DAY 72: BACKBONE TRAIL-ZUMA RIDGE/PRIVATE LAND

DAY 72: BACKBONE TRAIL-ZUMA RIDGE/PRIVATE LAND

Miles: 4.5

Elevation Gain:  775 Feet

Time: 1.25 Hours

Difficulty (1-10): 2.0

Reward (1-10): 3.5
Description: Hmm, where do I go?

Where: Zuma/Trancas Canyons, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Westlake Village, exit at Westlake Blvd (the 23) and head south.  After Potrero Road drive very carefully as the road makes crazy turns and is narrow.  This made me somewhat nauseous today.  After about 10 minutes, turn left on Mullholland Hwy East.  A few minutes later you will make a sharp right on Encinal.  You'll pass a park on your right and then immediately park on the left.

**MY 72 DAY SUMMARY:  251.75 Miles  +38,875 Feet**

  The Trailhead

 http://venturacountytrails.org/TrailMaps/Backbone-Kanan-Zuma/AreaTrails.htm

There is a more obvious sign seen from the road "Buzzards Roost".  The link I provided I discovered after I actually hiked this area.  Check out the #2 profile and follow it East to West and then back East as I did.  The gate was open on the dirt road also known as the Zuma Ridge Trail, but you are not permitted to drive up there.  If you cannot find a fair spot not blocking the driveway, continue up Encinal road 500 feet and there is a wider place to park.

Begin walking the 0.4 miles up the road.  You'll pass the Backbone Trail entrance on the left that I completed from Kanan Road on Day 61: http://calihike.blogspot.com/2011/01/day-61-backbone-trail-to-zuma-falls.html

Continue hiking up the road for a moment and then on the right you will see:

After further research, I realized that this trail was private land.  At the time, maybe I assumed this trail was Zuma Ridge, but I know it should have been the next section of the Backbone Trail.  Just a few moments ago, I was doing some intense research of this area and it appears that there are some proposed trails in the works (officially) but today, I hiked this route.  

After tiptoeing up for a sec, the trail showed signs of bike tracks, footsteps and dog doo.  It was going the right way and began heading down, so I continued and began my jog.  About a half mile in, I reached a dirt road.  Rather than swerve lower to the left I took the flat road that essentially went straight.  Less than a minute jog later I intersected another single track trail.  The road continued but from the sign facing the other direction, the proper way to hike this area is to come in from this road up top and then turn onto the single track trail.  I felt better and the trail was inviting.  This was the backbone for sure. 

I continued my push downhill and then the real downhill began.  I wasn't sure how far it went but when I rounded the next turn, I heard the rush of water, saw out over the ocean and yeah, I was in a cool spot.  I ran down the hill and at the bottom:

  

The water beneath the bridge was shallow but the trail turned and likely led to a waterfall.  I really wanted to keep going, but the daylight was running out so I had to go back.  

Another day, another adventure.  Until tomorrow, I'm out :)

DAY 71: RUNYON CANYON LOOP

DAY 71: RUNYON CANYON LOOP

Miles: 3.75

Elevation Gain:  775 Feet

Time: 2 Hours

Difficulty (1-10): 2.0

Reward (1-10): 3.5
Description: Just a minute from the Hollywood strip, a public hiking trail climbs up over the city!

Where: Hollywood, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Hollywood, exit at Highland and drive into the heart of Hollywood.  Less than a mile up, turn right on Franklin.  Or, go one block further and turn right on Hollywood Blvd.  This route will take you past the main Hollywood Strip, including The Kodak & Grauman's Chinese Theaters.  Just a couple blocks down, you'll intersect with Fuller and then Vista.  Both street end at the Runyon Canyon Trailhead.  You have to park on the street but beware of the street sweeper on Mondays & Tuesdays and other No Parking Zones.  It's easier to park down by Franklin and then walk up Vista to begin your trek.

**MY 71 DAY SUMMARY:  247.25 Miles  +38,100 Feet**

The City of Los Angeles, from the Runyon Canyon Gate at Vista

Imagine touring the Hollywood Walk of Fame, stepping on the star of your choice, and then a minute later you're climbing a mountain.  Awesome!!  Yes, that's what I did yesterday.  I parallel parked on Franklin and then began walking up Vista with my wife to the trail.  The eight of a mile stretch up the hill will exhaust you even before you begin the real climb.  Be careful of dog poo and pee.  This area is heavily traveled and for some reason, many pet owners fail to clean up after their responsibility.  Horrendous and it stinks! 

