‘Bout Time

I last made my way to trails way back in April (6 months ago!) – during what Christians call our Holy Week. I was so looking forward to hiking to Baker’s Cross on Good Friday but I could not because I was sick in bed, exhausted with Covid. Anyway, that’s ancient history. I’ve done plenty of walking and exploring since then (New York, DC, TX). It feels like a whirlwind. I just haven’t had the time to do one of the things that I love most: get out on those mountain trails.

It’s always a little emotional returning after an absence. Seeing those mountains off in the distance is like seeing a long lost friend.

So, all I have to say is, it’s bout time! This past Saturday, during an Annular Eclipse, I returned to the scene of the crime, that is my Covid hike, Black Star Canyon. Beautiful as ever, though dry and lots of brown, I made my way up the canyon to one of the historic sites, the “Indian Village” (Indian as in Native Americans). The weather was still quite warm, cool in the morning, but quickly I needed to stop and layer down. I spent quite a bit of time in the “village”. Walked about a bit, tried out a couple of spots. Then I ate lunch perched on a shaded boulder over looking the valley, breaking an extended fast. It was a lovely time, and as I already wrote but must write again, it’s about time!

I will be back out very soon. I have trails to scout.

Just shy of 10.5 miles covered.

Covid Hike

I am just now catching up with my life after my Covid hike back in April (2023). The Sunday before Good Friday, I decided to head out for a 13 mile, lackadaisical hike up Black Star Canyon. Unbeknownst to me, I had Covid – my first bout. It didn’t dawn on me that I was sick. The symptoms were so weird. I felt emotional, worn out and cold. Of course, I put in some extra effort on this lackadaisical hike because that’s who I am. I took a detour down to the creek just above the falls, and then after that, I found a couple more detours up on the plateau. It really was lovely out. The skies were optimistic! Of course they were, it was the season of Lent. I had a stations of the cross hike coming up, and after that, my favorite service of the year: Good Friday. Alas, I was off on this hike up Black Star. Really off. But as I mentioned, the skies were optimistic. Wildflowers covered the hillsides. Water flowed in every creek. So, at the end of the day when I felt like I could lay down and die, I chalked it up to being out of shape. I remember stopping by the grocery store on the way home and bundled up, shivered down the aisles. I still didn’t think I was sick. No cough, sore throat, not even the sniffles.

Monday morning, I dragged myself out of bed for a much anticipated phone meeting with the USFS about race permits and dates. I got through the meeting but afterwards wondered if I was indeed ill. Still no normal symptoms, just extreme fatigue. Nah, it was the hike. So, I went to work (but I didn’t take the bus as I had been). Then on the way home I stopped by The Irvine Spectrum, a wonderful, beautiful . . .  mall!! I’m sure you can imagine the reason for my exclamation points. The thought that I had Covid never even crossed my mind. (I still cringe .)  No one in my family was ill, and to my knowledge I had not even been exposed. I just kept blaming the hike and other issues in my life. It never crossed my mind until I stumbled through the front door Monday evening and went straight to bed, shoes, clothes and all. Several hours later, I took a Covid test. After setting up class cancellations for the week, I went back to bed aching and shivering. I remained there for a couple days.  

I’ll tell you! It’s been a long time since I’ve done absolutely nothing. When I wasn’t asleep, I was laying in bed still because I had no energy. Never lost my taste, never had many of the classic symptoms. Mainly, I was lethargic, achy, cold, and emotional. When I finally got well (along with my family because we all got it), I was one of the last to regain my energy. It took several weeks in fact after testing negative. During that time, it seems like all the things that I normally do in my life went out the window – hiking, piano, reading, writing, chores – all of it took too much energy. My guess is that the Covid hike didn’t help matters much. I think I got sicker than I would have, had I skipped the hike.

In all, I thankfully didn’t really get that ill, though it wiped me out a great deal. I’m fine now. And I’m finally caught up. The spring semester has just ended. I’m all prepped for the summer session just around the corner. Looking forward to some local hikes and travel in June! Hopefully, I’ll be able to post a race date as well for the 2023 Saddleback Marathon by then too (just waiting on confirmation).

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Happy New Year! (Welcome La Nina!)

Happy New Year (& what a freakin’ year it’s been)! Time is an amazing thing – the years now just fly by. And so the passing of one year to the next doesn’t mean much to me. Every day is a start over day, not just the first of the year. So grateful that I know that!

One of my best Christmas gifts this year was a hike this past Wednesday (12/28), out to Black Star Canyon with my husband. We got in just after the rains and before another good storm. After picking up a couple sandwiches late morning, we packed them into one of my favorite spots.  After a good long rest in the “village”, we trekked through thick mud to explore Hidden Ranch while on our way to scout out another trail I’d heard about, a single track that leads up to The Divide, about a quarter mile past the KSOX Doppler Radar Tower (so I hear). Trail was located (for another day).

Gorgeous day out! On the way back, my husband picked up a rock that caught his eye. To my amazement, it was the same rock I had picked up a couple weeks back. I had to pull out a picture from my phone as proof – otherwise he would have never believed me. I took the finding as a good sign.

