June 29th 2009

Distance: 7.9 miles       Elevation gain: 472 ft.

We have driven up from San Francisco having spent the weekend with our daughter and borrowed her car for a trip to Northern California. We leave the 101 between Gaberville and Scotia at our second attempt, having missed the exit the first time, and go south on the Avenue of the Giants and then west on unsigned Bull Creek Flats Road. The giant redwoods close in around the road and after about 4 miles we reach our starting point at the Giant Tree parking lot. Our first task is to cross Bull Creek on a bridge we can see just below us. There are a couple of other cars parked and we naively follow a couple with a dog, who appear to know where they are headed, although their footwear suggests they are not going far. Ah, but first we need to cross a tributary to reach our bridge. Off to the left we see another bridge crossing this first obstacle, but now we feel committed and follow the couple on a bolder hop over. The creek is lined with maple and white alder.

Crossing Bull Creek

Almost immediately after reaching and crossing the bridge we see the “Giant Tree” – quite impressive – “the National Champion Coast Redwood, 363 feet high, 53 feet in circumference”. Our companions have taken a faint track (down to the creek?) but our map shows that we loop behind the Giant Tree and we are on our way. The trail is beautifully soft beneath our feet, and, while generally shaded, the sunlight beams through the trees in patches bringing life to the forest floor – we see redwood sorrel, ox-eye daisy and centaury among others.

Big Trees!

We cross the first of several creeks flowing into Bull Creek and continue under the shade of the redwoods as we angle a little away from the main stream before bearing east to roughly follow its course. We find a little clearing with two “chairs”, obviously left from the teddy bears’ picnic, and enjoy a snack. Of course, we attract a variety of winged creatures and so move on rather quickly.

Who's been sitting in my chair?

 We continue through the dense redwood forest. Beautiful with a majestic peacefulness – but enough trees already. Eventually, at about 4 miles we descend on a trail to our left back down to Bull Creek. Here the creek seems to run more gently and we cross on a quaint little bridge. The creek bed has carved a wide bed here and we pause for refreshments before our return loop on the north side.

Recrossing Bull Creek

The trail runs between the creek and the road and is not as pretty as the way out. In fact, the trail meets the road in a couple of places, somewhat spoiling the atmosphere. We are both a little grumpy after a busy weekend and a long drive and are glad to regain the car. We have walked through the largest old growth redwood forest remaining in the world.

Ox-eye Daisy

Redwood Sorrel

Muhlenberg Centaury

June 14th 2009

7.3  miles  1,350 ft elevation gain.

Time to enjoy Topanga State Park in case it is closed as part of the California State budget crisis! Last time we did this hike we had high winds, today it is cloudy and cool, if a little humid – June gloom. As usual, we park on the street and walk in to avoid the parking fee! The outward journey is along the Eagle Spring Fire-road and as befits this popular park we have plenty of company in the first mile or so.

Eagle Rock Preview

We see the famed Eagle Rock looming above us with people already on the top. However, that is for later and at the junction for the “rock”, we continue straight ahead on the less busy lower trail. We see many checker spot butterflies fluttering their last, before,  job done, they expire.

Checkerspot Butterfly

I take a short diversion to visit Eagle Spring, but it is dried up, and surrounded by poison oak. Back on the fire road we progress to the “Hub” – a meeting of four trails. We take a sharp left to return on the upper, Eagle Rock, trail in the direction from which we have come. There is a picnic table a few yards from the junction where we might have lunch. Horror of horrors, the table is occupied by a cyclist with blasting radio! Instead we continue a little way and climb a short hill to our right and enjoy lunch in peace. To the north we are looking down into Garapito Canyon, while behind us is Santa Ynez Canyon, and Rustic Canyon is to the east. In fact this is a better site than the rap infested picnic table.

Dee makes the ascent

We continue on our way to Eagle Rock. I branch off to the adjacent high point while Deirdre begins the short but steep climb to the top of the rock, fortunately only one family group is in residence.

Almost there!

Having photographed this epic ascent, I join her on the peak for an orange. We dally a while, somewhat bemused by the parents’ apparent lack of concern for two small girls who hover dangerously close to the precipitous edge.

It's windy up here.

We make our way back to the fireroad and shortly thereafter turn off on the Musch Trail. This is a real trail and a pleasure after the fire-road. We descend through chaparral, oak woodland and meadows to the main parking lot at Trippett Ranch. From here we rejoin the fire-road and climb back up towards our parking place.

