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First Descent

I rode a grand total of 4 miles around probably the easiest Bike Trail i could have ridden in L.A. last Sunday before i got a flat (damn those spikes). I'd planned to ride at least 10 or so Miles... Hardly exciting on a brand new 2K+ mountain Bike (including upgrades). It felt very anti-climactic really... Since that day i have been searching for Beginner Mountain Trails online to conquer and surprisingly found quite a lot more than expected. Some of them even inter loop together. It's like i discovered a vast Mountain Biking world. I felt almost Columbus-like (only a few decades late...). So, after a day of reading trail reviews online i decided to try Las Lljas mountain trail in Simi Valley, conveniently located just 5 miles from work on Tuesday (love Simi Valley man.... its mountainous). For some reason though, the website for this Mountain Trail only provided a trail map and not directions to the trail head. It only includes which street it is on. I suppose they assume only Simi Valley locals utilize these trails. But it was okay, it gave me a sense of an Urban Tuareg seeking a trailhead or something (lol). So basically i drove through Yosemite Drive in Simi Valley heading north towards the mountains. First i found Chummas Trail, Simi Valleys answer to the Black Diamond Ski Terrains of Mammoth Mountain. I stopped and thought about it for a second but thought better of it. I didn't want to possibly destroy my Bike the first time out, or better yet injure myself... About another mile down was my quarry. The trailhead is nondescript because it's nestled between two houses. If you weren't looking for it you'd almost certainly miss it. There's basically a sign there that says "Las Llajas Canyon Road" then there was a scary sign about Mountain Lions which caught my undivided attention (Mountain Lions??). I decided not to read it and trudged up the hill lol...

Las Lljas apparently used to be paved, as shown by the occasional patch of pavement that still exists, but it is mostly dirt with a few sandy patches. According to their website "It climbs gently along the valley floor, winding under frequent oak trees". I don't know, either I'm a weakling or the term "gently" was used erroneously because the climb (at least to me) was not so beginner-like. I would call it a moderate climb (gentle is your driveway... lol). It is a steady climb up to Oil Well Road (about 4 miles up) so it's a heck of a work out. Oil Well Road interloops with Rocky Peak Road (the name says it all, doesn't it) which runs along the peak of the mountain offering a stunning view of both Simi Valley and the vast San Fernando Valley into Santa Susana pass on the south side of the 118 Freeway. I didn't quite make it past Oil Well Road so i can't claim just how stunning this view is, but i plan to come back (hehe). I was extremely exhausted when i reached the gate leading into Oil Well Road but not without a sense of accomplishment. A 4 mile climb is no feat to a regular rider but it certainly ain't no mediocre feat for a first time Mountain Climber...

It was almost eerie at first because i was the only one there and I heard nothing but the wind, the creek alongside the road, and the occasional scuffle of what i can only assume as small animals in the bushes (saw no Lions though lol). My surroundings were nothing but Oak Trees and intimidating rocks and i like to think Mountain Lions lurking behind the bluffs... It was almost serene in a way although the City was but a few minutes away. It certainly gave me a more perceptive appreciation of nature. Looking down the trail from Oil Well Road was quite amazing too. Not so much the view because it was only 2000 feet above sea level but the sense that i propelled myself up that Canyon Road on a Mountain Bike. It's definitely a completely different feeling from standing on the Summit of Mammoth Mountain or Big Bear. This one is more gratifyingly self-involved and personal you might say... The workout is another story... The climb was incredibly difficult-- but i suspect the more i go at it the stronger i get. Soon enough i'll be climbing like the best of them (hopefully anyway)... Although i was beat when i made it to Oil Well, my sense of accomplishment was on a High, a new kind of High. And i suspect that High coupled with my newly found perception of nature (also the workout) will keep me coming back for more again and again...

Climbing steep hills as you can imagine though could be boring as heck because you're not exactly traveling at neck snapping speeds. In fact climbing up those fire roads makes you feel slothish in a way. That said, climbing is not without rewards... The ride down the trail is about as exhilarating as riding a Mountain Bike could get. It's a hair-raising, heart pumping, adrenalin rush of an experience ( i wouldn't recommend this with the wrong equipment though). Needless to say going down the Mountain did not take as much time as it did climbing, which only means one thing. The higher one climbs the greater the reward...

I'll see ya Mountain Lions later...

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Thursday, March 29, 2007