail. The hill isn't long or particularly steep, but it faces directly into the sun. With the heat of the day building, it wasn't easy.

Overall it was an excellent run that would have been even better with an earlier start. Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the approximately 14.5 mile route.

Related post: Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit

The out and back trail run from the Chula Vista parking lot on Mt. Pinos to the top of Mt. Abel is one of the best "short" mountain runs in Southern California. Most of the run is on the Vincent Tumamait Trail -- a technical single track trail in the Chumash Wilderness in Los Padres National Forest.

Ranging in elevation from about 7700' to 8800', the run packs a lot into its 15 mile length, combining great scenery with demanding uphills and superb downhills through old growth pine and fir forest. The summit area of Mt. Pinos is open and alpine with views that can range from the ocean to the Sierra.

About 4 miles from the parking lot is the North Fork Trail junction. A short side trip on this trail leads to the seeps, spring and wildflowers at Sheep Camp. The Vincent Tumamait Trail ends at Cerro Noroeste (Mt. Abel) road, but it is not difficult to work up through the pines about 1/3 of a mile to the campground on Mt. Abel's summit.

Usually about 20-30 degrees cooler than lowland hot spots such as the San Fernando Valley, the run is a great way to beat the heat on a hot summer day. See the post Vincent Tumamait Trail for more info and additional trail running options.

The title photo is of Lynn Longan, running up the switchbacks near the Condor Observation Site on Mt. Pinos.

Mt. Cotter and Mt. Clarence King from Glen Pass.

The last time I was on Glen Pass was a brisk and brilliant October morning in the late 70's. Overnight, the first cold front of the season had covered the trail with a few inches of snow. Working up toward the pass, bright fingers of gold had reached through long shadows to illuminate the angular, lichen-covered rocks, and the new snow had sparkled in celebration of Winter's rapid approach.

Today, I'm back on Glen Pass, once again reveling in the wildness and beauty of my surroundings. There is almost no wind, and even at 12,000' the day is warm. Refreshed by late season storms, the remaining snow is bright and youthful, accenting the elegant lines of the rugged alpine terrain. In counterpoint to the snow, a patchwork of clouds decorate the intensely blue sky.

In the outdoors, each place and day is remarkable in its own way.

Here are a few photographs from the run:

University Peak (13,589'/4142 m) from the Kearsarge Pass Trail.

Spectacular running at 11,000' near Bullfrog Lake. The snowy peaks are (l-r) South Guard, Mt. Brewer, North Guard, and Mt. Francis Farquhar.

Charlotte Dome from the PCT/John Muir Trail, south of Glen Pass.

Switchbacks on the south side of Glen Pass. If you look closely you can see a pair of hikers working up the trail.

Nearing the top of Glen Pass (11,978'/3651 m).

The out and back trail run from Onion Valley (9200'/2804 m), over Kearsarge Pass (11823'/3604 m), to Glen Pass (11,978'/3651 m) worked out to about 20 miles, with an elevation gain/loss of about 4750 ft. Here's a Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of my route and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks.

Related post: Up and Over Kearsarge Pass

Our stopover at the Peruvian highland village of Tinqui was one of many memorable experiences on my running trip to Peru. At 12,400', Tinqui is the trailhead for the Ausangate Circuit -- an adventurous route around Mt. Ausangate that crosses two 16,500' passes.

A 4-5 hour bus ride from Cusco, Tinqui is pleasantly remote and rustic. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and after getting settled into our hostel, walked down the dusty main street to the market. Music and laughter erupted from a nearby crowd...

"She told me her name was billie jean, as she caused a scene
Then every head turned with eyes that dreamed of being the one
Who will dance on the floor in the round"

Boombox at his side, a blue-jeaned and baseball-capped performer treated the crowd to his best Michael Jackson.

Later that evening, breathing deeply and thinking of the run ahead, I drifted to sleep on the distant, interleaving harmonies of a Catholic Mass sung in the native Quechua language -- far from home, but not very far from the nearest boombox, and the influence of Michael Jackson.

Related posts: Peru Running, Runner on Circuit of Mt. Ausangate

Technorati Tags: michael jackson, trail running, Peru, adventure travel

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.

Later, I took a friend with more ethnographic experience to the top of the rock, and it was his opinion that the pictograph, as well as the nearby inscription, were not of modern origin. He also mentioned that the rock likely marked the point on the southeastern horizon where the sun rises on the Winter Solstice, as seen from a Chumash shrine several miles away.

The pictograph on the solstice rock appears to have been painted using an ochre pigment, which may have been mixed in an adjacent cupule. It is in a harsh environment, fully exposed to the sun, wind and rain. It's my guess that the white "alignment" reticule surrounding the pictograph is an unfortunate recent addition.

The petroglyph is in a concavity on the north side of a large boulder, and is better protected. That the drawing appears to be astronomical in nature, and is adjacent to a rock possibly used to mark the Winter solstice is probably not a coincidence.

To speculate on the purpose and meaning of such a drawing is to travel in time, and through the thoughts and eyes of another, visit a world far different than our own.

In this case that someone was probably an 'alchuklash -- an astronomer-priest-shaman who was a part of a religious-spiritual cult known as the 'antap -- a pervasive power elite within Chumash society.

The 'alchuklash were adept astronomers, not only observing the Winter and Summer Solstices, but the moon, individual stars, asterisms, constellations, planets, Milky Way, eclipses and more. The observation and interpretation of the Upper World were an integral part of the Chumash cultural and world view.

But the Upper World did not exist on its own. The Chumash appreciated and celebrated the interdependency of Nature, and events in the Upper and Lower Worlds were inexorably tied to those in the Middle World of everyday existence. Using their specialized knowledge, the 'antap facilitated communication and interaction between these worlds to the benefit, or peril, of the People.

It is in this context that in the drawing I see the powerful personage of an 'alchuklash, who has reached into the Upper World. Perhaps the drawing is a commemoration of the power of the place. Perhaps it is a kind of owner's manual, a premodern PDF, illustrating the purpose of the solstice rock. Or, perhaps it is something we cannot know.

Note: The contrast of the lines in the image has been increased to make them easier to see. In the ten years since I first photographed the etching, some detail has been lost in the lower right corner of the drawing. This image is from April 21, 2009.

Reference: Crystals in the Sky: An Intellectual Odyssey Involving Chumash Astronomy, Cosmology, and Rock Art. Travis Hudson and Ernest Underhay (Foreword by Anthony F. Aveni and illustrated by Campbell Grant). Socorro, New Mexico: Ballena Press Anthropological Papers No. 10, 1978, 163 pp.

Technorati Tags: Chumash, petroglyph, pictograph, rock art, solstice, astronomy, ethnography, shaman

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?

We were in Bear Canyon, west of Mt. Wilson, about 10 miles and 15 stream crossings into a 20 mile loop. An idyllic hike along Arroyo Seco a couple of weeks before had reminded me of this wonderfully wild trail.

Our adventure had started at Red Box, on Angeles Crest Highway. Working east down the Gabrielino Trail to the West Fork San Gabriel River, snow could be seen glistening in the morning sun on Mt. Baldy's summit slopes. There was no snow on our trail, just warm sun, buzzing bees and blooming manzanita. Continuing down the forested river canyon, we followed the Gabrielino Trail to Valley Forge, and then ascended the winding Valley Forge Trail to Eaton Saddle on the Mt. Wilson Road.

At the Mt. Lowe fire road gate at Eaton Saddle we were greeted by yellow warning tape and an "Unsafe for Travel" sign. What had happened? Did Mueller Tunnel collapse or something? Not inclined to turn back, we continued along the road, promising ourselves that we wouldn't do anything reckless.

Other than the tracks of heavy equipment, nothing seemed out of the ordinary as we approached the tunnel. I had forgotten that the tunnel is curved, and for a moment was concerned when I couldn't see the exit. But a couple of strides later the arched exit burst into view. The danger was an old one -- an ongoing rock slide just beyond the western exit of the tunnel. There must have been a big slide recently. At the moment it was passable, and we figured as long as we didn't stop under the slide, we'd probably be OK.

From Markham Saddle we followed the Mt. Lowe fire road out Mt Lowe's elongated west ridge to a single track trail that leads down to Tom Sloan Saddle. From here, the old Tom Sloan Trail descends into Bear Canyon.

Down in the canyon, I was glad to see that the neo-orange plastic tape that had marked the trail in 2007 was now tattered and faded, and not easily seen. Part of the enjoyment of a remote trail is its wildness. The trail descends the canyon -- it has nowhere else to go. When progress is blocked on one side of the stream, it crosses to the other side. Plastic tape isn't needed to show the way.

After many such stream crossings, we eventually worked our way down to the confluence of Bear Creek and Arroyo Seco. Along this reach there is a fantastic series of falls, pools and cascades. Gary Gunder and I were blown away by these drops when we kayaked Arroyo Seco down to JPL in 1998.

Following the Bear Creek trail upstream, we were careful not to miss the turn where the trail climbs steeply to the Gabrielino Trail and traverses above Switzer Falls. At Switzers Picnic area we parted ways -- Miklos and Krisztina headed back to their car at Clear Creek, and I continued up Arroyo Seco to Red Box. It was a incredibly scenic and enjoyable trail run.

Here's a Google Earth image and live Google Earth Browser View of a GPS trace of the Red Box - Bear Canyon - Switzers Loop. According to SportTracks the length of the loop was 19.5 miles with an elevation gain/loss of around 4000 ft.

Related posts: Falls Leaves on Bear Creek, Strawberry - Bear Canyon Loop

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

Because of a scheduling conflict, two friends weren't going to be able to enter a challenging new Southern California trail race -- the Bandit 30K/14K -- so today we previewed the 30K course.

The race starts in Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, and incorporates several of my favorite local trails in Rocky Peak Park. With an elevation gain in excess of 3200 ft., and varied terrain, the race promises to be a memorable test of trail running skill and endurance. A plus is that it is being run in March, when the hills are green; there is water in the creek crossings; and wildflowers along the trails.

So how was the 30K course? In a few words -- strenuous, scenic and technical -- and more difficult than either the Boney Mountain 21K or Bulldog 22K. Get all the details at BanditTrailRun.com.

Related post: Bandit 30K 2009

My legs were still pretty worked from the Boney Mountain Half Marathon. Instead of backing off of the pace on my weekday workouts, I had continued to experiment with a change in running technique that was resulting in faster paced runs. I was excited about the increase in speed, but logging fast times on oft-run courses after a strenuous race doesn't equal recovery. Neither does blasting up a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains.