Tasty

But wait, we are not finished. Here are two deer quietly browsing the bushes and just beyond two foals, complete with spotted coats. They are more nervous and quickly hop, skip and jump to a safer distance.  We leave them to their lunch.

Mom, where are you?

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.

May 24th 2009

4.9 miles              1,400 feet elevation gain.

As we will have a day to recover (Memorial Day), we decide to take a longer trip to the back range of the San Gabriel Mountains. I have picked out this hike some time ago as being one of the more accessible peak “bags” from the Sierra Club Hundred Peaks section, and a change from our usual annual trip to Mt. Waterman (in the same area). It is described as easy (we shall see) and so I have another peak in mind if we finish early and with spare energy. It’s about a 75 mile drive to the trailhead but the last 33 or so are on the Angeles Crest Highway. The roadside Spanish Broom adds a bright yellow color to the rocky road cut and as we gain altitude we are greeted by the smell of pine forest. Mercifully the traffic is light, although there is plenty of activity around the early trailheads, especially Switzers. Our trailhead is at Cloudburst Summit – just a fraction over 7,000 ft. As we get our boots on, we are delighted by the clear skies and low sixties temperature, although we take extra clothing in our packs.

Pacific Crest Trail

 

The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the road here and we head northeast along the trail as it drops towards a creek and heads into the back country. Almost immediately we spy first one, then another and another bright red snow plants enjoying the last of their flowering season. Soon thereafter, we encounter wallflowers and carpets of grape soda lupines, violet with splashes of yellow and white.

Snow Plant

 The trail crosses a fireroad which we have been roughly paralleling and climbs over a few bumps to a saddle. Here the PCT veers away into Cooper Canyon. On our left is the faint trail we will take up Winston Peak on our return. It looks a little imposing and I can almost hear the sigh passing through Dee’s thoughts. Anyway, upward and straight onward we go towards Winston Ridge which we can now see ahead.

Time for a snack.

The trail is less well marked here and decidedly loose underfoot as we traverse around the left of a significant “hill”. The rock is mainly granite. There is quite a drop off to our left so we proceed with some caution finding a convenient tree trunk across the trail as a drink and snack stop. Here there are beardtongues and several other plants I will need to identify on our return.

Beardtongue

The view is magnificent. We reach a second saddle and get an extensive view over the desert. If only we had been here four hours ago we might have seen the space shuttle on its way into Edwards Air-force Base!

Winston Ridge

We make our way up the final few hundred feet of elevation gain to the top of the ridge, completely overwhelmed by the view, but mindful of the 2,000 feet drop to Little Rock Creek on our right. We are not quite sure which tumble of rocks is the real top and we can’t locate the Sierra Club sign in book.

Summit of Winston Ridge

It seems strange that having climbed up here we are about the same altitude as our starting point. In any case we go a little farther along the plateau to a shaded spot with the best views of all – and have lunch. The left over chicken from last nights dinner is scrumptious! We move back to the high point for a self portrait and reluctantly take our leave.

Just a few hundred yards down, we encounter a dog complete with back pack – well side pack. He is focused on the summit and ignores us. Just behind follow his owners and behind them another dog and two more humans. This dog is somewhat less environmentally inclined and barks furiously. Once again we escape the summit before the crowds. Maybe the altitude (or the chicken lunch) is getting to us but the way back to the second saddle seems more of an effort. And here we are at the junction with Winston Peak and 700 feet to ascend straight up to the top.

And now for Winston Peak.

The notes we have say the trail is very, very faint. We have no trouble following it, but make several rest stops. The view behind gives adequate excuse to pause, but the pauses are short due to the prevalence of swarms of small flies. Deirdre dons her fly net, not very attractive but very functional. Alas, I have no such protection and going uphill requires breathing through the mouth – you can guess the rest! Probably very nutritious but not as tasty as the chicken. The last section is quite steep, but for once there are no false summits and we are on top at 7,500 feet. This peak is a little more obvious but the view is closed in by the pines and rock piles. Time for an orange and another summit photo.

Winston Peak

Again we are alone on the peak. The path down is much more well trodden and back on this side the flies disappear and we are greeted once more by lupins and snow plants. We dawdle down the trail, more because we are reluctant to leave than because we are tired. Nonetheless my backup plan of an additional peak is not required!

May 17th 2009

4.2 miles          400 ft. elevation gain.

