Laurel Springs -- Check.

Last Friday, February 21,  I got out for some much needed trails (so few and far between!). For this hike (& run), I was fortunate to have a friend come along and so my goal was to finally find Laurel Springs. I have passed the trail marker along Harding Truck Trail dozens of times. And I have even taken the Laurel Springs trail down a short ways, only to turn back because of the heat.

We took off out of Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in Modjeska Canyon at about 9am and headed up the huge climb, passing Flores Peak on the way. The climb up Harding is STEEP -- Steep and gorgeous, which helps keep your mind off the climb. Actually, good company and conversation is more what kept my mind off the climb. 

It was a beautiful clear day. Spring flowers were showing themselves along the edges (orange poppies and purple lupin). We did not see a single other person on foot. But we did see the fire department -- they were out grading Harding Truck Trail. 

At exactly 5 miles on my sports watch, we found Laurel Trail, which is no longer marked. It starts off downhill and continues that way for about a 1/2 mile (at most!).

We found Laurel Springs pretty quickly after taking the trail. It's a downhill single-track hike, no more than a 1/2 mile as previously mentioned. Overall, reaching the springs was anti-climatic to say the least -- just a dribble. But the area was overgrown which made for a cool resting place. And the trickle sound of the water was lovely. 

After the anti-climatic Laurel Springs, we hiked back up and layed back on a concrete block structure tucked off of a side trail and looked up at the sky. This was the serene view (picture below). What a lovely view to take in while listening to the sounds of silence. Great medicine! We ran much of the way back. But then we took a little detour into Harding Canyon to scout out a future hike. Looking forward to that.

Running Back with Laurel Bay Leaf in my vest pocket (love the smell!)

Flores Peak

11 miles,

2,778' feet of elevation gain (done pretty much in the first 5 miles!)

Seven More Miles . . .

Sunday, March 3, I went long. I went long on Harding Truck Trail, which starts at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary in Modjeska Canyon. I arrived fairly early, as those limited parking spaces fill up quickly, and took one of the two remain spots. It was just before 8:00 AM when I took off up Harding Truck Trail. Several other hikers took off behind me.

Though it was relatively early, it was not so for trail people. I met quite a few hikers and runners coming down as I made my way up that steep grade. Boy, is Harding Truck Trail steep. It’s not so technical, as it is a truck trail after all  (though actually closed to traffic). I found the trek up Harding very difficult, and actually ran very little of it. Once I passed the 5 mile mark (where Laurel Springs Trail branches off), I came up on very few people on Harding Truck Trail. Overall, the views were delightful – lots of spring flowers and above blue skies with white puffy and smeared clouds. The scene was serene.

My goal (or turnaround point) was “Four Corners,” which is where Harding meets Maple Springs and The Main Divide branching off in two directions. I will not lie and say that the climb up to “Four Corners” wasn’t tough. It was tough as hell. But then again, when do I ever say the climb wasn’t tough. IT IS ALWAYS tough for me. I kept the following in my mind on the way up – “at mile 7.5 you get a reprieve!” That’s when there’s a slight downhill, and then the climb after that isn’t so steep. Right about mile 7.5 I came across what appeared to be three brothers. I didn’t ask if they were related, but they all looked alike. There was a small, a medium and a large blonde haired boy, just like my three sons (though not blonde), but these guys also had a few years on mine. Anyway, I passed them, and kept in the back of my mind not to let them catch up (because I am weird that way).

Finally, FINALLY, after three hours and 45 minutes, I made it to 4 corners. There was one dirt bike rider who came up on The Main Divide. Other than that, I was alone until the three brothers arrived and carried on along The Main Divide. I probably stayed about 15 minutes drinking my protein shake, taking photographs and looking out onto Orange, Riverside and Orange Counties. I felt fully rested, and quite content.

As I made my way back down Harding Truck Trail, I came up on a semi-large hiking group that I had passed on my way up. It was like seeing old friends.

The run back down was uneventful for the first 2+ miles. Thing was, I didn’t focus well on the trail. Instead, I found myself thinking about work and other such worries. Okay, I know that I must focus, especially when fatigued on trails. You would think that I would have learned. But, NO! I let myself get lost in thought. Then with about 7 miles remaining, I tripped. And when I tripped, I went flying forward. I don’t know where my tuck and roll went, but apparently, it’s gone. Now, it’s just spaz-out free fall. And that’s just what I did.

I landed hard. And though I knew I was hurt, I knew that I did not hit my head, and I probably had not broken anything. But, my breathing out of control, I was certain to vomit. Oddly, I made my way to the edge of the trail so that I could vomit (because I thought it was polite to be neat about it). Leaning over a fallen log, I noticed the blood oozing from my leg. But all I really cared about was puking. Just as I started to dry-heave, I got some reason and focused on getting my breathing under control. I have no idea where that reason came from; I guess just from within. Slowly, so, so very slowly, my breaths lengthened, and I took in more oxygen. It was at that point that the nausea left me.

I could tell that my immediate injuries were to my right leg and palm. The injury to my palm looked terrible with ripped skin covering a small hole in my hand. I actually felt sore all over, but the visible injuries came from the aforementioned. “Seven miles,” that’s what I told myself. All I need to do is focus for seven miles. So, I wiped the blood off of my leg until that was moot – I mean, why wipe the blood when it doesn’t matter? It was just going to keep oozing until it was done, and I didn’t want to wait. And so, I swallowed three ibuprofen and took off trotting down Harding Truck Trail toward my truck parked at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary.

Those last seven miles were bearable, with my main problem coming from my hand, and a part of my leg that was not bleeding (the right side of my front right calf). With about two miles remaining, I ran up on two lovely ladies who were hiking the trails now in afternoon heat. One of them noticed my leg, and made comments to the affect that I was a bad-ass for traversing the trails seven miles with my injury. That kind of praise always cracks me up (like when people were amazed that I made it two miles to my truck with a broken arm). I mean, what was I supposed to do? I am no bad-ass for running those miles with my injury. I did it because that’s what I had to do to get to my truck. I had no other options. Believe me, if I could have dialed in a helicopter (free of charge of course) to come pick me up, I would have surely done so.

Total trip miles: 18.84 miles (30.32 km)

Elevation gained: 3,666’ (1,117 m)

Harding Truck Trail

I am so behind. So, here goes another: Sunday, February 28, in an effort to ward off some anger, I changed my original coastal hills plans, and headed for the mountains at around 11 in the morning. I chose Harding Truck Trail because the drive into Modjeska Canyon is easy. There is no off-roading.

The day was warm, as I headed out of my seaside town. As I approached the freeway, a seagull took off from the asphalt in front of my truck and flew into my windshield. I kid you not! I nearly swerved into traffic to avoid the bird. And the only reason I I think that he didn’t crack my window was because the radio antenna slowed his crash some. That got my attention. With all the traffic, I couldn’t see if the bird survived.

The parking lot was full at Tucker Wildlife, which is at the bottom of Harding Truck Trail. I had to turn around and find a place back toward the mouth of the canyon. I had a little walk therefore to the trailhead. I was fine with that, just happy to be out there. When I’m out in the wilderness, I don’t have to feel. I just have to be. Of course, I can feel, if I struggle to hold onto anger or sadness, or whatever. But I find that the mountains is the easiest place for me to just exist and stay in the moment.

Anyway, it was a lovely day trudging up Harding Truck Trail. At 7.25 miles, where the road makes a giant you-turn, I turned back and ran back down to my truck. I found myself so totally zoned out, that I seemed to forget that I was running, though so very fatigued I was. At one point, I looked down and saw a that I was stepping right over a snake. That gave me a start, but in an instant I noticed that it was a harmless gopher snake. Such a cute thing. so dainty.

I love Harding Truck Trail. But it’s hard as hell.

14.55 miles,  3,086’ gained

Harding Hustle 50k

I never really thought that I had it in me to run The Harding Hustle.  I was never going to even try.  This was the race that I worked, not ran.  It was too hot.  It was too steep.  And I would have to summit not once, but THREE times. 

That is, until 2014 when I registered for this race.  A momentary lapse of reason, I suppose.  I wanted to use this as a training run. 

