Tar Creek 03/28/11

12/10/13: The US Forest Service will be enforcing access restrictions to Tar Creek soon. TC is part of the Condor Sanctuary established as critical habitat to this endangered bird and other wildlife. Epic numbers of visitors, and the trash and graffiti they have left behind, has led to the acknowledgment by the Forest Service that access must be curtailed and enforced. For more information on the impending action visit: Tar Creek Closure.

So what's going on in my part of the planet? I can tell you that I haven't spent enough time on a trail, or a rock, or the slopes. No, I've been taking care of all the other things that go into living a life. For example, Ruth & I spent last weekend in Palm Springs watching Ruth's niece Kayla compete at a cheer tournament. We've been down to a LA Kings game, been running Ventura's Arroyo Verde trail 3 times a week and, here's the main time consumer, breaking ground on a new kitchen and laundry room. Exciting times in the mountains? Not this month. So I apologize for being absent more often than not lately, a lapse I hope to remedy in the coming days.

Yesterday was a light schedule at work so left early and went (where else , on such short notice) down Tar Creek. As has been noted by Eric in Vta Cty Cnyneering, water levels in the local backcountry are very high and I figured that getting all the way down Tar might get a bit exciting. Just about any activity outdoors seems exciting lately. Alas, poor me.

If I could bottle yesterday and sell it, I'd make a fortune. Beautiful blue skies, snow on the mountains, rushing water, and temps in the high 70's. I can't think of how it could have been a prettier day (maybe if I'd hit last weekend's Powerball). I stopped and hung out with a couple of local boulderers for a bit before I passed through the Land of the Lost. Below there the creek was moving really fast and I had to do a little bouldering of my own to stay dry and alive. No sweat.
Both the big falls were predictably impressive, especially the lower falls. The thing that wasn't predictable was the two condors that were just lifting off as I approached the bottom falls. I got a chance to watch the birds for a while, eat, lay in the sun, eyeball the waterfall off Bear Heaven, do the NYT crossword, relax.
In all the years I've been coming this way I can't recall a more beautiful day, which doesn't mean the hasn't been one but...well, it was a damn fine day.

As for the outdoor void I've been living, I hope to remedy that situation as early and often as can. I've been training in other, less interesting ways lately: Arroyo Verde, the gym, the climbing gym, all of which pale in comparison to the satisfaction of really doing something. The point has been to maintain or improve my level of fitness, after all, Sierra climbing season is coming up and Dave Rivas and I have five 14,000ft peaks scheduled for June. I'll keep you posted.

Tar Creek 03/14/2011

12/10/13: The US Forest Service will be enforcing access restrictions to Tar Creek soon. TC is part of the Condor Sanctuary established as critical habitat to this endangered bird and other wildlife. Epic numbers of visitors, and the trash and graffiti they have left behind, has led to the acknowledgment by the Forest Service that access must be curtailed and enforced. For more information on the impending action visit: Tar Creek Closure.

Yesterday I was able to wrap up my work by 1pm so I raced home, grabbed my kit, and drove out to Fillmore for a little bit of afternoon exercise. I jogged down to Tar Creek's first pools (Land of the Lost) in exactly 40 minutes. I spent a nice hour in the sun, went for a swim, did a little reading. Not a bad way to spend the second half of a work day. I don't think this is a record but I was able to jog all the way back to the truck in 44 minutes flat. I'm not too worried about my cardiovascular health at this point...the point being that my annual Sierra mountaineering trip is only about 10 weeks away so I need to stay on top of my fitness. I'll be ready come June.

Matilija 03/09/11

Man, days like these are why it's worth living in SoCal. Simply gorgeous. I had initially thought about going to Chief's Peak but changed my mind on the fly...on a day this nice I had to opt for Matilija. I'm glad I did.

As I was walking in, good old Buzz was driving out in his retired military Humvee. I waved. He didn't. After that the day was all good. The walk started amidst a clamor of birds greeting one another at the start of the day. A bit later I spooked a large covey of quail. I saw fourteen ground squirrels as I strolled through the Blue Heron ( counting these squirrels is a hobby of mine; the record is 26 squirrels in 5 minutes). I thought it interesting that this particular population of rodents doesn't look skyward very often or they would have noticed a pair of mature red-tails circling overhead.

The whole day was just warm and golden. Water is rushing high through the creeks. Turtles are busy basking while young lizards skitter about. The first flowers of spring are blossoming and the hills are purple with ceanothus blooms. The waterfalls are arockin'.
On the way out I took a dip in the bathtub under the GBFB (Great Big F***ing Boulder). I couldn't resist. From an atheistic point of view, a day like this in a place like this has a hundred times more significance than a church service, and swimming in these creeks is a hundred times more purifying than any baptism.

I hope you enjoy the pics. I'll be trying to get out more now that ski season is wrapping up. See you on the dirt.

Hines Peak/Topatopa Bluffs, 03/06/11

You are reading what is very likely my lamest post ever. It seems that I made a mistake while importing the photos from this day-hike. A big one, like trying to download updates for the Mac while I imported the pictures. Also, the Mac gives one the option to erase photos from your camera with just a click. It seems that when all the updates restarted the Mac, my pictures (now erased from the camera's card) didn't make it. My mistake. It sucks.

As for Hines/Topa, I wish I had some pictures to illustrate the amount of snow still up there. On Hines I post-holed up to my waist a few times. Everything from the picnic table on the ridge was covered in snow to a depth of 6-20" which slowed me down quite a bit. Up near the Ladybug sign I saw some nice 4.5" kitty tracks, didn't see the cat though. It wound up being a cool, breezy 22 mile day.

Wish I had some pictures. Duh.

Big Bear 03/03/11

This is called earning your turns: wake up at 04:00, drive to Big Bear, board the whole day, drive home, wake up and go to work. The tough get going. We had a fun day up at Summit, no crowds, the usual ice>mush>slush syndrome, a worthwhile day. We never had to share a lift chair all day, if that tells you how few people were up there. I spent the day on the boxes and jumps that decorate West Ridge. Ruth had fun in the banked slalom. Cheeseburgers on the deck, sittin' in the sun.