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.

Climbing Out

I know I have probably written it before, but I’ll say it again -- climbing out is hell. My preference is to do the elevation gain first (or even midway). Saving the climb for the end of a hike, run or hike-run is simply brutal for me. It is almost never fun. But in the end, the relief of it being over is so overwhelming, it makes it all worthwhile.

This particular route, a ten miler beginning and ending Laguna Wilderness with Crystal Cove Park picking up the mid part of the loop, starts off with nice and easy rolling hills. There was a few miles of this along Boomer Ridge, and then a few more along Moro Ridge. These first five miles or so were really lovely, with most of it sharing full ocean views. I saw my first rattler of the season during this portion. Then at 5.57 miles in I was finally at sea level, and the climb out began. Whew. Those last four and a half miles were a bear. My pace was a steady slow. Not slow run. Slow hike. And being that I’ve travelled up many long and steep inclines before, I grabbed onto the mantra, “This too shall pass.” And so, with one step in front of the other, over, and over and over again, I was back at my truck, feeling refreshed and not terribly beat up. And as I mentioned earlier, relieved!

April 7, 2018, 10.01 miles, 1,382’ elevation gain

Old Goat 50 in the Books

I haven’t had the chance to report the behind-the-scenes on Old Goat 50. The event this year was held on March 31, the Saturday before Easter Sunday. There were about 150 runners total for all distances: 30k, 50k and 50 mile. In all, more than 60 volunteers helped put it all together. Volunteers included: HAMs, 4wd drivers, check-in crew, aid station volunteers and sweeps. More than SIXTY. That’s a little more than two runners for each volunteer. I arrived the morning before (Friday, March 30). After setting up camp, I got to work with a Steve and Annie Harvey and a couple other volunteers – sorting, organizing, staging aid station gear. The next day, volunteers arrived as early as 4am for check-in. And then after the runners took off, others began arriving to make it all happen up on the mountain. As usual, I was in awe of all the volunteers. They were heroes of the day, in countless ways!

~ My home ~

~ A Few of the volunteers ~

View from Westridge

I believe it was Monday that I last got out on the trails. Took in 5 miles along Westridge Trail in Aliso/Wood Canyons after work. Turns out that this is a regular after work trail – I came upon dozens of other hikers. It was wonderful.

Sugarloaf Peak 3/24/18

Sunday, I took an amazing hike out to Sugarloaf Peak in the Cleveland National Forest. The weather was perfectly cold.  The trails were perfectly tranquil. And the entire route was single track – my favorite of course.

I took San Juan Trail to Old San Juan Trail where moss crept along the ground, up the rocks and tree trunks. After about 3 miles I arrived to Sugarleaf Peak where I bushwhacked to the base. Then I climbed the rocks to the top. Slightly shivering I put on my beanie for protection against the cold wind and  stayed for a good long while. It was like visiting with an old friend (one with blue eyes like the skies.) I could see for miles and miles, and watched the dozens of cyclists who came up on Cocktail Rock below. I don’t think that they could see me, but I could see them.

I took San Juan Trail (as opposed to Old San Juan Trail) for a longer route back. It was a magical trip. 9.43 miles. 1,573’ elevation gain:

Five Weeks on a Ketogenic Diet

I changed my way of eating five weeks ago, and I have dropped 15 pounds. So much more important than those 15 pounds are some other wonderful side effects I have experienced since changing my way of eating.

Before the diet change, I was dragging, most often tired, and napped every chance I got. I found it difficult to focus, and would frequently forget things (felt like a “brain fog”). Before changing my diet, I struggled to wake in the morning, and I was always hungry. Now, I have energy. I am focused. I get things done. And I am rarely tired (except when I’m supposed to be, like after a long day), which means I never nap. Amazingly, I wake in the morning refreshed, with no groggy time. And I am absolutely never hungry. I am calmer. I am more accepting. I have more patience.

All this from changing my diet? Yes indeed. This is 100% true, and it took me way too long to realize that such a change could impact my life so drastically. Who would have thought? Not me.

So, what is my new way of eating? It is called a ketogenic diet, which is a very low carb diet with adequate protein and high fat. I know to some this may sound absurd, but my calorie intake is basically: 5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fat. In a nutshell, I stay at or under 20 grams of carbs a day. If you are a label reader, you’ll know that 20 grams of carbs adds up very quickly. A piece of whole wheat bread for example could be 17 carbs, an apple, I believe is around 10. Good thing I have never been a big fruit eater. I should add that restricting my carbs doesn’t matter one bit to me right now because I am never, and I stress “never” hungry.

With all that said, I got out for another trail run/hike before the rains came down. The day was Tuesday, and my legs were still sore from Sunday’s adventure. It was a tough loop in Aliso/Woods Canyons -- up Mathis Trail, down Meadows. Fortunately, I recovered very quickly after a long difficult trek up Mathis. Recovery time has decreased a great deal as well since beginning a ketogenic diet. I am finally really enjoying the trails once again (hallelujah!). Looking forward to getting back out there after the rain dry up.

Miles: 9.37, Elevation gain: 1,181.

Feeling optimistic. And so are the plants in Southern California. Look at all the green popping through:

View from Aliso Cyn Trail:

Climbing Mathis Trail:

View from Mathis Trail into Wood Canyon:Approaching Meadows Trail:Top of Meadows Trail: