Sunday, September 1, 2019
Altered Version of The Big Loop @ Aliso
Monday, July 29, 2019
The Way to do Summer Trails
There is where my heart is (hint: those mountains in the background. It's just too darn hot for me there right now).
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Aliso Woods Big Loop V. 2
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Car Wreck Trail
Friday, March 18, I headed out to Wood Canyon after work around 1PM. With my normal quick out-and-back in mind, I headed up Cholla, and ran along West Ridge to Top of the World. But I had a lot on my mind and didn’t want to return home so quickly. So, after running back down West Ridge, I turned off at Mathis and headed down an old technical favorite, Car Wreck Trail. It’s a tricky trail, rocky and steep, named after a wrecked car toward the bottom. And it helped me a great deal, as I needed to focus so closely on the trail, that I didn’t have time to ponder the craziness in my mind.
Though it’s tough, Car Wreck Trail is beautiful:
Car Wreck Trail eventual turns into another (I think it’s called Thousand Oaks Trail?) which in turn dumped me right back out onto Mathis, At the creek crossing at Mathis, I took a seat on the rocks and got caught up in the sound of rushing water. It had a great calming affect. Not sure how long I stayed, but it was a while, possibly twenty minutes.
And then I was off again along Wood Canyon, and I must have noticed five different snake tracks. One of them looked extraordinarily large. Sorry to have missed that one!
The wind picked up further into the canyon, and the grass fields swayed in waves. Mesmerized by the flow, I abruptly stopped along the field and watched the fields of grass move up and down like an ocean. It nearly took my breath away.
Friday, February 19, 2016
From the Top Once More
Monday was a day off for me and my boys as well (President’s Day, where we observe George Washington and Abraham Lincoln’s birthdays). I celebrated by sleeping in. I believe that I made it all the way until 8AM. Wait. Now I remember, I actually set my alarm for 6AM (because that’s what I do), and I hit the snooze three or four times until I finally stopped it all together. Then after hearing my middle son wake and go out to the “man cave” I rolled out of bed around 8AM.
The weather was still rather warm on Monday. so, perhaps it was not the best idea to wait until 1PM before heading out for a run. Oddly, I chose once again to drive up Pacific Coast Highway to Laguna Beach to catch a trail along the ridge for another loop starting at the top -- except this time, I went against the gradual climb out, picking instead a steep, short nasty climb out at the end
I parked at a little known park called Moulton Meadows which sits high above the Pacific Ocean and Aliso Canyon. And I began my long gradual down hill run along Top of the World and West Ridge (which was more likely rolling down hills, meaning there were some up hills). I think I cursed the heat. Beeping heat! I really loved our cold weather. It’s too early to start feeling the heat.
Anyway, I ran Cholla Trail down into Wood Canyon and cheerfully greeted the shady groves that line the first mile and a half or so of this canyon. I was really digging this long gradual down hill stuff. But boy did I pay for it. From Wood Canyon, I took Meadows Trail on over to Mentally Sensitive, which I once re-named Psycho Path, and for good reason. I struggled immensely climbing this bastard of a trail. There really is no relief, and as you can see from the elevation chart below, the climb is steep as hell. Thankfully, it was short. But oh my lord. My pace was probably somewhere around a 40 mile minute. I may not take run that loop again for a while.
Jeez.
Running down Cholla Trail into Wood Canyon:Starting up Mentally Sensitive (Psycho Path!):1,271’ gained, 10.3 miles:
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Starting at the Top
Generally, I prefer trail routes that get the uphill over with toward the beginning of the run. I despise having to climb out to get home. But I also hate making the same old drive over and over again. I think I hate that more than climbing out at the end. So, this past Saturday, I decided to drive along the coast and drive to Alta Laguna Park, which is near the Top of the World neighborhood in Laguna Beach. Most often I begin my coastal hill running in the Canyons, Wood or Aliso Canyon, so it’s down hill back to the truck.
Starting off with 180 degree ocean views, Saturday I began my run on a down hill – a quick down hill, totaling just around two miles (down West Ridge and then down Mathis into Wood Canyon). From then on, it was uphill, a gradual uphill, which is why I chose this route. I thought that climbing out wouldn’t be so bad if the climb was gradual. And, so for the next FIVE miles I ran uphill, on an unusually warm weekend in February. It was tough. But, I hear that I am tough, so I guess it was okay.
