I had another fun day of hiking trail work, but this time the site was 1 1/2 miles from the nearest trailhead.
"A good warm-up," I chuckled, and set off.
The early morning approach provided expansive views in all directions, courtesy of recent storms. Storms that have washed out trail sections that are our target for this day.
We started our rapid ascent above Santa Monica Bay. The Palos Verdes Peninsula and Catalina Island were shadowy features across calm waters that had churned just days before. All is calm now, as we pass fragrant sages that fill our lungs and segments of mud that darken our boots.
An eastward view appeared after a few switchback wiggle us up the slope. The mountain calm made me think of the people below, all snug in their beds. Up here, there's no traffic noise, just random sounds of landscape equipment groaning into action as neighbors clear debris.
Before us now are the ridge lines of the Santa Monica Mountains. Beyond that, the towers and steel of humanity lay low beneath the distance towers of Mother Earth, and the many peaks which I have stood upon. The furthest, San Gorgonio, is 11,503 feet high and almost 100 miles away. It's both humbling and joyous, and I whisper a promise to visit again soon.
But that's not why I'm here. I strode on to find trails that have become runoffs, creeks that have pushed against their constraining banks, and cascades that fill the air with sonic energy.
It's going to be a great day!