Mt. Thom Times 5

Despite a spate of last minute cancellations a small group of hardy Ramblers trekked up the Las Flores Motorway to Mt. Thom for yet another sunset hike. This was the first visit to the summit for the 4 pictured Ramblers (Shirley, Chetan, Ashish, and Vish), and the 5th for the cellphone photographer, Ken.

After days of "May Gray" (it's too early for "June Gloom") the weather turned out sunny and mild - perfect for this moderate walk. Still lots of clumps of gorgeous orange dodder and humming birds were busy enjoying the Monkey flowers which seem to be in full bloom.

Stay tuned for more Brand Ramblers hikes to be announced shortly. A return to Griffith Park is being planned to observe the first anniversary of the devastating 2007 brush fire and to examine the park's recovery.

Sunset Hike to Mt. Thom: Tuesday May 13

Please join the Brand Ramblers for another sunset hike as we return to Mt. Thom for a 3rd time this Tuesday 5/13 at 5:30 PM.

Total roundtrip distance is approximately 5.5-miles with an elevation gain of 1200 feet. Park and assemble at the Las Flores Motorway gate (see driving directions for additional info). We’ll assemble at 5:30 and will start walking at 5:40.

The entire hike up and back should take about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. This is not a difficult trek if you are in reasonably good shape.

Driving Directions
From the intersection of Brand & Doran drive the 3 miles to the Las Flores Motorway trailhead.

1. Head north (on either Brand or Central) and turn right onto East Glenoaks Blvd and drive for .7 mile
2. See direction signs and turn right at the light to stay on Glenoaks Blvd as it takes a 90 degree turn – continue on another .1 mile to the intersection with N. Glendale Blvd.
3. Turn left at N. Glendale Ave, staying in left lanes - continue on as Glendale Blvd becomes N. Verdugo Rd.
4. Stay in the left lanes continue on N. Verdugo Rd. as it becomes Canada Blvd (follow signs for Canada Blvd)
5. Continue driving north until you reach the end of Verdugo Park and turn left at Colina Drive.
6. Continue up Colina Drive as it becomes Sunshine Dr.
7. Locate street parking on Polaris Drive or on Sunshine Drive below the intersection with Sandingham Drive (watch for parking restrictions) and walk the rest of the way up Sunshine Drive to the Las Flores gate (just pass Kildonan Drive).

Call Ken if you're running late or get lost. See Google map for this route.


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Cool Sunday: 'Bramblers' Embrace Henninger Flats

It was perfect weather for a hike and the overflowing parking lot at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center was proof enough. 12 'Bramblers' (plus Beckham, Anne's packdog) assembled a bit late but in good humor for the 3.1 mile trek up Walnut Canyon to the Mt. Wilson fire road that passes through Henninger Flats.

A big welcome to all the first timers - this was a solid 'moderate' hike with a nice pay-off at the decidedly cool summit.

The Brand Ramblers now go into a brief hiatus while we switch to planning mode for the next series of hikes. Expect an update within the next two weeks and an updated schedule.


Assembled 'Bramblers' pose in front of the fire lookout exhibit in Henninger Flats

Eaton Canyon to Henninger Flats Hike, Sunday 4/20, 8 AM

Please join the Brand Ramblers this Sunday morning (4/20) for a moderate 6.2 miles round trip hike up to forested Henninger Flats.

We'll meet up at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena at 8 AM Sunday morning and hike through the canyon taking the Walnut Canyon trail to reach the Mt. Wilson fire road that will take us on into Henniger Flats.

Eaton Canyon Nature Center [ Directions ]
1750 North Altadena Drive, Pasadena

Observe the usual preparations (water, appropriate shoes and clothing, snacks, sunscreen, etc). The weather is forecast to be very mild (low 60's) - perfectly hiking weather.

There is a 1600 foot gain in elevation for the 3 miles to the Flats but it's spread out enough with some variety so it's not particularly grueling.


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Up Across & Down - 'Bramblers' Boast Traverse

6-hardy 'Bramblers' today inaugurated the Brand Ramblers annual Verdugo Traverse, enjoying gorgeous weather despite above average temperatures. While a higher attendance was anticipated no doubt distance (7-miles plus), elevation (1300 feet) and unexpected weekend heatwave helped suppress turnout.

