A Rattle in the Grass

Spring

Not more than a foot or two off the trail.

Here it is February 23rd and the annual grasses have already gone to seed, goldfields are blooming on Lasky Mesa, and I’ve already had my first rattlesnake encounter of the season.

That happens when there’s been less than a tenth of an inch of rain in the last 30 days (Cheeseboro RAWS) and temps climb into the eighties.

Coyote Tag II

Close encounter with coyote at Ahmanson Ranch.

Last June I had an unusual encounter with a coyote near the end of a run at Ahmanson Ranch (Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve). For reasons known only to the coyote, the animal behaved like a dog and ran with me a short distance along a dirt road. Not off to the side of the road, or at a distance, but as if on lead and out for a daily jaunt. Today, on the same section of road, I had another odd encounter with a coyote.

This time I rounded a corner to see a coyote calmly trotting down the middle of the dirt road toward me. No big deal, it would do what a coyote normally does — see me and head for the brush. Except it didn’t. This time it continued to trot in my direction. Fifty, thirty, twenty feet — the gap between us closed. Watching each other intently, we stopped about 12 feet apart.

Brash coyote behavior at Ahmanson Ranch
Coyote walking toward me

For a few moments we stared at each other, my expression no doubt showing the same mix of wariness and curiosity as the coyote’s. In the practiced motion of something wild, the coyote briefly raised its head, sampling scents of its world on the wind. I edged closer — not daring to raise my camera, but taking the occasional photo.

A few more seconds passed, then apparently deciding enough was enough, the animal sauntered into the grass.

Coyotes are opportunists and I’m guessing these close encounters are related to an association of people with food — perhaps discarded food or food intentionally provided. Coyotes also associate people with their pets. Recently I saw a pair of coyotes behaving oddly (also at Ahmanson) and nearby an individual was walking their small dog off lead.

Some related posts: Coyote Tag, Trickster

Mishe Mokwa – Sandstone Peak – Grotto Trail Run

The Grotto

The Boney Mountain – Circle X region of the Santa Monica Mountains is one of the most appealing in the range. The grand vistas and rugged terrain are reminiscent of what you might see in some remote corner of the globe — not those a mere 20 miles from the San Fernando Valley.

It was one of those days I had a general idea of where I was going to run, but wasn’t sure of the details. The details didn’t matter — it was the end of January and the weather was as good as it gets for running. Whether the run turned out to be 10, 15 or 20 miles was beside the point.

The Mishe Mokwa – Sandstone Peak loop would make up part of the run. This six mile loop is one of the most scenic short trail runs in Southern California. In addition to doing this loop I was going to check out a peak at the top of the Chamberlain Trail, and then after doing Sandstone Peak, run down to the Grotto in upper Arroyo Sequit canyon.

TriPeaks and Big Dome from Sandstone Peak

Peak 2880 turned out to be a bushwhacking nightmare, but at least I got to run part way down the Chamberlain Trail. The run to the Grotto was excellent, and a nice addition to the loop. After doing Sandstone Peak and running down the Backbone Trail, instead of looping back around to the Mishe Mokwa trailhead, I continued down to the Sandstone Peak trailhead and picked up the Canyon View Trail. This trail more or less parallels Yerba Buena Road, and leads to the Grotto Trail, below the Circle X Ranch campground.

The title photograph is of the Grotto. Here’s a National Park Service map (PDF) of the trails in the Circle X Ranch area.

Related posts: Balance Rock, Mountains and Valleys, Looking for Snow in the Santa Monica Mountains