May 31st 2009
4.9 miles 1,140 ft elevation loss/gain
Another short hike, but it’s difficult to fit in a longer hike without finishing in the afternoon heat at this time of year. Our drive to the trailhead at the Sandstone Peak parking lot is interrupted by a rather disturbing “incident”. A fire truck is at the side of the road, just before we leave L.A. for Ventura County, and about a hundred feet down the mountain side is a crumpled car. It does not appear to be an immediate accident, more of a recovery operation, but, given the steepness of the terrain, we are not hopeful that any occupants would have survived. It is at a sharp bend, which it appears the vehicle did not make.
Ocean View Trail
It is about 60 degrees as we set off on the Ocean View Trail. This trail is aptly named but there is no view today as a result of the coastal fog. Although humid, it is cool. The trail descends through chaparral, patch-worked with the bright green foliage of the redshank. We come across a gopher snake warming itself on the trail, and this has to be gently removed before Deirdre will pass! There are a few flowers, farewell-to-spring, elegant clarkias, golden yarrow, a few early bush mallow and the bright purple of turkish rugging. There are a few cardinal larkspur and heart-leaf penstemon. We cross the dry stream bed of the west fork of the Arroyo Sequit, and the cliffs rise dramatically to our left as we continue down the canyon.
The Meadow
At about a mile and a half we meet the junction with the trail up to the Circle X camp ground and ranger station. We branch left on to the Grotto Trail and make our way farther down the canyon across a grassy meadow and then between steep rock walls as the canyon narrows. At the bottom we recross the stream, still dry, and wind our way along its path until we encounter the volcanic rock boulders announcing our arrival at the grotto.
Descent to the Grotto.
These are huge boulders and a little scrambling is required to reach our usual perch on a large rock slab overlooking the grotto. I leave Deirdre here and scramble down to the canyon floor to venture into the cavern itself. There is water flowing and its echo off the rock walls does it more than justice. I take a self portrait and emerge to snap Deirdre on her perch above me. She returns the favor.
The Grotto.
The Grotto
I climb back to the rock top for lunch. Our peace is broken by the arrival of a large group of younger hikers. They take a diversion of which I was not aware, descending beneath the rock we are on and popping up again on the other side having apparently traversed beneath us.
Beneath the rock slab.
Now how do I get out?
After they leave, I investigate and am rewarded with a cavern through which the stream flows before tumbling into the grotto proper. Here I see first a toad and then a salamander. Peering through a gap in the rocks, I see Deirdre hovering above me and she adds another picture to our gallery. I resist the temptation to squeeze through a hole on the rocks taken by the more adventurous of the preceding group and return the way I came. Neither of us is very hungry, so after a quick snack we decide to take our leave. The mist is now burning off, but a cool breeze keeps us refreshed. We take our time, stopping for an orange on rocks overlooking the canyon.
Canyon overlook.
The waterfall close to the junction to the camp site is completely dry, although creek monkey flower testify to its former glory. Travelling in this direction gives a more impressive view of the surrounding rock walls and hillsides. Along the later stretches of the Ocean View Trail we can see people descending from Sandstone Peak, and away to their left the peaks of Boney, Inspiration Point and Exchange. Back at the parking lot a number of people are just returning from, or setting out to, Sandstone Peak, but we have finished for the day.
