What Not To Do

Poison oak contains urushiol oil—the sticky, resin-like substance found inside the plant that causes the rash, blisters and itch that make it so well known. More than half the population is allergic to urushiol oil. Found in poison oak, poison ivy and poison sumac, it is said to be the cause of more than 50 million cases of dermatitis in the United States every year.

Urushiol is present throughout the entire plant, including leaves, stems and roots, even after the plant has died. It can also stay active on any surface for up to five years–including on dead plants, yard tools, garden gloves and even animal fur.

The leg is not mine, but I feel a bit responsible. Ron ran into a bad patch on West Horsethief and had a fairly major reaction. I had intended to bring alcohol and alcohol wipes along for the ride - always a good idea when venturing into unknown foliage - but I was remiss. Alcohol works well to remove the oil. Apply ASAP. Poison Oak is like cancer, the quicker you treat it the better. If you can't cleanse with alcohol during your ride, immediately wash with soap and rinse with alcohol when you are finished. If you start to break out, then you might try bleach on the rash. Bleach kills the oil. There are also over the counter products to combat poison oak exposure. I'm not sure if they work better than Alcohol and Bleach ( I believe Technu is alcohol based). You may also want to consider long sleeves and pant legs if you have repeated problems...an obvious solution, but you still have to be careful of your tainted clothing. Be careful, this is nasty stuff, some people are more susceptible than others. If you are sensitive to poison oak, don't always believe your friends when they tell you that the trail is oak free. They may not know and poison oak is often difficult to spot. Avoid the three-leafed plants as a rule. If you do step in it, try not to touch your the area of contact. If you do touch the area of contact, try especially hard not to touch your nether regions. Don't be the poster child for Regret.

If your breakout gets as bad as Ron's, then hopefully there is a walk-in clinic near you.

Los Pinos

This ride began with a crazy notion. While descending Holy Jim two weeks earlier, My buddy Ron and I discussed venturing out on Los Pinos. We had never ridden the trail before, easily the remotest and probably one of the most challenging single-tracks in Orange County. I suggested that we start at Blue Jay campground, ride up South Main Divide and then descend the Trabuco Trail and climb West Horsethief before making the long trip out on Los Pinos...as if Los Pinos wasn't enough.

And that's what we did. Surely, there are more difficult rides. Some riders climb the San Juan Trail to Main Divide and then descend Los Pinos. That's a big loop, with a lot of climbing. I don't know exactly how many riders complete this, but I'm sure they must be a lot younger than I am. Then there is the Ultra Quest, the invite only, more extreme answer to the Vision Quest. The Los Pinos Trail is merely one leg - roughly 25% - of the Ultra Quest. But those riders are super-human, and last time I checked I didn't have any capes in my closet.

So we, mere mortal men, set off Saturday morning from Blue Jay campground. The forecast was for late season rain. This seemed to drive away most of the other traffic. On most Saturday mornings Blue Jay is full of bikes and vehicles - mostly riders shuttling the San Juan trail. The rain never materialized, but the weather was optimally cool and cloudy. The initial "wake up" climb up South Main Divide was every bit the grunt we remembered. After twenty-five minutes of huffing and puffing we reached the top and the fun (read singletrack) began. The first order of business was to charge down the Trabuco Trail. I'm sure it wasn't an all out run for either of us (we had plenty more riding ahead of us), but we weren't lacking for grins. This is such a great trail, beginning in the canopy of pines and then descending to the narrow source canyon for Trabuco creek. After a mile the pines give way to Live Oaks and Manzanita as the trail winds along the rocky edge of the tight canyon. It's perfectly scenic and perfectly fun. The riding is fast and only moderately technical - a great warm up for the main event.

