Category — california destinations

All my weekday bike workouts combined with the weekend rides around Sullivan Canyon have gotten me to the point where I think I am prepared to handle a long ride out and back from the Westridge Fire Road to Topanga State Park. This Reseda Backbone Area and Topanga State Park map gives a good general idea of the the route we’ll be taking; I think we will aim for Eagle Rock and then see how far we feel like pedaling after that.

The great thing about my CamelBak backpack is that it is roomy enough to carry a nice sized lunch for two people (or even a six pack of beer if you really wanted ), in addition to a 70 oz. hydration bladder, so I have yet to run out of fuel on a ride. The down side is that it weighs a little bit more when it is all loaded up, and sometimes heavy items get lost at the bottom of that roominess–like the bike lock I rode around Sullivan Canyon with a few weeks ago. Grrrr. But I guess the extra weight helps make my legs stronger…hopefully strong enough for the ride to Topanga and back!

At any rate, Topanga State Park is a great destination for hiking and biking, so here are some links for more information:

• Bike Map Dude: Topanga State Park Featured Rides
• Modern Hiker: Hiking Eagle Rock and Temescal Peak
• Topanga Nature/Wildlife
• GORP: Sullivan Ridge/Backbone Trail

We spent a few hours Sunday morning at Malibu Creek State Park, investigating some of the routes on Planet of the Apes Wall. It was pretty hot and we were done by noon, but at least we had a chance to put PIC’s new Petzl grigri self-braking belay device to the test. Well, PIC had the chance to test out the grigri while he was belaying a whole bunch of people. I mostly hid in the shade and tried not to melt into a heat-induced puddle.

In spite of the heat, I am a little disappointed we didn’t take the bikes out to Malibu Creek, because it would have been a lot of fun to ride down to the Planet of the Apes Wall. However, riding our climbing gear back up the hill in the midday sun probably would not have been fun at all, so it was probably for the best.

I really want to head out to Malibu Creek again in the near future to check out where M*A*S*H was filmed. Hopefully it will be a little bit cooler next time!

We spent a few hours climbing at Point Dume this weekend and all I have to say is, Wow, I need to hit the gym! Or at least the hang board! The rock is very polished and slippery, and my chalk did not seem to be doing nearly enough to counteract my sweaty palms. I also debated whether or not I need to re-sole my climbing shoes. However, since nobody else seemed to have any real problems with the rock, I probably have to concede that the real issue is my rapidly waning grip strength and lack of recent climbing time.

In spite of my ineptitude, climbing at Point Dume is tons of fun, which is also why it is such a popular destination. If you are planning to go on a weekend or holiday, arrive early to get your choice of routes. When we were there, many of the climbers were willing to share their top ropes, but I have also heard stories of people essentially getting chased away from the wall by climbing schools that have a few ropes set up on the wall.

Here are some links with info on Point Dume and Zuma Beach:

• Rock Climbing.com: Point Dume
• Local Hikes: Point Dume
• Los Angeles County Coastal Monitoring Network: Point Dume
• California State Parks: Point Dume State Beach

I am not sure what the name of this route is because I am really bad at that sort of thing, but it is a picture of me climbing one of the bigger walls at Stoney Point in Chatsworth, CA.

Here are some photos of the same climb from different angles and positions:

Me at the start of the Climb

Partner-in-Climb on the same route

The worst part about climbing at Stoney Point is chasing the shade to minimize exposure to the heat and sunlight. I recommend lots of good sunblock, a hat and something to sit on when you’re not climbing because the rocks get REALLY hot. A towel is OK, but I recommend a good camping chair like a Crazy Creek chair or some other collapsible chair. That little added bit of comfort helps make the heat and the waits between climbs more comfortable. I especially recommend one if you plan on doing any belaying.

It’s a good idea to get to Stoney Point early, to beat both the heat and some of the crowd. It is a really popular destination for climbers and families just out for a hike or a picnic, in addition to some weekend climbing schools. If you have your heart set on top roping one of the bigger walls, it is essential to get there before the crowd to get a route. Otherwise, be prepared to boulder.