I woke at 3:30 AM, left my house at 4:00 AM, arrived in Modjeska Canyon at 4:30.  I took off up Harding Truck Trail at 5:00 AM.  I elected an early start with two other runners, one of them my friend Emmett Rahl.  At the start line, Emmett gave me a laminated pace sheet with cut-offs, and pacing for a 7:30 finish and a 10:00 finish.  Considering that I doubted that I could even finish this race, I hoped for the longer finish.  On the backside, he had printed a group photo of my three sons and husband. 

Early on in the dark, I turned my ankle going up that mountain, but not terribly.  But, I have to admit that I thought to myself, “I really wouldn’t be that upset if I twisted my ankle.”  I had about thirty-one miles to go at that point.  An unbearable thought, so much so, that I didn’t think about it.  I just plodded one foot in front of the other.

I considered the  first “leg” of this 50k the almost entirely uphill trip along Harding Truck Trail.  It measures about 9.3 miles.  The first mile is the worst mile.  And it doesn’t ease up until about mile 6.5.  At that point, the road levels out some, and there’s even a slight down hill.  Only slight.  Normally, it takes me about 3:15 to make that nine mile trip.  Yes that long!  I am excruciatingly slow during that first leg.  Quite amazingly, I made the trip on Saturday in under 3 hours, something like 2:50.  To make matters quite pleasurable, the skies were cloudy and the breeze was cool. 

Trying to catch Emmett (which I never did) going up Harding:

Views from Harding TT:

First Leg complete:

The second leg of this 50k was the trip up to Modjeska Peak, which measures about 3 miles.  Also entirely uphill, there’s quite a few rocky portions which I found more than annoying.  But the views were so gorgeous and the breeze was still so cool, there was no getting me down, even as numerous regular starters began passing me. 

I found great solace in seeing a few runners that I know as I ran up to Modjeska Peak.  One of my running friends, Randall Tolosa,  manned the post at Modjeska where I turned around and ran back down for the third leg of this 50k. 

On The Main Divide onward to Modjeska Peak:

Shoe Tying at Modjeska Peak:

Coming off Modjeska Peak:

The third leg of this race entailed running down Modjeska into the saddle and up to Santiago Peak – a trip totaling about 3.5 miles.  Somewhere in the third leg, I met a reader of my blog (thanks for saying Hi and telling me you read Laurenontherun!!!).  Running down into the saddle I teared up, as I knew at this point I was truly committed to the 50K.  I was on my way to Santiago Peak, and there would be no turning back for a 30k race.  It was a finish or a DNF for me – just as I wanted.  I took out my phone and texted my husband, “in the saddle.” 

I found the third leg tiring and hiked a bit of that switchback up to “Talking Towers,” (AKA Santiago Peak).   Some of the runners powered up to the peak, others walked for more strength later.  I saw Emmett as he came back down, and he shouted out words of encouragement, as he knew all about my doubts.  I looked at my family’s picture quite a few times and smiled wide.  And I used the pace sheet to move me on quicker.  So far, I was coming in with times under the 10:00 finish, and well above the cut offs for the race.  I felt fine.  I was enjoying this adventure.  And even more amazingly, I kept the demons at-bay.  There was no negative self-talk, no “I suck,” or “Who am I kidding?”   It was more, “Look how beautiful that is!”  or “I am so lucky that the breeze is cool today.”

I meet several other runners at Santiago Peak, and familiar faces working the aid station.  I took a little more time at this peak, filling my hydration pack and talking a bit with the other runners.  I took off for leg four well within the race cut-off times.

The fourth leg was back to into the saddle and back up Modjeska Peak.  I teared up again in the saddle, this time because I knew that I would probably finish this race.  “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” I warned myself.  Still, I felt confident.  I texted my husband, “back in the saddle.”

At the base of Modjeska Peak, I found myself weary of making that climb again.  You could have shot me at that point and I probably would have been fine with that.  I REALLY didn’t want to summit again.  But I drudged up that switch-back alongside the other runners who dragged along with me.  I noticed one guy sit down to rest as I finally quite happily made my way back down for the 5th leg back to Harding Truck Trail.  Keeping a foothold on that rocky terrain was difficult.   