The sky was black when we finally made it out of the canyon, a full hour after sunset. No hauntings on this night, though if I had been without my spouse I would have been spooked for sure in a pitch-dark Black Star Canyon.

Looking forward to more cold winter, rainy weather here in California. La Nina is coming! Looking forward, I hope to explore new places in 2023. We’ll see. I’ll do what I can. I’ll be wandering one way or another for sure, I know that because that’s what I do!

Baker’s CrossToyon BerriesRe-packing after lunch in the villageCreek crossing in Hidden Ranch areaHeading home

12.1 miles, elevation gain about 3,800’

Price Tag: One Favorite Hat

Last Friday, December 9, I set off into Black Star Canyon after running some morning errands. Even with the late start, the weather was still nice and cold -- low 50s F, just how I like it. Perfect hiking weather. Coming to an end of a much needed extended fast, I decided to hike up to my favorite secret spot of late, to break my fast. The hike was more strenuous than usual being in in this state. This is exactly what I intended -- I mean, what better way to end a fast then by really pushing myself to get to a serene spot. And then to take the first bite of a cracker, the most wonderful tasting cracker in the world, while looking over the canyon. I can’t beat that. How much would I pay for such an experience? Lots. But I have no money. That’s okay, it only cost me my favorite hat. ;)

At the base of the canyon, I realized that I dropped my favorite hat. I had an idea where it probably happened. There was no way I was willing to make the trek back. I was bummed for a bit until I asked myself this: If you were offered today’s experience in the mountains and were told that it would cost you that hat, would you do it? Yes. Yes, I would.

10 miles lovely miles.

Out of Hibernation

December 3rd, my youngest son’s 18th birthday, I took a nice ten mile hike up Black Star Canyon, to one of my favorite easy to get to, out in the open, secret places. What’s the occasion? Nice cold weather was the occasion. It was time for me to come out of hibernation. I am awake! What a great hike to celebrate awakening. After a day like that I wondered (out loud) why I’m not out there every single day! I get that much peace from the trip. I felt so full of joy at one point that I burst into a spontaneous run. I stopped myself from that silliness pretty quickly though since it’s been a while. I’m not practiced – last thing I need is a face plant. My arms only recently recovered from the last fall in December 2021. (Excuses, excuses).

I love Black Star Canyon. Yes, the base is well travelled and in places vandalized with spray paint. That’s sad. And yes, it’s mainly all truck trail (with a few single track turn offs available here and there). Once you make that turn 2.5 miles in and start the climb, there’s so much to see up there, even close to the road. Black Star Canyon is a beautiful place with a huge local history (which explains the legends of its haunting). On that note, I do find Black Star Canyon haunting, but not by ghosts. 

Too Long

Gone are my wanderings of late. There’s reasons for that. I’m working on other things. I’m concerned. I’m pre-occupied and I’m watching. I’m at peace at home but then I go and look out there at the big ole’ world (I need to stop doing that!) There’s things happening that I never thought I’d see – things of nightmarish novels I read in my youth. Why am I being vague? You probably know why. People from both sides of the thought spectrum are “cancelled” for talking about the “wrong” things. Privacy, freedom of speech, individual rights, they don’t seem to mean much anymore. When I lose my focus, these things distress me. I hate that weight. And so I’ve been turtling. Aside from my trips to the beach, I hunker down in my home away from the world. I try to grow there. I have a few secret places on my own little piece of property for retreat.

I stop by the shore often in the morning, at sunrise if I can manage. I watch and listen to the waves. Time escapes me sitting before the Pacific and before I know it, three hours have passed and I need to rush home for a Zoom meeting.

The Pacific Ocean (from Doheny Beach, Dana Point, CA):

On one such recent morning, I noticed a lone swimmer out past the waves as I stared off at the horizon. It was one of those mornings when time escaped me and before I knew it, hours had passed. How can so much time pass without even realizing? Well, there’s much to be see, much to hear, and much to smell and feel down at the seashore. That’s my excuse.

After all that time,  the swimmer was still out there – in the wilderness just on the outskirts of civilization! (Get where I’m going here?) What a longing that this put into me! Right then, I decided to 36 hour fast (for I had not yet eaten for the day) and hike up to one of my secret places the next day to break my fast. Why add the fast? I suppose to make it more special, to add more purpose. Well, I sobbed at this decision. Later, in anticipation, I choked back tears more than once. It had been too long. 

The next morning (November 6), I was up before sunrise and drove through a thick fog to Black Star Canyon. I had lots on my mind. I had lots of questions, and much to let go of (or at least try and release). I thought I would suffer physically because it had been so long since I hiked mountain trails. Honestly, because I anticipated physical suffering, I kind of wanted physical suffering. There’s a kind of cleansing I feel in physical suffering. I felt that would do me good at this particular moment in time. But I felt so good by the time I reached the Native American “village” that I thought for sure I could have made it to the Main Divide without issue. I broke my fast with some cheddar cheese, crackers and a beef stick at  about 10:30 am while sitting on a huge boulder overlooking Black Star Canyon. Baker’s Cross stood straight ahead in the distance.

Beautiful hike. About 10.5 miles. Much tears. Some sadness. But greater joy.

Black Star Canyon: