Blackstar, Beek's Peak... ...Conquered!

Finally~~~~~ 8 miles uphill and 2,000 ft. elevation will never rank in any other record book but my own. After 3 other attempts and one being less than a mile to the top, I finally rode all the way up to Beek's Place at the top of Blackstar Canyon, nestled near the peaks of Saddleback mountain.

Last Saturday was a clear and chilly day after the rains offering perfect ride conditions for the group of 8 who pedaled together at the start.

My partner and I are always the sweepers, delegated or not, but we don't mind. We pedal as fast as we can and have surrendered to the energy of tortoise; slow but steady.

This day, my new diet and exercise regimen I'd begun 3 weeks earlier, was kicking in. I had increased cardio power, a bit more muscle mass in the pumpers along with the vision of; "I think I can, I think I can."

I had my sights and handle bars steering towards that giant golf ball (radar or satellite tower?) on top of Beek's peak. Today, I knew we would finally land on top and claim my bragging rights.

The other 6 riders were long gone ahead after 20 minutes out of the starting gate. It was nice while it lasted: hanging out with the group and being a part of the energy always takes me further and faster.

But me and Al realized our trip would be our trip and we'd be saying "see ya" before long.

But that's ok. We tend to be sight seers anyway; always finding a short break in the shade when stopping for a quick re-fuel is needed, or when my thighs can't pump one more revolution no matter how hard I think positive!

The morning had one goal only....to finally get me to the top. Al was not going to see me stop short this time. I was a woman on a mission to have Beek's peak notched on my handle and I could feel it and see it, even if I had to walk. Which of course I did, the last 1/2 mile.

Thighs were begging me for a break and no one was watching!

I would have loved to include more photos of the long and winding road, of the panoramic views of the Hidden Valley Ranch and the number of gorgeous canyons tucked in spots we rode by. Instead I registered each one in my mind to remember always and just kept pumping.

The ease of Blackstar is the fire road all the up and back. No rock gardens, dangerous ruts, roots, or single track with sheer drops to the right or left. Although that IS part of the mtn. bike joy on occasion. The workout and challenge of Blackstar is it's constant uphill 8 miles grind. I like it!

Those rides are a great workout for cardio and endurance.

And so, I've added a notch to my bike belt and Al captured my hard earned, if not exhausted smile at the top and I wondered........did Mr. and Mrs. Beek ride back and forth to work everyday?????

Finding a Trail...and a new friend~~~~

A visit to P.S. (Palm Springs) last weekend is worthy of 2 separate blogs. One would be about the joy of being with two girlfriends and having such fun in the salt water pool and jacuzzi and drinking my new favorite blender drink, and laughing so hard about EVERYTHING.....the other one is this one first......discovering the Tacquitz Trail in the San Jacinto Mts. with Luce, just blocks away from the inn where I stayed with my friends.
I had been running for about an hour, early Sunday morning hoping to get closer to the gorgeous mtns. that beckoned me to draw closer. I found a street at the end of the neighborhood and followed it to its dead end at the foothills. AHA! A trail head appeared. I saw two guys just ahead who had started climbing minutes before I arrived. I had no water with me, but I'd snatched a quick yogurt breakfast, some o.j. and a big drink of water an hour before. The trail was so inviting and promised spectacular views and the weather was mild. I walked just a few steps to get a feel and see if I felt comfortable solo. A car door opened then closed nearby. I waited to see who might also be heading onto the trail. That's when a senior lady appeared, in hiking gear and hat. "May I walk with you?, I asked." This is my first time here. If I'd known this trail was around the corner I'd have started earlier and brought water!" She smiled up at me and said "Sure!" Oh lucky me! We exchanged names a bit later as we headed up a tight single track looping around the corners and taking us at a fast clip straight up. Luce was timing her ascent to her favorite spot. She said it had been awhile since she'd hiked here and she wanted to be sure she wasn't slowing down. Ha! I was the one huffing and puffing keeping up with her. Soon I followed her careful footfalls and her pace and relaxed and enjoyed the hike. I decided to be comfortable without water as the temp. was being kind and I was following an 82 yr. old experienced hiker who seemed cool as can be and totally relaxed and trusting of the area.
The two guys seen earlier had taken a wrong turn and had to backtrack. They came up behind us and had a great sense of humor in meeting us and taking our pix. Luce seemed to be attracting all kinds of new friends this morning. Bruce rhymed his name with Luce...but I can't remember the other guys name ....'cuz it didn't rhyme with mine!!
Luce educated me about the Desert Apricot Mallow flower...and showed me the distant view of the Salton Sea...."see that mist out there.....". We talked about the history of the trail, more flowers, environmental causes, her conservationist ideals, the ignorance of ignorant people (those are my words), misusing, and abusing the trail by not staying ON the proper trail. I commented that sometimes people don't SEE what's right in front of their eyes! Luce said, "If you are witnessing, you are in it." I thought that was so profound I recorded it on my phone so as not to forget.

As we were heading back down from our ascent, Luce pointed out the spots on the trail where she usually runs down. Excuse me? Oh yes, she said, but not today since she was getting her hiking legs back. I watched her foot strikes, her pace , her evenness in negotiating the unevenness of wilderness trail and marveled at her delicate pace while never once doubting her steps. No hiking poles; which I'm so dependent on. Luce was all grace and beauty, just like the sturdy, gentle beauty of the wildflowers holding court all along my morning hike. Thank you Luce, for the ride back to the inn! You were right...I was done~~~~~I'll look you up on my next visit~~~~~~

A Hardy Hike for sure~~~~

The Harding Truck Trail is a 9 mile fire road that begins at the end of Modjeska Canyon Rd, across from the Tucker Wild Life Sanctuary. Ike Harding was an early homesteader who raised goats in the area. It was a first hike on this trail for all of us....Paul and Karen; celebrating their 20 yr anniversary next year... Sandy,(not Fanny, that's her grandmother's name!); co-worker with Paul, our biking friend Gary, Spain and myself. Paul, a 20 year client of mine and wearing his new polarized sunglasses had organized the hike. It's a 9 miler up a wide and well groomed fire road with an emphasis on UP. Our goal was the lookout at 3.2 miles, with a total of just over 6 miles back to our cars. Happy I brought the summer hiking hat because the temp was toasty at 8am. The hat protects the head and neck from burn and the extra brim of shade keeps me cool...well, cooler. In 2007 a wild fire blew through the area. Burned trunks were still visible in many spots along the trail. But the hills were covered in greens and spring flowers were rioting over any extra space found. Gary brought his Wild Flowers of So. Cal. book which has accompanied him on his hikes since 2004 I think. He has a tiny sample of each bloom and writes the date he found it. He trailed behind here and there when he spotted Red Maids and Perry Phesilias and doubled checked the photos in his book. Eureka! He found them. What a lovely way to remember the hikes and learn about the wildflowers. Many mtn bikers passed us up and down. Our biking buddy Dave Paul rode up with a tough as nails group churning their wheels all the way to the 9 mile 5000 ft peak and then, who knows, another 10-15 miles down Maple Springs or over and down to "the luge". They are tough....both hikers and bikers saying friendly hellos and informing what's ahead if you don't already know. More trail, that's what! It was a wonderful hike with friends, some new , some not. Oh, and chocolate milk. We always have cold choc. milk waiting for us in the truck after hiking or biking. My mistake is when I mention it when it's still too far away to enjoy. By the time we were finishing the hike I was afraid I'd have to fight everyone off when I finally got my sweaty hands around my cold bottle.

Snow kidding!

