Red Rock Preview...

Red Rock
(Red Rock-Gibraltar-almost Forbush Flat-then back)
16.5 miles

Apparently I'm not doing too well with keeping up-to-date on this blog. I ran this trail the day after the Romero Canyon, but clearly it's been a while since I posted-- and I have multiple other runs to write about!

Anyway, this was one of the best runs I've done in a while and it made me very, very excited for the Red Rock 40 in November. I feel very afraid to say this in writing, but the beginning part of this trail, at least, *might* be easier than the original beginning of 9 Trails out of the Jesusita trailhead. Yes, it's 5 miles longer and I have been told that the climb up the canyon, once you get past Forbush Flat, is brutal. So I have that to look forward to.

I wanted to try out this end of the course, because I am not familiar with the trails out of Red Rock at all. I've heard about them for years, but never actually explored them. As I discovered this Sunday, most people hike the first 2 miles of the trail, but never get past Gibraltar Reservoir-- which is too bad, because it is stunning.

I started with the plan of doing two 8-10 mile loops. I thought I would use my car as an aid station rather than trying to go 16-20 on one hydration bladder.

Starting out, I had a little trouble following the trail-- it winds back and forth over the somewhat dry creek bed (although a couple of beautiful swimming holes were still available!), and I found myself getting a little confused. However, this section of the trail is really quite flat, and for someone who was expecting the Jesusita trail (which has no flat at all!), this was a welcome change. I wonder how much water will be in the creek by November...

After that, the trail heads toward the Gibraltar Dam, which is probably about 3-4 miles out from the trailhead. The day was not too hot yet, and I felt quite uninterested in turning back to my car again-- new trails beckoned over the horizon!-- so I made the decision to keep going onward rather than turning back.

Just after the Gibraltar Dam, I found the ranger station, and I stopped to make sure I was on the right track to head toward Forbush Flat. The rangers said yes, I was definitely on the right trail, but did I know that was a good 4-5 miles from where we were? I said yes, and continued on up the trail, apparently to the confusion of the rangers, who could not understand why anyone would head out on her own to such remote territory, I suppose.

I am so glad I did, though! This was some of the most glorious, amazing running I have done in a while. I saw not one single other person from when I left the ranger station to when I came back to the Red Rock trail, about 3 miles from the trailhead. This is shocking because the trailhead is only about 40 minutes from Santa Barbara proper-- it's true that there is no water out there, and you'd have to be either on a mountain bike or a pretty strong runner (or backpacking), but my point is that it's not a remote trailhead. If I ever moved back to Santa Barbara, I would definitely spend lots of time in this area, because it's challenging, gorgeous terrain.

Gibraltar Reservoir, as can be seen in the first picture, is a wealth of photo opportunities-- the trail follows the side of the reservoir until it gets to the old mine (which you can also see in the first picture). Then the trail heads into the much more remote Santa Barbara back country-- and the water disappears almost immediately. Yucca plants and chaparral cover the hillside; the air smells immediately of Santa Barbara nights. This sounds strange, but especially in the summer, when the wind blows over the top of the ridge, it brings a certain scent to Santa Barbara, and all I can ever say about it is that it smells like home. One day I will figure out what plant it IS that is so typically Santa Barbara, but for now, this is all I can tell you.

I decided to turn around before getting to Forbush Flat, because I was running a little low on water and I didn't want to do anything risky while running alone. (Considering this recent story, I think conservative behavior while running alone is a good thing...) However, this run has me looking forward to Red Rock 40 immensely. I know it's going to be a TOUGH day, and I'm not looking forward to the straight up-and-down of the Romero Canyon section (and probably the post-Forbush Flat section as well), but this run is going to be one of the more unique that I have done, I think. Congrats in advance to Luis Escobar, the RD, for not throwing the towel in on it once the Jesusita Fire happened, and for expanding the possibility of Santa Barbara trail running.

If you find yourself down Santa Barbara-ways, I highly recommend checking out the trails on the other side of the mountains. There are some glorious trails for the experiencing, if you can handle remote, self-supported running.

Ultra-date Land: Sonoma County thrills

Austin State Creek Recreation Area
(Gilliam Creek Trail-East Austin Creek Fire Road- Park Road)
(~8.o miles)

Ok, all you running peeps. I think I have figured out the best plan for an ultra-fabulous date.

You must enter the park through Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. (They're two different parks but they use the same entrance.) Park outside in the free parking lot if you get there early enough, or you will have to park 3 miles up the road, as I did. If you start from the parking lot outside the Ranger station, you could probably get in a good 16 miles, and at least a bit of it would be running through the very, very tall redwood grove that, while smaller than the groves in Yosemite, for example, are quite stunning on their own.

I missed the free parking though, so I drove up a tiny one-lane road to the Gilliam Creek Trailhead. From there I took the Gilliam Creek trail for almost 4 miles. The trail starts out on the ridge and you get many sweeping views before the trail drops steeply down to Gilliam Creek. Once the trail hits Gilliam Creek, it has to get my vote for one of the best "secret" trails I've been on. I saw only two hikers on the trail the whole time I ran, and I can't for the life of me figure out why more people weren't on the trail, except for the significant climbing in and out of the creek's canyon. Seriously though-- the trail hops over the creek several times, keeping the trail much cooler than the ridge above.

There was even a beautifully perfect swimming hole along the trail-- I was tempted but had a barbecue that I was already going to be late for, so I kept running. For variety's sake, I decided to take the East Austin Creek Fire Road back. This led up to Bullfrog Pond Campground, and I had heard that this was a great vista spot. I was not disappointed! It was!

It should also be noted that the East Austin Creek Fire Road was hot, exposed and very steep. It is a good moment to practice hills and, in the summer, heat training. I was not sure if variety was the spice of life I should have been looking for. I should have perhaps looked for a shadier option.

Anyway, I was highly impressed with this hitherto unknown trail area. It's not a vast network of trails like Marin, but one could easily run a 20 miler without repeating any trails at all. Plus, (here's why it's an ultra-date suggestion) this is right up the road from Guerneville and the Russian River. I was rather perturbed that I had scheduled a barbecue in Sebastopol and had to hurry to avoid being late. It would be entirely possible (and indeed, suggested) to take a long run, then a long swim (with picnic supplies gathered somewhere in Guerneville) and then some wine tasting, because this is smack dab in the middle of the Russian River Valley Wine Country, which means it is FAR less touristed than the famous Sonoma County wineries.

Honestly, could you have a better day?

(No pups on this run, however...)

Huckleberry Hideout

Huckleberry/Redwood Regional Parks

(East Ridge-Skyline-Huckleberry loop-Skyline-Huckleberry-Skyline- East Ridge)

(5.0 miles? Some people need to learn to turn off their Garmins...)

I almost didn't run today. I'm going to try to swim later and I have so much schoolwork I'm avoiding right now. (Really, wouldn't you rather run than write about regression, ANOVAs, and standard deviations?) Yesterday was kind of an annoying day though-- my brilliant dog ate a foxtail that got stuck in her throat and I spent the day (and a trip to the vet) worrying about her (she's apparently fine now). Between worrying about the dog, doing tons o' work to get our summer program going, doing schoolwork for class this weekend, trying to clean out some of the foxtails in the backyard so I don't have to take her in AGAIN, I was feeling overwhelmed and cranky--not the space to write anything beyond "feel sorry for me--I certainly do!" I really did need to go for a run today...

I started from the Redwood Park Skyline Staging Area, but then took the Skyline/Bay Area Ridge Trail immediately off the East Ridge Trail. This trail leads to Huckleberry Regional Park, a tiny little park between Redwood and Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve, another place I had a hankering to visit. The trail drops down for a half-mile or so, then runs along the side of the hill, in beautiful shade-- this is a good summer run for that reason. There were a couple of exposed moments which were HOT, but for the most part, this run was all shaded by oaks, madrones and the occasional redwood.

Huckleberry's claim to fame is its biodiversity-- and they provide you with a educational brochure pointing out different flora along the path. (According to the brochure, Huckleberry Path is "perhaps the most unique and diverse plant life of the entire East Bay.") However, I did not start at the beginning of the trail, so I ended up seeing the markers but not really knowing what they were pointing out. If you want to get yourself educated, start at the Huckleberry parking lot off of Skyline.