Through the gate, you have two choices from Vista; Up or Down.  We chose up but after talking to others, down is the better way to begin.  Anyhow, we took the left fork and hiked up the paved road for a good twenty minutes.  We probably passed 300 people speaking 10 different languages walking a variety of 50 breeds of dogs.  Some people were running in spandex and bikinis while others were slugging it up in jeans.  Finally, you reach a dirt turn off to the right where many people were congregating and passing thru.  However, Jess and I continued higher.  This is a closed road to cars yet we reached a residential zone with a horse and goat.  The views of LA are amazing and if there wasn’t so much smog, the ocean would have been fantastic.  The Hollywood sign appeared vibrant and far beyond the Griffith Observatory were the snow capped San Gregorian Mountains.  Simply amazing!

Rather than veer left up the dirt trail after the goat, Jess and I continued forward up the old concrete road.  Eventually it led us out to a rear gate.  The street signs displayed

Mulholland Drive & Runyon Canyon Rd.  If I were to do the hike again, I would try to park up because the parking situation is much easier.

We turned around and continued up a dirt trail instead of going back down the cement path.  This led us to the highest point in the park.  We dazzled up there for awhile appreciating what we had accomplished.  We talked to Carl, a local guy who pointed out that the lower peak to the right is known as Blue Diamond.  We did not do venture off that way today.

We looped back down the dirt trail, which lead us back to the goat.  We continued down to the dirt section that we passed much earlier.  This time, we broke off the road and headed across the flat path and then down the steep dirt trail.  This one would have been much better to climb because going down on the steep sucks and it’s more dangerous. 

There is no water system anywhere in this area but you will pass an old fenced in basketball or tennis court where a couple of wannabe UFC fighters were in training.  At the very bottom, the trail forward I presumed ended up on Fuller so we looped back to the right to exit the park on Vista.  Day 71 Complete!

DAY 70: LA JOLLA CANYON

DAY 70: LA JOLLA CANYON

Miles: 2.5
Elevation Gain:  325 Feet

Time: 1.25 Hours

Difficulty (1-10): 2.5

Reward (1-10): 4.5
Description: Less than a mile hike to a chill waterfall.  Bring your young-ens, the trail is very easy.

Where?: Ventura County/Mailbu, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Camarillo, exit Las Posas and drive out toward the Ocean.  About 8 miles down, you'll hit the PCH.  Turn left and drive towards Malibu.  You'll pass Mugu Rock and then La Jolla Canyon is about three miles up on the left.  Look for signs. 

**MY 70 DAY SUMMARY:  243.5 Miles  +37,325 Feet**

 La Jolla Canyon Falls

 **Before the auditors complain about the math on "My 70 Day Summary", I added another .5 miles to this total for running with my son at Pleasant Valley Fields before Alyssa's soccer game.  Generally I do not include any additional daytime activity like walking around a park, climbing stairs, etc... but when there is sweat involved and it's outdoors, it should count...

Alyssa's Soccer Tournament, continued.  In her first game, she scored three goals against Santa Paula, but lost the contest 4-3.  That's back to back Hat Tricks in a tournament!  Amazing!  --We had several hours before the next game so Jess, Ayden and I went to La Jolla.

We drove to the back of the self-pay parking lot and picked a random spot.  To my surprise, I found the end, or maybe what's considered the beginning to the Back Bone Trail.  The trailhead is just to the right of the parking lot, but we didn't choose this route today.  Instead:

As I mentioned in the description, this was a very simple hike.  The trail was a bit rocky in some places but we saw plenty of mothers and fathers strapping their little 3-month-olds to their chest.  The waterfall pictured above is only 0.8 miles from the parking lot.  I was once back here many years ago and witnessed a much more intense waterfall than what we saw on this warm and windy day.

With more time to spare, we continued forward.  Another 0.4 miles with a small switch back takes you up to a trail junction.  With my 7-year-old acting like a tired tot, we turned around.

**On our drive up the PCH, it must have been high tide because the crazy wind was blowing the ocean water up onto the road way.  There was one moment where my front window was slammed with what felt like a hundred buckets of water, not just some mist as you might expect.  This was right near Point Dume where just a week earlier the wind nearly lifted me off my bike.  Crazy!  On the way back to Alyssa's soccer game, I had to take a picture of the Rock at Point Dume:

 
You'll always see rock climbers attempting to climb to the top.  Not me, I'll stick to the trails.  The ocean water in this area tints a fluorescent blue and for surfers, there is some gnarly surf going on just beyond at Point Mugu.

