Thursday, January 6, 2011

DAY 52: HIDDEN MEADOW TRAIL


DAY 52: HIDDEN MEADOW TRAIL
Miles: 4.0
Elevation Gain:  850 Feet
Time: 45 Minutes
Difficulty (1-10): 2
Reward (1-10): 3
Description: Easy running and awesome rock formations
Where?: Oak Park, CA
Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Agora Hills, exit Lindero Canyon Road and drive North.  After a few miles, turn left on Kanan and then make an immediate right on Falling Star Ave.  The trailhead is at the very end of the street.
**MY 52 DAY SUMMARY:  187.5 Miles  +28,625 Feet**
You will notice the mountain that you'll encounter as you drive up Lindero Canyon.  It does look intemadating (not your normal 45 minute day hike).  The trail immediately begins with a soft switchback.  It's kindly shaded and smells fresh of sage.  The temperature was in the mid 50's again but the wind was blowing, again...  Nevertheless, I was able to jog the majority of the first 0.8 miles, which leads you to the Edison Road.  For clarity, utility roads with powerlines are reffered to as "Edison Road".  Following the map, I took the road to the right.  It became a bit steep so I did begin to walk that part.  About a half mile later, there is a gate thrown in the bushes.  The right fork would take you back down to the Pathfinder Trailhead, so I took the left fork.  The rock formations above you are simply awesome.  I already posted some on Facebook.  Finally at the end of the road, the view point opens up, and then the wind hits you!  Sweating from the incline and wearing shorts did not make this fun, but I did reach my destination point of 1901 feet.  Simi Peak is not far from here and stands at 2403 feet.  The mountain to your left does go higher and according to the map, it reaches 2275 feet.  I suppose it is possible to negotiate your way up there, but the sun still goes down early and why do it?  For those enthusiast, there is a website that breaks down this entire area and offers a "secret trail" to Simi Peak.  Here is the Link:
Since I plan on hiking to Simi Peak, I think I'll stick to the main trails.  Yes, the loose rock is dangerous but I am sure I could conquer it.  I'm not scared to attempt it but I simply do not desire to scratch up my legs and go off the main footpaths.  As it is, I've been suffering from poison oak, again!!  This is my 2nd go around with it since starting my thousand hikes!!  I've had it worse in the past, but the spots that I did come down with the rash are not fun!  Let's just say, I should of washed my hands before I took a leak.. yeah...  it's there!!  Also on my ear...  The more I get the itchy stuff, the more I become susceptible to it!  I don't even remember seeing it so I guess it was airborne.  --A quick run back, and I am done!  This is good, 4 miles in about 45 miles with nearly 1000 feet of climbing.  I weighed 210 pounds this morning so I am down 8 pounds since Day 1.  The thing is, I'm not really going out there to lose weight!  In the past, I could drop 30 pounds in 30 days by extreme dieting and intense running.  I'm not doing any of that.  Although I'm hiking/running every day, it feels quite casual so the 8 pounds is a bonus!  

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