Brazos Bend State Park is only a 45 minute drive from downtown Houston, but it feels like a different world. This lush park is primarily located on the Brazos River floodplains with thick bottomland hardwood forest that gives a jungle ambiance. I can imagine how humid and hot these woods become in the summer months from June through October. Species include huge moss-cloaked live oak, black willow, cottonwood, and sycamore. Over 30 miles of trail traverse through the 5,000 acre park and some of them are primitive providing a wilderness feeling. More than 300 species of birds make the marshes and wetlands of this park home and there are many species of mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, including a sizable population of the American Alligator. Here are some photos from the trip:

Lush forest

Little Blue Heron

American Alligator lurking

Turtle Love

More photos after the jump!

The highlights page for 2009 is up on my website! After 2008 featured scenery predominantly from the Washington Cascades, this year’s edition has more shots from California’s Sierra Nevada than ever before. Areas visited in the Sierra include the Minarets, Palisades, Kings-Kern Divide, and Rae Lakes area. The first adventure run of the season was in the lovely Trinity Alps of far northern California and I look forward to returning there in the future. In Washington, trips included Mount Olympus, the Ptarmigan Traverse, Clark Mountain, and the Suiattle Crest. However, photos from Olympus and the Ptarmigan Traverse were not used as much since they were featured prominently in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Please contact me with questions, requests, or comments – I am happy to provide information or sell original quality photos.

Lake Reflection

Here are links to the complete list of highlights pages dating back to 2005!

• 2009
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005

Huntsville State Park is a gorgeous park in the pineywoods region north of Houston. Lake Raven is the centerpiece with lush pine and hardwood forest surrounding the waterway. During my time on the Rice University track and cross country teams we often frequented this park on the weekends for our long runs. Furthermore, Huntsville State Park is the location of the Rocky Racoon Ultramarathons and other trail running events. There are several trails in the park, but the best overall tour is the 6.8 mile Chinquapin Trail loop which encircles Lake Raven in a twisty single track path beneath a thick forest canopy. The forest is very lush with Palmetto and American Beautyberry among other understory plants. There are numerous streams and some boardwalk sections over wetlands. This park is popular with hikers and mountain bikers and the trail system is  well maintained by the park with superb trail signs, maps, mileage markings, bridges, and boardwalks. Serena and I hiked this trail and the following short video summarizes the hike.

Serena and I ran the Lost Pines Trail in Bastrop State Park after a visit to Austin, TX. Bastrop is located 30 miles southeast of Houston and features an isolated stand of loblolly pines and hardwoods that is 100 miles removed from the main body of East Texas pine forest. It is thought that this stand of pines is a relic of a much larger pine forest. Since the climate here is drier than East Texas, the understory of the pine forest is noticeably less lush by comparison.  Within this thick forest is an extensive campground and over 20 miles of great trails for running. On this day, we chose to do the 6.8 mile Lost Pines Trail, the longest trail in the park. We went in the evening hours so the sunlight was shining through the towering pines making for some nice photography. To make a complete loop, a small addition is necessary to link the ends of the trail. In addition, nearby Buescher State Park has a 7.7 mile loop in the Pine Forest that will be fun to check out next time I’m in the area. Here is a video I made of the Lost Pines Trail:

And some of my favorite shots:

Lost Pines Trail in Bastrop State Park

Evening light through the gorgeous pines

Great shadows

More photos after the jump!

Here is an aerial map of the 46 mile Rae Lakes loop (click on image for larger version):

According to the national park service, the Rae Lakes Loop is one of the most popular hikes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, if not the entire Sierra. I completed the famous loop in 12 hours, 31 minutes, starting at 5:30 am and finishing just after 6 pm. The loop is 46 miles long and climbs from 5,035 ft at the trailhead to 11,978 ft at Glen Pass. The portion between Vidette Meadows (Mile 14) and Woods Creek Crossing (Mile 29) is along the John Muir Trail. The highlight of the loop is the Rae Lakes area, a chain of large alpine lakes over 10,500 feet with views of rugged Sierra peaks. The trailhead is at Road’s End in magnificent Kings Canyon and travels along Bubbs Creek and Woods Creek, including Vidette Meadows, Castle Domes, and Paradise Valley. Most backpackers do the loop clockwise, which makes sense as you gradually gain elevation through the Rae Lakes basin. However, for running it makes more sense to go counterclockwise reaching the highpoint at Glen Pass in 18.5 miles, followed by 27.5 miles of downhill, in theory.

A strong storm on October 13th dropped several feet of snow above 9,000 feet, and a substantial amount of snow remains which made for slow going between Charlotte Lake junction and Dollar Lake (~8 miles). The snow was particularly deep on the north side of Glen Pass with an icy crust layer on top of powdery snow. The result was a lot of postholing and I often could not find where the trail was buried until near the Rae Lakes, but the views of the Sierra with a fresh coat of snow more than compensated. The trails along the loop are generally rocky and rugged precluding a consistent fast pace. I found the section before and after Mist Falls (miles 41 to 43) to be particularly rocky and rough on tired legs at the end of the day.