It’s going to be a hot day in Westlake Village so we head for a shaded walk near the ocean. The last time we visited Escondido Falls was in March 2003 after 4 inches of rain had fallen the previous day. The waterfall was stupendous and we had to wade across the multiple creek crossings. We are not expecting this joy today, but at a multi-tiered 150-feet it is the highest waterfall in the Santa Monica Mountains. As we cross the peak of the Santa Monicas the temperature rises to over 80 and its not even 10 o’clock. However, as we descend towards the ocean we meet the marine layer and by the time we reach Pacific Coast Highway we are down to the low 60s. We park in the almost full, official parking lot at the bottom of Winding Way just off Pacific Coast Highway. One of the disagreeable features of this hike is that we have to walk about a mile up the paved street past the houses of the rich and famous/infamous. Actually, signs ask us to keep to the dirt track at the side of the street. Presumably they don’t want us to wear out their road. Anyway, Deirdre enjoys looking at the huge homes and estates along the way. We pass a group of four stoutly built men and women with heavy eastern European accents, who appear more equiped for a day on Brighton Beach than our walk. Another sign warns us that the first trail head is closed because of road works. Sure enough the trail entrance is surrounded by earth-moving equipment but, despite my inclination to thumb my nose at this outrage, we proceed a little further down the street and take the official way in.

Escondido Canyon

The trail is beautiful and aggravation at officialdom soon evaporates. The stream crossings do have water running but it is easy to avoid wet feet. The trail is lined with sycamore, alder, walnut and oak. There is wild rose, monkey flower, sage, fennel and the somewhat less desirable poison oak and poison hemlock along the way. We pass a couple of folks returning from the falls, otherwise we have these delights to ourselves. The ocean mist adds a little humidity to the air but it is pleasant in the shade.

Lower Falls

We reach the lower waterfall. Other than another heavily built couple, who are just giving up on the climb to the upper fall in favor of a snack, we are alone. The falls have some water flowing and the atmosphere is almost of a rain forest. Around the falls are more monkey flower adding yellow to the green mossy background. We take a few mandatory pictures and then one of us decides that the upper falls must be visited!

Tricky descent

I climb up and meet a group of three girls descending, one of them in great trepidation – are you going down on your butt she asks the more adventurous of the three. I climb up over rocks and pools and am eventually rewarded with a view of the upper falls. The water tumbles over a hanging cliff from the left side of the canyon and plummets over a 100 feet to the canyon floor. Of course, I have left my camera with Deirdre. I retrace my steps and quickly overtake the girls. However, in my effort to show these youngsters how its done, a take a wrong turn and my final descent back to the lower falls is rather treacherous.  Deirdre, sitting serenely by the lower falls, calls up to inform me that that wasn’t the way I went up and I do in fact acquire a dirty pants before reaching ground level! To my horror I see the girls are following me down. I shout up instructions and climb back up the correct way to direct them. On returning I find their leader has followed my difficult route. The other two heed my advice but the nervous one slips right at the bottom and joins the dirty butt club. I look up to see another group descending. The leader shouts “I don’t think we came this way”. Now the expert I am able to direct them from my perch by the lower falls. And behold, one of the girls in this party slips in exactly the same place and the club now has three members!

The grotto

The eastern Europeans now arrive. The two men are game to climb to the upper falls but I dissuade them. We eat a peaceful lunch and Dee chats to the girls.  We make our departure. And just in time! On the way back we pass about thirty people in various groups, including several children, much to Deirdre’s horror. But it is mainly peaceful and regaining the junction we take the shorter way out. Earth movers and homeowners be damned!

May 3rd 2009

7.3 miles     975 ft elevation loss/gain

I decide on doing the Bay Tree /Bee Tree loop in Topanga State Park. (Dee is more interested in hiking near the epicenter of the 4.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on Friday evening just 6 miles southwest of the house, but there would really be nothing to see). This is an 8 mile hike that we last did in 2004. At that time we found navigation a little tricky, and on a previous occasion had even  had to retrace our steps being unsure of the trail. However, I have been informed (erroneously as it turned out) that the trail has been recently maintained.

Trailhead

We park near top of  Reseda Blvd. in Tarzana.  Here is a typical absurdity of the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy. If you park at the top of the street, within the Conservancy boundary there is a five dollar parking fee. Maybe twenty yards down the street you can park for free – so there are four cars within the fee zone and maybe thirty in the free zone! I drop Dee off at the top with our gear, park and return to the trailhead. Unfortunately we are both still wearing sandals having neglected to change into boots before parking and will now have to carry the sandals with us. Maybe serves us right for not paying the fee but I’ll carry the sandals for five bucks!

