Secret Places

My hiking-running-wandering adventures have become especially focused on secret places lately. I need to get away and set things straight, and I can do that in a secret place. By “secret” I mean the places that most people don’t know about, a place where I am alone with an awesome view and most importantly, I am hidden. Sometimes these places are hidden in plain site, sometimes they are well known (but still with room to hide). Such place could be on a sandbar alongside a creek, in a cave, or on an out-cropping. It seems like I’ve always been in search of secret places (but lately, I’ve been on a mission). When I was a young girl, my sister and I had a secret place up in the front yard tree. We climbed it as high as possible, until the branches were too thin to hold us. Sitting high above our one story house, we could see everything, but were completely hidden. That was a perfect secret place – but I am no longer daring enough to climb a tree so high. (I’ll climb a tree, but not that high!) I’ve had so many secret places through the years, many I can’t even recall. In college, I had another perfect secret place right on campus, practically in plain sight. It was on the top floor of the history building, if my memory serves me correctly, the 5th floor. It was usually after dark that I rode the elevator to the top floor where I would make my way to the balcony. Students often hung out on the lower balconies, but absolutely no one ever came up there on the top floor balcony where I could see the entire campus, students running to and from classes. That's where I watched the world move below, wrote in my hardcover journals and smoked my cigarettes as the birds flew in and rattled the rafters above. Every time I hear the song line  “with the birds I share this lonely view,” I am fondly reminded of this spot (Thank you Red Hot Chili Peppers!) I  suppose I am forever in search of that spot where with the birds I share a lonely view. Those are the loveliest places.

Nowadays, I have many secret places in my town on the California coast. The caves on Cave Rock Trail in Wood Canyon are one of my current secret places, though they aren’t so secret – sometimes I have a secret place just outside the caves at Cave Rock where I have full view of the caves. I’ve got secret places up Black Star Canyon, a couple of them quite well known (the historic “Indian” village and Beek’s Place), and I’ve got secret places that I tend not to share, mainly because they are off-trail. I am not meaning bushwhacking. I don’t do that anymore, and in fact have only bushwhacked once or twice since I promised my husband that I wouldn’t bushwhack anymore many years ago. What I am referring to are  un-marked trails. On federal land, at least in the Cleveland National Forest, there is no rule against taking unmarked trails. And actually, a trail that may seem “unmarked” may be in fact marked. But there are rules against taking unmarked trails on state and county wilderness areas. But I have noticed that unmarked trails that get travelled enough, eventually become marked trails (like Mentally Sensitive in Aliso Canyon and Car Wreck Trail in Mathis Canyon)

Things I like to do in a secret place (of course, you can substitute whatever you like because a secret place is secret after all):

• Sit in awe
• Pray
• Break a fast
• Organize pack
• Watch
• Listen
• Take pictures (and then some more)
• Pray (Did I already mention that? Yes, for emphasis.)
• Plan trip back (how much am I going to need to run being that I’ve spent so much time here)
• Layer up (lately) or Layer down (later)
• Say thanks for this secret place and then smile a lot about how beautiful it is.

I feel I’ve already gone on too long and I haven’t even finished up February’s hikes. I found much refuge in secret places on my Valentine’s Day hike and my 56th birthday hike which is why I’m on the topic in the first place.

February 14, my maternal grandfather’s birthday and also Valentine’s Day, my husband drove me to a location near Wood Canyon for a point-to-point hike (Valentine’s gift). I landed pretty quickly at one of my original secret places in Wood Canyon (Aliso Viejo, Ca)  – that is Wood Creek Trail. It is a short trail rarely travelled, and from it, before I swoop down into the trees, I have sweeping views of the canyon as well as much of the travelers alongside Wood Canyon Trail (all the while I go unseen).

When you hear voices on Wood Creek Trail, they are from Wood Canyon Trail. People rarely take Wood Creek Trail. The entire trail is a perfect secret place, which is no wonder it was one of my first in this park, and the first I visited on Valentine’s Day 2021.

After Wood Creek Trail I decided to stop by my recent find, a bit off- trail. There I took a seat on a lichen covered ridge where I spent entirely too much time which meant that I had to run more than I had planned (and I had planned no running). On my return, I put in a little over two miles running while watching my Life360 App to arrive at the ranger station just as my husband pulled into the lot right at sunset (finishing up with a little over 5 miles traversed!)

