hike a new trail

I hiked the trail to the Blue Ridge Campground early Saturday morning May 7, 2011. This place is located on the northeastern slope of the San Gabriel Mountains (see the photo I took with my iPhone at the trailhead with still snow-capped Mount Baldy in the background). I decided to hike up there because a couple of weeks earlier I had read online on one of the local birding forums that some evening grosbeaks had been seen there. Evening grosbeaks are large, handsomely colored finches that are uncommonly and erratically found in the mountains here. Since I had never had opportunity to see this species I thought it might be fun to look for them.

The trail starts at an elevation of around 7,000 feet and ascends about 1,000 feet over 3 miles up a fire road to the campground. It goes further into the mountains, but I only went as far as the campground which was unoccupied on the day I visited. The trail was closed to vehicles when I hiked it, but I think at times it is open to vehicular traffic though if you drove it you would probably need a truck or SUV. Anyway, the first weekend of May was an excellent time to do this hike. The temperature was pleasant, and to my surprise I didn’t even need to wear a sweater. The snow was mostly gone with only a few isolated patches remaining. Ski season had ended a couple of weeks earlier, and it was a little bit eerie hiking past abandoned ski lifts sitting over barren hills. At the same time, it was still too early for the summer crowds. It was very quiet, which made for excellent birdwatching conditions. I loved that I encountered few people during my hike. There was an old Korean couple that I found to be quite nice, however. The guy noticed my Canon camera and talked to me a bit about the many Canons that he had owned. I would pass them by because though fit they were old and couldn’t go as fast as me, but on occasion they would catch up to me as I would often stop to pursue a bird along the way. It was nice that the couple would wait for me to finish taking pictures before moving ahead of me.

By the way, I of course did find and get decent photographs of the evening grosbeaks that had motivated my trip (stay tuned for an update under my “photograph birds” goal in the near future, if anyone is interested). In total, I saw 23 species of birds, which is not bad for the mountains at this time of year.

Last Saturday, March 26, 2011 I went hiking for the first time in the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area near Pearblossom, California. This place is located on the edge of the Mojave Desert along the northern flank of San Gabriel Mountains and encompasses an area that is geologically quite striking. In fact, although I didn’t see it during this visit, the famous San Andreas Fault runs through the park. There are trails surrounding and going down a deep canyon with a rushing stream that gives the park its name. As the primary purpose of my hike was not to explore geologic formations but to find birds, I decided not to hike down the canyon but to instead hike up toward the mountains along what is called the Burkhart Trail. I could have been wrong, but I thought there would be more birds up high were there were more trees and that there would likely be more people interested in the canyon who would make a lot of noise that would scare birds away.

What I found most interesting about Devil’s Punchbowl was the transition zone between desert and mountain habitats that I observed along the trails I hiked (see the photo I took though frankly it doesn’t do justice to geologic beauty this place has to offer). Near the start of the trail by the parking lot the environment is more desert-like. Among the birds I saw were dozens of western scrub-jays as well as a decent number of oak titmice and spotted towhees. It was also cool to see a fox run across the trail in front of me into the bushes. Just about a mile or so in with a gradual ascent, things begin to change. Desert vegetation disappears and tall pines take its place. I saw lots of mountain chickadees and even a couple of Steller’s jays which were either not present or were hardly present at the lower elevation. Before I knew it, I was hiking through a snow-covered forest. There was still an unusual amount of snow for this elevation at this time of year, but it was hard and icy snow and not the soft powdery kind that is more fun to walk through. I decided not to venture too far into the mountains because I wasn’t well prepared to go into icy conditions. Anyway, I still thought this hike was worth it. Maybe next time I’ll try the canyon. I’ll have to do it right at sunrise, however, because later in the morning this place becomes popular and there’s not much hope to see wildlife with lots of people around…

I hiked this trail on Saturday, November 6, 2010. On this warm but not too hot day I had come out to the desert specifically to look for two desert-dwelling birds, one being the ladder-backed woodpecker and the other being a small songbird called a verdin. With its Joshua tree woodlands and arid scrub environment this place seemed like it might provide the right habitat for them. Saddleback Butte State Park is located in the Mojave Desert in a remote area of the northeastern part of Los Angeles County, California. I followed the trail about a mile to Little Butte Peak which to that point was fairly easy to follow with only a slight climb near the end (see the photo I took from atop the peak). There were very few other people in the park. The hike was nice though not spectacular. It would have been better to go during the spring when wildflowers are in bloom. I do think this is an ideal hike, however, as an introduction for someone who hasn’t been to the desert before. This is definitely a place to avoid during the heat of the summer as the environment is stark and exposed with no shade at all. Definitely come prepared with lots of water, sunscreen, a hat and other common sense gear for hiking in those conditions.