To conclude the day, Alyssa's team faced the #1 Camarillo team in her 7th and final soccer game of the tournament.  The top four seeds in this bracket move on to play next week.  Win or lose, her team only needed to score three goals or tie the game to guarantee a spot next week.  Unfortunately, they lost 2-0 and finished 5th in this division with a 3-3-1 record.  The fourth place Santa Barbara team had a 3-4 record and we beat them last week heads up.  However, they racked up 2 more total points than our girls, which leaves us out.  Well, no big deal!  Alyssa did her best by scoring something like 10 goals and 4 assists out of the 16 total goals scored for her team.  In a few weeks, she will be on the top Viper Team where the real tournaments will begin!

DAY 69: ARROYO VERDE PARK

Today was about Alyssa.  Entering the Soccer Tournament in 3rd place with a 2-1-1 record, her Orange Strikers took on the North Oxnard squad.  At starting forward, she missed a couple of opportunities in the first quarter but ended the game with a hat trick; 3 goals and 1 key assist!  Her team improved to 3-1-1 with a 5-3 victory!

Although this was her only game for the day, it was a very hectic day for the wife and I.  Unfortunately, I can not share the experience with you but I was able to get some hiking in at Arroyo Verde Park.  From the 101 in Ventura, exit Victoria and drive North.  After the 126 freeway and all the shopping, turn left on Foothill.  The park is on the right at a traffic light with Day Rd. less than a half mile down.  This is Ventura's nicest park!  On the weekends, be prepared to pay at least $4.00 for parking...

From an Upper Trail overlooking the Park

The Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands are often crystal clear in the background but not everyday in California is going to be magnificent.  With the temperature around 70 and calm winds, a little haze is no big deal.  There are multiple trails wrapping around this canyon.  Today, I started up one of the back trails and began heading towards the bridge:

I completed one of the lower back loops but never reached this section today.  Later in the day I drove out of the park and then up Skyline to trek in from the top.  I touched a few trails today but only covered about 1.5 miles of dirt.  I hiked through Arroyo Verde on Day 11 when I hiked back from Two Trees:

http://calihike.blogspot.com/2010/11/day-11-two-trees-ventura-happy.html

I also hiked another stretch during one of my night hikes but today I did cover untouched trails to keep my streak alive at 69!  I will be back here at least a few more times before my 1000 days is up.  I plan to hike to the antennas that sit on a hill higher than two trees.  My son calls the area the "Radio Station".  For now, I encourage you to visit the area and explore.  There is a map on a board at the very front of the park.  These trails are great for running but they do get quite steep in places.  There is no waterfall or anything real cool, but there are many uncharted side trails to expand your curiosity...

**MY 69 DAY SUMMARY:  240.5 Miles  +37,000 Feet**

DAY 68: 3 MILE RUN @ RIO MESA

 

Running in circles on a high school track doesn't need to be boring.  If you keep your head up at Rio Mesa, across miles of farm fields and open space you will see the 5000+ foot lift of the Los Padres National Forest.  The track is usually clear of people and the only outside sound that you may hear is the <~cock-a-doodle-doo from a neighborhood rooster.

Directions: From the 101 Freeway heading North after Camarillo, exit on Central and turn right.  Follow Central for a few miles and after you pass Rose, the high school will be on your right.  Pass the school and turn into the fenced parking lot.  Usually the 2nd fence (Exit) is open.  Let's put it this way, I've never seen it locked!  Drive all the way to the back and the football field/track is wide open for anyone to run.  **If you are coming from the North in Ventura and heading south on the 101, exit Vineyard and turn left.  Turn left on Central about 1.5 miles down and the High School will be on your left.

I was in the mood to burn.  From my life experience, I found that the best way to actually lose weight and strengthen your entire body is to run you a$$ off!  Don't get me wrong, hiking is excellent, especially the way I do it by running up the hills and what not.  However, nothing compares to the final lap of a run.  No matter what distance you choose, 1 mile, 3 mile or 5 mile, leave it all out there on the track and your body will begin transformation mode.

My 3 mile goal is to run each mile at a 7 minute pace.  Well, I am 36 and it has been a long while since I really ran that way.  So for training, I decided to use the pyramid method.  Start off at a decent pace and then each lap slow it down a notch.  Then about halfway thru, gradually begin to increase your speed each lap.  Finally on the final lap really begin to open up your legs and then with about 200 meters left, just give it your all.