I was quick to jump out on the trails very quickly after Valentines Day – two days later in fact, my feet hit the dirt again, in commemoration of my 56th revolution around the sun. I set off to a usual secret spot but beforehand did a little exploring. It’s beautiful out there right now in Southern California. Spring has begun. The green grass is sprouting beneath the forest cover, ferns are reaching out from boulders, and the first spring flowers are slowly emerging. What a glorious time to be on the trails! (And it’s going to get even better).

I found a new secret spot on the hike commemorating my 56th revolution around the sun. It is off-trail (but not bushwhacking) in a serene spot. It was a little spooky though. Still, I’m grateful for finding this new secret place, though like many others that I stumble upon, it may likely be merely a memory because it is unlikely that I will return (unless I bring someone else along). Sometimes the awe takes the breath right out of me and it kind of freaks me out to return to certain spots  (like up above Black Star Falls – I probably won’t return there for a while unless I bring someone else along).

Scenes from the new place:

It’s difficult to find the time to get out and hike to these places. Often I put it off. One reason that I put it off is because it feels selfish to leave the home for several hours at a time just to wander about the wilderness. It in fact takes so much time to wander about that it takes away from other things that I also want to get done (like my reading, writing, and organizing, to name a few). It feels so selfish that I absolutely will not hike if the house needs cleaning, or if my children need a ride, etc. Don’t get me wrong – I am always grateful when I do get out and wander for hours, it is a great gift. Even when I can’t get out though, I can still manage a secret place. I don’t really need trails for secret places. They can be anywhere, including in my own home (it’s easy to find them, all you have to do is wake-up before everyone else, and that’s easy in my house). But trails are the best because all trails are secret places (and that’s something I have known all along but didn’t have the wisdom of what they could really bring). I always knew that trails were a gift. My skull is so thick – they are the only way to get through to me.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

(Psalm 91:1)

Breakfast at Black Star

Hiked up Black Star Canyon Road last Thursday (2/4) with breakfast in my pack. Despite the crowds at the bottom canyon (and the awful graffiti, which is sparse but there, not to mention the barbed-wire electrified fences), Black Star Canyon is wonderful, which is why I chose it for breakfast. Once you begin the climb up, the crowds and graffiti and barbed-wire electrified fences fall behind and the canyon opens up to this awesome playground that most people don't venture.

I left early enough to avoid the crowds at the base of the canyon. There were just a couple of others on the trail during the first two miles. And after that it would be several hours before I saw another person. My intent was to possibly have breakfast on the boulders above the falls and then afterward spend some time at the “Indian” site. The weather was wonderfully chilly which made the climb up that giant switchback road very enjoyable. Once I got above the clouds, it warmed up some – but not enough to take off any layers (except for the gloves and beanie). I’d say that the temperature was perfect. Also, the clouds were absolutely magical, softly, silently swirling about in the sky.

After 4.5 miles I took a sharp turn off the trail and headed down a single track straight into the canyon. There’s a lot of overgrowth, and a couple of places I needed to duck to avoid a branch. In the end, the trail dumps out at the dry creek bed where massive boulders are strewn about above the falls. Being that the creek was dry, I ventured further than I had before, through a small cave made from the boulders and down to a nice long flat rock, perfect for breakfast. When I finally landed on that rock, I felt so miniscule compared to all that surrounded me that it made me nervous. In fact, the rocky canyon ledge that hovered above nearly took my breath away. It was frightening almost, sitting there beneath this huge cliff that could squash me in an instant. I settled myself down with some breathing and prayer and then in awe took in the massiveness of this place. After some while, I hiked back out and up to the Indian village to have breakfast.

The Indian site of course was the perfect spot for a meal. . It is no wonder why the Tongva-Gabrieliño people chose this spot to do the same. It’s perched out over the canyon with awesome faraway views. There’s shade and grass and boulders scattered all about. It is said that the Tongva-Gabrieliño people came here during the summer because of the cool weather. They grinded acorns in this spot which was their main source of food up here. I sat just a few feet from some of the grinding holes to partake my breakfast. Across the canyon I could see Baker’s Cross. The spot was ideal.