It had hailed the night before our hike into Trabuco Canyon, temps were low and even lower by the time we parked at the Holy Jim Trailhead. So it was no surprise that snow lined the the edges of our hike trail and covered cactus, poison oak and low brush.The 4.7 miles of washboard road to the parking area had been a bit easier roller coaster than my two previous trips. I was thankful about that. Pothole dodging is not a sport I favor but sometimes one must sit down, strap in, and be quiet in order to get herself to the adventure portal! There is no alternative route. Holy Jim trail is a popular trail for both hikers and mtn bikers. It's actually a famous trail, but more about that in a bit. I prefer to hike it due to its constant uphill, technical tight turns and drop offs; those spots you're not supposed to look at while you ride but can't seem to take your eyes off ! The cold crisp mountain air had us hiking at a good clip to warm up the feet and hands, though we wore gloves. The trail has a turn off to a water fall but we only had time to continue straight up. As we passed its intersection we could hear the deluge 3 miles or so to the right. Holy Jim creek crossings numbered 10 each way. So 20 times we were carefully choosing our steps to cross. If it had been even an inch or so higher, avoiding wet shoes would have been impossible. If we had time we would have gone to the top which ends at Santiago Peak, over 4800 ft., the tallest point in the Santa Ana Mountains and one of the two peaks that make up Saddleback Mountain; the other being Modjeska Peak. In the one picture you can spot the snow topped peak with its antennae towers. But time allowed only an hour in and an hour out. Too bad for me because the conditions and views and temp were ideal! The canyon was named for James T. Smith, also known as "old cussin'Jim." Word is he could peel paint off a stove pipe with his cussing.He was a beekeeper and built a home in the north fork of Trabuco Canyon in the 1870's and planted figs.When government surveyors plotted the canyon they chose "Holy Jim" rather than "Cussin Jim." Looked better on the trail maps. The last wild California grizzly, an old bear named "the honey thief" was killed at the mouth of T.C. after robbing a string of beehives in 1907. (No wonder Jim was so cussin' mad.) check out pix of the times at http://www.trabucocanyon.org/ Jim and bear included!! It was a wonderful hike with the perfect hiking partner and perfect hiking poles. You can see how much we relied on them when creek crossing!

The last pic of the day was me sitting out front of my pretend mtn writing cabin we passed heading back to the truck. Yeah, there she is, "ol cussin Colleen!" "Get off my property dag nabbit, or I'll get out the ol' 6 shooter and give ya what for *%#!@!!

Something about being OUT THERE, always brings out the best in me~~~~

SUPER DUPER MOON

Sometimes adventure happens at night. And sometimes you aren't allowed to use your head lamp or white flashlight; only a red flashlight so you will not disturb the local wild life. So the only photo I have to share about this adventure is this one some other photographer took in Pakistan, capturing an owl taking flight at his favorite time of day....night.

Last evening, adventure companion Spain and I joined 14 other full moon seekers through the IRC..(Irvine Ranch Conservancy) and hiked into Orchard Hills in Irvine on a 3 mile full moon hike. We were instructed right away, to turn off our really cool white head lamps (darn~!) and use the red flash lights provided so we would disturb the local inhabitants as little as possible. Our original hike route had to be detoured because a red tailed hawk family had been spotted earlier in the day, taking care of its new hatchlings in a newly discovered nest right along our intended path. So instead of going thisaway...we went thataway. For a spring equinox eve....it was cold! We had fleece jackets ready to zip into and zip up...we being always prepared for adventure away from home, as I am FINALLY learning....you never know how the weather may be at your destination, even if it's only 20 minutes from home....so bring everything! HAHA!

Rain had been forecast for the evening and as yet had been kind enough to delay it's arrival. All of us hikers looked at a thinly veiled full moon creeping up over the hill as we started up the 800 ft ascent. The clouds were teasing us as to if and when we may or may not get a real deal full moon; no let's rephrase that Uber Moon glow this evening. We were all very happy the rain was holding off, and the fact that the moon was at least TRYING to give us a show was enough. We were all very excited to be out there in the dark, watching our foot falls on the gentle single track that weaved its path up , up, up.

As we turned a few corners, the talk turned quieter as the hikers fell into a pace behind one another. We listened to the symphony of creek frogs, the sound of creepy crawlers in the brush at our feet and a single coyote cry that was answered by a whole chorus of coyotes, perhaps excited over their shared meal for the evening.

Every few hundred feet up our ascent, we all stopped and glanced over to the rising super moon, begging it to break free from the clouds of a future rain and give us the performance we had come to see. Soft whispers of hope, our night vision attuning to the shadows all around us, we gazed to the eastern night sky, and as a group, encouraged Her performance.

