The post on the XTERRA web site said the new Crystal Cove 15K course had been approved, and also mentioned something about a "gnarly" hill. I thought I better check it out, and followed a link to the course info on MapMyRun.

The elevation profile didn't look too bad. It had the usual ups and downs you expect to see on a Southern California trail run. In Tour de France fashion, MapMyRun categorizes the more difficult climbs on a course from Cat 5 to Cat 1 with Cat 1 being more difficult.  Climbs that are crazy difficult are rated Hors catégorie (HC). A climb has to be at least 0.3 mile long to be categorized.

Two categorized climbs were noted on the MapMyRun elevation profile of the Crystal Cove 15K course: a Cat 3 that began about a half-mile into the race and climbed about 775' over 3.4 miles, and a Cat 5 that started at about mile 4.7 and gained about 130'. The gnarly climb was supposed to be somewhere around mile 5, but the MapMyRun profile indicated that section had a grade of 2.6%??

The gnarly hill was waiting for us around a sharp corner at mile 4.75. Locals refer to it as the Elevator, but the runners I talked to call it THE WALL. Since you ride an Elevator, but have to crawl up and over a wall I'm going with THE WALL. Whatever you call the thing, it was the steepest pitch I've ever encountered on a race course, and steep enough that hikers often descend it on their backside. (It's steeper than it looks in the video!)

And once you've clawed your way over THE WALL you're not done -- the hill continues another 0.4 mile and averages about a 15% grade. I pushed on up the climb, propelled by the thought that the MapMyRun profile showed it was nearly all downhill from around mile 5.7 to the Finish -- I would have almost four miles of downhill bliss.

Or not! It was in the middle of the uphill around mile seven that I was beginning to wonder when the "good" downhill was going to begin. It had to start soon; the course was only about 9.5 miles long! After struggling to keep my pace up through a long stretch of level terrain around mile eight, I wondered -- probably out loud -- if the course was going to fall off the edge of the earth.

From madness comes revelation, and in this case the edge of the world. The last mile-plus of the course plummeted nearly 700 quad-numbing feet to the Finish.

Reality check: Here's a higher resolution elevation profile generated in SportTracks using my GPS track from this year's race. You can see there was a lot more to the course than shown in the MapMyRun profile. There are several tough climbs, ranging in grade from about 5% to 15%, and the last big hill was definitely gnarly! The course was great, and much more interesting than the MapMyRun profile suggested.

Here's a Crystal Cove State Park Trail Map (PDF).

There are about 15 creek crossings on the Serrano Canyon Trail. In a wet rainy season you might even get your shoes wet!

From last Sunday's adventure run over Boney Mountain and down to Serrano Valley.

Craig had never done any rock climbing, but was doing a great job of scrambling up the steep gullies, and climbing the short sections of knobby, low angle volcanic rock. We were climbing up through a maze of brush and rock formations on the steep ridge that follows Boney Mountain's western escarpment. The scramble up the western ridge would be well worth the effort. The route is a shortcut to the Backbone Trail and some of the most spectacular running in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Our run had started at Wendy Drive & Potrero Road in Newbury Park. We were doing a 20 mile loop that was about as varied as a trail run can be. In addition to the 1.5 mile ascent of Boney Mountain, there would be about 13 miles of single track trail, 4.3 miles of dirt road, and even 1.7 miles of paved road.

After getting through the maze to the Backbone Trail we would do the classic run down the Chamberlain Trail to the Old Boney Trail. From the bottom of the Chamberlain Trail there are four major variations. Three of these lead to Big Sycamore Canyon and one loops directly back to the start of the climb up Boney Mountain:

- Turn left (west) on the Old Boney Trail and at the junction of the Serrano Valley & Old Boney trails follow the Serrano Valley Trail and then the Serrano Canyon Trail to Big Sycamore Canyon. This was the route we were doing today.

- Turn left (west) on the Old Boney Trail and follow it all the way to Big Sycamore Canyon.

- Turn right (east) on the Old Boney Trail and at the junction of the Blue Canyon & Old Boney trails, continue down the Blue Canyon Trail to the Danielson Multi-use area in Big Sycamore Canyon.

- Turn right (east) on the Old Boney Trail and at the junction of the Blue Canyon & Old Boney trails, turn up the Old Boney trail and  follow it  over the shoulder of Boney Mountain and back to the point where the ascent of Boney Mountain began.

In Big Sycamore Canyon there are many options. Today we would run up Sycamore Canyon Rd to Wood Canyon Rd and pick up the Two Foxes Trail. This trail continues up-canyon and eventually rejoins Sycamore Canyon Rd, which would take us to the Upper Sycamore Trail, and from there to Danielson Road and Satwiwa. Here's an interactive Google Earth browser view of a GPS trace of our route. This PDF map from LAMountains.com shows many of the trails in the area.

Note: There is an easier alternative to the western ridge route on the north side of Boney Mountain. The route starts near the Danielson Memorial, and ascends a use trail up the eastern ridge on the north side of the mountain. In places the (unmaintained) trail is very steep, eroded, and rubbly but it is more straightforward and less technical than the western ridge.

Some related posts: What a Great Day for a Trail Run, Sandstone Peak from Wendy Drive, Boney Mountain Views

Spotted these unusual clouds while running in Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve today. Better known as Ahmanson Ranch, the open space area is on the western margin of the San Fernando Valley, northwest of Los Angeles.

The clouds were strikingly similar to clouds I'd photographed last January following the development and dissipation of a band of mid-level mammatus clouds over the San Fernando Valley. As before, the clouds were round-bottomed and were ragged with virga.

