The “D” Word

Some might call it “D”etermination. I think I call it “D”umb. Whatever it is, I was back for some more “D” this week. Being shutout the last time I tried to run in Buck Gully, I decided to try a different approach. The goal was to run the “green” trail down into Buck Gully. I would be entering from the top of the canyon and going as far as I could. I was pretty sure this was doable, since I had done it before.

I started out at the top of the hill off San Joaquin Hills Road in Newport Coast. For locals, the park is called Canyon Watch Park:

I ran about half a mile to the East. Just past this sign:

Is the entrance to Upper Buck Gully. If you’re driving on San Joaquin Hills Road at 60 mph, it’s easy to miss:

Damn! What’s that sign doing there?

The rest of the is journey is imaginary - the way the trail *will* look once trail maintenance is complete.

The trail down into Buck Gully is really more like an access road, and from the looks of it, is, errrrrr, will be regularly travelled:

The upper reaches of the canyon, errrr, will offer some escape from the million dollar ridge top homes:

The lower canyon will be a world apart from the hustle and bustle of the resort up above:

Bridges will be placed at stream crossings to keep you from having to get your feet wet:

Just don’t touch the water! Who knows what type of chemicals and fertilizers are filtering down from the golf course above.

There will be trees filled with mistletoe:

The downside *might* include some muddy spots on the trail:

Ooops. I thought trail maintenance was complete….

Just be ready for the climb out:

That Didn’t Go as Planned…

I’ve always had a little streak of adventure in my personality. I often wonder what's over that hill or around the corner...

I set out about 6PM to put in six trail miles on Bommer Ridge. On my way, my phone rang with an important call from a client, so I pulled over to spend the next 30 minutes on the phone. As my call wrapped up, I noticed that I was overlooking Buck Gully. Buck Gully is a bit of a mystery. It separates a couple of ridges of homes, and runs all the way to the ocean in Corona del Mar. I drive past it everyday. I know there is wildlife in the canyon (bobcats, deer, etc.), but I’ve never read a trail report about the canyon and it’s mysteries. In fact, a Google search a few weeks back returned squat! I noticed a satellite picture showed what appeared to be a fire road in the bottom of the canyon, so maybe it was time for an adventure!

I put my hydration pack on and ambled on down into the canyon. It wasn’t long before I realized why I hadn’t read any trail reports. Also – note to self – those Google Maps satellite photos *might be* a little old. Bottom line is I soon found myself moving down a narrow (like one shoe length wide) use path plummeting down into the depths of the canyon. To top it off, I soon found myself standing in a hip high field of thistle. Ouch! Especially in running shorts. Double ouch!

I ended up making it two miles down into the canyon before I reached a place where, to continue, would have required some acrobatic acts through a muddy wide spot in an algae choked stream of irrigation run off. Since I really don’t need a third arm growing out of my forehead, I turned around and made my way back up the hill, and through the thistle. I added one loop around a neighborhood to get close to my planned mileage (5.25 miles). At least my sense of adventure was appeased.

Oh. And in case you’re wondering – yes – one day I’ll be back down there to see if I can make it out to the ocean. As soon as I pull all the burrs out of my socks.