Fish Canyon Falls Hike - April 6, 2013

See Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages

It’s springtime and once again Vulcan Materials provides their free access days to hike to Fish Canyon Falls. Starting next Saturday, April 13 and continuing for most Saturdays through June. Vulcan will shuttle hikers through their quarry in Azusa to the beginning of the trail, making a very pleasant four-mile round trip hike to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the San Gabriels.

For years volunteers from the City of Duarte maintained the trail. But two years ago Duarte got upset with Vulcan over the proposed mining changes, so Duarte threw a tantrum and stopped maintaining the trail. Of course, it doesn’t hurt Vulcan; it just impacts the thousands who will hike to the falls this season.

So the folks at Vulcan contacted me and asked if I could survey the trail and make sure it’s in adequate condition to host the crowds. And I am happy to help, making it my second annual pre-access day trail survey outing.

I awake to a cool, gloomy morning—perfect weather for such hike. I arrive at the gate of Vulcan’s Azusa Rock facility at about 8:45. The security guard is expecting me and drives me through the quarry to the start of the trail.

8:51 - Begin hike. Cross the bridge and entered the Angeles National Forest. The guard walks with me around the first bend to show me a rock slide that covers the trail. Thankfully there is access right through two large boulders. I continue up my beloved trail, eager to see what I find. It’s cool and the marine layer hides the upper hillsides and ridges of this rugged canyon. The flowing creek provides a soothing soundtrack.

Things are green but not as much as in years where there is good rainfall. Grass hugs the trail. One goal for today is to photograph samples of every plant species in bloom. I’m a little surprised that there is not much in bloom yet. The most prominent flower of the day is blue dicks*. Other blooms include Bolander's woodland star, common sunflower*, western thistle, mustard*, wallflower*, holly-leaf cherry, elderberry, Pacific pea, spreading larkspur, vinca (periwinkle)*, clematis (vigin’s bower)*, eupatory, wishbone bush, common yarrow, everlasting*, agave, miner’s lettuce*, wild cucumber*, poison oak, purple nightshade, filaree, sugar bush, stinging lupine, tree tobacco*, California suncup (primrose), mule fat, morning glory*, and phacelia*. There will be many more in the months to come. (* plants with asterisks are featured in my Fish Canyon Trail Plant Guide.)

I’m enjoying the solitude of having the canyon all to myself. The trail is in reasonable shape. There are a few places where rockslides have buried the trail, but climbing over them is doable. It really needs a trail crew to come in and do some heavy maintenance. The three deadfalls that block the trail are still there. I reported them to the Forest Service last year but for some reason they haven’t mobilize a sawyer crew. I don’t know why; it would seem that the thousands of hikers who will be on the trail would justify the Forest Service to give this trail some attention.

I take a side jaunt to Darlin’ Donna Falls. It’s flowing modestly. I continue down the trail. As I approach the creek crossing, I am surprised at how low the water is. I am able to just step across rather than negotiating a series of rocks. Now climbing the east canyon wall, I’m thankful that it’s still gloomy and cool. There are couple dense patches of poison oak intruding onto the trail which will require some major attention. My anticipation builds as I the near the 80-foot, three-tier waterfall.

10:37 – Fish Canyon Falls. It’s a rare experience to be here by myself. A crowd usually dominates the scene. Today there is an eerie peacefulness. The flow of the falls is meager. Unless we get some good rain this season, this waterfall will be a mere trickle by summer. I enjoy the beauty and solitude of the setting. Across the stream in the clearing, someone had torn out a huge section of the poison oak vines and left it in a pile in the middle of the clearing. It also appears that they burned some of it in an illegal campfire! It certainly would be poetic justice if these vandals suffered ill effects from their stupid behavior. I spend a good chunk of time cleaning up the site and picking up a bag full of trash.

A young man and women arrive. They hiked in the long way over Van Tassel Ridge. As I have some lunch a man arrives, then a couple guys with a dog, then three more guys. All of them came the long way. The sun is starting to burn through the gloom.

1:00 - Leave Falls with a big bag of trash in hand. Three more guys pass me heading to the falls. I enjoy the beauty of the canyon. It’s fun to be on this trail by myself. The sun is out now but it’s not too warm. Stop to photograph a couple blooms I didn’t see this morning. Hope we have some good rain in the weeks to come to water the plants and bolster the streams and falls.

4:40 - Arrive at the beginning of trail. I call the security guard and soon he arrives to drive me back through the quarry.

Epilog - It was a long and productive day in my beloved Fish Canyon. I really enjoyed the solitude. Next week there will be hundreds tromping the trail to the falls and I wish them all a safe and enjoyable time.

See Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages

See Fish Canyon Trail Plant Guide (April 2011) (PDF)

See Plants and Wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains at Dan's Hiking Pages

NEXT > Fish Canyon Plants Hike - May 10, 2013
PREVIOUS > Fish Canyon Falls Hike - August 4, 2012

Garcia Trail to Azusa Peak Hike – March 24, 2013

See Garcia Trail Description on Dan's Hiking Pages

The first weekend of spring and beautiful weather calls for a hike! With limited time available, I opt for a sunrise hike on Garcia Trail, my number-one scrappy hike.

I rise early Sunday morning and take the five-minute drive to the trailhead in Azusa. Even though the popularity of the trail has been growing, I’m surprised to find so many cars parked along the street, nearly 40. The temperature is brisk. As I walk up the street toward the trailhead, the sun emerges over the eastern horizon.

7:07 a.m. - Begin hike. I quickly concede that I’ll be sharing the trail with lots of others. I ponder if I should try to stay ahead of a group of noisy ladies or let them pass. I stop to photograph a flower and realize that it’s better to let the ladies pass rather than feeling rushed. The warm light of the sun begins to illuminate the human sprawl below. A light marine layer mutes the distant visibility. I think of Christians arising for Palm Sunday services throughout the valley.

It’s spring but there are not a lot of flowers in bloom yet. I endeavor to snap shots of the blossoms of each species in bloom: moth mullein, nightshade, mustard, fountain grass, stinging lupine, brittlebush, blue dicks, wild Canterbury bells, phacelia, everlasting, morning glory (still struggling to show its glory), wishbone bush, lupine (tiny leaves), coastal lotus, bush sunflower, hollyleaf cherry, and filaree.

I am enjoying the freshness of the morning as I climb steadily higher through the rich chaparral. There are sure a lot of people on the trail today! I run into my friends Frank and Mary and we enjoy chatting for a few minutes. My pace is slow as I soak in the beauty and continue to photograph flowers and scenery. At 8:07 I reach Glendora Ridge Motorway. I look north across San Gabriel Canyon to Summit 2843 where I was a month ago. That’s the hike for solitude. I turn east for the final, steep pitch to the top.

8:16 - Azusa Peak (2081’). About 20 people are on the summit in several parties, accentuating the crowded feel of the hike. The large, white cross is a fitting symbol for the beginning of Passion Week. The sun is bright and warm. The wild grass is still green but is showing signs that it will turn brown earlier this year due to lower-than-normal rainfall. People come and go.

I leave the peak at 8:32 and head east for an alternate route and some relief from the crowds. A four minute-walk delivers me to the fire road. I turn left (west) and traverse along the north flank of the peak. It’s quite lush with fern, poison oak, and various other green plants under a canopy of majestic live oak. I add to my flower photos: miner’s lettuce, Pacific pea, baby blue-eyes, and wild cucumber. The peaceful solitude is broken by a gaggle of females with incessant, loud jabber. I arrive back at the trail junction at 8:44 and begin my descent on Garcia Trail.

I capture more flower images in different lighting and find a few blooming species that I missed earlier: lemonadeberry, common sunflower, clematis, and tree tobacco. The morning glories are now showing their glory. An abundance of foot-traffic continues to dominate the story of today’s outing. But I take delight in seeing people enjoy the great outdoors, especially families with young children. There is an eclectic mix of humanity today, and as a middle-aged white guy wearing hiking gear, I am very much the minority.

9:32 - End hike. The number of cars parked along the road has swollen to probably more the 100.

Epilog - What an enjoyable outing to celebrate the first weekend of spring! Lovely weather, warm sunshine, blooming flowers, green grass, rugged scenery, a splendid trail, and a beloved peak, are all reasons to be thankful.

See blog post for last hike on Garcia Trail: June 17, 2012

See Garcia Trail Description on Dan's Hiking Pages

Summit 2843 via San Gabriel Canyon Hike - February 24, 2013

See Summit 2843 hike description on Dan's Hiking Pages

The prominent, unnamed peak standing guard over the mouth of San Gabriel Canyon always calls to me. Work and household responsibilities have hindered me from being on the trail much in recent months, but beautiful weather compelled me to find time for hiking this weekend. A “scrappy hike” was in order—that is, a hike done on a scrap of time carved out of a full schedule, usually one close to home, and one which I’ve done multiple times before. A scrappy hike gets me out on the trail when I don’t have time for a prime-time, feature hike.

Living in Azusa, I have plenty of scrappy hikes to choose from: Garcia Trail, Colby Trail, Van Tassel fire road, Fish Canyon, Monrovia Canyon, Big Dalton Canyon, etc. One is 2N28 in the San Gabriel Canyon, about 10 minutes from home. The route starts just past Morris Dam and meanders west into the small canyons and up chaparral-covered slopes. I like it because it’s close to home and offers varying possibilities, from a short saunter into Water Canyon, to climbing Silver Mountain or Summit 2843. Today I figured if I’m on the trail by 2 p.m. I can hit Summit 2843 and back before sunset. It’s 4 miles round trip with 1,543 in elevation gain.

2:02 PM - I pass by the locked vehicle gate and begin hiking up the long-abandoned Silver Fish fire road (2N28). A narrow footpath furrows through the fresh green grass of winter. I wind in and out of patches of cool shade and warm sun. Cars pass along Hwy 39 below me. The mature chaparral that surrounds me is a patchwork of rich textures. As I climb higher the sparkling blue water of Morris Reservoir dominates the foreground to the east while Glendora Mountain dominates the skyline to the northeast. It’s still a month to the beginning of spring, and about the only thing in bloom are the clusters of white and lavender flowers on ceanothus, a large bush that typifies the chaparral.