Gorgeous alpine scenery

Complete trip report with many photos and splits here or on Cascade Climbers.

Rae Lakes Loop

Location (Elevation): Time Elapsed / Split / Real Time
Mile 0 – Road’s End TH (5,035 ft) : 0 / 0 / 05:30
Mile 2 – Paradise/Bubbs Jct. (5,120 ft) : 14:53 / 14:53 / 05:45
Mile 4 – Sphinx Junction (6,240 ft) : 45:03 / 30:11 / 06:30
Mile 11 – Junction Meadow (8,136 ft+) : 2:11:59 / 1:26:55 / 07:42
Mile 14 – Vidette Meadow (9,514 ft) : 3:06:09 / 54:11 / 08:36
Mile 18.5 – Glen Pass (11,978 ft) : 4:55:49 / 1:49:40 / 10:26
Mile 21 – Rae Lakes (10,564 ft) : 6:20:11 / 1:24:21 / 11:50
Mile 24 – Dollar Lake (10,170 ft) : 7:48:51 / 1:28:40 / 13:19
Mile 29 – Woods Creek Crossing (8,492 ft) : 8:46:16 / 57:25 / 14:16
Mile 34 – Upper Woods Creek (~7,500 ft) : 9:43:18 / 57:02 / 15:13
Mile 42 – Mist Falls (~5,500 ft) : 11:37:00 / 1:53:41 / 17:07
Mile 44 – Paradise/Bubbs Jct. (5,120 ft) : 12:14:12 / 37:12 / 17:44
Mile 46 – Road’s End TH (5,035 ft) : 12:31:37 / 17:25 / 18:01

Gary Gellin and I enjoyed a spectacular 13.5 mile loop in Pinnacles National Monument. This challenging loop entailed nearly 4,000 feet of elevation gain and covered most of the highlights in the park, including Bear Gulch Cave, High Peaks, Balconies Cave, and Condor Gulch. The Pinnacles are located in the Gabilan Range to the east of the Salinas Valley. The rock formations and arid habitat make it seem like a slice of the desert southwest, but yet the Pinnacles have unique and intriguing features that can only be found there. Chapparal dominates the landscape along with blue oak in the riparian areas and stately gray pines growing amidst the rock pinnacles.

Complete gallery with dozens of photos here. Video on Vimeo or YouTube.

Machete Ridge

We explored both caves in the park, Bear Gulch Cave and Balconies Cave, which are talus caves formed by colossal boulders that fell atop a narrow canyon. Walking through these caves entails some scrambling and ducking under low ceilings, but the route is clearly marked with white arrows and steps/rails are provided where necessary. Portions of both caves are pitch black so a flashlight is required and they may be closed in the winter due to flooding and to protect a sensitive bat species. My personal favorite was the section of the High Peaks Trail between the Juniper Canyon Trail junction and the Tunnel Trail junction. Much of this section is steep and narrow with impressive relief, up-close views of towering red rock spires, and small foot steps cut out of the rock.

The spires, crags, and caves of the Pinnacles have a fascinating geological history. These features are the remnants of an estimated 8,000 foot volcano from 23 million years ago along the San Andreas fault zone. However, this volcano was located 195 miles to the southeast! The Pacific plate’s northward movement split the volcano and carried two thirds of it to its present location. The remaining one third is located at the original location and is called the Neenach Formation. Years of erosion, faulting, and tectonic plate movement have resulted in the crags and caves that exist today.

Balconies Trail

I have been wanting to visit this park for quite some time, but knew better than to go in the summer and early fall months. Due to the fact that there are two mountain ranges between the Pacific Ocean and the Gabilan Range, this area is dry and very hot. However, with a cold front moving through I suspected it would be a good opportunity to see the Pinnacles the following day. My prediction proved correct and we enjoyed clear skies and relatively cool conditions. However, as a testament to the furnace this place can become, it still felt warm in spots with the sun exposure combined with temps in the 70s.

High Peaks Trail

The loop itself is 13 miles, but we did a side excursion to the Balconies Cliffs after walking through the Balconies Cave which added about 0.5 miles. I definitely plan on returning to the Pinnacles in the winter and spring to see the formations when the hills are green and the wildflowers are in bloom. In addition, the ranger was kind enough to inform us about an interesting 15 mile loop in the southern portion of the park that is possible due to a significant portion of unmapped trails.

Bear Gulch Cave

Complete gallery with dozens of photos here. Video on Vimeo or YouTube.

