My Own Sweet Time

2/26/21: I decided to celebrate my newfound strength from refueling after coming off an extended fast. I could think of no better way to celebrate than to hike a big loop in my local trails going up Mentally Sensitive. This trail, which derives it’s name from an old sign that used to read “Environmentally Sensitive”, is the toughest trail to climb up in the entire wilderness areas of Aliso and Wood Canyons. It’s tough, yes, but not too tough. It is tough enough though, that I rarely climb up nowadays.

Looking Back While Climbing Mentally Sensitive:

I took my own sweet time climbing Mentally Sensitive. Good thing it took me so long, otherwise I might have missed the bobcat at the top. Imagine my excitement! I fumbled around for my camera for so long, I thought for sure I missed him. But I did not. I zoomed in with my cheap little camera and caught a decent shot of him right above a Laguna Beach neighborhood. What an exhilarating way to end the climb.

On a whim, I changed up my big loop and had lunch in one of my secret places (nuts, cranberries, beef stick). I didn’t think that the climb in would affect me much. And it didn’t much during the hike (because as I mentioned, I took my own sweet time). What I recall most about this loop was how I felt afterwards back at home. I was dead-dog-tired, that’s how I felt. I felt it even the next day (in my glutes!).

Don’t recall much more, as it now feels so long ago. I would really like to get out of my local hills and travel to other trails, but I just don’t have the time. But I am grateful that my local hills are so wonderful – even in the midst of all this population, I have this beauty. And it’s free. What a gift!

Breakfast in a Cave

Wednesday (July 22), I blocked out time in “The Schedule” to get in a 10+ mile loop, beginning at Moulton Meadows in Laguna Beach. I began at the top of Mentally Sensitive where the weather was quite chilly and I even wondered for a moment if I should have brought something warmer to wear. No need to worry. After gingerly making my way straight down Mentally Sensitive into Aliso Canyon, I had warmed up plenty. (Look at that first drop in the elevation profile!) Actually all of Aliso and Wood Canyon was like an oven this time of afternoon. I was greatly looking forward to the shadiness of Wood Canyon.

At about 4 o’clock I arrived at Cave Rock in Wood Canyon which was the perfect place to cool down and break my fast. I climbed up to the “big” cave on the side of Cave Rock and had a small meal of meat and cheese with a meadow view. I could hear branches breaking across in the trees. When I focused I caught a glimpse of a deer hoping about but lost him pretty quickly. That got me thinking: I really need a small pair of binoculars (another thing to pack!).

Lovely hike, even though it was one of those “climb out” hikes. The climb out was nice and gradual though with mountain and ocean views! Besides that – the climb is always good for the soul (and for that matter, so is breakfast in a cave.)

The Breakfast Cave

Back in Laguna Beach after the Climb up Cholla & West Ridge

 

The “Big” Big Loop

June 5, I still choose to hike locally, especially since I’d rather sleep in a tad, til about 7 am, then sit around drinking my two cups of coffee with stevia and heavy whipping cream. Of course that gets prolonged because I need to pack my stuff and do a walkabout on my property to look at things like the blackberries and wildflower seeds planted beneath the Orange tree. By the time I head out, it’s already at least 10 am!

June 5 was hazy and gloomy and even rainy in the early morning. We call that June gloom on the coast in southern California. It’s this way every year. Sometimes it seems we barely see a day of sunshine in June. It rained, in fact, the day I gave birth to my oldest son, more than 20 years ago, June 3, 1999.

June 5, 2020, I decided to go for The Big Loop, V. 2, as I have often called it, which is a longer extension of The Big Loop. I parked in the church lot across the street because the parking lot at Aliso/Woods ranger station was closed (although the park was open). That didn’t seem so odd to me since we live in weird times right now, and parking lots are constantly being closed. Then as I was climbing out of my truck, at least 50 motorcycle policemen (& women too, I’m sure)  road down the road toward the boulevard. And that’s when I suddenly heard the shouts and cheering from afar. And amazingly, from my viewpoint, I could see protestors out near the federal building in Aliso Viejo. There have been protests daily in my area. All have been peaceful, so I was not necessarily alarmed. But the event felt a little surreal.

The Big Loop (the first version), is actually a lollipop loop, going up Cholla Trail, going down Meadows (or vice-versa), just under 12 miles. The Big Loop, V. 2, on the other hand, is just under 13 miles, replacing Meadows above with Mentally Sensitive Trail. Of late, I’ve been calling V. 2, the “Big” Big Loop. I think I like that name better. But that’s neither here nor there. What’s is here and there is this (despite all the depressing news out there – in the U.S. and even in the world, you know what I mean):

Spring is still out there on the southern California coast!

And this:

The forest is spooky and awesome

And this:

The California Riviera

 

 

The Adventures of a Mentally Sensitive-Mathis Loop

Aliso Cyn – Wood Cyn – Meadows – Mentally Sensitive – Moulton Meadows Park – Aswut – Top of the World – Alta Laguna Park – West Ridge – Mathis – Wood Cyn – Aliso Cyn

I got out before Friday for some more trails this week. I don't teach Thursday mornings this semester, which means I have the day until about 5:30 pm when I need to drive off to teach a math class. That leaves a lot of time for trails. I decided to spend some of that time putting in some long miles (11) sprinkled with the steepest incline in Aliso Canyon (Mentally Sensitive Trail!). 