I followed this strategy for the most part but I hit the top of the pyramid one lap early and was somewhat cautious on the last lap.  It's not worth getting hurt.  Check out the splits:

Lap 1:   2.10.70
Lap 2:   2.10.11
Lap 3:   2.16.32
Lap 4:   2.19.65   Mile: 8.56.18
Lap 5:   2.30.24
Lap 6:   2.28.45
Lap 7:   2.19.22
Lap 8:   2.15.47   Mile: 9.33.38
Lap 9:   2.10.31
Lap 10: 2.05.34  
Lap 11: 2.03.85
Lap 12: 1.40.45   Mile: 7:59.95


3 Mile Run: 26.29.51

**MY 68 DAY SUMMARY:  239 Miles  +36,700 Feet**

DAY 67: MOONRIDGE TRAIL, INDIAN CAVE,PARADISE FALLS & TEPEE AT WILDWOOD PARK

DAY 67: MOONRIDGE TRAIL, INDIAN CAVE,PARADISE FALLS & TEPEE AT WILDWOOD PARK

Miles: 3.0
Elevation Gain:  475 Feet

Time: 1 Hour

Difficulty (1-10): 2.0

Reward (1-10): 6.0
Description: A whole lot of scenic adventure squeezed into a hike that anyone can do.

Where?: Thousand Oaks, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks, exit on Lynn and head north for about 2.5 miles.  Turn left on Avenida de los Arboles.  Drive all the way to the end and park in the parking lot on your left.

**MY 67 DAY SUMMARY:  236 Miles  +36,700 Feet**

PARADISE FALLS

Perfect hiking weather; low 70's with a gentle breeze under sunny skies.  Actually, the wind was a bit gusty at times, but 70's in January, I'm not going to complain.  I chose to hike the Moonridge Trail because, I hadn't hiked this one yet :).  The trailhead is to the far left of the parking lot once you drive in.  Most people will just shoot up the first hill but this hidden trail is quite nice.  Rather than following a dirt road like the Mesa Trail, Moonridge takes you down through some shaded and scenic areas.  

 

 Once I intersected the first junction, I turned to the left:

 

 THE INDIAN CAVE

Then off to:

 LITTLE FALLS

I ran along the Wildwood Canyon Trail until I eventually met up with the larger falls, as seen in the picture captured at the top of the Day 67 blog entry.  Although there were 20 or so cars in the parking lot when I started, not one person was in this area.  I hung out there for awhile to take in the beauty.  I eventually headed back up and out until I reached:

 THE TEPEE

 

I've snapped shots of this before from a high road and a low road on two separate occasions.  Finally, I was able to rest in the tepee and just stair up.  What a perfect day I reflected.  Wildwood is such a simple place to visit and hike, yet if you do it right there is so much to see.  There are picnic tables all over the place so you can plan a trip with your family and just pick a random place to chill in the shade and eat your PB&J.  There are more trails for me to wander through listed on the map, but there are even more uncharted areas to complete the Arroyo Conejo experience.  I'll be back...

 

 

 

 

 

DAY 66: POTRERO VALLEY CREEK

DAY 66: POTRERO VALLEY CREEK

Miles: 3.0
Elevation Gain:  75 Feet

Time: 45 Minutes

Difficulty (1-10): 1.0

Reward (1-10): 1.0
Description: A jog along the aqueduct.  If you're daring, you'll jump the fence and run to the lake.

Where?: Westlake Village, CA

Directions: From the 101 Freeway in Thousand Oaks, exit on Westlake Blvd and drive south.  Turn right on Bridgegate and then immediately park in the parking lot on the left.

**MY 66 DAY SUMMARY:  233 Miles  +36,225 Feet**

 This is me after work before setting off on today's adventure!

 

I decided to head back to the aqueduct that I passed yesterday in my pursuit back to the car.  I learned that this waterway is known as Potrero Valley Creek.  With such a nice name, it's quite disappointing that this waterway is quite ugly.  There are even signs that read "Warning, reclaimed water", or something like that.  Bottom line, the water is not for drinking.  Although, the ducks didn't seem to mind.

I ran along a cement sidewalk to the west.  About a half mile into it, the linear park intersects the Westlake Elementary School area.  I kept my pace along the path and reached the end, which was right where I came out of the mountain yesterday.  If I would have only looked this direction, I would not have jogged Potrero Road.  

I turned back and then crossed Westlake Blvd.  There was a locked fence preventing you from entering this portion.  I assessed the situation and determined that I was meant to climb the fence and continue jogging.  There were more ducks on this side but the run only lasted a couple minutes.  I hit another locked fence at Triunfo Canyon Rd, so I jumped that and crossed the street.

Westlake Lake

 

This lake backs up against an all residential neighborhood.  There is no trail around it, so for normal people like you and me, this body of water is worthless.  I snapped a few shots, ran down Triunfo a little ways just to make sure I wasn't missing something, and then jumped back over the fence back to my car...