The Big Loop, Version 1

I am going to make this blogpost quick and mostly pictures because I am quite behind on journaling trails and I am running ragged with things to do. Still teaching at 3 locations, I have meetings and two weekend (back-to-back) trips that I’m prepping for, not to mention regular stuff like chores, and getting my boys off to school, music lessons and so on.

Up to bat is my 4/21/18 (last Saturday) run-hike. The loop I took on is a classic of mine. Though I much prefer mountain trails over the coastal hills (for many reasons), this coastal hills loop wasn’t too shabby. I have enjoyed it for many years. I call this one: The Big Loop, Version 1 (straight from Aliso/Wood Canyons Wilderness).

12.05 mi, 1,225’ gain.

Aliso Canyon Trail:

Wood Canyon:Top of the World:

Meadows Trail:

Route: Aliso Cyn/Wood Cyn/Cholla/WestRidge/Top of the World/Meadows Trail/Wood Cyn/Aliso Cyn

Destination: Cave Rock

Last Sunday (April 15), I decided that a hike would help my legs repair from Holy Jim’s adventure the day prior. I need something relatively close by too, as I did not leave until 4 o’clock in the afternoon. I decided on Wood Canyon, but not immediately Cave Rock. It was after I started the hike that I decided my destination would be Cave Rock. The route to Cave Rock is an easy hike through the canyon – I rated it a 1.5 in difficulty in my log (1 to 10 scale). Not sure the hike repaired my legs any faster. I was sore for the next two days. But I liked the soreness – it meant that I really worked.

I’ll make this short, with mainly pictures, because I am so behind in my dairy of run-hikes here. The most memorable event on this hike is after I turned off onto Cave Rock Trail. I saw something flutter in the distance, and I just assumed there were people up ahead on this usually empty trail. A few seconds later, a coyote came running down the trail straight toward me. He was a cute fellow, I think a pup, but not necessarily a puppy. It took me a second to process what kind of animal was running up on me. By the time realization set it, he veered off the trail and ran into the brush.

Miles: 7.02, Elevation Gain: 496’

Wood Canyon:

Cave Rock Trail:

Holy Jim!

Last Saturday I was up before dawn which has been a very rare thing over the past few years. The reason for such an early rise was to take on Holy Jim -- both lower and upper. I can’t say precisely how many years it has been since I have visited the trail named after Cussin’ Jim in the early 1900’s. I will just go with many -- it has been many years. I had been hearing of mountain lion sightings on the trail lately, so I was reluctant to travel it alone. But I have been aching to go. As it turns out, last Saturday, I was not alone. There was a mountain bike race in Trabuco Canyon, not to mention many other hikers once the morning aged. Still, I got in lots of quiet, tranquil time traveling one of my favorite trails.

I didn’t see any mountain lions on Saturday. I did see rabbits and lizards, and a whole lot of sweat. Yikes. The main part of Holy Jim wasn’t terribly tough, but taking on The Main Divide up to Upper Holy Jim was quite difficult. Of course, I didn’t run a single step. And thankfully, there was a cool breeze blowing. Great relief accompanied finally reaching Upper Holy Jim. But the difficulty did not end there, even though I was on a pretty good descent. Upper Holy Jim took a great deal of focus -- it was steep and quite technical with slippery sandy parts and lots of boulders and rocks to catch my feet on. Surrounded by Manzanita, I kept upright, occasionally stopping to take in breathtaking views. I also met a man on a motorbike toward the top of Upper Holy Jim. Shocking! I cannot imagine how he had made it over such crazy rough terrain. He looked defeated though and was parked in the shade.

In all it was a wonderful Saturday morning wandering about in Cussin’ Jim’s stomping grounds. His figs were ripe for the picking (if I liked figs), and his trails were just difficult enough to make my legs sore for the next few days. And then back at my truck, as I sat in the shade, a bird pooped in my eye. No kidding -- it splattered all over my sunglasses and sprayed into my right eye. And it stung. Still, that did not ruin the day. Love Holy Jim Trail. I sure would have liked to have met the man, a bee-keeper and apparently a fig farmer, who lived in these woods so many years ago.

Just past the trailhead, looking back:One of several creek crossings before the real climb begins:Figs!Time for switchbacks:

The Main Divide:

Views from Upper Holy Jim:

April 14, 2018; 11.67 miles, 3,438’ elevation gain.