Upper air charts and model analyses indicated the clouds were at an altitude of about 20K-25K, and were associated with a very small scale upper level disturbance.

Here's a wider view of the clouds.

Related post: Mammatus Clouds Over the San Fernando Valley, More posts...

Following a green lne up a hill.
Don't know where it's going,
but that's part of the deal.
Get to the top, look around.
Take a deep breath,
and run back down!

From this evening's twilight run through El Escorpión Park.

This morning did the Boney Mountain north side loop with Tom and Elisa, who were visiting from Idaho.

Thanks to a moderate offshore flow, visibility from the high point at the top of the ridge (2900'+) was spectacular.

Anacapa and Santa Cruz Island loomed nearby, their eastern shores only 25 to 30 miles away. To the left of Exchange Peak and about 50 miles distant, the low silhouette of Catalina seemed to hover above the shimmering ocean. A little more to the east and about 40 miles away, Palos Verdes Peninsula jutted from behind Sandstone Peak and into the Pacific.

To the north and northeast Hines Peak (27 miles) and Cobblestone Mountain (33 miles) were prominent. A little further to the east and across I-5 Liebre Mountain and Burnt Peak (44 miles) could be seen.

Many of the peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains were easily seen, including Mt. Baldy about 75 miles to the east.

The distance winner was Mt. San Jacinto, a hard to see smudge in the haze on the eastern horizon, about 130 miles away.

From Saturday's loop on Ladyface in Agoura Hills.

A little Autumn color in the Medea Creek area of Agoura Hills.

From today's hike and run on Ladyface peak.

Some related posts: Ladyface Loop, Agoura Hills and Simi Peak from Ladyface, More...

The Burger Run is one of those runs that is much more difficult than its 14.5 miles and 2000' of elevation gain would suggest. For one thing the Whiskey Flat Trail ain't no namby-pamby city trail. It's a rustic single track trail in the Southern Sierra that runs along the Kern River from the outskirts of Kernville up to Johnny McNally's Fairview Lodge and Restaurant -- and burger stand.

The trail is single track all of the way, with so many ups and downs you'll think you're riding a Magic Mountain roller coaster. It seems around every corner there is another creek or a ravine. The running is varied and technical, ranging from sweet pine-needle-lined stretches of trail to gnarly, V-rutted, overgrown, rocky, sandy, steep sections that test your trail running skill.

For a time it looked like a big low moving down the coast might cause some weather problems, but overnight rain turned to partly cloudy skies race day morning, with near perfect weather for the runners and walkers.

Many thanks to race director Mike Lane, all the volunteers, McNally's, Indian Wells Brewing Company, and all of the friendly hikers and runners. Proceeds from the race benefit Run 4 A Way, a local non-profit group dedicated to enhancing the fitness and well being of the local youth. Results and finish line photos are posted on Run 4 A Way's Facebook page.

Here's an interactive Google Earth browser view of the Burger Run course and an elevation profile generated in SportTracks. Following are a few additional photos. Click for a larger image:

Aid Station #1	Sock'em Dog Rapid	Steep Climb
Runner, River & Road	Kern Peaks	Ten Miles In

As I ran out the Main Drag at Ahmanson Ranch I was trying to decide where -- and how far -- to run.

Saturday I was planning to do a hilly 25K race and didn't want to overdo it. But it was one of those unique late afternoons after the change from Daylight Savings Time -- the running was excellent and the opportunity for a good photograph promising.

So where to run? Yesterday I'd run down the Main Drag and up the "Beast" to Lasky Mesa. The moon had been rising and I'd been intrigued by a composition involving a hay shed, alpenglow and the moon. Hmmm, if the high clouds did not get too thick, the moon would be rising a little later, and there might be another photo opportunity up on Lasky Mesa.

On the other hand, the high clouds had a look that reminded me of an exceptional sunset here a few years before. That could also be interesting IF the sunset happened, and IF I was in a place where I could get a good shot. But being in the right place at the right time was going to involve a run that was a little longer than I'd planned.

I took a chance and did the longer run. On the way back, the moon had risen over the hills to east, and within the veil of striated high clouds it looked spectacular. There was still no color from the sunset and it was getting dark. Oh well, maybe I should have just done the loop on Lasky Mesa.

Then as I started to run down a short hill, I glanced back and saw a slight tinge of pink developing on the fringe of some of the clouds. I turned around and headed back to the west. The lighting was changing fast, but it didn't take long to find a decent spot and get the photograph I'd visualized.

Related post: Waiting for the Sun

Sunday the time changed from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. For those of us that do our weekday runs after work the change has at least one major implication -- by the clock, the sun sets an hour earlier.

If you've run for a number of years, one way or another you've probably come to terms with this one hour difference. I complain about the change from Daylight Savings Time, but it gives me the opportunity to run more frequently near sunset.

Other than sometimes having to push the pace to get back before it's COMPLETELY dark, and gates are closed and locked, it's a great time to run. There's nothing quite like running after sunset, through a darkening canyon as twilight fades, watching the moon rise, and listening to coyotes yip and yowl "on yonder hill."

Today, sunset in Los Angeles was at 4:55 pm PST. Sunset will occur a little earlier each day until around November 29, when it sets at 4:44 pm. In Los Angeles, sunset remains at about 4:44 pm until December 11, when it starts to become slightly later each day. By January 1 sunset will be back to where it was today, and by February 1 it will be setting around 5:24 pm.

Some related posts: Short Days, Long Shadows; Racing the Sun, Catching the Moon; Moon and the Green Road; Ahmanson Ranch Moonrise

From Saturday's Falls Creek loop on Mt. San Gorgonio.