A bracket fungus (prob. Laetiporus gilbertsonii) on a burned eucalyptus in the Simi Hills.

It's mid-August, which means that Labor Day, and the Mt. Baldy Run to the Top, are only a couple of weeks away. There's nothing quite like the experience of racing to the top of a 10,000 ft. peak en masse with 500+ other runners.

There are three basic choices for running hydration: hand bottles, a waist pack, or a back pack. There are also various combinations of these basic themes. If you do much off-road running, chances are good you have at least one version from each category. Until recently I had not tried any of the waist packs with a horizontally oriented bottle. Why not?

We did this acclimatization run early in our running adventure in Peru. The grain field is on a plateau at about 11,000', and parallels the Sacred Valley of the Incas, and Urubamba River.

Many runners are fanatical about their shoes. Trail runners are no different, and every runner has their favorite. For several years my favorite trail running shoe has been the Montrail Vitesse. This is a shoe that straight out of the box, I would not hesitate to wear in a 50K. I've tried several of the newer Montrail designs, but none performed as well for me as the Vitesse. That is, until I tried the Continental Divide.

Update 09/25/08. According to Columbia Sportswear customer service, the Continental Divide style is in the Fall '08 line, but will not be continued in Spring '09.

Update 09/18/08. Sadly, according to Columbia Sportswear customer service, the Vitesse style is no longer being produced and their current inventory of the Vitesse for the fall '08 season is limited.

Update 01/15/08. My latest pair of Vitesse's (made in China) seem to be a very different shoe than the dozens of pairs in which I've run before. They seemed to be short for the size, a little more narrow in the forefoot, and the cushioning and shock absorption didn't feel up to par. Montrail was purchased by Columbia Sportswear about a year and a half ago and according to a customer service rep, "manufacturing of the shoes moved to new factories." An ultrarunning friend had a similar sizing problem with his last order of two pairs of Vitesses, but said the cushioning was OK. Maybe my latest pair was an aberration. I hope so.

Update 08/19/07. Each of my last two pairs of Continental Divides have weighed more than the first pair. The second weighed 30.6 oz./pair, and the third weighed 32.0 oz./pair! My last two pairs of Vitesses have weighed in at 27.0 oz./pair. At only 24.2 oz./pair, the adidas Trail Response 14 is my most lightweight trail running shoe.

A native of the Mediterranean, Milk Thistle is an invasive weed that appears to be increasingly profuse in roadside areas of Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve. Generally considered detrimental in the wild, the plant has been used medicinally for at least 2000 years, and is cultivated in Texas, Canada and Argentina.

Cucumber Beetles (Acalymma trivittata) munching on the pistillate blossom of the wild gourd Calabazilla (Cucurbita foetidissima). The photograph is from Sunday's Ahmanson-Cheeseboro run.

A study of new growth on a California Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica) at Sage Ranch that was burned and completely defoliated in the 2005 Topanga Fire. These are crown sprouts growing from the base of the tree.

The photograph is of valley oak savannah on the north slopes of Laskey Mesa in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch). This area was burned in the 2005 Topanga Fire. If you look closely, the condition of the trees varies widely. Some have full crowns; some partial crowns; and some are nearly bare.

A study of a Limber Pine cone on the summit plateau of Mt. Pinos (8831'). The photograph was taken on the Mt. Pinos - Lily Meadows - Mt. Abel run described in Thunderstorm.

Developing Cumulonimbus near Mt. Abel

Saturday, Pierce College in Woodland Hills set an all-time record high temperature of 119°F. This was probably the highest temperature ever recorded at an official weather station in Los Angeles County. To escape this oppressive heat, my intent was to get to the highest elevation possible, as early as possible, and stay as cool as possible. Little did I know the harrowing adventure that would result.

As I turned into the Vincent Gap parking lot and pulled to a stop, a few sprinkles of rain dotted my windshield. Opening the car door, I wanted to close it again. It was 7:30 in the morning and the temperature was already nearing 70 degrees. My plan was to do the Islip Saddle - South Fork - Mt. Baden-Powell loop from the Vincent Gap side. The day was really too warm to be doing this route, but with a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast maybe some clouds would help keep temps in check. I'd run at least to Little Jimmy Spring. If it was too hot, I could always head back.