In those high-rolling hills...

After sixty-eight miles and thirteen thousand vertical feet of climbing, I have emerged from the wilderness. The Santa Monica Mountains provide a stark contrast to the urban jungle that lies just below; many miles of trails exist, flanked by brush covered hillsides that were brilliantly coated in wildflowers and green grass. Looking out over the slopes ravaged by fire last October, I saw a green rivaled only by the pictures I've seen of Ireland. According to the locals, it's almost never that green. For an idea of what it usually looks like, one only needs to watch a M*A*S*H rerun. The show was filmed in Malibu Creek State Park, where I camped my second night.

Despite the vibrant nature of the vegetation, water was still hard to come by. On the many exposed ridges and fire roads, there was no water, and only in a few of the seasonal streams did I find more than mud at the bottom. It was small wonder that the fire danger throughout the mountains was rated at least at Medium. Many areas throughout Malibu carried permanent smoking bans outside, not in the interest of personal health, but in the interest of not burning down the county. One ranger drove by me while I was carrying a pen; thinking I was smoking he got out of his vehicle to give me what-for, but stopped short when he saw it was only a blue Bic. Campfires are out of the question, and even charcoal grills are off limits. Thankfully propane stoves weren't banned at the time I was there (it's happened before, though I've always just missed it), since such bans make having hot food a little difficult.

Other than the aridness of the climate, the weather was perfect. The sun shone every day, nice breezes blew up the canyons, and nary a drop of rain fell upon me. Thankfully there was water at all the campgrounds, and I had enough water bottles to carry a gallon at once, so I never went thirsty. When I got off trail, I went to dinner with my friend George and then heard his barbershop group sing at a coffee shop in Santa Monica. Before that, I stopped at a Burger King for a cheeseburger. There's nothing I crave while on the trail like a cheeseburger.

For those mountain bikers who read this, you can ride over much of the trail; thanks to the many road intersections along the route it's not hard to get to and from the trail (since not all the trail is open to bikes), the trail is fairly wide and well-constructed in many places. You'll want plenty of water and sun protection; as I already said the trail is dry and shaded spots are few and far between. Check out the National Park Service site for more information.