I wrote about some of my favorite stairs to climb in Silver Lake a few months ago, and now the Los Angeles Times is taking an interest in the subject. A few days ago they ran a story about “hiking the stairways of Echo park, Silver Lake“. The Times article links to a website that features a pretty extensive spreadsheet and map of routes in the area. It’s a really great reference for anybody looking for new routes.

My absolute favorite walk in Silver Lake starts with a climb up Micheltorena Street from Sunset. There is a view of the reservoir from the top of the hill and the walk unfolds at a gentle yet vigorous pace after the initial push up the hill. It’s a great workout and a great way to see the city from Downtown to the Hollywood sign to Glendale.

It has been SOOOO long since I have been to Joshua Tree. At this time last year, I was making plans to move to J Tree by September 2007. Obviously that didn’t happen. I am not too sad about it, because I really like where I am at right now, but I do miss Joshua Tree and I am always up for a trip to the high desert. So I think we will be heading out this weekend in spite of the gas-induced crunch on our budget. It will be so nice to climb, but I am feeling a little out of shape. I did some yoga and weights this weekend to start unwinding from our road trip, and I am feeling it today. Plus, I know from the last time we went to Stoney Point that my grip strength has really decreased since I stopped doing hang board training. So it may be a humbling climbing trip, but at least it will be fun.

I think most of the wildflowers will be gone by now, but as long as we get the chance to climb, I’ll be happy. I had the chance to test out my new sleeping bag on our recent whirlwind road trip, and I am pretty confident it will be perfect for the weather at Joshua Tree this weekend. I am also really excited to pay another visit to Country Kitchen for breakfast. The restaurant is super tiny and usually very crowded but their delicious homemade food makes the wait worthwhile. Their light, buttery biscuits and gravy are pure heaven; my mouth is watering just thinking about them. And they are the perfect energy boost after climbing.

Ok, I am getting super excited about heading out to J Tree this weekend. I need to focus on work for a while. Will write more soon.

It’s official–gas has gotten REALLY expensive in Southern California. The gas station across from my office is now selling regular unleaded for $3.99/gallon. It’s premium brands are $4.09 and $4.19/gallon. Sheesh! Partner-in-Climb and I were serendipitously invited to Joshua Tree this weekend by friends who scored a campsite, and now we are furiously doing some post-tax season budgeting to pay for the gas. I think it will take about 2 full tanks to get us there and back, so that’s at least $150.

I am trying to focus on the fact that I have REALLY REALLY wanted to go to J Tree on this particular weekend for months. It’s the full moon weekend, and it gets so bright in the desert that you can scramble around on some of the boulders at night. It is SO much fun. If it’s not windy, it’s also a great time of year to sleep outside without a tent. Plus, it’s probably the last weekend before it gets to be what I consider “way too hot” in the desert. So there are a lot of good reasons to go. It will just suck to pay that much for gas.

We headed up to Ventura County yesterday to scope out Echo Cliffs. Partner-in-Climb (PIC) wanted to see how Big Old Dog would handle the trail before committing to a full day of climbing, and frankly, I am not quite ready to shove my nail-less toe back into climbing shoes just yet. (Yes, I know, that is not very hard-core outdoor-sy of me, but whatever. Unless I’m in some kind of competition, I don’t engage in personal discomfort unless it is an absolute emergency. :P)

But I was really up for a hike, and we had the perfect day for it. We parked at the Mishe Mokwa trail head parking lot and headed up the connector trail, then down into the canyon. The view from the trail is amazing. There were a couple of climbing parties set up on along the large wall, and another party on Balance Rock. I found this close up of Balance Rock online:

You can see it above Echo Cliffs in the first picture, but this close up gives a better idea of the kind of precarious perch the rock balances on.

PIC has climbed at Echo Cliffs before, but usually turned down a side trail to head straight to the climbing spots. We attempted to take the side trail, but Big Old Dog was struggling to keep his footing, so we returned to the main trail and followed it down to Split Rock. The main trail is incredibly accessible and easy to hike. There were a few trail runners, and we encountered several groups of older hikers who were doing fine with just a little help from trekking poles. After some scrambling on Split Rock and a quick snack, we headed back to the car. Big Old Dog seemed to make it back with no problems and was moving around pretty well today, so I think we’ll be heading back to Echo Cliffs in the very near future.