Route Itinerary:

• Start at Bear Gulch day use area
• Bear Gulch Trail
• Moses Spring Trail
• Bear Gulch Cave
• Rim Trail
• High Peaks Trail
• Tunnel Trail
• Juniper Canyon Trail
• Balconies Trail
• Balconies Cave and Balconies Cliff
• Old Pinnacles Trail
• High Peaks Trail
• Condor Gulch Trail
• Bear Gulch Trail

October 13, 2009 was a day for the record books in Bay Area weather and a bonanza for weather geeks like me Numerous daily rainfall records were set across the Bay Area as the strongest October storm since the 1962 Columbus Day storm battered the region. Impressive rainfall totals were tallied in the usually wet spots but also the typically drier locations. The high precipitation rates were due to the fact that this storm was infused with copious amounts of tropical moisture from ex-Super Typhoon Melor that impacted Japan last week. A strong jet stream picked up the moisture and propelled it towards the West Coast. The tropical nature of the system was also apparent today as it was quite muggy outside with temps in the mid 70s despite cloud cover. Highest precipitation totals occurred in the Santa Cruz Mountains, as expected, where several gauges recorded over 10 inches of rain and 3,486 ft Mount Umunhum tallied 13.23 inches, the highest total in the Bay Area. Highest totals produced by the system anywhere occurred in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Big Sur Coast where some gauges topped 16 inches! Strong winds also accompanied the storm with peak gusts over 50 mph common across many Bay Area locations.

Precipitation Summary:

• 2-5 inches at Coastal, Valley, and Bay locations: SF downtown (2.48), SF Int’l (2.64), Oak Int’l (2.37), Oakland (3.86), San Jose Int’l (2.33), Stanford (3.02), Woodside (3.93), Redwood City (3.52), La Honda (4.94)
• 6-12 inches in the Santa Cruz Mountains: Ben Lomond Mtn (10.60), Mt Umunhum (13.23), Uvas Canyon (11.65)
• 5-6 in the Marin Hills: Mt Tam (7.14)
• 4-6 in the East Bay Hills
• 5.72 on Mount Diablo

West Union Creek in Huddart Park

More details and post-rain photos at Huddart Park after the jump!

I ran the Golden Hills Trail Marathon in 2008 and 2007 so I was familiar with this excellent event, but there is nothing wrong with continuing a good thing! In 2007, this race was a breakthrough run in which I established a course record and ran strong throughout. In 2008, I was able to better my course record by 2.5 minutes, but not without considerable effort. Fortunately, I was able to come back this year and improve my course record by another 1:20, finishing in 3:15:34.The weather on this day was perfect with foggy conditions for the first 5 miles yielding to sunny skies and pleasant temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s.

This course is not easy with nearly constant up and down in the first 19 miles, and a good portion of it is steep and rugged. The last 7 miles are very favorable for opening up the stride, but I have found it difficult to have much gas left at this point after all the previous climbing. As I mentioned previously, this course also has fabulous variety, from sweeping views of the SF Bay Area and Mount Diablo to lush redwood forest along the challenging French Trail.  It really is the grand point-to-point tour of the East Bay Hills regional park system. Race directors Ann Trason and Carl Andersen do a fantastic job organizing this event. One of my favorite parts is the post-race BBQ party with burgers and hot dogs to order, soups, and a dessert table with pies, gelato, cookies, and other sweets. All the participants seemed to be very happy to enjoy a great picnic with fellow runners and family on a gorgeous fall day.

Second place in the Marathon was 54-year-old Mark Richtman in 3:38. Mark has a long history of great performances at major trail ultras, including a third place finish at Western States in 2002. Third place was Joe Kelso in 3:39. The Firetrails 50 mile is run in conjunction with the Golden Hills Trail Marathon, doing an out-and-back to the marathon starting point, but minus the 1,400+ feet of steep and challenging elevation gain on the French Trail single track (the 50 miler uses the gradual/flat Stream trail fire road instead). New Bay Area resident Dave Mackey ran an amazing 6:30:34 narrowly missing Carl Andersen’s 6:26:42 from 1994. Former Firetrails champions Chikara Omine (6:47) and Victor Ballesteros (7:02) came in second and third respectively. Julie Young was the first female in the marathon in 3:54:01 and Rory Bosio took the women’s 50 mile race in 7:54:33.

Coming in to the Bort Meadows Aid Station (Photo by Baldwyn Chieh)

In the week leading up to the run I was dealing with a number of aches, soreness, and general physical tiredness. I ran easy on Thursday and Friday which allowed those issues to improve. During the race, I continued to feel a bit tired and slightly offbeat but felt good enough to match my splits from last year and pick it up a bit in the end to lower my course record from last year. Even prior to Golden Hills, I was planning on taking a few weeks easy after the run and I still plan on doing that.

Congratulations to all the participants and a big thanks to the race directors and awesome volunteers at the aid stations and picnic!

On my run at Pescadero County Park I noticed that a layer of clouds had formed over the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains but it was still sunny out near the Ocean. I knew there would be potential for some great evening light as the sun set underneath the layer of low clouds. Fortunately, my hope and predictions came true as I drove up Alpine Road. I stopped to take these photographs near Alpine Road in Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve and also at Vista Point/Borel Hill.

Gorgeous layers