Back in the Saddle:

I left the Maple Springs aid station for the final leg of this 50k at about ten minutes past the pacing for a 10:00 finish.  I felt fine with that.  But I had energy still, and I had run this 9.3 downhill on many occasions.  I knew that I could run it quicker than I thought that I could.  And so I took off with the intent of a 12 minute mile all the way down.  I did very well, felt strong, met other runners.  I was going back and forth with another runner who looked familiar.  He finally caught me again with about 6 miles to go, and we ran side-by-side silently for a bit.  So I pushed a little harder when he finally said, “Gosh Lauren, put down the hammer!” 

Ha!  Turns out we kind of knew each other.  He remembered me from working Chimera.  He said that I helped him at the Holy Jim Aid.  I remembered him as Jeff Higgins from Old Goat 50.  He was the guy behind me with encouraging words at the end of the race.  Well, he finally said that he couldn’t keep up and I raced off ahead of him gaining more speed as I crashed down the mountain (though I passed him, he finished with a better time, about fifteen minutes quicker because I started earlier).  It was great to see Jeff again.  And it was a booster to pass him. 

With less than 5 miles remaining, I stopped one last time, at the Laurel Springs aid station.  My eyes stung from salt dripping off my head.  So, I took the time to drench my bandana and washed out my eyes.  Then I draped the wet bandana over my head and headed down Harding Truck Trail.  I continued to pass other runners down that mountain who would beat me in overall time.  But it still felt good to finally pass runners.  I ran that last leg, the 9.3 rocky mainly downhill miles in less than 2:15.  My best from prior runs was 2:30. 

I am happy to report that I finished The Harding Hustle 50k.  It wasn’t quick.  In fact, it was slow.  But I did it.  I wasn’t pulled.  I didn’t fall.  I didn’t lose all my strength.  I never went into the dark side.  I kept my wits about me.  My garmin time was 9:25:41.  The race’s clock time had me at 9:27.  I’ll take it.  I finished.  And I am so, so, so grateful for that!

Less than 5 miles left:

Howdy Neighbor

I got out the door this morning much later than I had planned.  The sun was already fully up, runners were running up and down the city streets.  This was going to be a problem.  It’s summertime now – and heat is building.  I REALLY need to get out there under darkness if I want to do long runs in the mountains

Okay, it is what it is.  So, I decided to cut my run about five miles short.  This way, I’d arrive back home about the same time I originally planned. I think what’s most important to me is not what time I leave, but what time I arrive home.  

I drove to Modjeska Canyon not at all in a hurry.  I even stopped at the tiny community park in the canyon to use the outhouse.  There were some bags of stuff like vhs videos and paperback books free for the taking at the entrance gate.  One book stood out to me – My First Summer in the Sierra, by John Muir.  I grabbed it as I hopped back into my truck and headed off for Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary.  (It wasn’t until later at the Laundromat when I began reading this book, that it felt that someone left it specifically for me!)

It was after 7AM when I began that wonderful-terrible climb up Harding Truck Trail.  I felt sluggish, but didn’t let that get me down.  I mean, how could I with a view like this:

Catalina Island looked like a mountain range.  Sometimes I can’t even see the island.  Today, cloud cover was gone.  Today, views were immense – the San Gabriel Mountains behind me, the Pacific Ocean in front of me.  I had to stop and stand at the edge of the trail and revel in the vastness before me.  I felt at one with the land during that moment, as if time didn’t move, when suddenly the loud rattling awakened me.  Wow.  Talk about ferocious.   I don’t know why anyone’s afraid of whether or not they’d hear a rattler.  Their rattling is so unbelievably loud, there’s no missing it.  It doesn’t sound like an insect or anything else except the loud, fierce rattling of a poisonous snake.  I immediately turned off the music on my ipod, focused in on the noise, and moved away from it.  I didn’t even bother to locate the snake.  I’ve seen enough rattlesnakes, and I had some time to make up on today’s run.  So, instead, I trotted away (UPHILL some more) on my way to Four Corners (where Harding Truck Trail meets The Main Divide). 