After two miles on Trabuco we turned onto West Horsethief and began our climb. West Horsethief is a steep series of gravelly switchbacks. For most riders, including ourselves, it is primarily a hike-a-bike. The slow pace enabled us to take in the resplendent scenery. West Horsethief is a great vantage point to view the rolling contours of upper Trabuco Canyon. It is also a wonderland for springtime wildflowers. By now, most of the hills in Laguna have lost their spring color , but on the higher elevation hillsides above Trabuco canyon there were still amazing collections of lupines, buttercups and monkeyflower.

After climbing West Horsethief, we continued on Main Divide Road, taking the opportunity to actually ride our bike again. This section of Main Divide offers great views of Lake Elsinore, a body of water that definitely looks better from a distance (good from far but far from good we used to say) than up close and in person. Ron and I also spied the top section of the East Horsethief trail. The trail used to connect the Santa Ana mountains to Elsinore - an old escape route for horse thieves - but it doesn't seem to get much use these days and I'm not sure of the trail's condition.

After our jaunt on Main Divide, we returned to Los Pinos. The Los Pinos Trail begins at the top of the Trabuco Trail, coursing immediately up to Los Pinos Peak. The route to the peak provides the first hike-a-bike opportunity of many along the trail. We stopped at the peak and refueled, knowing the heavy lifting was about to come. As you can see from the photo above, the Los Pinos Trail rollercoasters along a sharp ridge back, dropping and climbing steeply for several miles. It is remote. We didn't see any other riders on this Saturday afternoon, and saw no one else at all save a couple of hikers on the bottom leg of the trail.

The precipitous drops on the trail are loose, rutted, tightly foliated and littered with mounds of bagel-sized rocks (and the occasional bowling ball-sized one for good measure). We found every single section challenging and fun to ride. Of course each downhill section is followed by a steep, rocky hike-a-bike ascent. After several hike-a-bike intervals we had to dig deep to keep pushing on. We named the fourth climb after Los Pinos peak "witch mountain" - a steep incline to a narrow summit. The downhill on the back side of "witch mountain" was incredible - something like 700 feet of elevation loss in a little over half a mile. I've heard the term " bike surf" used before - controlled sliding down steep terrain. This section of Los Pinos may be the Waimea of "bike surf." Overall, the entire trail is a challenge of control, conditioning and bike handling skills.

The trail finally switchbacks down to Lazy W Ranch, just up from San Juan Trail. When we reached our car there we had completed about 17 miles, 4,000 plus feet of climbing and approximately 7,000 feet of descent. Not the Ultra Quest, but still a good days work.

If you like taking the path of greatest resistance, then this trail is a must for you, but be prepared for serious drops and steep climbs, then leave your meek friends at home. Also, wear protection - full-fingered gloves, long sleeves and chin coverings are a must. Give yourself plenty of time to complete the trail and enjoy. It truly is an experience.

Central Coast Magic

Last week I took a trip up to the central coast of California. Specifically I went to Arroyo Laguna (near San Simeon) and Jalama to windsurf. The wind didn't disappoint, if anything it was a bit too windy at Arroyo Laguna...and cold. The water was holding sub 50 degree temps and the wind was clocking up around 40 knots. I camped the first night and it felt like I was bivouacking on a glacier. I couldn't believe how many tourists were there as well - spending their Spring Break to see the scenery and the Elephant Seals - they spent their days getting sandblasted by the brisk wind and nights hunkering down in heavy parkas and knit caps...good times.

At Arroyo, all of the windsurfers were done early in the morning. I went out in the afternoon and shared the break with one kiter. It was really too windy to wavesail, but still fun. I would've stayed out longer, but lacking a hood, I became cold and tired pretty fast.

The last two photos are from Jalama. This is a classic Central Cal windsurfing spot and last Thursday was a classic day. Again, I was the only windsurfer and had the place to myself until a few kiters showed up. I think I'm doing the wrong sport, but then again I enjoy being a relic. Truthfully, I'm just happy I can still get out there and do it. I'm heading back to Jalama the next chance I get.

