Moments in Dirt and Ink

Los Padres National Forest Click for map. I've been thinking I should go back to Cozy Dell for years now, then Thomas came roaring through, but I still kept thinking it. Thomas is a fire, of course. It stayed California's biggest for 6 whole months. That was just over two years ago and the forest was open again before it was officially out. Bernard's somehow never been on this trail, so he wanted to come along. It's not that he's never noticed it when passing along on CA-33 to somewhere further by a little or a lot, just that he's never stopped to see where it goes. There's a bit of potential for exploration, but I only plan to take the official trails to check on Valley View Camp. If I lived in Ojai, I would know all the little tracks up here and have got myself to Nordhoff Peak by a half dozen different routes including some from here, I expect. I've done it by a quarter dozen others anyway. The trail is well signed at the highway and ther...

Ventura River Preserve 28th of January, 2018 Click for map. For afternoon, I headed off to the Ventura River Preserve to walk to the burn. Most of the preserve burned in the fire or was back burned in the fight. I started at the Old Baldwin Trailhead (the south route) simply because it is quick to get to from the highway. I recall something about the gate on the road in closing at a certain time, but cannot find anything about it on the trailhead signage. A sign glanced at while zooming past the gate might indicate 4:30 PM. I take off along the side of the ACA compliant trail past trees and shrubs untouched by recent fire. Follow the path past the green and bright live oaks. The ACA compliant trail ends quickly, then it is just rough dirt. The trail forks and I follow to the left. This trail takes me to a couple lookout points to view the Ventura River. It is running now, and even rather clean while it does so. I am surprised by the clarity considering the state ...

Ventura River Preserve I headed off to the Riverview Trailhead of the Ventura River Preserve to see the Ventura River. It is, as far as I am concerned, a mythical thing. There is certainly a space for it to fill and the water wells within the preserve hint at some underground flow, but it has always been parched white rocks when I was there. Not even puddles in some deep pools. I will then have to cross it to have a nice hike through the preserve, so I tried to figure out what that would mean. I found an online gauge for the river that indicated about 44 cubic feet per minute going past. The crossings are very wide and the area quite flat so it is not flowing past quickly. Maybe that is a lot. Probably not? I have socks and shoes for hiking, but as I set off I am only in some minimalist trail runners I have used for river crossing in the past. The far east end of the Santa Ynez Mountains and Kennedy Ridge back the flat of the Ventura River Preserve. These days, t...

Ojai front country Hike along Horn Canyon and it is difficult not to notice the many trails that wander away from it, most of them with signs. They wander about a bit in loops, but where do they go? What do they see? My memory of how to get to the trail did not fail. It is easy enough, just through the gate and keep right onto some dirt, across the ford, and there are parking spots. It is Sunday and there are a few other cars. A sign at the start informs me that The Pines is closed and I should pass through with great care because so many of the trees have died but still stand. The canyon is still cool and there are a lot of people coming and going as I start up it. A short conversation with one hiker about where the trail goes has me confused as he asks, "And that's the end of the hike?" This trail connects with others and those connect with others. There is no "end" to this hike. As I am waxing poetic about the nature of trails and ends in my...

Los Padres National Forest Valley View Preserve For today's brief suggestion of the Fall season that should be upon us, I decided to do a big loop up to "The Tower" via Gridley and Pratt. I have done it in the opposite direction before, but you see different things when you turn around, so that is what I am doing. Parking is easier at Shelf Road, so I grab a spot there before hiking up the road to the trailhead for Gridley. The chill of night should still be on the air, but it is already very comfortable even when not moving. The two spots by it sit empty under the steadily brightening sky. The sign at the bottom of Gridley Trail which is just before the end of public access on Gridley Road. The trail climbs through chaparral at first, then along avocado trees. This section is through private property and sometimes there are people on ATVs traveling along the trees. Today there is one, but he is quickly gone again with the stink following more slowly....

Los Padres National Forest Ventura River Preserve (map link) The rain stopped sometime very early in the morning and everything is already dry by dawn. The usual post rain wind storm pulled a stake buried in soft ground, making things a little less bomb proof. A fine dust coats everything. Once things start becoming pink, the sun is quick to the ridge line campsite. And once everything is tucked away, it is time to see if this trail really just keeps on going. Sun rising over the edge of the ridge. The trail is variously cut wide and narrow. The section just after table 4 is narrow and branches encroach a bit. The mountains rise faster than the grade and the old road is pushed out onto the side again leading to a change in the mix of vegetation and a more open trail. Table 5 is not much further than table 4, set beside the pedestal with the next benchmark embedded in it. A higher peak starts to rise from the north side of the flat top of the ridge and the trail...

Ventura River Preserve Los Padres National Forest (map link) It has been feeling like time to hit Camino Cielo again. There has been quite a bit more cut and two tables dragged up since I was last along it. It is getting to be quite a long day hike, especially with the short days and the parking lot getting locked at 5PM. I am told that parking can be had along the street when not blocking a gate or driveway, but decided on an overnight instead. The threat of rain, 20% in Ojai which will be a near certainty on the ridge, was giving me pause until I hit upon a simple idea for pitching my rain fly without my tent. The rain is not certain enough to use as a water source, so I need to bring everything I will use. With an email to the preserve manager so the people locking the gate will not be waiting around or calling Search and Rescue for the lone car left in the lot, I am ready to head out. First, the river crossing. There is not much hope that there might be a trickle of ...

Los Padres National Forest Locate the trail head. Heading back to the Ventura River Preserve, but this time to the Oso Trail Head, gets me into the prime location for hiking Camino Cielo, at least as far as it has been cleared. This one is a little harder to find, with a small sign by a small opening in a gate. Other signs warn the gates will be locked at 7:30 PM until October 31, after which it will be even earlier, and I'll just have to wait until morning if I'm too late back. We don't make our mini lions fast every Thursday like the zoo, so it seems like a good idea to get back before their tummies get to too much rumbling. Anyway, it's not Thursday. Packed up, I pop through the fence and onto a bit of trail. Following the signs for Rice Canyon, I jog over to the right where a road crosses the dry river stones and climbs out the other side. On the far side, this ends in another road that is blocked to the north. Heading south, it quickly splits to cross...

Ojai Valley Land Preserve Map link. I've been wondering how far the folks have gotten along Camino Cielo now, as well as how exactly one might approach it from the east side. The obvious answer is to just turn left off the highway onto Camino Cielo and start hiking where the road stops. It seems likely this will be someone's gate, since there is no obvious reporting on this route. Then there is Kennedy Ridge, hike 53 in Craig Carey's guide book, a many junctioned route that starts at the Ventura River Preserve and promises only to get close to Camino Cielo. The weatherman was making strange promises for Tuesday to be 9°F cooler than the days around it, making a very nice temperature on the coast. Then I checked what that meant for Ojai and decided it wasn't cool enough yet. Instead, I'd just poke around the preserve proper and maybe get mom to come along as well. She agreed and the weather kindly came in a bit cooler than predicted. We left the much co...