2:14 - Reach the outward bend where the trail begins to contour into Water Canyon. But for today’s hike I turn left (west) and begin to climb the hogback ridge which goes straight up the mountainside. The first 150 yards are quite steep so I plod along slowly until the route mellows out some. Soon the snow-capped summit of Mt. Baldy pokes above the northeast ridgeline as the first fruit of the entire high country from Ontario Peak to Hawkins Ridge which will shortly follow. Brushy plants hug the narrow path and I’m thankful for long pants.

2:34 - Cross the first switchback of the old fire road coming up from Water Canyon. I continue climbing the ridge. A lone pair of tennis shoe prints indicates that someone has descended this route recently. Aside from the noise of an occasional motorcycle on the highway far below, there is a real peacefulness here. Silver Mountain looms above me to the north. I’m working up a mild sweat in the warm sun. At 2:56 I reach the second switchback of the old fire road and continue up the ridge. Now the high country panorama to the east stretches from Ontario Peak to Iron Mountain.

3:10 - Reach the upper ridge, greeted by a stiff breeze from the west. I turn left (south) and continue my climb on the ridge that divides the San Gabriel Canyon on the east and Roberts Canyon on the west. Shortly I get my first view of the ocean reflecting the late afternoon sun on the distant southwest horizon. Soon I achieve a knob on the ridge with a view toward my destination. The route gently drops to a saddle and bends around to the west. I take careful steps on the soft, uneven earth that has been excavated by gofers. In the summer and fall, weedy, dead grass would menace unprotected socks with foxtails and burs. I climb the final pitch to a knob where I see the summit 100 yards ahead.

3:34 - Summit 2843. This is my fifth time on this peak. It’s a special place for me since it predominantly occupies the mountain scenery that rises to the north of my home in Azusa. Most valley dwellers probably have never given the peak a thought as it would appear to be just another welt among the undulating sprawl of the San Gabriel Mountains. But for me, I’ve always had the curiosity of an explorer. When I see a summit, I wonder if it has a name and if there is trail to it. What’s it story? For years, this peak had beckoned me up.

So finally, after a couple exploratory excursions on 2N28, with topo map in hand, I set out with my friend Drew to conquer this pinnacle on May 22, 2004. It’s always fulfilling to stand on a peak, particularly one that I have scouted and set out to conquer without any guidebook or formal trail. At an elevation of a mere 2,843 feet, this peak is not a grand summit, but it’s my summit, and I enjoy an occasional visit.

Today I am rewarded with good visibility as I scan the 360-degree panorama. Vast human sprawl dominates the south, and the rugged Angeles National Forest dominates the north. Dozens of familiar peaks in view bring memories of many satisfying ascents. Snow-capped mountains rising to 10,000 feet speak of winter, and the warm sun and sparking Pacific Ocean speak of Southern California. And I have this summit all to myself. I love it!



3:55 - Say goodbye to Summit 2843 and retrace my steps back. As the photographer’s “golden hour” sets in, I am eager to capture the scenery in a different light. A pair of red-trail hawks soar and swoop.

4:12 - Reach the ascending/descending ridge junction. As I turn east, I leave the direct sun and begin my descent into the mountain shadows. There is still some sun on the ridge well below me, but it will be gone by the time I’m there. I savor the beauty and peacefulness of the rugged scenery. The downhill climb is comfortable. I ponder the phenomenon that on a gorgeous day in SoCal, swarms of hikers will crowd the popular trails and I’ll have a splendid setting like this all to myself.

At 4:20 I cross the upper occurrence of the fire road and at 4:36 the second. I pause to photograph a lone occurrence of everlasting in bloom, about the only herbaceous plant I’ve seen in bloom all day. I take intermittent pics of Mt. Baldy and Morris Dam in the warm light of the setting sun as I try to capture the perfect shot. At 4:50 I begin my climb down the steep section. I admit that I’ve had a little angst in anticipating the pain-inflicting possibilities of feet sliding from under me. Thankfully I negotiate the slippery slope without incident and arrive back at the fire road in nine minutes.

I relax now as I saunter along the gentle, grassy path. It’s cool in the canyon shade as the orange glow of the setting sun lingers on the adjacent ridgeline to the east. The dead stalks of fennel standing taller than I show new growth at their base. Cars winding along Hwy 39 below welcome me back to a mechanized world.

5:17 - End Hike. The car thermometer reads 52 degrees.

Epilog - I am always indeed thankful for the gift of living so close to such a wonderful recreational treasure and having the wherewithal to hike. There are folks in parts of our country today being hammered by snow storms, but I get to wear a short-sleeve shirt and venture into the rugged mountains under sunny skies. What a blessing!

See Summit 2843 hike description on Dan's Hiking Pages

NEXT > Summit 2843 via San Gabriel Canyon Hike - February 21, 2015