Brought enough so to have choices: Dubliner cheese, peanut butter Larabar, couple of beef sticks, bag of cashews, bag of dried fruits and nuts. Ate about half before packing it up and heading back down the mountain. In all, I hiked a little over 11 miles with 2,842’ of gain.

Weekdays

The trails have gotten so crowded during the pandemic, that it is best to leave the weekends mostly to others and venture out myself on weekdays. I should clarify that when I write “crowded”, it’s not amusement-park-like-crowded. It’s actually only crowded near the parking lots and in the lower canyons and easily accessible ridge lines. But during a pandemic, “crowded” of any sort is not the best choice. Generally, as soon as the climb begins, the crowds begin to thin, so I will hike weekends here and there, but right now weekdays are definitely best.

Wednesdays especially have become a favorite of mine – last Wednesday (Feb. 3) I got out nice and early, when the weather was still quite cold and walked through an empty parking lot into Aliso Canyon. I lucked out and right away caught several pictures of a road runner just milling about at the park entrance. I had practically given up on getting a picture of these birds. I had tried so many times, but they are just so quick, I always fail. Imagine my excitement to finally catch some fairly close-up shots of the bird before it darted off. Believe me, the excitement was real! I knew this hike was going to have dividends. Deeper in Aliso Canyon the fog was still hanging on, and it grew so chilly that the buff came up and over my chin and nose quite a few times. The canyon just kept giving as it always does.

Both Aliso and Wood creeks were flowing and the canyons were healthy with evidence of spring right around the corner. Deer stood off in the distance grazing grass. Ferns and moss grew thick in the shady areas, and green grass was beginning to poke up in the fields.  I spent some time at the creek crossing off Mathis remembering a blog friend who in five short days from then would pass away from cancer. I hiked up Coyote Run after that, my favorite of late, and headed straight over to Nature Loop, where I took my ritual climb to the top. And I stayed there for about thirty minutes before hiking the ridgeline back into Mathis Canyon.  In all, I travelled nearly 7 miles with 1,116’ of gain. I felt solemn and at the same time renewed. 

New Territory

This past Saturday (January 30) I covered some new territory on a point-to-point hike in the same mountains that I always hike, the Santa Ana Mountains (home to Old Saddleback or Saddleback Mountain, my happy place). As is the nature of most point-to-points (unless you take a bus or some other public transportation) you don’t do it alone, which meant that I got to enjoy some company on this long one-way trip. Under darkness, I met running/hiking friend Kelly and her friend Lilly down Black Star Canyon Road. That was a little eerie being that it was pitch-black dark with no illumination from city lights. From there, Kelly drove us to our starting location, off of the 91 Freeway where we parked at the Green River Golf Course. According to Google Maps, that put us in Yorba Linda. It also appears that the golf course is located within in Chino Hills State Park, as are much of the foothills around the area.

We took off just as the sun was rising and found our way to the foothills by way of a wildlife corridor that runs beneath the 91. It was dang cold, probably not freezing, but just a few degrees above. My flimsy buff covered all but my eyes on most of the climb up Coal Canyon. The climb was immediate and in no time we were above the clouds with views of snow capped mountains in the distance. We wasted some time on this leg of the trip pulling the cameras/phones out at all the scenic spots. It really was breathtaking.

The road up Coal Canyon was jumping with new growth, ready to burst for spring. Several miles up the canyon we came upon a grove of young Christmas-looking trees that I later learned are Tecate cypresses. They gave off a strong fresh, amazingly magical aroma that matched perfectly with it’s bright green foliage. Back at home I did some research and learned that these grow only in three places. Three. We were in one of them, Carbon Canyon. I felt lucky once again out on the trails – lucky that we came upon this grove and that we noticed their specialness without having to read it online beforehand. (I will return for the sole purpose of checking in on these trees again, as much of them were destroyed in recent fires, and this was part of the glorious new-growth that inevitably occurs some years after a fire rolls through.)

After about 8 miles of climbing we summitted Sierra Peak, my first summit of Sierra Peak. It was amazingly crowded, with most of the 20+ hikers coming up together as a group. I couldn’t have been more thrilled to summit another peak in my mountains. The views were spectacular of The San Gabriels across the immense flatlands of San Bernadino, Riverside and Los Angeles Counties – somewhere down there was where I grew up, just a few short miles from the San Gabriels.