It is already 70 degrees, warmer than we anticipated and we set off up the trail to dirt Mulholland Drive. As we turn off on the fireroad the dog walkers quickly thin out and we enjoy an unexpectedly clear view. Hiking on fireroad is not the best, especially given the abundance of high velocity bikers. We reach the Hub, a junction of four trails, at about two and a half miles. Here we take a break and a drink. We can now see into Rustic Canyon, our destination, over to the right. We continue on the fireroad past aptly named Cathedral Rock and turn off on Rogers Road. This is part of the backbone trail leading to Will Rogers State Historic Park, but after a few hundred yards we turn off to the left and descend on the Bay Tree trail. The trail is mostly shaded and even moist in places, but also somewhat overgrown.

Bay Tree Trail

There are monkey flower, fiesta flower, large flower and branching phacelia, colarless and fire poppies. Near the canyon bottom the trail is lined with its namesake bay trees. The leaves are very pungent. Several trees trees have fallen blocking the trail and causing either minor diversions or a little scrambling through the down boughs. There is a spring oozing water to add to the atmosphere and it is quite delightful here. Finally we reach the bottom – the west fork stream bed and as we anticipated the trail disappears. After a couple of false starts we find our way into the stream bed and head east. The stream is dry here but quite overgrown. We are heading for a junction with Rustic Creek but it seems further than we remembered. I know we need to turn left into the main creek and should then shortly see the Bee Tree trail climbing away to our right. We try one apparent creek coming in from the left but this is not correct and we retrace our steps. We continue further the way we were heading and eventually reach a more obvious junction in the creek bed. We are now somewhat disoriented and for some reason take the right hand branch. The “reason” is that this is less overgrown. I soon realize we are going in the wrong direction and a quick consultation with the GPS suggests we should taken the left turn. Back we go. This way is certainly more overgrown and in our concern for route finding we must have now passed the escape route up the Bee Tree trail.

Upper Rustic Canyon

However, I am relatively comfortable that we are in the Rustic Creek stream bed and as if to reassure us, there is some water here. We have come this way in the opposite direction some years ago but nothing looks familiar given the rearrangements made by heavy winter rains. At least we are going in the right direction but the going is not easy and this trail has certainly not been maintained, maybe not used at all, in recent history.

Are you sure this is right?

 I know we have some way to go but need to make sure we eventually find a trail on the right to climb up out of the creek bed to Mulholland. We can hear voices, which is initially comforting. The voices seem to be just above us and Dee is frightened almost out of her skin when a heavily bearded head appears through the undergrowth and we are challenged by its owner. In fact he seems friendly enough and invites us to climb up to his perch and “chat a while”. His partner looks relatively normal but we decline his offer. He comes down to us. Dee’s sense of well being is further disturbed as he seems very unsure how he arrived at this point (crawled through bushes on hands and knees) and is not helpfull in understanding how we intend to get out. On the other hand their presence confirms in my mind that we are on the right track. We are making very slow progress which makes the trail seem much longer that it really is but eventually we can see telephone poles on the skyline ahead of us – Mulholland.

I told you I'd find the way out.

 Thus reassured we take a late lunch, much bothered by flies. Finally the trail bares away from the creek bed and makes a steep climb up to the fireroad. As the canopy opens we are hit with the sun’s heat and this climb is tiring. Once on the fireroad we turn left and find a spot for rest and liquid refreshment. Dee is tired but relieved, I feel vindicated in having found 0ur way out.

No comment!

 The final uphill stretch and descent to the car is uneventful. We have actually made the hike shorter (7.3 miles) than intended but Dee is not impressed by this!

April 17th 2009

8.5 miles    1,200ft elevation gain

We decide on a visit to the San Gabriel Mountains, but, given a slightly late start, select a hike in the front range rather than the higher elevations of the main peaks. We drive up Angeles Crest Highway to the trailhead at Red Box Ranger Station, delayed on the way by a bulldozer removing rock and debris from the road. It is bright and clear, but as we get out of the car a cold wind denies the low sixties temperature and we stuff additional jackets into our packs.