If I had wanted to, I could have followed the trail an additional mile to Saddleback Peak, from which the park gets its name. It would have been a somewhat more rigorous hike ascending 800 feet up a rocky slope, but I didn’t have the motivation to do it at the time as I didn’t think I was going to have luck seeing the birds I was targeting and thought I should move on to somewhere else that might be more productive. I didn’t see my target species and in general wasn’t that impressed with the variety of wildlife I saw. Maybe it just the time of day or the season or just the fact that more patience is required in the desert. During the two hours or so in the late morning I was in the park I identified just 7 species of birds, the highlight being a cactus wren singing and hopping atop a Joshua tree. Otherwise, I saw a couple of small lizards, a couple of butterflies and a small rodent all of whose names I have yet to identify.

I hiked this trail this past Saturday, August 14, 2010. This is hike 77 on page 186 of the book “Trails of the Angeles”. It starts at an elevation of 7,250 ft (2,210 m) and ascends a few hundred feet over 2.5 miles. The trail seems very typical of the trails I have experienced in the San Gabriels. It winds through a dry mixed pine forest (see the photo I took) at times through rocky terrain and becoming very narrow at certain points. There are good views of the Mojave Desert facing the east side, and there are also nice views of other mountains in the range.

I didn’t enjoy this hike as much as I thought I would partly because I screwed up. I misread the signs a couple of times and ended up on wrong trails adding about two hours to what was supposed to be no more than a three hour hike. I felt kind of stupid and wasted valuable energy. This hike also felt very similar to the one I went on from Dawson Saddle to Throop Peak a couple of weeks earlier. I guess that shouldn’t have surprised me much as this hike starts only about 6 miles west of the starting point of that hike. The two hikes are similar, but I liked the one to Throop Peak more because the birding was a bit better. My primary purpose for going on these hikes is birding, and the birding wasn’t that great until the end of the hike at the campground itself when it was getting too hot, I was experiencing a bit of altitude sickness and was too tired to go any further (though admittedly my exhaustion was partly because of the wrong turns I made earlier). The summit of Mount Islip was an additional 1.5 miles in, but I just couldn’t do it at the time. Anyway, the highlight of the trip was birding the campground, which luckily was abandoned the time I was there. There were lots of migrating warbler species up high in the trees (unfortunately making them very difficult to photograph), the most interesting of them being the hermit warbler with its bright yellow head, black throat and gray body.

Last Saturday, July 31, 2010, I did the four mile round trip hike up the Dawson Saddle Trail to Throop Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains. This is Hike 80 on page 192 of the book “Trails of the Angeles”. Of course, like most of my hikes, what inspired me to check out this place was a desire to see birds I don’t normally get to see. I religiously explore the new data on eBird, an online repository where birders, me included, contribute the checklists of the species observed during their birding trips to share with other birders and with scientists studying bird migration and population patterns. Anyway, I had seen that during the prior weekend someone had observed some species at this location that I wanted to see. I spent the whole week looking forward to hiking this trail when I had time off over the weekend.

I dragged myself out of bed early Saturday morning and left home about 6:15 AM. From the foggy San Fernando Valley, it took me about an hour and forty minutes to drive up Highway 14 into the Antelope Valley, where it was very bright and sunny, to Highway 138 through the desert communities of Palmdale, Juniper Hills and Valyermo to Big Pines Road which ultimately led me into the mountains to the Angeles Crest Highway. Another ten miles down a windy road, and I was at the trail head. This trail is in the higher elevations of the San Gabriel Mountains and starts at an elevation of 7,903 ft (2,409 m) and ascends 1,200 ft (366 m) over two miles. The end of the trail intersects with the famous Pacific Crest Trail, which leads to other mountain peaks, but I just turned back at the intersection. I would say this hike is moderate in terms of level of difficulty. The trail is never too steep at any point, but what adds a bit to the difficulty of the hike is just being at such a high elevation where you have to work harder just because there’s less oxygen. Most of the hike is under at least partial shade of pine trees, but the forest is very dry and a little hot during the summer even at that elevation. The trail is easy to follow (I didn’t need hiking poles) but does get narrow at some points, so you do have to watch your step and hiking shoes are essential.