Though it had warmed enough to remove the beanie and gloves, it was still a bit chilly at Sierra Peak. The area was spread out enough also, making it easy enough to keep our distance from the others. Though our governor has lifted a statewide “shelter-in-place,” social distancing is still the protocol. (As a side note, though it is a highly debated topic in our area on whether or not masks help prevent the spreading of COVID, we did wear masks in the automobile since we were in closed quarters. Out hiking however, we went mask-less).

Before reaching the peak, we had turned off onto Leonard Road (some more new territory for me) and after summitting, we enjoyed a little downhill continuing off on Leonard Road. We had some nice and easy rolling hills for a bit, coming up to Skyline Trail a couple miles later. And just a little bit after Skyline, Black Star Canyon Road – I was in familiar territory! We stopped for some snacks at a photo-op here. And then we began the 8 mile trek back our cars. It was pretty much all downhill for those 8 miles – good thing because I was pretty beat by then.

What a trip!

Approx. 19.25 miles (our watches varied), w/  3,370 ft of gain.

Well Worth Trouble

I honestly thought that I had probably never mentioned fasting in this blog before. But I did a quick search just to make sure, and lo and behold, I’ve mentioned fasting about a half dozen times before. (That’s me, not paying attention again!)

So, a reader of this blog may know that I fast. The history in a nutshell: I’ve been fasting regularly since 2018. I fasted in my youth (as a teenager, 1980s) as a religious sacrifice, though I knew little of what that meant. Then on February 14, 2018, after some study on autophagy and ketosis, I ventured onto a haphazard journey that quickly lead to regular 24 hour fasts and intermittent fasting as a normal way of life. I recall the date exactly because that was the date of the Parkland high school shooting massacre. I recall much about that day. I recall much about that week even leading up to that day that I’d like to forget. But those were the steps that got me here, and so for that they are good!

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

Initially, I reached out to fasting because I wanted to feel better, have more energy, and rid myself of the sugar cycle (addiction!). I also wanted to run again. And I wanted to feel strong again. And I wanted to change my mood. I had no idea this autophagy venture was going to keep opening doors until the obvious happened; I combined my prayer life with my fasting life. I mean duh. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. I have read and studied fasting science, rituals and techniques for several years now. I knew darn well that Jesus fasted, as did his disciples. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle fasted. Ghandi fasted. But it wasn’t until my mother texted my sister and I back in early November of last year that it dawned on me to use fasting as a specific prayer tool. It was her idea. As soon as I read the text, I was in, and so was my sister.

So, fasting has gained more significance in my life since I began the journey back on Valentine’s Day 2018. Fasting is now combined effort – a new and improved fasting.  I fast to humble myself. I fast to focus and seek the face of God you might say. This combined effort has made all the difference in the world to me. It’s not so much about the health anymore either. I admit that the added health benefits aren’t so bad. I came out of the pandemic feasting holidays a few pounds lighter. Imagine that (all while enjoying the holiday dinners and desserts!)

One might wonder how fasting interferes with my trail days. Surprisingly, I feel no adverse affects hiking after 1 or even 2 days of fasting. Hiking on a 3rd day fast on the other hand is quite another story. I feel weaker and hills are difficult to take on these extended fasts. Usually, I purposely refrain from major activity on the 3rd day. But this past Wednesday (1/27), I decided to hike on my 3rd day of fasting, on purpose. Challenge.

I chose a quick short lollipop loop in the coastal hills during the late afternoon and boy did I luck out. Pretty quickly in I came upon this lovely bobcat below in Aliso Canon. She was so interested in a rodent hole that she didn’t even notice the hikers behind her. And just to her left there’s about 9 deer in the field! 

I felt fine during my hike on flat trail and even on gradual inclines. But boy oh boy, those few short hills that I chose gave me some trouble. But it was well worth trouble – a lovely struggle actually. I hiked to one of my special places overlooking a canyon to take in the sunset. And then, I raced against the final remnants of the sun hoping to make it out of the park before dark. Dusk went quicker then I planned, so I found myself leaving the trails after the sun was long gone. I almost forgot to look behind me on the way out, which means that I nearly missed the very last scene (pictured below!).

I surely plan to do this again.

Approx. 6.5 miles w/ 630’ of elevation gain.