Route: Top of the World, West Ridge, Mathis Trail, Wood Canyon, Cholla Trail, West Ridge to Top of the World
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Sunday Afternoon Trail Run
Sunday’s Route: Wood Canyon, Meadows Trail, Top of the World, West Ridge, Cholla Trail, Wood Canyon. 9.78 miles (15.74 km) , 1,163’ (354.48 m) elevation gained.
Despite my wacky schedule, I was able to end the week with a long(ish) Sunday run in Aliso/Wood Wilderness Park. My feet didn’t hit dirt until about 2PM. And that was okay. I took the canyon trail first, full of shade, so I wasn’t bothered by the heat. I did run up on one rattlesnake though. But I was too slow with the camera to catch a picture before he slithered off into the brush.
Though it was warm (we’ve seen temperatures in the 80’s lately!), I did get some nice cool breezes. And even with the heat, it’ still not the same as the summer heat. Somehow, it felt like winter heat, and that was soothing and wonderful.
By the time I reached Meadows Trail, which is pretty much up, up, up (switchback thankfully), the temperature had cooled tremendously. I was able to march up that incline considerably faster than usual of late, as there were some hikers I wanted to pass. And I did.
Reaching the top of Meadows was a great relief, as aside from the minor uphills along the way, it’s pretty much down hill from there. By the time I made it to Alta Laguna Park to re-enter the wilderness park, the temperature was ideal – coolish-warm, which is more on the cool side, but warm enough to not need a jacket. I packed lightly for this run, but didn’t even need all the water that I did carry along. I so love packing lightly on the fluids. One of the wonderful things about running in the winter!
Anyway, I finished off not terribly strong, but not terribly beaten either. Made it home before dark. I was delighted, so much so, to not experience any plantar fasciitis pain.
Meadows Trail:Looking back while climbing Meadows Trail:Top of Meadows Trail, facing Saddleback Mountains:
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Unmarked Trails, Pink Clouds and Coyotes
Thursday evening I took off for a short run into Wood Canyon. I really had no final intention on a destination, except for the fact that I knew I’d do between five and six miles. Anymore than that, I’d be running in the dark, which is not such a big deal, else a ranger stumble upon me and write out a citation.
The weather was pleasantly cool, as it has been lately during our mild weathered August. The trails, though not crowded, had more runners and hikers than I’m used to travelling upon them. I’m seldom out on the trails in the evening though.
I wore my pf sock (a short compression sock) that helped immensely with my foot pain (either that or my foot is actually improving – I can never tell). A little over two miles in, running along West Ridge, which overlooks Laguna Canyon Road and the Pacific Ocean, I stopped to snap a photo and noticed something I had never seen before. There off two my right, only slightly obscured by brush, was a heavily travelled, unmarked single-track that descended down the ledge into Laguna Canyon. I do not know how I never saw this. I can tell you that my heart leapt with joy. Seriously. There is almost nothing better than travelling along a trail that I have never before travelled, even if its practically in my own backyard.
I descended quickly down this newly discovered single-track. I don’t mean that I moved quickly, I mean the elevation loss occurred quickly, and oh happy day, I needed to kneel down and slide in some instances, to make the grade.
Going down on this newly discovered trail:
I could see a large dog park down at the base of the trail, though I wasn’t sure exactly where I would come out. I told myself, “a little further,” . . . “just a little further,” until I decided that I needed to head back. I didn’t want the climb out to be so difficult that it would leave me out in the canyon under darkness. And so I headed back up, gleefully mind you, grabbing at the rocks to pull myself up along the trail. It was beautiful. I never even noticed any problems with my foot.
The sun was still slightly above the horizon as I ran along West Ridge. Coyotes began to howl down in the canyon. And hikers seemed all headed in the direction to leave the park. At the last minute, I decided not to run down Cholla Trail, the one I came up on out of Wood Canyon. I pretty much always take Cholla. But dang it, I’m bored of that trail, so I headed down Lynx instead, a less popular trail in these canyons, though I’m not sure why.
Lynx is a wonderful rocky single-track, technical, but not death defying. There’s even a bullet-ridden car in the gully, hidden to the casual visitor. But if you stand in just the right place, you get a perfect shot of the old-fashioned, shiny, blue car.
When I finally dumped out into Wood Canyon, every cloud in the sky was colored pink. As I ran back up the canyon toward my car, coyotes, many of them on both sides of the canyon barked and howled as the sun finally set on this lovely trail run. It was the dogs’ turn for the canyons.