February 7, 2018

Kennedy Ridge Trail
Up to the 1st Picnic Trail Using Rice Canyon

We started off this day knowing it would be a challenge because we know this trail well, what to expect at each hairpin turn, the views and valleys, the beautiful manzanita that we loved.  Now we can see the whole trail above us, the sinuous curves such a contrast to the dark slopes on each side, winding up the side ridge leading up to Kennedy Ridge and the rock pile with the lone oak tree blackened at the top.  The rain, now over a month past, has encouraged the grasses and we are seeing Bush Mallow, Paeonia californica, and wild cucumber. The soil is dry and toasted a stark reminder that we are still in a drought.

 

                                                                               
The drought has been tough but this is tougher.  We truly miss the coastal and white sages, the manzanita, scrub oaks and buckwheat. The fire, so hot and encompassing in this part of the forest, burned at such a high temperature and furiously that it left white ash which indicates a fire that consumed all the organic material.  The white ash outlines look like the fallen tree trunks.  Black ash indicates a fire where the heat was insufficient to completely consume the litter and other organic materials at the soil surface.  We are seeing a lot of white ash on this trek compared to other areas.  The skeleton trees will be with us for a while.

                                   

The views are still stunning and we love our valley.  We are anxious for rain and growth spurts.  The waiting is really hard!

Hiking back through Rice Canyon, past the dead lands and skeletal trees, we hear the river running and this eases our hearts.  The dogs bound into the water and life is good!

Happy Hiking,

Beth & Laura

Bodee & Lucy our Four Pawed Companions

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir

Download the Debris Flow Map for Ojai

January 31, 2018

 

Ojai Valley Land Conservancy River/Canyon Trails

Rice to Wills from the Oso Trailhead

 

 

We started this day with all intents and purposes to hike up Sesar Canyon and get the lay of the land, but after driving up to the Upper Ojai and the narrow road that takes us to the trailhead we found that the trail was closed.  The astonishing thing that stands out on Sesar Canyon road is the hopscotch nature in which the houses burned.  None of them were close to each other and when they burned it was in totality.

 

So when it became apparent we weren't gong to be able to hike up Sesar we decided to have a look at Rice and Wills Canyons out of the riverbed.  We braved it up and headed out!

  

 

Oak trees are survivors and we found indications of that in many places: new vibrant green leaves and new sprouts emerging from trunks.  We even observed armies of ants on the trees.

 

 

The most startling thing about a burn area is the grand expanse visible to the eye.  There are no obstacles to impede your view.  What's left of the trail is easy to find and we took a couple of side routes we always wanted to check out but were afraid of getting lost.  Ash is still everywhere and there are skeletons of manzanitas among other trees in the canyons.

 

We crested the top of Rice Canyon and climbed up to the top of the ridge to get the view looking back toward Ojai.  Grasses are spouting and green is nice!.

 

Heading down into Wills Canyon we see gems of green in the bottom of the canyon

 

and our hearts warm at the prospects that some oaks survived.  El Nido meadow is a contrast of life and death, black and green, the end and now a beginning.

 

 

 

We did not meet anyone on our journey until we reached the mouth of Wills Canyon and headed out into the old orange grove.  The Ojai Valley Land Conservancy ground crew was mulching baby oak trees that they are nurturing.

 

Hiking in nature strengthens us in many ways: physically, emotionally and soulfully.  We have many friends in the woods; some our lost, some our new and hopefully some will return.

 

Keep on trekking,

 

Beth & Laura

Bodee & Lucy our Four-pawed Companions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 24, 2018

Luci & Fox Trails from Shelf Road

6:45 am

When you start your hike before the sun graces the sky it is a startling moment when the luminous light awakens the morning. The scattering of mare tail clouds turn pink and the sky looks like a watercolor painting and when you turn to greet the trail, the Ojai hillsides are awash in a morning pink moment.

 

The steep climb up Luci is an adjustment in perspective.  The trail is laid bare before us, we can see it's entirety snaking up toward the water tower and beyond.  Fire devastation abounds but glimmers of green are taking hold in the ashes.

   

We are amazed at the number of trails, long hidden by chaparral, are now all visible and beckoning.  The debris flows are so evident, leaving road maps that look like trails in the ash, that even non geologists such as ourselves can see that these will be aggressive debris channels with future storms.  The trail signs dotting the scar of a trail kept us laughing especially "Keep your TAIL on the Trail".

The trail is barely hanging on to the hillsides and we are walking single file, humans and dogs alike, with no space for passage from oncoming hikers.  It is a sobering moment on the fragileness and transience of our trails and we sincerely appreciate the ongoing work of the Ojai Valley Conservancy ground crew.

The beautiful glen that was full of sycamore trees is now a rock canyon, but we are encouraged with the baby yuccas and sumac we continue to see along the trail.  Our hearts bleed for the trees we won't see in our lifetime.

  

Many hikers are on the trail this morning and we are encouraged by their hopefulness and positive attitudes.  Everyone is getting back to the new normal.

Keep on trekking,

Beth & Laura

Bodee & Lucy our 4 Pawed Companions

If you want to help the Ojai Land Conservancy they have set up an Amazon Smile account.  Just click on this link to get started.  When you use the Amazon Smile link with your amazon account a percentage of your purchase goes to OVLC.

OVLC Amazon Smile Link

OJAI TREKS

Phoenix Rising from the Ashes
Trekking Through Recovery and Awakening

January 17, 2018
Oso Crest Trail

We started our trek at the crack of dawn, the sun painting pink moments on the burned mountainsides.  Imagine our astonishment at the bleakness, the transparency of everything, the charred bits of past trees dotting the landscape in black piles.  We saw roads and trails we never knew existed, we even thought we were lost at times the topography so changed from the chaparral crests of November.

Our minds were desperate for some signs that all is not lost, that some life remains, will take hold and return. Trudging on, seeing absolutely everything laid before us, the rawness of the slot canyons that will be mudslides and waterfalls when the rain returns, the steepness of the cliffs and the trail barely a deer trail blur on the cliff shoulders, reinforced our view of a new back country that can't camouflage it's nakedness.

But then we started to notice green shoots spearing themselves through the ashes - the yucca plants were returning and growing.

We saw other signs of flora breaking through the burn scars, ant mounds, baby sumac and heard a few bird calls.

Ojai will be like the Phoenix rising through the ashes, always changing.  We look forward to new signs of life on our weekly treks and anticipate that the ash will bring nutrients to the soil and once we get more rain plants will grow rapidly. We have high expectations!

This is the beginning of our blog on our adventures into the new Ojai, we will keep you posted.

Keep on Trekking!

Beth & Laura