As we turned into the avocado orchard and tracked single file, long shadows of the giant Eucalyptus (gum tree) fell over us. Memories of my youth in Tustin, before the groves of avocado and orange and eucalyptus were laid low, sacrificed without their permission, to make way for ....just more.......more house...more pavement, came flooding through me. Here we were, being allowed to walk among the beautiful groves by permission of the big land barons who own it all now; as if it was a kind of Disneyland, instead of a free place to walk for everyone, anytime, as it used to be.........when we were kids here in the 60's. I felt such an ache for those innocent days of unsupervised exploration.................

Did you know that Eucalyptus oil is used for cleaning and functions as a natural insecticide and is sometimes used to drain swamps; thereby reducing the risk of malaria?

And that eucalyptus, a native plant of Australia, is called a widow-maker? The root system is very shallow and if super-satured, the tree can just fall over rather suddenly. If your husband is working in the back yard after a rainy day and you have eucalpytus trees out back....ok, you get the idea.......back to my moon hike...

As in every adventure, one has to BE THERE for something exciting to happen....or not. As we made our way along the big trees, some big light seemed to be turned on. We all turned to our right and just about applauded as the gorgeous super moon; 220,625 miles close, closest she's been to Earth since Jan. 19, 1992, broke free from the haze and , well, gave us a private performance of brilliant shine we had all prayerfully anticipated. YES!! It was so beautiful to see. Her light cast moon shadows on all of us. "Look at our shadows !", I said. Some of us raised our arms up as our reflections fell across the groves. A single owl flew out of the trees and crossed overhead through the light. The brightness and brilliance was so exciting. "We should have brought our moon tan lotion!" I commented.

Across the hills, the moonlight gave definition to the undulating rolls and cast her shadows on all the trees and bushes and hikers. It was as bright as a street lamp; except this neighborhood was truly wild and free.

We resumed the hike to the top and spent a few moments star gazing above and enjoying the panoramic view of land lights below, across the lowlands all across southern Orange County. We were able to watch the fireworks at Disneyland, 40 miles north. But I didn't much care for the man made lights. I turned towards the moon and worshiped her amazing beauty and power to reflect brilliance of sun from so far way. Both Spain and I were so grateful that our simple prayer this week had been heard. 'Please, rain, wait until Sunday. We have been hoping to go on a full moon hike for over a year and they are always booked up so fast. And now, to get out on this hike for the Super Moon, it would be so wonderful to really be out here under your spell. Maybe the rain will hear us and allow us this bit of adventure."

The hikers had their fill, our time was up as we quietly followed each other back to the parking area. A couple of times, without a word spoken, we all just stopped and faced the bright moon and just gazed up and basked in her moon beams as they fell upon us. As we headed down our final hundred feet, the night cries of the coyote rang out across two or three different hills, as if they were sending us on our way with some kind of message. It was wild and woolly wonderful.

Tonight was not a photo op; tonight was just about being there and filling up on perhaps a once in a lifetime chance to commune with a Super Moon Goddess.........As we turned in our red flashlights, and headed back to the truck, the moon's performance was over. As if on cue, a sheer veil of cloudy curtain drew across her face as she disappeared......back stage..................Brava, I whispered...Brava..............

Today it rained and rained and is still raining................................

COOL CAVE CARVINGS & VULTURES>>>

A valentine Sunday hike FEB 13th in Laguna Wilderness Park...What ANOTHER gorgeous day for hiking. We invited others who weren't able to join us..too bad, so sad....The Three Amigos....me Spain and Leah.....are becoming a great hiking trio....Leah spotted the two turkey vultures just above our heads as we were followed the dirt trail...Good eye Leah! Spain took these great shots of the vultures and of me 'n Leah inside of the cave we discovered off the beaten track. Great photos, my man! I don't think too many hikers venture where we do, like Spain says....try a new trail 'cuz you never know what you may find! Oh we had fun peeking around and playing in the dirt. I hope to set up a monthly hike with friends this spring; others have been asking so we shall get it together.. On the way back Mother Nature offered us her own special Valentine in the cactus and right in front of me on the trail. Nobody says it like Mother Nature!

I LOVE ALISO!!!!

As I left the park, one final pick on the way out....I LOVE YOU TOOO!!!!!