I was really glad that I arrived early enough so that I encountered few people along the trail. The fewer people the better when observing wildlife is your primary goal. I hiked very slowly and tried to take in as much of the environment as possible. There are great views of the other mountains in the range, of the high desert down below to the east, and at the peak the Los Angeles basin to the west. I could have been up and back in less than two hours, but I took three and a half hours. I used to like hiking as quickly as possible just for physical endurance but now my priority has changed. I was very pleased with the variety of birds I saw. I saw 21 species, not bad for the mountains, including, among others, 3 woodpecker species, 3 nuthatch species, and 4 warbler species. The highlight of the trip, however, was seeing a red crossbill, a type of sparrow whose bill tips cross when closed, and hearing its beautiful song. Among the other wildlife present were chipmunks, lizards, wasps and mosquitoes which I was unfortunate enough to encounter.

At an elevation of 8,847 ft (2,696.6 m), Mt. Pinos is the highest point in Ventura County, California. The idea of going the the highest point of a particular place had sounded exciting to me, so I decided to check it out early on the morning of June 26, 2010. Although I found the approximately 2 mile hike to get to the top of Mt. Pinos enjoyable and beautiful, it was hardly the challenge I envisioned going to the top of a mountain would be as the hike could barely be described as moderate in terms of the level of difficulty.

The hike starts at an elevation of about 8,200 ft at the end of the road about a mile away from my hike at the Mt. Pinos Campground which I previously wrote about. Apparently, it was once possible to actually drive up to the summit although the trail has long since been closed to vehicles. The unpaved trail makes a gradual ascent through a forest of Jeffrey pines before reaching an open area near the summit. The summit is flat and gradual, and I had a hard time figuring out where precisely the highest point was. There’s an old parking lot from the time when vehicles were allowed up there and a condor observation deck. Today, condors are rare and close to extinction but occasionally some can still be spotted near Mt. Pinos though I wasn’t lucky enough to see one during my visit. From the top, the views are amazing. On one side, I could see most of northern Ventura County and Santa Barbara County, and on the other side I could see into the southern part of the San Joaquin Valley (the one that John Steinbeck wrote about in The Grapes of Wrath) toward Bakersfield. I’m told that on a clear day, you could even see the southern reaches of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The view toward the San Joaquin Valley was unfortunately hazy when I visited (see the photo I took… if you look very carefully, you may be able to make out the agricultural field in the distance)...

As usual, my primary purpose of this hike was to see interesting species of birds. I was not disappointed. The melodious songs of fox sparrows filled the air of the forest, and green-tailed towhees were thrashing the loose vegetation on the ground for insects. I encountered a raucous flock of Clark’s nutcrackers and Steller’s jays hopping among the branches of the trees loudly making their presence known. In a spring alongside the trail, I watched as a white-headed woodpecker took some sips of water. In addition to birds, there was much to appreciate about the natural environment. I saw lots of chipmunks running up and down trees and in and out of holes in the ground. Lots of little mountain flowers whose names I don’t know were in bloom as were a couple of wild irises. Although I only saw two irises, there was a whole field of iris plants coming up, and I could already anticipate how beautiful the bloom will be in a few weeks.

I continued exploring the trail beyond the summit of Mt. Pinos. There is a six mile trail into the Chumash Wilderness that leads to Sawmill Mountain, the highest point in Kern County. This is where the hiking becomes more rigorous. I followed this trail for about a mile before deciding to rest and turn my attention to watching birds. I decided to save the hike to Sawmill Mountain for another time, since I still wasn’t used to hiking at that altitude and didn’t want to overexert myself. I was happy that I arrived quite early around 7:30 AM as during the hike up I only encountered one other person. The trail was more crowded on the way back. There were a lot of bicyclists, and I have to say that I think bicyclists are among the rudest people there are, and I despise them (If you’re a bicyclist, I’m sorry. I promise not to despise you when you are not on your bike!). Of course, there were also many hikers carrying on loud conversations. I’m not really into hearing strangers talking about their lives or experiences or opinions on this or that because they can do that at home or on the drive up. During my hikes, I prefer solitude and letting go of everything and absorbing the natural environment and as trite as it sounds “becoming one with nature”...

