Moments in Dirt and Ink

Sketches for the month. A butterfly on a columbine by the waterfall . The waterfall in the canyon . A bit of Santa Monica from the hilltop .

Topanga State Park Find the trailhead. This is another hike done with a group of geeks from the LA chapter of Hike the Geek . Heading out from any of the parking lots along Los Liones in Topanga, the trail runs parallel to the road, then starts to climb up a tight cabin at a very shallow grade with many switchbacks. The canyon somehow manages to change a bit with each of these switch backs. Many smaller trails meander this way and that, but they seem to often go nowhere rather than being shortcuts. Eventually it hits a fire road which is somewhat steeper until it flattens out. It follows a ridge and more side trails give access to the various small peaks along the way for more views. Eventually it gets to a large overlook with ocean views. There is a use trail that proceeds back down a second ridge line, hitting every peak along the way, in a more direct route back to the parking lots. These were hiked in a loop. Climbing up the canyon along trail and getting a first gl...

Angeles National Forest Map the trailhead. I tried to interest Abbie in an overnight to Bear Canyon past Switzer falls, noting that the moon would be close to full to help entice her into it. She decided that an evening hike for the moon might be fun, but it seemed odd to go down into the canyon to see the moon. The hike I was planning to go on if she didn't come hiking that weekend was much more suited to moon viewing. At 8250 feet, Mt. Islip really is a nice moon viewing spot. I thought the shorter hike from Crystal Lake would be nicest, but we decided upon the shortest route up heading from the 2 . With sunset just after 8PM, we would have to leave by 6PM to get up the mountain for all the light displays. By 6:30, it was clear it hadn't been communicated well enough that we really had to leave by 6. We arrived with the sky turning colors. The trail up from the highway directly to Windy Gap was identified as a "use trail", and it was clear that it was...

Verdugo Mountains Locate the trailhead. The Verdugo Mountains are the dark spot I see far out to the right with the 210 snaking along at the bottom of them when I look out from one of the many perches in Pasadena at night. No part of them is very far from an accessible road and they are criss-crossed with fire roads. The folks at hikethegeek planned to hike about them and I decided to join up. I found the parking immediately south of the 210 on La Tuna Canyon. A gate blocks vehicle entry, but the pavement continues beyond it. The road nearly parallels the 210 for a quarter mile before turning to climb up into the mountains. Eventually, the pavement gives way to well maintained dirt. It came to a large fire break and a number of bee boxes. The group decided, quite sensibly, to continue along the very winding road instead of the direct and sometimes quite steep route of the break, but we watched others follow the break on up. The freeway was finally lost in the windings,...

Angeles National Forest Locate the trailhead and the end point . I found the Cooper Canyon Falls hike and have been wanting to go on it for quite some time. It is well outside of the burn closure, so I went for it one time, only to find the 2 was still closed at La Canada so I would have to drive all the way around, which wouldn't be so bad except the 39 is also washed out shortly before the 2. Now the 2 is open again, so when wondering where to go, I thought of Cooper Canyon again. It was even more attractive when I noticed how high up it is since it has been quite hot the last week. I double checked that it is not in burn area and noticed another closure near my destination. The hike calls for a loop with a shuttle going from in at Buckhorn Campground to the Pacific Crest trail and coming out at Eagle's Roost, but this second bit of trail is actually closed soon after the junction with the PCT. Another loop is possible by continuing the other direction on the PC...