Trailhead

 We cross the highway and begin to ascend the Barley Flats Fireroad at around 4,700 ft. We almost immediately regret the warm jackets and stop for a clothing and sunscreen break. From here we can see snow-laden Mt. Baldy in the distance. The route parallels the road for a short distance and then turns north on a trail that gradually ascends around the side of the mountain. Behind us the observatories on Mt. Wilson glint in the sunlight and the panorama opens as we climb higher. Despite the earliness of the season the trail is dry and almost without flowers, although we spy a lone flowering long stalked phacelia, which is photographed as a new addition to the library.

Approaching the saddle

 As we round Mt. Lawlor to our right, Strawberry Peak comes into view and in about an hour from our start, at 5,250 ft we gain the saddle between these two peaks, both of which we have climbed in the past. However, today’s trail descends the other side of the saddle and Deirdre is at once concerned by the depth of the canyon before us, fearing the return climb. With rather less than full confidence I assure her we have only to descend some 500 or 600 ft, not all the way down. The view on this side is expansive and desolate. This is indeed virgin scenery far removed from the civilization on the south side of the ridge. At this point we are surprised by a group of Korean (?) hikers coming towards us. As is their stereotype, they are smartly dressed and well equipped. We now begin looking for Strawberry Spring. Contrary to the commentary in our rather old guide book, the trail is well maintained although the drop off is steep in places. The rock here is mainly granite and the crunching beneath our feet makes conversation tricky.

Rest stop

 The Spring is “in a woodsy recess” and thinking we have found it, albeit waterless, we stop for coffee. There is little breeze on this side and the air is pleasantly warm. Shortly after resuming our journey, we encounter the real Strawberry Spring.

Strawberry Spring

It is hardly any more notable except that the drip of water results in a moss covering to the rocks and a slight dampness on the trail. We know this is it – because there is a sign saying so! We continue winding around Strawberry Peak, well above the canyon floor. Shortly the trail steepens and below us we see the meadow backed by a shattered rock wall. But before we complete the final descent, we are at the highlight of the hike. A gritty knoll from which the view is supreme despite the fact that we are in the shadow of Strawberry. Out come cameras and we click away.

View Point

 The last few hundred yards are fairly steep but we reach the meadow at just over 4 miles. Apparently the trail continues quite some additional distance to Colby Ranch, some form of Methodist retreat (also accessible from the other side by road). Our destination is the meadow and here is a sign to Colby Canyon Trail, a possible but longer return route that would unfortunately leave us a few miles downroad from our car. We walk along the side of the meadow but it turns out to be a disappointment. It is full of long dry grass and some low scrub, not the greenery we were expecting. A dry winter or winters seem to have robbed it of its meadowness – global warming ? Nonetheless we settle in the shade beneath the pines for lunch, only to be driven to a less attractive, but more hygienic, spot by flies.

The "Meadow"

The climb back is not too severe, and we pause again at our view point. We are curious to identify a bird with a particularly raucous call, but it echoes from the canyon walls and it could be in any direction. Shortly thereafter we see our one piece of wildlife for the day. A mountain quail hurrying ahead of us along the trail as if late for an appointment. We regain Strawberry Saddle and climb a short way up the trail to Strawberry Peak to enjoy the view and a well deserved orange. The descent is uneventful and we again enjoy views of the snow covered back range although the air is now less clear. We are tired but have enjoyed our day in the mountains.

February 15th 2009

6.9 miles     835 ft elevation gain

Today we go along Pacific Coast Highway to La Jolla Canyon. The view over the ocean is a little hazy and the absence of surfers is indicative of calm waters. A flight of brown pelicans sweeps over the surface and a few human fishers try their luck from the beach.

Above the waterfall

Woodland path

As usual we park on the side of the highway to avoid the fee in the parking lot and set off into La Jolla Canyon. Rock in this area was quarried to build the Pacific Coast Highway. After 3/4 of a mile we reach the “seasonal” waterfall. Despite the recent rain this offers no more than a pathetic dribble and we cross over to climb a steeper rocky trail along the canyon wall. A few wallflower are in bloom, but the giant coreopsis, which can illuminate this trail like yellow beacons, are only just beginning to flower. We are careful to avoid the poison oak which does seem to be flourishing along the trail. The trail levels out and we walk through woodland. The pond to our left is also surprisingly dry. As soon as we emerge into the grassland we are greeted by an array of shooting stars.

Chocolate Lilies

Closer inspection reveals a bonanza of chocolate lilies, one of Dee’s favorite plants. We have never noticed them here before and, such is their abundance in this small patch, this one viewing outweighs our prior accumulated experience of this delicate beauty.