The 3.4 mile ascent on the Hostetter Motorway was pleasantly gentle with only the last part more of a challenge as the heat of the day kicked in. Resting at the Plantation Lateral which borders the Warden's Grove was especially delightful as we shared oranges, chocolate, jerky and sour cherries.

The north slope's thick, lush landscape was breath taking. Explosive clumps of sage, buckwheat, dodder, mustard, and smatterings of California poppies (as well as enormous stands of poison oak) abounded at every turn. Blackened stumps from previous brush fires were visible but were being rapidly overtaken by new verdant growth.

Views from along the Verdugo Motorway, the fire road that runs along the spine and is used to service the antenna farms. were also a surprise as the air quality was much better than one would expect given the mini-heatwave. The ocean was visible to the south west and one could look far into the Valley. Downtown Los Angeles stood out as an island to the south east and the now-drained Silver Lake reservoir was a surprise to see (beige instead of blue!).

The descent on the Vital Trail was harder than expected - it's a short, steep trail composed of numerous switchbacks with no opportunities to rest and water in shade. This was a bit of a grind but thankfully brief.

Since this was a longer trek than usual we had time to kick around ideas for future hikes and started initial planning for the Bramblers' Fall itinerary.



Catching a bit of shade after descending Vital Link - ready for the last leg into Wildwood Canyon.

Next Hike: Eaton Canyon, Sunday 4/20, 8 AM

1st Annual Verdugo Tranverse - Sunday 4/13

Join the Brand Ramblers on Sunday as we make our first annual crossing of the Verdugos, starting from La Tuna Canyon in Tujunga Canyon, ascending up the Hostetter Motorway fire road to its junction with the Verdugo Motorway, leisurely strolling west along the spine and enjoying a rest stop at the Plantation Lateral before beginning a descent along the Vital Link trail into Wildwood Canyon where the trek ends and we pick up the assembled cars.

This should be a wonderful hike as we'll be spending time on the north slopes of the Verdugos where the landscape is much greener and the vegetation relatively lush compared to the north face. Weather permitting there should be some great views north and south as we move along across the spine between the clusters of aerials and rest near the Warden Grove.


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Overall hike is approximately 7 miles with an elevation gain of 1300 feet in the 3.4 mile ascent. This is a one-way trek so we'll meet at the Wildwood Canyon trail end at 8 AM to park the vehicles and then carpool to the La Tuna Canyon trailhead. We're expecting this to be a 3-4 hour hike depending on how quickly we assemble and kick-off and how much 'exploring' takes place along the way.

The weekend temperatures will be above season average so bring plenty of water, use sunscreen and wear protection from the sun. Bring some 'trail food' to eat and share when we rest at the Plantation Lateral.

Brand Sunset Scramble & 'Doddering'

An 8-strong contingent of the Brand Ramblers returned to the ridge trails behind the Brand Library (in Brand Park, Glendale) for a leisurely sunset hillwalk and scramble. Unfortunately not all were able to complete the 1.5 mile /1500 ft. change-in-elevation circuit but it was still a pleasant outing as weather was mild and the hillsides were green and bright with blooming flowers.

Noteworthy was the chaparral dodder aka cuscuta californica the wirey vine that dotted the landscape with its tangle of bright orange and yellow stems.

"California dodder is a leafless, parasitic, viney plant with slender orange to yellowy stems which are each fastened to their host organism by means of a knobby root-like structure called a haustoria, which allows it to draw its nourishment from the host. If any leaves are present, they are minute and scale-like. The flowers are small, white, squat, urn-shaped, and arranged in loose cymose or paniculate clusters... Species californica, seems to be mostly partial to the buckwheats, sages, deerweed and Haplopappus. California dodder inhabits many plant communities from sea level to 8200' in most of cismontane California and occasionally on the deserts, and blooms from May to July"

- Source: Wildflowers and Other Plants of Southern California

Stay tuned for details of this Sunday's (April 13) Verdugo Traverse hike!