From Huckleberry, I took Skyline trail out-and back for a mile or so. This is a gorgeous trail as well, and I definitely want to come back here when I'm feeling certain about the knee. I'm supposed to be taking it easy, and this run, while short, had a TON of straight up and down. Good, good hills. If I'd continued on Skyline, I would have ended up at Sibley--I definitely want to come back here, and I think the two combined would make for a great run. Be warned, though-- this is some hill running. Beautiful hill running though-- shaded paths open up to vistas like the one at the top of this post.

This is another completely secluded run, too. I saw NO other people on the trail once I turned off the East Ridge trail. I was very surprised by this, as Redwood can seem like Grand Central Station. True, I was running in the middle of the day on a Thursday, but I had my own personal trail the whole time. Nice, Huckleberry!

Definitely coming back to this run-- next time adding in Sibley. Unfortunately, the pups are not welcome on this run, so leave the canine companions at home.

Conlon Trail

Conlon Trail 

(Wildcat Creek- Belgum- San Pablo Ridge- Conlon- Wildcat Creek)

(9.09 miles)

I love this trail. This is my favorite, favorite, favorite trail in Wildcat Canyon. It's not exactly a secret (the cows certainly know about it), but it's so rare that I see anyone on this trail that I'm calling it a secret trail. 

I ran this today a bit faster than I probably needed to-- I was running behind schedule but really wanted to run this trail, as I haven't run it recently, and the puppies haven't been out enough this week. I kept worrying the whole time that I was going to be late, so I pushed it the whole way through. This is the longest run I've done since Ohlone, and it felt pretty good.

The trail starts out like Havey Canyon and Mezue from the Alvarado Staging Area-- up onto the ridge and all its steepness, but then continues on Nimitz Way. This is the same paved trail that leads out from Inspiration Point in Tilden, and technically dogs should be on leash on Nimitz Way... just to be clear about that. At the edge of Tilden Park, Conlon Trail forks to the right and up onto another ridge that

 provides, in my view, some of the best 360 degree views in all of the Bay Area. As seen in the first picture, there is a sweeping view of San Francisco, the Bay Bridge and Mt. Tamalpais, but if you turn to the right, you can see Mt. Diablo and the surrounding hills. In front of you, the view of Novato and the north section of the Bay frames the trail. You can even see the Carquinez Strait. Plus, this trail is a really fun two miles of downhill-- it's not technical, but it's steep enough in sections that you can really move. 

It's trails like this (along with the tamales) that help to redeem Richmond when I get

 frustrated with ladders getting stolen or random trash ending up in my front yard. Again, it is entirely possible to have a cow conundrum on this trail: let the doggie owners beware! I have had a couple of moments of cross-country thistle-collecting due to bovine presence on the trails. Today we fortunately saw only one group, and they were huddled under a tree.

So there it is: My Richmond Trail Recommendation #1. 

Kent Lake

Kent Lake

Alpine Lake Dam start, Alpine-Kent Pump Road

(9.09 miles)

Normally I wouldn't call any run in Marin secret-- Marin is trail runner mecca, and a hub of activity on the weekends. And yet, if I was going to call a run in Marin secret, this would be it. People flock to Tennessee Valley, Phoenix Lake or Deer Park Elementary trailheads on the weekend, but few make the drive to get to Alpine Lake Dam and this out-and-back trail.

This run was suggested to me by a friend, and I'm not sure I would have picked it without his suggestion. Even this morning, while driving to the trailhead, I had a moment of thinking that it was too much driving from Richmond and maybe I should just go from Natalie Coffin Greene. Once I got past the place we started to Alpine Lake a couple of weeks ago on the Bolinas-Fairfax road, I became so enthralled with the scenery that it became worth it--even getting to this trailhead is gorgeous. The trailhead starts right at the Alpine Lake Dam, right off the Bolinas-Fairfax road. There is minimal parking on the roadside, but apparently there is more parking 1/4 mile up the road at the Cataract Road trailhead. At first I was thrown off by the locked gate to the right of the dam, but then I saw the Kent Pump trail sign just past the gate and ducked under it.