Mountains to the Sea

Two Saturdays ago, I set out with a few friends to ride the length of the Trabuco corridor. We started out at Blue Jay campground and rode up South Main Divide to the top of the Trabuco Trail. The plan was to ride the Trabuco Trail to Trabuco Canyon Road to the Arroyo Trabuco Trail past I-5 and then make our way (by trail if not by dead reckoning) into Dana Point. Atop the Trabuco Trail we were greeted with stunning views, gazing above the ceiling of clouds westward to the coast and inland to the peaks of the San Bernadinos and the San Gabriels. We decided to do a bit of "extra-curricular" riding and headed up to Los Pinos Peak. Needless to say, the view was worth the extra climbing. From the top of Los Pinos we charged down the Trabuco Trail (as great as any single-track in Orange County) and out to the Holy Jim Fire Station. Unfortunately the most invigorating mountain-biking experience came at the beginning of the ride. But there was plenty more to explore. The Arroyo Trabuco Trail was decked out in full springtime regalia - just as green and lush as could be. After a fun detour on the Water Works Trail - a mile of fun BMX style dips and berms - we headed to Taco Mesa for a well needed lunch break. Unfortunately, by this time , we lost two of our riders: one by injury and one by attrition.

After lunch the remaining four of us headed west. Just past the 5 Freeway I lost my riding partners and was compelled to scramble down silty horse paths and dirty dead end trails until I found a major street. By this time I was happy to ride the last two miles on the road. The others were, perhaps, less fortunate, forced to do a long hike-a-bike to the ridge above Dana Point. By this time they may have been too tired to enjoy the final downhill into town. Not sure, it wasn't there to witness it.

Night Riding

The dark days of winter are upon us. Okay, it's hard to call the weather conditions in Southern California "wintery." Warm Santa Ana-style high pressure kept our weather dry and warm for most of January and February. Many of the warm sunny days were followed by cloudless and temperate nights. If you can't get out during the day, these are ideal conditions for exploring trails at night. Yes, the weeks before the return of daylight savings are the perfect time for night rides or twilight/night rides. Invest in a light and rediscover your favorite trails. Night riding allows a whole new perspective - ride under the moon and the stars and take in everything the nocturnal world has to offer.
I particularly like riding narrow, canopied and confined trails with plenty of turns and surprises. The Lizard Trail is a great example. On trails like this, it's easy to get lost in the darkness and desolation. Even if you have ridden the trail countless times before, you tend to lose your bearings. As the cellular memory and the cognitive map gets lost in the darkness, the experience becomes completely immediate and absolutely sensory. For a few moments you forget where you are and forget where you are going. You just keep riding through the dark...and going along by dead reckoning.

Silverado Snow and Sun

Yesterday, while fog blanketed much of Orange County, I basked in the sun atop the ridges of the Cleveland National Forest. Yes sun! The thick cloud line hovered at a mere 2,000 feet so almost all of my ride was under blue skies. Perfect riding conditions - cool weather and warm sunlight. When I reached the top of Maple Springs road I was greeted with views of snow-capped Baldy and Big Bear. There was even a bit of snow in the Santa Anas. The roadways near Four Corners (just below Silverado Peak) still had patches of snow and ice, remnants from the pre-Christmas storm.

Past Four Corners Main Divide Road was almost completely dry. It was also in great condition, with only a few rocky and rutted sections. Since I hadn't completed the Silverado Loop since before the fire (which resulted in a twelve-month closure of Maple Springs Road), I was happy to get on it again. The downhill on the Silverado Trail was also magnificent. One rider complained that the trail was too loose, but perhaps that's like saying a lemon is too tangy - it's the nature of the beast. Definitely sections of the trail would be difficult to climb, but the downhill was pure fun- with small berms, fist-sized rocks and wide sweeping switchbacks. I'm grateful for the Warrior's Society and the volunteers who spent the time to remake this trail after it was demolished during the fire. I'm not waiting a year to ride it again.

Merry Christmas To All