It was a struggle, a great struggle running up that gigantic switch-back.  I’m not talking about a mental struggle.  Mentally, I was there.  I knew eventually I’d make it.  And just because my abilities sucked this morning, didn’t mean that I’d flat-out fail come The Harding Hustle in two weeks. 

Several hikers made their way down Harding Truck Trail as I made my way up.  A few runners came down too, which is utterly unusual in my experience on this trail.  I rarely see runners on Harding Truck Trail.  Several cyclists raced down Harding as well.  Then with about three miles remaining to “Four Corners,” I passed the last hiker I’d see.  He was hiking down.  We both did a little wave, and just as I passed him, I realized that I knew this man.  I stopped in my tracks, looked back at him and said, “You look familiar.”  I thought that he was probably one of my students, someone recent, or a student that had been in my class more than once – he looked that familiar.  I’m not sure if he recognized me immediately of it if just donned on him, but he said, “I’m your neighbor.”

Doh!  My neighbor!  My next-door neighbor.  Can you imagine?  I don’t know my neighbor!  My husband does.  But, I’m rarely out front.  And in my defense (a little anyway), he has only been our neighbor for a short while.  I can’t even tell you how long, but less than a year (I think).  We chatted a bit for the first time today on Harding Truck Trail, and I found out that he was doing the same 19 miles as I.  I had to laugh that we have this huge common interest, live right next door to each other, and for the first time really, spoke on this mountain. Howdy neighbor.

After our quick chat, I stopped at this scenic view to phone my hubby and tell him who I met on the trail:

Well, I finally made it to “Four Corners,” in just about the worst time I’ve ever ran it.  I sat for a bit and re-packed my hydration pack (had empties to tie on), and then I took off for that long, hot, exposed nine plus miles down.  I came upon several hikers making their way up in the extreme heat.  Thank goodness for a slight breeze.  I tried to power run it down, and hoped that I’d catch my neighbor.  No such luck.  I was lucky to maintain a 13 minute mile, so sluggish and worn out was I.  I tripped really hard once, slightly several times.  And I ran out of water with a little over a mile remaining. 

Last time I made this run (last week), I came in thirty minutes quicker than usual.  Today, I came in forty-five minutes slower than usual.  I’ll take it.  18.76 miles on trails is pretty much great any way I look at it. 

Harding Truck Trail

Yay!  The boys are finally off school for the summer.  And it took long enough!  Really.  This had to be the longest school year ever.  EVER.  I celebrated on Thursday by tip-toeing out of the house while everyone still slept and drove to Modjeska Canyon for a run up Harding Truck Trail.  I didn’t want to do it.  It was the last thing I wanted to do.  Seriously.  But I knew that all I had to do was get my feet going up that monster climb, and if I just put one foot in front of the other that I’d eventually reach the top of that 9.32 miles.  And in the end I’d be happy.  Happy and dead-dog-tired. 

I arrived to the top of Harding Truck Trail (Four Corners) five minutes sooner than I did when I last ran this trail.  I’ll take it.  Five minutes isn’t much, but at least my time was not slower.  I really made up my time on the down hill portion when I forced a strong 9 mile finish, completing the entire 19.64 miles thirty minutes quicker than usual.    This was tough.  I know it’s all downhill.  But it’s rocky and hot and my water was running low – this on top of having just ran over nine uphill miles. 

The Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary was open when I arrived at the bottom.  I rushed inside to purchase a cold water and Diet Coke.  So wiped out was I that I possessed no strength to “stand” in line.  And so I sat on the floor, sweaty and hot, my eyes stinging from salt, as I waited to pay.  

Wow.  These are the days!

Almost Over

I feel like I’ve been running an ultra, the finish line is in sight, AND I JUST CANNOT TAKE ANOTHER STEP. I don’t feel this way from running though – I’m talking about the end of the school year, and I don’t feel like I have it in me to cross the finish line. The boys are ALMOST, ALMOST finished. My grade-schooler is as good as finished. But my middle-schooler and high-schooler have their noses to the grind, pumping out projects and studying for finals. My night job (adult education) is in its final week. And I’ve been taking more substitute teaching assignments than usual because it’s all coming to an end. But I AM SOOOOO TIRED. Just. A. Little. Bit. Longer. Take one more step. And then another. And then another.  This is what I tell myself when I’m running.  Hopefully it will work for this.