The meadows were green. The creek was full. And the wildlife was out in abundance. Squirrels ran across my path. A bright blue bird swooped down in front of me. A road runner flitted across my path on Mentally Sensitive. And as soon as I turned the corner on Meadows heading toward Mentally Sensitive, I spotted a a rarity step out onto the trail from the meadow at my left. I mentioned in my last post that there is a delay in identifying animals when they are coming straight at me. The otherside of that is when the animal is not coming straight at me, there's instant recognition. This was the case on Thursday. I caught a glimpse of the cat from the side and immediately idenitified Bobby! (As in Bobcat). And what a beauty he was. 

Climbing Mentally Sensitive was a chore. Definitely  took my sweet old time. Half way up, I had grown so overheated, I needed to take off my long sleeves and tie them around my waist. The struggle was absolutely wonderful. And the green valleys and Saddleback Mountain views were very pleasing to these old eyes. Soon we will have fields of spring flowers. Hopefully we'll have a few more rains to keep the creeks flowing. Wet winters are a delight in California (not so much during the actual rain because we aren't used to it, and thus a lot of times unprepared and unpracticed). But the pay off from the rain sure is great.

Some Stats:

11.01 miles

Avg. Heart Rate (rpm) 122

Max. Heart Rate 165

1,522' Elevation Gain

1,480' Elevation Loss

Highest Altitude 1,168'

Lowest Altitude 150'

Slopes:

Uphill 35%

Flat 36%

Downhill 29%

Aliso Woods Big Loop V. 2

For many years I used to run what I now call The Big Loop at Aliso/Woods Canyons. At the time, it was the biggest loop I could make using marked trails in the park. It is a lollipop loop actually, going up Cholla and down Meadows to close up the loop (or vice-versa). The stick of the lollipop is about 1.5 miles. I call it version one of The Big Loop, because the park eventually opened up another trail to make even a bigger loop, this adding The Big Loop V. 2 to my repetoire. That new trail (not new anymore) is Mentally Sensitive. I believe that Mentally Sensitive is the steepest trail overall in the park (parts of Car Wreck Trail are probably steeper). Gosh, it’s been probably 8 years since  added Mentally Sensitive to the big loop collection. Friday, October 5, I decided to take it on once again for my Friday Hike Video.

What a day! The loop took about an hour and a half longer than I intended. There was just too much to see. With five detours and a wonderful show put on by a coyote tossing around a gopher (13:14 in the video clips, I came in at six hours! Six. Hours.

I really needed that. Times have been a little tough (not terrible) – but not tough enough to get my butt out on the trails for some rigorous miles on my day off from work.

Total miles: 13.37, Elevation gain: 1,581’

The route: Aliso Cyn/Wood Cyn/Cave Rock/Wood Cyn/Cholla/West Ridge/Top of the World/Mentally Sensitive/Meadows/Wood Cyn/Aliso Cyn

Into The Furnace

I believe that it was last Monday when I hit the trails.  Last minute decision, I took off up Pacific Coast Highway into Laguna Beach. The quickest route into Aliso/Woods Canyons is in Laguna Beach in fact. I parked along the curb in front of Moulton Meadows Park around 1:30pm. The weather was quite warm, somewhere in the high eighties (Fahrenheit). 

The beauty of parking at Moulton Meadows, even though I do a heavy descent at the beginning, the climb back is rolling and fairly gradual. (I prefer not to have a heavy descent first off -- I like that for when I’m fatigued). I began basically at the top of Mentally Sensitive Trail where there was a nice ocean breeze along the Top of the World ridge. The climb down this trail was steep, and of course I was quite happy that I was travelling down instead of up. I came upon one hiker making his way up, and not too far past him, another sitting in the shade of a small mass of brush. We spoke briefly. He was exasperated by the heat traveling on such a steep and exposed trail. Even though Mentally Sensitive is relatively short (my guess 1.0 to 1.5 mi), the first (or last, depending your direction) 2/3rd’s or so is about as difficult at you can get in this county’s coastal hills.This of course is why I chose to travel down it instead of the other way around.

As I travelled down Mentally Sensitive, the breeze lessened more with each downward step. About halfway down the difficult portion, it felt like someone had opened the furnace door. And then finally, at the bottom where I came off of Meadows Trail and entered Wood Canyon, I was full on in the furnace. Can’t tell you how relieved I was to have bought along plenty of fluids. In my pack I carried 38+ fluid ounces of Propel ® water and a few protein/fat snacks (as I had not yet eaten on that day).

So, into the furnace I travelled along of Wood Canyon’s entirety. Even more green growth appeared in the burned areas than my last visit, which is a pleasure to witness. It still looked very burnt and stark though. At the end of Wood Canyon, I climbed up Cholla Trail with much eagerness to reach the ridge. During these hot summer months, the ridge is the best place to be, even if exposed. The ridge is where the breeze is!

And the ridge was empty (West Ridge). I had it completely to myself. I also had the park at the Top of the World (Alta Laguna) pretty much to myself, and the remaining 2 or so miles back to my truck. In all, I travelled 9.98 miles with with 1,248’ of elevation gain.

I will perhaps be staying in for a while to take advantage of the air-conditioned gym. Who knows, maybe one of these days I will be able to wake early enough to get out before the heat. It is possible perhaps, as I’m on summer vacation now! Taught my last class for the summer last night. I am off work fully until August 20.

Mentally Sensitive:

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