But it was one of those impossible to ignore, blue sky, short-sleeved Southern California Winter weekends. This would be an unprecedented eighth straight January day that the high temperature in Los Angeles exceeded eighty degrees. In the yin yang of weather, the western half of the U.S. has been enjoying unusually warm temps, while the eastern half of the country shivered.

Taking maximum advantage of the good weather, yesterday I had done a little kayaking on the Kern River, this morning some rock climbing at Stoney Point, and now we were huffing and puffing up Strawberry Peak (6164') -- and doing it "for time."

We had started at Red Box, the shortest and technically most moderate way to climb the peak. By this route it's about 3.4 miles to the summit, with an elevation gain of roughly 1600 ft. About two-thirds of that distance is well-graded trail, the rest is steep use trail up a broad, brush covered ridge.

About halfway between Lawlor Saddle and the summit of Strawberry it became plainly and painfully evident that my legs had given their all. I complain. Miklos -- always sympathetic -- asks why I can't go any faster.

On the final steep push to the summit ridge I try a different tactic to slow the pace, and tell a story about an unbelievably angry and aggressive raccoon I once encountered near here. But like President Jimmy Carter's rabbit incident, it loses something in the telling. Redlined, we crest the summit ridge and sprint (relatively speaking) toward the summit.

On the summit, there is not a breath of wind. The view is exceptional. To the southwest, sunlight gleams on the waters of the Pacific near Palos Verdes, and to the west snow gleams white on Mt. Baldy. Some 90 miles distant, near Palm Springs, is the asymmetric silhouette of Mt. San Jacinto.

Soon we're headed down. As I drop below the summit ridge, a snowball whizzes past my ear, crashing on the trail ahead. It has been warm and dry for weeks, but remarkably, there are a few patches of snow. It is a reminder that Winter is not over, and like the snow, is lurking in the shadows.

The posts Boney Mountain - Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit and Boney Mountain Western Ridge & Loop describe two routes that ascend the north side of Boney Mountain -- a circuitous eastern ridge route, and a more difficult western ridge.

These two routes can be combined into an adventurous loop that starts and ends at the junction of Danielson Road and the Old Boney Trail. The loop, with no side trips, works out to about 4 miles. Add in the 2.5 mile approach from the Wendy Drive trailhead, and the total distance for the course is about 9 miles, with an elevation gain of a bit over 2000 ft.

I did the loop counterclockwise -- up the western ridge and then down the eastern. The New Year's weather could not have been better. Dense fog clung to the coast, but a brisk offshore breeze kept inland views crystal-clear. On the way up the western ridge I couldn't resist doing a short detour to climb one of the crag's appealing summits.

At the top of the western ridge, I briefly debated doing Tri-Peaks and Big Dome, but was hoping to make it home by noon, so skipped those side trips.

With gravity on my side, the run down the eastern ridge was not nearly as gnarly as I thought it might be. I was running in Inov-8 Roclite 305s -- nimble shoes with a fell running heritage. Mine weigh only 21.1 oz./pair (US 9.0) and were particularly well-suited to the rough terrain.

This climb and adventure run was a great way to start the New Year -- and I did make it home in time for lunch with my wife!

Here's a Google Earth image of a GPS trace of my route.

Two routes are commonly used to climb the rugged north side of Boney Mountain. One route ascends a ridge to the east of the Danielson cabin site, and the other a rocky ridge to the west of the site. Today, I was planning to do the western ridge, and then continue up and over Tri-Peaks to the Chamberlain segment of the Backbone Trail.

The day was chilly. In the deep shadows along Danielson Road, puddles of water were frozen, and frosty soil crunched underfoot. Shadow turned to sun at the turnoff to the cabin site, and I paused for a moment to enjoy the warm sunshine and gaze at the rocks towering above Danielson's canyon. This impressive formation straddles the western ridge and I wondered just how spectacular the crags would be.

Spurred by a small surge of adrenalin, I turned and continued up the Old Boney Trail. From its highpoint I followed a use trail to the top of benchmarked "Hill 1918." The first big outcrops loom above this point, and they mark the start of the more challenging part of the western ridge.

Although some sections were a bit overgrown, the route was fairly well defined. Despite appearances, there was no significant bushwacking, and only a little scrambling up, or across, short sections of low angle rock. By usual mountaineering standards the climbing was not difficult -- class 2 to marginal class 3 -- but some skilled route finding is required. It was fun finding my way through the imposing outcrops of angular and pocketed Conejo volcanic rock.

Higher on the ridge the route played tag with the edge of the precipitous cliffs of the Boney Mountain escarpment. At various points there are craggy views of Pt. Mugu State Park, the Channel Islands, Oxnard Plain, and the mountains of Ventura and Santa Barbara. Eventually, the route emerges from a steep thicket of red shanks at a small saddle north of Tri-Peaks.

From here, I continued to Tri-Peaks and was soon enjoying the superlative downhill of the Chamberlain Trail. This time, instead taking one of several routes down to Big Sycamore Canyon, I looped back on the Old Boney Trail to the start of the climb. From here I retraced my route on the Danielson Road back to Satwiwa and the Wendy Drive trailhead.

The course worked out to about 16 miles with an elevation gain of over 4000 ft.

Some related posts: Boney Mountain - Big Sycamore Canyon Circuit - Coyote Trail Variation, Clearing Clouds on Boney Mountain

We stopped for a few moments at the river crossing, where water stood in pools waiting for Winter rain. Instead, cold air flowed down its course, cool and refreshing. From this point there would be little shade. Rarely cold, the climb out from the West Fork San Gabriel River to Shortcut Saddle is often warm, and sometimes debilitating.

Miklos, Krisztina and I were doing the Shortcut Saddle - Mt. Wilson loop -- an approximately 22 mile loop that includes two memorable climbs from the Mt. Disappointment 50K and 50M runs. The loop also incorporates the Rim Trail, an adventurous trail that is rough, steep, and washed out at points, but also includes long stretches of excellent trail running. The route starts with almost four miles of downhill on the the Silver Moccasin Trail -- a good warmup and a great way to start a trail running day.

Thankfully, today the weather was cool and the Fall shadows long. This translated to more running and a faster pace up Rincon-Edison road. Even so, we were happy to reach the point where the Silver Moccasin Trail shortcuts the last long switchback of the road, and followed this more direct route up to the trailhead.

Our variation of the climb from the W.F. San Gabriel River to Shortcut Saddle on the Rincon-Edison Road was about 5.6 miles long, with an elevation gain of about 1925 ft. The climb from the W.F. San Gabriel River at West Fork campground up the Gabrielino and Kenyon DeVore trails to the Mt. Wilson parking lot worked out to about a 2550' elevation gain in 5.2 miles. The total elevation gain for the loop is about 4500'.

Related posts: Angeles High Country, Mt. Disappointment 50K 2008 Notes

Scruffy clouds clung to the mountain ridges and summits, confirmation that a weak cold front was moving through the area, cooling temperatures and stirring up the wind. The forecast for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area had mentioned 25 to 35 mph winds with gusts to 60 mph. So far the weather in Pt. Mugu State Park had been nearly perfect -- breezy and little chilly, but without the impenetrable winds that can take all the joy out of running.

Earlier we had climbed the Fossil Trail, a steep mile-long trail that connects the Upper Sycamore Trail, near its junction with Sycamore Canyon Road, to the Old Boney Trail. With only a few weeks remaining to the Solstice, shadows in the canyon were long and the light wintery. I thought we might have missed the fossils, but we happened on a nice exposure about a tenth of a mile below the Old Boney Trail junction.

About 5.5 miles later, we turned off the Old Boney Trail and descended to the rolling grasslands of Serrano Valley, another "must see" area of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Located on the east side of Big Sycamore Canyon, Serrano Valley is a more rugged counterpart to La Jolla Valley, just three miles to the west. Overseen by the castle-like summits of Boney Mountain, its vistas have a roughhewn edge, reminiscent of the most wild areas of the western U.S.

Here is a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of our approximately 19 mile route to Serrano Valley and back to Wendy Drive.

Related posts: La Jolla Valley & Mugu Peak from Wendy Drive, Fossil Trail - Pt. Mugu State Park

When I woke to the rumble of thunder, rain pounding the roof, and wind roaring in the trees, I wondered if a planned run of the Boney Mountain Half Marathon course with John Dale was going to turn into an epic. Radar and satellite imagery showed subtropical moisture streaming in from the southwest, producing bands of showers and thunderstorms. Things don't always look as bad at the trailhead as they do on weather radar, so I grabbed my gear and headed for Wendy Drive.

The weather looked promising driving through Agoura, but the further west I drove, the more ominous the skies became. Somewhere around Lynn Road KNX announced that the NWS had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the Santa Clarita area, with cloud to ground lightning, heavy rain, possible damaging winds and dime-sized hail. It was with that thought in mind, and a shower pelting the car, that I pulled into the parking area on Potrero Rd.

If anything, weather is fickle, and sometimes that quirkiness can work for you. There was an area of heavy rain to the west, but the activity appeared to be skirting the area, so we opted to start the run.

There were a few sprinkles as we jogged down the blacktop into Big Sycamore Canyon, and a few more as we did the first easy mile of the Hidden Pond Trail. Down in the canyon it was hard to tell what the weather was doing, but after gaining some elevation we reached a better vantage point. Just a few miles away thunderstorms were being swept northeast from the Santa Barbara Channel, across the Oxnard Plain, and into the Ventura Mountains.

Skies darkened and the shower intensity increased as we ran down Ranch Center Fire Road. The wind was blowing in the fitful gusts that precede a thunderstorm, and it felt as if the sky might fall at any moment. With a slight shift in the track of the thunderstorms we might be running in a deluge, dodging lightning strikes.

But it didn't shift. Following the shower, the sun broke through the clouds just long enough to add glints to the raindrops dripping from the leaves of sycamores and oaks in Blue Canyon. Under overcast skies, we climbed up the Old Boney Trail and into the Boney Mountain Wilderness.

We had not seen a hiker, runner, or rider since turning onto the Hidden Pond Trail early in the run. So it was a bit of a surprise when we rounded a corner and ran into Ed Reid and several other volunteers with the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council doing trail maintenance on a section of the Old Boney Trail.

Just about any weekend of the year, dedicated members of the SMMTC will be somewhere in the Santa Monica Mountains, working on a trail. To get a better idea of the amount of work done and the number of trails involved, take a look at this list of recently maintained trails! How many of these have you hiked, run or ridden?

There are several ways to help support SMMTC:

• Volunteer to do trail maintenance.
• Join the SMMTC.
• Make your REI purchases using the REI link on the SMMTC web site. REI will donate a percentage of the purchase to SMMTC.

See the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council web site for more info.

Some related posts: Boney Mountain Half Marathon, Return to Hidden Pond

The scat appeared to be a day or two old, and was much bigger than a coyote's. It was full of fur and could only be from one animal -- a mountain lion. The spot had been used before, and it probably wasn't a coincidence that this was one of the few points along the trail with a good view and nearby cover. I looked into the brush and wondered if unseen eyes looked back.

The sun was well above the horizon, but the first gusts of a developing Santa Ana wind kept the morning cool. No one was on the trail ahead or behind me, and the best I could tell, I was the only two-legged creature within sight.

Walking slowly from the spot, I surveyed the secluded valley. Perched on the edge of the coastal mountains, La Jolla Valley is extraordinary. Surrounded by wind-sculpted peaks, it is situated above and to the west of Big Sycamore Canyon. Its bottom is carpeted with areas of native and non-native grass. Only a tiny percentage of California's native perennial grasslands remain, and like the big trees, they are relics of the past. Preservation of this native grassland is probably due to the valley's proximity to the ocean, and its unique microclimate.

Here, trails have been run and peaks climbed for thousands of years. (Charcoal at an archaeological site in the valley has been dated to a maximum age of 7000 B.P.) Above me a raven calls, and Spirit-like, a gust of wind rustles through the grass. Respectfully, I continue running in the direction of Mugu Peak.

---

The run from Wendy Dr. was more moderate than expected. The first 3 miles of Sycamore Canyon Fire Road are paved, and whether on the fire road, or the single track trails that parallel the road at times, a fast pace can be maintained down to the junction with Wood Canyon Fire Road.

The Wood Canyon Vista Trail/Backbone Trail takes off right (west) from Sycamore Canyon Fire Road a short distance past the Wood Canyon Fire Road junction. It is moderately graded and very runnable. At it's top a short zig right (north) on the Overlook Fire Road leads to the La Jolla Valley Fire Road, which can be followed left (west) down into La Jolla Valley.

Many, many variations of this course are possible. Here's a trail map from the La Jolla Valley Natural Preserve web page. Depending on whether you want the beta, a little time in Google Earth should help clarify the options. This particular course worked out to about 21 miles, with about 2200 ft. of elevation gain/loss. Here's a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of my route.

It's fun to link together several trails into a loop, and it's even more fun when the trails are single-track, or at least have a single-track flavor. The Boney Mountain - Big Sycamore Canyon circuit links together segments of more than ten trails and roads in Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa and Pt. Mugu State Park. The route is characterized by airy ridges, steep climbs, wide-ranging views, towering rock formations, and one of the best downhill running segments in the Santa Monica Mountains. Today's run expanded the loop, adding even more single-track trail -- and elevation gain.

This route also climbs over Boney Mountain and descends the Chamberlain Trail segment of the Backbone Trail. However, at the Old Boney Trail junction, instead of descending to the Danielson multi-use area on the Old Boney Trail (northbound) and Blue Canyon Trail, this route follows the Old Boney Trail (westbound) to Sycamore Canyon Fire Road.

From the junction of the Old Boney Trail with the Sycamore Canyon Fire Road the goal is to hook up with the Coyote Trail, which can be seen switchbacking steeply up a slope on the other side of the canyon. We did this by continuing about 0.5 mile down Sycamore Canyon Fire Road, and then turning right on Wood Canyon Fire Road. The Two Foxes Trail starts a short distance up the fire road, and in about 0.4 mile leads to the start of the Coyote Trail. Once on the Coyote Trail it is about 2.3 tough -- and often hot -- miles to the start of the Hidden Pond Trail at Ranch Center Road. The rest of the route is the same as in the Boney Mountain - Big Sycamore Canyon circuit.

All in all the course is about 21 miles long, with 4000 ft. of elevation gain/loss. Here's a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the route.

Updated 8/05/09. Added browser view of GPS trace of the course. Uses Google Earth plugin.

Updated 8/20/08. Added Split Rank listings (PDF) for 2007 50K and 50M, and related comments.

Winding down the precipitous Mt. Wilson road, I thought about the run ahead. To my left granite and pine glowed golden in the morning sun, and to my right the mountain plunged in long shadows, 2000' into the canyon of the West Fork San Gabriel River.

In a few hours I would be somewhere down in that canyon, plodding along sun-baked Red Box road. By then the temperature would be in the mid-eighties, but in the full sun it would feel like a hundred. That would be around mile 23. I kicked a pebble and winced as it almost hit the heel of the runner in front of me. Only at mile 1-something, there were a lot of miles to go.

This was the fourth running of the Mt. Disappointment 50K, and my fourth as well. If ever a race route mirrored the character of its organizer, the Mt. Disappointment Endurance Runs reflect the tough and tenacious character of race director Gary Hilliard. Starting and ending near the summit of 5710' Mt. Wilson, the figure-8 50K course is a challenging mix of mostly single track trails and dirt roads with an honest 5800' of elevation gain/loss. A very difficult 50 mile option was added in 2007, and is a favorite of runners training for the Angeles Crest 100.

Even for the experienced trail runner, the Mt. Disappointment 50K is no gimme. Consider the following stat:

Nearly half (44%) of the 5800' of elevation gain is in the last 5.3 miles of the 31.5 mile race!