I have time to make quick stops at the gym. Very little time for the trails. I do have two trail runs to report this week. First, on Sunday, I took a practice run on twenty miles of the 50k race I’m running in four weeks. Though not a technical course, it’s a tough course. A LOT OF UPHILL (For that matter, a lot of downhill too, but the uphill is so relentless, that by the time it’s downhill time, I’m pooped).

On Sunday, I packed a great deal of water, as I’ve gotten myself in trouble on these very trails before. In all I carried 110 fluid ounces. Seventy of those were in my pack bladder, the remaining I carried mostly on my back. Thank goodness I don’t have to carry that extra water weight during the race. On Sunday, my back ached so much by the time I reached my turnaround point, I broke down and took two ibuprofen. I also cut open beneath the mouth of my plastic water bottles so that I could pour the still frozen water chunks into my bladder and carry the fluids in a centralized location. This made a huge difference comfort-wise on the downhill portion. On the bad side, it took me 6 hours to travel twenty miles. Granted, on race day, I will probably move faster. But as usual, I will need to move A LOT faster. On the good side, I came in on those twenty miles feeling strong. Back at home, I didn’t even take a nap.  Oh!  And I ran up on two snakes on Harding Truck Trail during this run – a ribbon snake (garter snake?) and a gopher snake.

Report 2, today (Thursday) I hit the trails for a 12.50 mile run that I had no business running.  I have absolutely no time for this!  I didn’t have a sub job though, so damn the laundry and damn the dishes.  They can wait until after I cross the finish line!  (Tell that to the boys who had to scrounge around for underwear this morning – because today I also had a small report to write for a six hour meeting I’m attending tomorrow, attendance to record and print for June, a timecard to complete, Vacation Bible School registration to complete, a son to coach in Spanish, and a three hour testing lab to run at the Adult School, etc., etc., etc.,).  And so I ran anyway!

A helicopter hovered close to the ground at the get-go in Aliso Canyon.  It had border patrol colors (green and white), so my guess was they were looking for someone.  Either that, or they were just running maneuvers.  The noise got a little annoying at times though – and it did seem they were looking for something or someone, as the helicopter flew so close I could see the passenger leaning out and looking toward the ground.  And as I gleefully ran along the dusty trail, I got to thinking about how stupid this was if the helicopter was Border Control, that the U.S. would leave the borders so easily crossable and then hunt people who cross illegally inside the borders as if they were animals or hardened criminals.  I mean, come on!  If it’s that important that you spend so much manpower and money to hunt people down, why not make it more difficult to cross?  Ah . . .  off subject, I guess.  Immigration is a huge and controversial subject here in California.  Regardless of my views on the matter, I hate this hunting down of people.  Hate. It.  And I had PLENTY of time to think about it as this helicopter swept down low into the valley for HOURS today.  Seriously, hours.  (Do note that it’s only my speculation over what they were doing – but we all know here that green and white is Border Control.  Just sayen).

SO!  I “ran” up Mentally Sensitive as the helicopter continued to hover about.  And I found time to smile despite that trail’s retched incline. 

And then I smiled tenfold as I ran along Top of the World and saw this baby goat.  I so wanted to hop the electrified fence and take him for my own.  But alas, I ran on because time was running short, and I still had so much to do.

And then, silly, crazy me, I decided to lengthen my loop (originally planned on 10.75 miles) for a 12.50 mile loop.  Why?  All because I wanted to run down RockIt which is a huge challenge, even on the downhill.  It’s steep in some parts, and so unevenly rocky, that I find it quite difficult to gain any speed.  Still I try.  And try I did.  And I didn’t even fall on RockIt.  I fell on Coyote Run Trail.  Flat on my butt.  Serves me right.    I really had no business putting in a 12+ mile trail run today anyway.