I was saying to my brother tonight that writing about trails has made me pay more attention to the microclimates I pass through as I run. Today's run put me in mind of the Sierra foothills (Oakhurst? Maybe a little higher?) rather than Marin. Even from the start, pine trees mix with redwoods--the smell says Sierras rather than coastal climes. I did not have the impression of being in Marin today, and Sierra foothill-like running for 20 minutes more of driving is

 not bad. 

The trail was easy, too. This is probably the only trail in Marin where one can run a relatively flat trail for 9 miles, but it was nice to run a continuous pace. The trail runs along the old Kent pump (hence the name) and it occasionally pops out into view, furthering the comparison to the Sierra foothills--I thought the wooden structure supporting it looked like an old mining track (minus the pump, of course). On second thought (and some minimal research) I do not know if it's out of use, as the lake is a current water source. I should make a list of all the questions my runs have inspired and go find answers to them...

Finally, this trail begins and ends at Alpine Lake Dam, worth seeing in its own right. I would bet that far more roadies see this dam than most--it seemed to be a regular snack stop, which is understandable, considering the view. From one side, Alpine Lake sparkles, surrounded by trees, and to the other, the dam drops down steeply. Apparently in the winter and early spring, watching the dam spill warrants a visit.

This trail is also dog friendly. You can have your dog on a leash without a problem, and based on the small number of people I saw on a Sunday morning, I wonder how many people would actually be around during the week to see if the dog was on or off the leash...

 

Today's run felt pretty easy, which I am taking as a good sign for next week's run. I think I'm probably in good shape to run a solid half-marathon. Too bad it's a 50K. 

Briones Reservoir Loop

Briones Reservoir Loop

(13.25 miles)

Wow. This run was amazing. I call this a "secret" run not because it's hidden but because so few people seem to know about it. I've lived in the Bay Area for about 15 years now and I have never been on this trail, and I can honestly say that this is a tragedy. We ran for 13 miles and we saw 3 other people total. That's right. 3 other people. The rest of the time it felt like we were far away from civilization, in the Sierras instead of 10 miles from downtown Richmond. The Briones Reservoir Loop starts at the EBMUD Bear Creek Staging Area, just across from the EBRPD Bear Creek Entrance to Briones Regional Park. Confusing? Only until you remember that you want to run around the water and that will re-orient you. 

A couple of important notes for this run. You need a permit. You can get one online or you can buy one in person from the EBRPD kiosk across the street from the Bear Creek Staging Area. Day use permits are $2.50, year long permits $10. 

 I would not recommend skipping this option however-- in the time that it took for me to get out of the car and use the port-a-potty, an EBRPD police officer drove up to check our permit. You also need to sign in as you leave the parking lot, and given the paucity of hikers or runners, this is probably a good idea. No doggies on this run, either. Apparently there are areas of the Oursan trail where dogs are permitted but they cannot go around the whole reservoir. This is also a great run for late spring or early fall (before the rains)-- much of this trail is exposed which might be ideal in the summer if you are training for Badwater, but for the rest of the mortals in the Bay Area, there are better summer trail options. The ruts left in the road from dried mud suggest that this area might be extremely muddy post-rain. 

However, we hit the jackpot with the weather this morning. It was sunny and clear but cool enough that we enjoyed the sun as we started off on the Bear Creek Trail (go to the left as you get on the trail). This trail climbed up and down (never very steeply), showing glimpses of the reservoir through the trees. After crossing the reservoir, Oursan trail led away from the reservoir and up to El Sobrante Ridge, affording some absolutely stunning views. At one point we could see Mt. Tamalpais on one side and Mt. Diablo on the other...and green hills spread out all around us. Then the trail winds down to the edge of the reservoir, where it gently rolls through grassy fields and large oak trees before winding back to the parking lot.

It doesn't get much better than this run. Enough climbing convinced me we weren't wimps, but we could run the entire trail (no uphill Cataract trail, in other words!). Views of the reservoir and of surrounding vistas kept us continually surprised this trail is not more popular with the Bay Area. Bear Creek Road is one of the most popular bicycling routes for the roadies-- trail runners should take advantage of this little-known treasure.