Did you push the downhills too hard? Not eat enough? Electrolytes low? Whatever miscalculations have been made earlier in the race will be rung up here -- ka-ching! The runner that has nothing left for this climb can take hours to complete it.

One possible gotcha is that 8.6 miles of the first 11 miles are downhill, and it is very difficult to resist being swept along by gravity and the crowd. The early enthusiasm of surrounding runners is contagious. In 2007, I pushed the pace to Clear Creek too hard, and bonked on the backside of Strawberry Peak. I could barely run. The uphill stretch on the Strawberry Trail to Lawlor Saddle seemed to go on forever, and even the downhill to Red Box was hard to run. I didn't see how I could finish the race.

How bad did it get? Out of curiosity I used the splits from the 2007 race to calculate each runner's rank at each aid station, as well as their time between each aid station. At Clear Creek my rank was 58th, and by Red Box it had blossomed to 82nd. That means between Clear Creek and Red Box I was passed (and encouraged) by 24 runners. Here are the calculated 2007 50K Split Ranks and the 2007 50M Split Ranks. Some splits were missing and had to be estimated -- these could be wildly inaccurate.

I did finish, but it wasn't fun. This year I was determined not to repeat that experience. The plan was to be about 10 minutes slower at the Clear Creek aid station; gain back that time, and more, by Red Box (Aid #3); run the Red Box Rd. segment in about an hour; and then do the final climb back to Mt. Wilson in about 1:40. That would put me closer to my 2005 and 2006 times.

Here are some notes from along the way. Times are from aid station to aid station, and are approximate.

Mile 0 to 5.7 (Red Box Aid #1): Kept the pace easy on the paved road down to Eaton Saddle. Didn't push the climb up Mt. Disappointment, or on the steep, switchbacking trail down to the Mt. Wilson road. 2007: 59 min 2008: 66 min

Mile 5.7 to 10.8 (Clear Creek Aid #2): Continued to hold back some on the pace down the old roadbed to Switzers. Felt good on the short climb from Switzers to Clear Creek and passed a couple of runners. 2007: 58 min 2008: 63 min

Mile 10.8 to 21.2 (Red Box Aid #3): Ran some of the more gradual uphill stretches on the Josephine Fire Road, but walked the majority of it. Passed a few people. The average grade of the 2.8 mile segment up the Josephine Fire Road is about 520 ft./mile, which is somewhat less than Kenyon-Devore's 616 ft/mile. Enjoyed some watermelon and chips at the "water only" aid station at the top of the climb (mile 13.4). Time up the hill was 43 minutes -- about the same as in 2007. Unlike last year was able to run and enjoy most of the Colby Canyon Trail, as well as the downhill from Lawlor Saddle to Red Box. The uphill stretch from the Colby Canyon Trail JUnction to Lawlor Saddle was still a long -- and warm -- 1.8 miles. Its average grade is about 411 ft/mile. 2007: 172 min 2008: 150 min

Mile 21.2 to 26.2 (West Fork Aid #4): In previous years this section has been the most difficult for me, and it was again this year. I could whine about the heat, but I think this is where extra training miles would make a big difference. I was happy to see the creeks running again this year, and stopped a couple of times to dump water on my head. Ahhhh... 2007: 66 min 2008: 61 min

Mile 26.2 to 31.5 (Finish on Mt. Wilson): By the time I got to the West Fork aid station, I was ready for something other than downhill. At the aid station I gulped down three cups of defizzed Coke and some water, and refilled one bottle with Heed and the other with ice and water. I still had two GU's for quick energy later in the climb. I was able to run part of the 1.5 miles up the canyon to where the Kenyon DeVore trail splits from the Gabrielino trail, and the 3.1 mile Kenyon-Devore trail went well. Many of my long trail runs this Summer -- in the Sierra, San Gabriels and on San Gorgonio -- have been on steep terrain, and that, along with a slower start, probably helped here. 2007: 112 min 2008: 100 min

Overall, my time was 27 minutes faster than in 2007. But that's just a figure on paper and doesn't begin to describe how much better I felt during the race, and how much more I enjoyed it. Start slow, start slow, START SLOW is an ultrarunning adage we all know, but in the fervor of race it is often one of the first maxims that is forgotten.

Again this year, Gary Hilliard and crew made sure everything was just so -- trails, aid, awards, finish line food, 2000 lbs. of ice, Brooks t-shirt, goody bag and more. Always an adventure, the Mt. Disappointment 50K is a trail running classic. Many thanks to all that make it happen!

Here's a Google Earth image, Google Earth KMZ file, and Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of the course, with mile splits generated by SportTracks. In Google Earth, click on the red icon for the split time, pace and elevation change.

The title photograph was taken at about mile 17.5 on the course, just past the junction of the Strawberry and Colby Canyon trails, and is looking back at the terrain traversed by the Colby Canyon Trail on the north side of Strawberry Peak. It is from November 2007.

P.S. About 20 minutes after I finished the 50K, Jorge Pacheco completed the 50 mile race in an astounding 7:41, crushing the course record he set last year by almost 45 minutes! Full results are posted on the Mt. Disappointment Endurance Runs web site.

Technorati Tags: Mt. Disappointment 50K, trail running

Maybe it's because it's been in the news recently, but when pondering how to characterize today's trail run, I couldn't help but think of the JFK quote, "We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard..." This loop is arduous, adventurous, and challenging. While the difficulty of this route is one of the things that makes it interesting, it isn't just the difficulty that makes it appealing.