As I’ve said in prior entries, the primary purpose of most of my hikes is birdwatching. It’s approaching summer when it gets very hot is Southern California, so the optimal places to be are by the beach or up in the mountains. Most of the “interesting” species of birds that are found on the coast are gone by summer, so to see more species of birds it’s a better bet to head to the mountains. Unfortunately, much of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County that would normally be easily accessible to me is closed due to last summer’s devastating “Station Fire” and because of storm damage from the winter. However, I have discovered that Mt. Pinos in the Los Padres National Forest straddling the Ventura County and Kern County line is only about an hour and twenty minute drive up from where I live, a distance I am willing to go. It’s a drive right up Interstate 5 to Gorman and then another twelve miles east on Mt. Pinos Road. I was excited about going to Mt. Pinos where I had never been because although I had heard of it I had previously assumed for some reason that it was just too far away.

I didn’t go up to the summit of Mt. Pinos on Saturday morning June 12, 2010 because I’m saving that more rigorous hike for later in the summer, maybe even later this month. Instead, I stopped near the Mt. Pinos Campground where there is a trail that is maybe a couple of miles long that goes into an alpine forest. The trail is very easy to follow, and I believe it is used for cross-country skiing during the winter. However, at an elevation of 7,800 feet (2,377 m) I found that hiking is a little more exhausting than what I’m used to because there is less oxygen. I didn’t park my car at the campground but rather on the side of the road from where I climbed down to the trail. I didn’t think anything of the steepness when I went down, but when I was going back up to my car I was completely out of breath doing a climb that wouldn’t normally leave me so taxed at a lower elevation.

Anyway, I found this trail to be very beautiful and peaceful (see the photo I took). I love the smell of the pines and the quiet and the solitude. Again, I found myself on a trail where I encountered no one else except at the campground. However, the trail was not all the far from the road so I didn’t have to be worried about getting lost or anything like that. I could hear the sound of lots of chipmunks but as usual I found them very shy to come out of their hiding places from among the rocks. I enjoyed seeing wildflowers that were still in bloom. I enjoyed the coolness of the morning. I saw a total of 19 species of birds, including four mountain-dwelling species that I had never seen before (brown creeper, pygmy nuthatch, Cassin’s finch, and green-tailed towhee) and one that I had only seen in Canada previously (Clark’s nutcracker). I have also found that birdwatching in the forest where there is a lot of hiding spots up in tall trees is a little harder than I’m used to. I had to spend a lot more time staying in one spot waiting for birds to come out. In fact, I spent over three hours on this relatively short trail, mostly taking it easy and observing the environment around me. This wasn’t a rigorous hike, but it is one that I thought was worth it and would do again.

This is Hike 73 on page 178 of the book “Trails of the Angeles”. I own this book, but it’s funny that I didn’t bother to open up the book and read about this hike until after I had done it. I didn’t set out intending to do this hike on Saturday morning June 5, 2010 when I drove up Highway 39 east of Azusa. Actually, I was planning to do some hiking and birdwatching near some campgrounds on the Angeles Crest Highway. I checked the map and saw that I could take Highway 39 up to the Angeles Crest, but just a few miles before where the two highways intersect I discovered that Highway 39 was closed and had been for years apparently. I was disappointed and felt a little stupid, but near the road closure I noticed a trailhead. Since I had already driven up into the mountains and there was no way to get to where I initially wanted to go without a detour of many miles and at least an hour or more worth of time, I decided to see where this particular trail went.

The trail called Bear Creek trail starts at an elevation of about 3,000 feet (914 m) and ascends to a peak of slightly over 5,000 feet (1,524 m) over a distance of about 3.5 miles. The trail traverses a terrain that is rather stark and desert-like before reaching a coniferous forest beyond the peak of the mountain. At this time of year, most of the vegetation was already starting to dry although there were still wildflowers blooming and insects seemed to be at their peak population. As I began the ascent, I saw a long thin snake slither in the brush on the trail before me. I knew it wasn’t a rattlesnake, the only snakes found in California that are poisonous, but it reminded me to stay vigilant as I continued my hike. In addition to two snakes I encountered, I also observed at least three species of lizards and five species of butterflies. I saw three species of birds that I hadn’t seen before and would probably not have otherwise encountered had I not ventured into to this habitat. I saw or heard at least six mountain quails, which I think are cool because the males have a plume on the top of their head that stands straight up unlike that other quails I’ve seen that have plumes that curl down. I saw and heard four lazuli buntings, which are rich blue-colored songbirds related to cardinals. I also saw two black-chinned sparrows which only inhabit scrub environments above around 3,000 feet. Chipmunks seemed to be everywhere but being very wary they didn’t let themselves be seen much.

