Moments in Dirt and Ink

Quite a few sketches done of the wilds this month. Although this bit of wild was actually after the fact, from a recent Wilcox Property photo. Some oaks that looked like parts weren't that healthy hiking in a state park . A small waterfall in the state park . A more elaborate fall just below the previous . Another from the same recent photo set of the Wilcox Property, so not really wild. Up a little tributary in Monrovia Canyon . Ripply little waterfall in Fish Canyon . The bottom of the big falls in Fish Canyon . A willow in a crack by the waterfall edge in Rubio . One of the tall falls in Rubio .

Altadena front country Locate the trailhead. The snow is all quite melted again and the water level not quite still at storm surge level, but I decided to go out and see Rubio's falls once more. At least a few of them. Sometime, I would like to go up to the valley high above for the day, but this wasn't the day. I would also like to see where the well trod path that goes up past the water storage and into the bit of canyon area between Rubio and Eaton goes, but this wasn't the day for that either. This was a day to hike up to the first falls and then decide what else to hike to. That ended up being both to the top of the first falls and the little falls behind it and then up to the lookout for the biggest waterfall. The trail continued to look about to be washed away in places and yet somehow no worse than before the rains. The falls by the pavilion I've never seen are still buried. The falls we do see are still short. Everything was as it was left, exc...

Duarte front country Locate the trailhead. I went up Fish Canyon again today. The quarry guys were telling us to finish by 2 or 2:20 today instead of 3 like usual. I was sort of counting on that usual time out to have enough time to dally here and there. I went up the trail fast enough to feel the up even though it is a very mild trail. (Then again, I am rather out of shape these days.) I came upon a tributary I was suspicious was the one I'd heard the waterfall up before. I listened closely, but couldn't hear it today because everything else below it was so loud. I followed the faint trail up it anyway and found the delightful little waterfall. It turns out that if you go even closer to it than I had before when I was in a hurry to get down, it's even more delightful. The water comes down into a bit of rock that looks like a square has been cut from it. My sketch of the waterfall along the way to the big falls. This one comes down one very flat sid...

Monrovia Canyon Park Locate the trailhead. We had a fair bit of rain, so I decided to go out and see the waterfalls, or at least one. I wanted to go to Fish Canyon, but the shuttle was canceled "due to rain" even though it was supposed to be sunny. I was going to go anyway, hiking over the edge of the canyon down into it, then I got lazy and just went out to Monrovia instead. I still needed to get exercise, so parked on the street and walked in. The snow level came down very low over the many days of rain and there was a little snow that could be seen still up on the hills on the way in. The hills around Monrovia Canyon aren't all that high, but a little snow remained in among the vegetation. The park has quite a variety of trees that really shouldn't be growing here. Pines, yes, but the furs and ceders and palm are a little odd.

Placerita Canyon State Park Locate the trailhead. Placerita Canyon State Park is on the edge of the Angeles National Forest in Newhall. Getting there just involves getting off the 14 just after the 5/14 split on Placerita Canyon Road and turning off a few miles down at the park entrance. There is also parking near Walker Ranch for a much shorter walk up to the waterfalls. It's good it's so easy to find since I managed to take off without directions, camera, or house key. I went to go hiking to the falls. This is a rather tame trail gradually gaining some minor elevation over 2.5 miles. It turns out the park actually has a few other trails wandering about the place. Before going up to the falls, I turned up a trail that claimed to be to a peak in less than a mile. Manzanita mountain isn't much of a peak and has a great big fire break going up the ridges next to it that many people have trekked up. It quickly leaves the "mountain" behind. I climbed ...

 Placerita Canyon , Placerita Canyon State Park: Jan 9  Monrovia Canyon , Monrovia Canyon Park: Jan 23  Fish Creek Canyon , Duarte front country: Jan 30  Rubio Canyon , Altadena front country: Jan 31