Part of the appeal is the mix of trails and terrain, and the contrasting environments. The high point of the route is 9,399' Mt. Baden-Powell. Cool, airy and alpine, it is the home of ancient Lodgepole and Limber pines. The low point of the route is 4,560' South Fork Campground. On the margin of the Mojave Desert, it is often hot and sometimes torrid. Midday temperatures here can reach well over 100°F. The route encompasses life zones ranging from the Upper Sonoran to the Hudsonian, and passes through a variety of plant communities. The San Andreas Fault Zone runs along the base of the mountains, torturing the area's rocks, and producing a complex and fascinating geology.

From Islip Saddle the route descends the South Fork trail to South Fork Campground, then climbs 5000' on the Manzanita and Pacific Crest trails to the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell. From here it follows the PCT back to Islip Saddle. In general, the part of the route that is on the PCT -- above Hwy 2 -- is well marked and maintained. However, on the South Fork and Manzanita trails -- below Hwy 2 -- you are on your own.

There are rock slides on the South Fork trail, and there are steep, washed out erosion gullies on the Manzanita trail. Recent thunderstorms have further damaged the eroded sections of the Manzanita Trail. In addition, the Manzanita trail crosses boulder-strewn washes that can make the trail difficult to follow. It is not a trail I would want to be on when there is heavy rainfall. The South Fork and Manzanita trails are part of the High Desert National Recreation Trail.

Google Earth images and KMZ files, and more info about the loop can be found in the posts Complications, Wally Waldron Lodgepole Pine, and Heat Wave.

Lowland blues got you down? Are you beginning to think faux pine tree cell towers aren't that ugly? Do you gaze longingly at distant mountains and then realize you're looking at a billboard?

When I feel that way, one of the close-to-home hikes/runs that satiates the alpine craving is the Falls Creek loop on Mt. San Gorgonio. The 'Falls Creek up, Vivian Creek down' route has been a high mountain favorite of mine for a number of years. It is as rigorous as it is beautiful. About 24.5 miles long, it gains approximately 6600' on the way to the 11,499' summit of San Gorgonio.

Even at 7:30 in the morning, the climb out from the Momyer trailhead on the steep, south-facing slope of Mill Creek canyon had been warm, but in about an hour we were in the firs and pines, and contouring into the shaded drainage of Alger Creek. Another 30 minutes and the trail has joined the route of the original Falls Creek trail -- climbing to the eastern side of the divide between Alger Creek and Falls Creek and turning north as it entered the Falls Creek drainage. (A spur trail descends to Dobbs Camp.)

The trail up the Falls Creek drainage has few switchbacks and is deceivingly steep, but the segment is one I always enjoy. Near Saxton Camp its course works back into a lush side canyon, where it crosses an idyllic stream in a pastoral mountain setting. Above Saxton Camp, the area has an isolated, big sky, big mountain feel. Bright green slopes of manzanita extend upward for miles, and stale flatland sights, smells and sounds are displaced in favor of deep blue skies, the minty fragrance of pennyroyal, and the raucous shouts of Stellar's jays.

Just get me to Dollar Lake Saddle... Please! I don't know what it is about this section of trail, but the short 1000' climb from Plummer Meadows to Dollar Lake Saddle is always tougher than I expect. Maybe it's the altitude, maybe it's the miles I've run during the week, or maybe it's a gravity anomaly -- whatever, it's a relief to get to the saddle.

Above the saddle, the trail becomes more airy and alpine, and at times there are views of the summit area of Gorgonio and down Gorgonio's north face. Adrenalin flows and the effort required seems to ease. Sometimes running, sometimes hiking, we continue up the rocky path.

About an hour above Dollar Lake Saddle, we jog across a nice flat stretch of trail just below Gorgonio's summit. It's around noon when Andrew and I weave our way through a final few boulders to the summit. Relaxing on the summit, we chat with others about their routes, and talk about running and the mountains.

In February, Andrew caught the trail running bug. In May he completed his first ultra -- a fifty miler. Now he's training to run the Angeles Crest 100 mile endurance run in September. Today's ascent of San Gorgonio is the first of two long mountain trail runs he will do this weekend.

After about 15-20 minutes on the summit, we jog back to the Vivian Creek trail, jump on the escalator and head down. There are the usual stops to get water at Upper Vivian Creek (the last water was at Plummer Meadows), and to take a few photographs. There's also a quick stop to have our wilderness permit checked.

Around 2:50 we're off the mountain and crossing Mill Creek, and in a few minutes we're running down the blacktop and back to Momyer.

Here's a Google Earth image and Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of the loop. Surprisingly, it is only about 1.5 miles shorter than the "high line" loop that ascends East San Bernardino Peak before traversing to Mt. San Gorgonio.

Related post: San Gorgonio High Line

It isn't unusual for snow to persist on New Army Pass (12,300') well into July. Strong northwest winds, following in the wake of blustery Winter storms, blow freshly fallen snow over the crest and into this cirque, forming cornices along its lip, and dense slabs of wind-ground snow in it's lee.

That's why the July 1 Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park Trail Conditions report for New Army Pass seemed plausible. It read, "The top of the pass has an 30 foot snow wall - ice axe recommended."