I also found a couple of cool sites while I was looking for info on Echo Cliffs and the Mishe Mokwa Trail, which I will be adding to my blogroll, but you can check them out here in the meantime:

• Rockgrrl.com
• GetBeta.com
• The (Single) GeekHiker

I have been meaning to post something about Santa Barbara for a few weeks but I kept forgetting to download the pics off the digital camera. So, without futher ado, here are some of the gorgeous views:

We had intended to do some climbing at Gibraltar Rock but got sidetracked by some shopping early in the day. By the time we got to Gibraltar Rock, about 14 other climbers were already set up, so we decided to do some exploring for a less crowded spot. The guide book mentioned a spot further up the hill that was the exact location were bouldering in Santa Barbara got started, so with a little nostalgia in our hearts, we set out to find it.

The good news is that the drive to the location was absolutely gorgeous. As you can see in the photos above, we were WAY above the cloud line that hid the city. Eventually the paved road ended, as the guide book said it would, and we were on the dirt road that was supposed to lead us to the alleged first climbing spot. We followed the instructions to the letter: we drove about a mile down the road (and had our Magellan keeping track of the distance for accuracy) and spent a good while looking for a trail which the guide book described as “a good trail” that was “well marked.” We didn’t check the publication date of the book until much later, or we would have realized that the last time this spot was visited was probably around the time the book was written, in 1999. The decrepit trail marker should have been the first clue that something was amiss, but we were both excited about the adventure and trudged on. The trail was extremely overgrown and seemed to be heading away from the rocky outcropping we spotted from the road, but we optimistically went ahead anyway. Well, I optimistically went ahead. Partner-in-Climb expressed concern about a hundred yards into the journey, but I was convinced we were on the right trail. It was the only one around…it had to be the right one.

We turned a corner and ended up in a small clearing that gave us a clear view of the rocks we were trying to reach–and the acres of trail-less scrub between us and the rocks, so we decided to stop and just enjoy the view. I have to admit, it was awesome to be out there, with no one around for miles. Here’s the rock we were trying to reach, in the distance to the right of Big Old Dog:

In spite of everything, it was a great day, but next time we will have to get on the road earlier to secure a spot at one of the more popular climbing spots in the area. I guess those spots are so popular for a good reason.

I finally had the chance to take my new bike out for a good long ride on Saturday and it was SOOO much fun. I ended up crashing and/or falling several times, so I am nicely bruised up today, but it was well worth it. We took the Westridge Fire Road to the overlook, which has fantastic views of Santa Monica, downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. From there, we rode down the single track into Sullivan Canyon, and that’s where the real fun started.

I have these bike shoes that clip into my pedals, which was nice on the uphill and on the long flat stretches before we dropped into the single track, but the clips became a real pain on the way down into the canyon. I was able to stay unclipped most of the time, except for when I lost momentum going through a stream and began to tip to the left. I went to set my foot on the bank beside the stream in order to regain balance; of course at that moment my shoe clipped right into the pedal and I went crashing down onto the bank knee first. Thankfully the bank was covered with many cushy plants and not thorny ones, although my legs are also pretty scratched up and I am not exactly sure when that happened. I felt like I was watching myself go through this scenario in slow motion. I ended up laughing because of how absurd it was, even as I was falling.

Once I was back on my bike, it was only a few more miles before my next “incident.” The trail is owned and maintained by the gas company, and there are a some gas company pipes sticking out of the ground at random intervals. I have walked this trail many times and knew the pipes were there, but for some reason the were freaking me out while I was on the bike. Every attempt I made to avoid the pipes was an overcompensation that sent me careening into another obstacle. At some point, I busted up my right knee and it started bleeding, but I couldn’t tell you how it happened. I was covered in so much mud that I didn’t even notice half the scratches and bruises until after I showered later that day.

In spite of all the falls, it was tremendous fun and I can’t wait to do it again!

I did find out a couple of things about Sullivan Canyon and Westridge Fire Road since my trip there on Saturday that I should mention for safety reasons:

–people have reported seeing and hearing cougars (or mountain lions) in the area!

–there have been bad (even fatal) bike accidents on the trails!

Sullivan Canyon and Westridge Canyon Back provide lots of great biking and hiking opportunities, but remember: safety first!

Check out this video from Sullivan Canyon!