Back in Biz, Topatopa Bluffs, 10/29/10

Nobody realizes better than I that October has been a "low-dirt" month, and that I haven't had much to report on the outdoor front. The last few weeks have fallen under the category of "taking care of business". To-do lists have been on the long-ish side and it's been a very productive month.

Now, back to the dearth or dirt under my nails. I have been staying fit. I went bouldering the other day at a spot off Hwy 33 that Dave Rivas found. We did some landscaping around a couple of good boulders before playing on them. I've been getting my plastic pump on at Vertical Heaven, which is a good diversion from the regular gym and my friend the StairMonster. None of these things, however, compare to busting my ass on a reliably unpleasant trail. For that, I refer to Topa Topa.
Last Friday was reasonably slow in the cath lab, and I've spent so much time on-call and at work lately that I just had to get out of there. I clocked out at 10:30, threw my kit together, and started walking at 11:45. The weather was cool with mild breezes, in other words, perfect. I set a decent pace and held it all the way to White Ledge, took a ten minute break, powered all the way to the summit, took another 10 on top, ten more at White Ledge, and down. 17 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation climbed in 5:04 hours door to door. I beat my best time by 4 minutes. Yeah, I feel pretty good about that.
As you can see, it was a decent day for reptile sightings. On a special note, I found this baby Mountain King trying to stay warm. King snakes are notoriously shy, hard to spot, and when you see one it's usually about the same time that he's seen you. Oh, and they're quick. This little guy seemed to get some energy from just the warmth of my hand and proceeded to bite me several times. Feisty little guy, but pretty. I also ran across this foot long chukawalla (below).

This was just one of those days when everything goes right.

Best door-to-door time ever.

Those Geezers Can Hike! Topatopa 03/13/10

Damn if it didn't finally happen! The Geezer Hike got off the ground. I must state that I give a healthy dose of respect to these guys and they give me great hope for the future. They dusted the Topa Topa trail in under 3.5 hours to the top with style. Cliff (58) kept telling Rick (59) and Jack (56) funnies like, "Oh, this is where it gets steep.", or staring up the peak said "It gets flat here.". Yeah, right. But what a great day. It started off cool with scattered low clouds and warmed a bit as we gained elevation. Near the summit the clouds would butt up against the bluffs but a brisk wind kept them off the top. A nice lunch break on the summit was a great break. We stopped to check out the falls below White Ledge Camp on the way down. The falls were in good shape. After that it was the usual long ground-pounding descent to the truck. These guys did great. Good company too.

Topatopa Bluff, 02/13/2010

So how do you know if you're having a great day? You live it.

I hiked up Topa Topa yesterday, a gorgeous weather day. I took my time and though I hiked fast, I stopped frequently. It was just one of those days when one has to stop and look around. The last stage to the summit was mostly through untracked snow. The views were as you would expect because, hey, you're having a great day. All islands reporting in. And about that photo above? Ordinary turkey vulture. In fact, a pair of them turned some lazy loops around the summit before departing. I just sat chuckling at my good fortune.

An unusual aside. On the way up I had passed a pair of nice ladies who were heading for the summit. We chatted and I gave them a couple of directions. As I was descending I met them, making their way up the final stretch. We all agreed that the hike was long and steep. I mentioned my pet name for this hike, "The Suffer Machine". One of the ladies lit up and said, "Oh, you're the guy! We read your blog!" So that was kinda cool. I didn't know anybody read this little thing of mine (well, except mom and dad). That was really nice.

Next weekend I'm scheduled to return to this peak. I'm tagging along with three guys from work. They are all in their fifties. I'm already calling "The Geezer Hike".

The Suffer Machine, Topatopa Bluff, Ojai

*** Author's Note: 4/16/2012. Howdy. It's been a few years since I wrote this post and it's always been one of my most visited entries. I still love this hike and, even though I often link it with other near-by peaks, I still consider the Sisar to Topa hike the original "Suffer Machine". It's still long, steep, and salty. So, please understand that my perspective may have matured, but the bitch didn't get any easier! It is always going to be one of the best walks in our Southern Los Padres.

Crouching above the upper Ojai Valley is a massive escarpment of rock called Topa Topa Peak, or depending on who you talk to, Topa Topa Bluff. This mountain has loomed in the background for much of my life, from my childhood in Santa Paula to the present day. The peak is unmistakable, with red and brown bands of sedimentary sandstone crossing it's face, and enormous bluffs rising vertically from it's steep foothills. Views of the peak are common in the west Ventura county and it is easily seen from the Ventura Harbor and much of Oxnard. The peak recieves annual snowfall due to an elevation of 5,800 ft, which is pretty tall for our coastal mountains, the highest peaks being Hines, Alamo, and Pinos. Unlike those others, Topa Topa can be day-hiked, though it is more a test of will than it is fun.

To day-hike Topa Topa requires a degree of masochism. I call that trail The Suffer Machine. The name is derived from all the elements that combine to make the day agonizing. The trail runs 17.5 miles round trip, and it is almost entirely exposed to direct sun. The trail is mostly uninteresting, and it is unholy steep. Every step on the way up is elevation gain, and it just never ends. In fact, the angle of climb gets steeper the closer you get to the summit. To put it plainly, it sucks.

Why go, you might ask. Two reasons: one, it's a great way to test my overall fitness; two, the view from the top is outstanding. My best time truck>summit>truck stood, until today at 6 hours and 17 minutes with a half hour lunch on the summit,. Today I did it in 06:08 with the same 0.5 hour break on the summit.

The trail starts at the top of Sisar Rd. off the 150 in Ojai. The lower portion of the trail is fire road and sees frequent foot, cycle, and equestrian traffic. The fire road crosses Cesar Creek twice as it climbs out of the valley, and continues steeply upward onto the side of a seemingly endless ridge. As the fire road hangs an abrupt left, continue straight onto a much more pleasant single-track trail that winds its way up to White Ledge Camp and from there steeply up until the main ridge, which becomes fire road again, is gained. The single track trail is known as the Red Reef Trail. Before long the trail leaves the fire road for the last time and starts a seriously steep summit climb. It is the kind of summit trail that takes everything you have left and then, without ceremony, you find yourself on the summit. Nearly dead.

The summit is really nice. There is a kind of bench made from slabs of native sandstone and the summit register is somewhere under the bench. I've signed that thing 9 times now (as of 04/2012: I lost count after about the 30th time), and thumbing through it, I noticed that I've been up there about three times a year since 2003. Today was probably the 15th time I've been to the summit.

An additional note regarding today"s bluebird weather. Usually I would expect to see Ana Capa, Santa Cruz, and San Miguel islands. Today was clear enough to also see San Clemente, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, and Catalina islands. A fantastic weather day.

The descent isn't neccessarily nice. For those of us that have a bad knee it can be just as irritating as going up, and the constant miles of downhill groundpounding put the hurt on your feet. I just got home from another round with The Suffer Machine and I ache. I'll probably be living in the jacuzzi, munching Vitamin A (Advil) for the next few days. Now that I've talked it all up, give Topa Topa a go and tell me if I'm wrong.