A little further on we turn onto the loop trail and divert to the walk-in campground for lunch. We have never actually seen anyone camp here but there are a few picnic tables placed under the oaks making for a pleasant rest point.

Lunch

We continue towards the ocean and Mugu Peak, but branch off across grassland to descend into a valley. We pass blue dicks (or wild hyacinth as Dee prefers) and numerous stands of prickly pear cactus. As we climb back up the other side of the valley we gain a view of the ocean before dropping down again to cross a dry stream bed at the head of the canyon and rejoin our original trail back to the waterfall.

Ocean View

There is one more excitement however, as a small rattle snake makes its way across the trail just in front of us. Dee remains surprisingly calm and passes by quickly as it moves into the undergrowth. There are a few more people on the trail below the waterfall – no doubt coming to see the “pathetic dribbles”. We decide against clam chowder at the nearby Neptunes Net and head for home.

February 7th 2009

5.3 miles        390ft elevation gain

We set out under threatening skies well prepared for rain. We have taken short hikes the past two days during heavy storms. Dee enjoys the rain induced memories of England, on a more pragmatic approach I have been testing a new rain jacket donated by Santa Claus. Actually I bought it myself but need to rationalise as there is nothing wrong with the one I already own!

Trailhead

From the parking lot just before Tunnel 1 on Kanan Road we descend through a wooded area to Newton Canyon falls. Normally we would bypass the falls but after three inches of rain they present a dramatic if not spectacular view.

Newton Canyon Falls

Back on the main trail we first parallel Zuma creek and then cross it on a sturdy bridge with snow berries adorning the water’s edge. The trail is surprisingly firm other than the occasional puddle and mud patch. We climb gradually higher through blooming ceanothus and the sun briefly pushes the clouds aside to make the 50 degree temperature seem quite pleasant.  Off to the right we glimpse upper Zuma falls, difficult to access when in full flow but an enjoyable diversion in drier weather. In an open patch of grass and rock at the side of the creek the frogs are in full voice. They and an occasional towhee are the only signs of wild life.  We enter another wooded section just before reaching the crest at Zuma motorway.

Milkmaids

Here in the shade are “pretty (milk)maids all in a row”. They are not at their most photogenic being drowned rather than refreshed by the rain but are still a joy to behold. 

Zuma Ridge

At the trail end we snack on a banana regretting having omitted a flask of coffee or tea or indeed something stronger! We watch the gathering storm clouds and decide on an early retreat. The return is less energetic but a steady rain begins to fall at about the half way point.

Rain drops keep falling....

The sun and the clouds play tag, alternately brightening our spirits with sunbeams only to have them quickly dampened by more rain. Still it is much lighter rain than we have experienced on the prior two days and my “old” rain jacket proves more than adequate.

Indian Warrior

An early Indian warrior sprouts by the trail side and the banks are carpeted with ceanothus blossom rudely deposited by the rain. Just before the final ascent back to the parking lot we enjoy a view between the hills to the Pacific Ocean. The blue ocean, green vegetation and grey sky accompanied by the babble of the creek make this a worthwhile trip. Behind us the setting sun glints off mushroom clouds and the rain stops.

February 1st 2009

2.9 miles        231 ft elevation gain

We choose a gentle stroll this morning as Deirdre is still recovering from a three week visitation with gastric flu. Charmlee offers ocean views, a variety of habitats and wild flowers in the spring. It is run by the City of Malibu and so carries a $4 parking fee. Of course we park outside and walk the additional 1/4 mile! We begin along the oak shaded botany trail and spy our first milk maids of the season shyly peering through the undergrowth.

Charming Charmlee

A little further along the path is a lone flowering pitcher sage, soon to be joined in blossom by many associates. As we emerge into the open we see our first Indian paintbrush and wishbone bush.

Purple Nightshade

Patches of purple nightshade flirt with the sun and as we approach the ocean overlook the prickly phlox is much in evidence. The ocean view from this point is limited by the mist but we can see the Pacific Coast Highway below.

Swallow Tail

We are joined by a “hill-topping” swallow tail butterfly presumably seeking a mate. We parrallel the coast past an old reservoir now partly filled with sediment. The sun is warm but the cool air and wisps of mist from over the ocean keep us comfortable. To the northwest the peaks of Boney Ridge define the skyline. We skirt a meadow and briefly visit the remains, foundations really, of the old ranch house before rejoining the entry road and returning to the car.