The reported trail conditions are a compilation of reports from the field, and are not always up-to-date. Having been over the pass a number of times, and in a variety of conditions, I thought that we would probably be able to bypass any remaining patches of snow without needing an ice axe. Worst case, if the pass looked dicey, we could use Cirque Peak or some other alternative route to attain the crest.

We need not have worried. While there was snow in the cirque, and in a couple of places along the trail near the top of the pass, the trail was completely clear. Even so, it was a good excuse to do the 21 mile Cottonwood loop counterclockwise -- the reverse of my usual circuit -- climbing up New Army Pass from the Cottonwood Lakes side, and then running down into Rock Creek basin.

Now that I've done the loop in both directions, I think I prefer the clockwise circuit. The 9 miles of running from New Army Pass down through the Cottonwood Lakes basin is generally better than the running down from Chicken Spring Lake and Cottonwood Pass. Also, there's more downhill on some sandy sections of trail between Chicken Spring Lake and Rock Creek. The tradeoff is you give up the nice downhill into Rock Creek basin, and near the end of the loop have a mile or so of annoying uphill.

Here's a Google Earth image, Google Earth KMZ file, and an elevation profile of a GPS trace of the route. (The elevation profile was generated using SportTracks.)

Related posts: Cottonwood - New Army Pass Loop, Mt. Langley in a Day from L.A.

Poised on a glacial bench a dozen miles west, and few thousand feet above Independence, California, Onion Valley is the starting point for many a Sierra adventure. Kearsarge Pass provides relatively quick and easy access to the heart of the Sierra, and the more technical passes south and north of Kearsarge can be used by mountaineers to access peaks along the crest, or basins on the west side of the crest.

It is an area that is dramatically alpine, and I have returned again and again to climb peaks such as Independence Peak and University Peak and to hike, run and explore. One Summer Phil Warrender and I did a trans-Sierra hike that started here and took us over University Pass, Andy's Foot Pass (13,600'), Milly's Foot Pass, Longley Pass and Sphinx Pass, ending at Cedar Grove. We went superlight (about 15 lb. packs w/o ice axe), did as much cross-county as possible, and climbed a few peaks along the way.

Today Miklos, Krisztina and I were doing a reconnaissance hike/run up and over Kearsarge Pass, and down into the Kearsarge - Bullfrog - Charlotte Lakes basin, and back. The idea was to pick a time when the Kearsarge Pass trail would be mostly free of snow, but when much of the surrounding terrain would still be accented in white.

What a day! Perfect temps, little wind, excellent trail conditions, super scenery, and absolutely outstanding trail running.

Here are a few photographs:

Big Pothole Lake from the east side of Kearsarge Pass. Nameless Pyramid (right) and University Peak (left) on the skyline.

View west from Kearsarge Pass over Kearsarge Lakes and Pinnacles to Mt. Brewer (left), North Guard (middle) and Mt. Francis Farquhar (right) on the skyline.

Kearsarge Lakes and Pinnacles from the north.

Miklos and Krisztina above Bullfrog Lake. East Vidette is the prominent conic peak. Deerhorn Mountain is at the head of the recess to the right of East Vidette.

Scrambling above the John Muir Trail about a mile from Glen Pass. Charlotte Dome is in the distance.

Here's a Google Earth image and a Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of our route.

When considering where I might run this weekend, the words "snow" and "altitude" had a certain appeal. Record high temperatures had been set in the Los Angeles area on Friday and Saturday, and there was little doubt that more temperature records would fall today.

A couple of weeks before I had dodged a few remnant snow drifts on Pleasant View Ridge. From that vantage point you could see that there was much more snow on the steep, north facing slopes along the ridge between Mt. Islip and Mt. Baden-Powell. The S-shaped ridge spans a distance of several miles and links five peaks over 8000 ft: Mt. Islip, Mt. Hawkins, Throop Peak, Mt. Burnham, and Mt. Baden-Powell. Two of the peaks, Mt. Baden-Powell and Throop Peak, exceed 9000 ft. Today, the plan was to do these five peaks as part of an approximately 17 mile out and back route from Islip Saddle, enjoy the snow before it melted, and try to escape the triple digit temps of the lowlands.

Logistically, the difficult peak is Mt. Islip. While the other peaks can be done with relatively minor deviations from the trail, Mt. Islip stands alone, more than a mile from the PCT at Windy Gap. This time I opted to climb Mt. Islip from Islip Saddle via the northwest ridge. I've been investigating stunted Jeffrey and Sugar pines found along the windswept ridges of the San Gabriels, and this direct approach would give me the opportunity to check out more trees.

That was this morning, now I was on by way back from Mt. Baden-Powell, and about a quarter-mile east of Throop Peak. Hot, thirsty, dispirited, and nearly out of water, I had stopped to dig into the side of a dirty snowbank-- attempting to get to snow that at least looked clean. The air temperature was eighty-something, but my fingers were stinging with cold as I scooped the coarse crystals into my Camelbak.

It's amazing what a few sips of chilled water and an icy cold pack against your back can do for your demeanor. A few minutes before I had been debating whether I should just skip Throop Peak and Mt. Hawkins, and get down to Little Jimmy Spring ASAP. Now I could do these peaks and continue to enjoy a very warm -- but beautiful -- day in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Here's a Google Earth image and a Google Earth KMZ file of a GPS trace of my route. GPS reception was poor climbing the ridge to Mt. Islip.

Related post: Snowless San Gabriels