The hike itself was quite rigorous, probably more rigorous than I was prepared for. It followed a gradual but constant upward slope and wound several times up the hill (see the photo I took). It was clear that this trail was not used very often as parts of it were very narrow and overgrown with brush. I had to keep pulling thorns out of the side of my shoes, and it probably would have been a better idea to wear long pants instead of shorts. One of the most memorable things about hiking this trail was that I was the only human being I encountered during all the miles in and back. There was absolutely no one else at all. I love this sort of solitude in nature but in a way wondered how easily I could be found in this sort of isolation were I to be attacked by a mountain lion or fall down a cliff.

When I got to the end of the main trail where there was a broken sign indicating the start of the San Gabriel Wilderness, the peak of the mountain was only a few feet away. It was kind of steep and I was exhausted just from getting that far so I didn’t climb up it though now I wish I had. There was another trail that continued into the forest beyond. I followed it briefly, but it was even more rugged and precarious. I was tired, running out of water and didn’t feel otherwise prepared to go further, so I decided to turn back. Not only that, once in the forest, I was incessantly being attacked by insects, mostly flies it seemed. I didn’t have any insect repellent, and it got to be too annoying. While it took me two hours to get to near the top, it took me a little less than an hour to come down. I definitely want to do this hike again but make it to the very top of the mountain next time, and also I would do it on a cooler day.

The Hidden Valley Trail is a very short trail, less than a mile and a half loop. However, if you’re passing through Joshua Tree National Park and don’t have much time to spend there, I think what you see along this trail gives you an excellent taste of what this place is all about (see the photo I took). You get to see Joshua trees, the rocky environment that draws rock climbers from around the world, and some desert wildlife including flowers if it’s the right time of year.

I actually did this hike as part of an organized hour and a half nature walk led by a park ranger. It was kind of interesting to hear her explain some of the history of the park and to introduce some of the plant and animal life. However, I probably would have preferred to go on my own rather than with a group of ten or fifteen people because I’m primarily interested in birds and birds generally detest being around large groups of people. Anyway, someone had approached the ranger with this reddish, strange, fruit-like thing that he had plucked off a tree asking what it was. She said it was created by a wasp and that it was full of wasp eggs and admonished him to not be messing with the plants or wildlife in the park. I’m glad she gave that admonishment because I see people disrespecting natural areas all the time though I would have to admit that it would have been funny if the guy would have bit into it thinking it was a fruit.

Among the wildlife we saw on a late spring day (May 28, 2010) included a jack rabbit and many lizards, one of which I observed doing push-up like motions which I was told were intended to threaten me. We didn’t see any desert tortoises though they inhabit the area. It wasn’t peak season for wildflowers though there were still lots blooming. Among the birds I saw were common ravens, bushtits, a western scrub-jay, a phainopepla, and some spotted towhees. When the group encountered a spotted towhee perched on the tree, the ranger said it was an oriole. When I corrected the ranger pointing out it was not an oriole but a spotted towhee, she was a bit annoyed and said, “Look, we have a birder here. But let me talk about the animals I do know about…” She then proceeded to talk about the rodents that live among the rocks.

I stopped by Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park near Agua Dulce, California in the early afternoon this past Saturday (May 22, 2010) while driving back to LA from the Antelope Valley. I had often seen these interesting rock formations right off of Highway 14 and thought that it would be an interesting place to explore one day. “One day” had finally come when on a whim I decided to to get off the freeway and follow the sign indicating the direction of the park.

What I will say about this place is that it is an interesting diversion if you like geological formations (see the photo I took). Being there felt a little bit like being in Arizona or Utah without actually having to go to Arizona or Utah. There are a few trails that go over and around the rocky hills. The hiking is moderate in terms of difficulty, not too easy but definitely not to difficult. Probably the most challenging thing is climbing over some of the rocks. I did the hike with athletic shoes although hiking shoes probably would have been better. This is a high desert environment, so it’s best to go on a cool day or early in the morning and to bring lots of water. Fortunately, despite the sun it was an unusually cool May afternoon during my visit, and it was also windy. I did still work up a sweat though. There was still a variety of beautiful desert wildflowers blooming. I should learn the names of them. I didn’t see much in terms of birds or wildlife. In general, I find it harder to spot wildlife in the desert but it doesn’t mean it’s not there. In addition to lots of lizards, I did see some desert birds including a couple of sage sparrows and a greater roadrunner. Though my photographs didn’t come out well, seeing the roadrunner was a highlight since I had never seen one before.

I would like to come back to this place during a weekday or sometime when there are fewer people around because there’s a certain peace here being surrounded by these amazing natural formations.