Winter Wanderings

It’s 4:30 p.m. and darkness settles over our homes and offices confirming the presence of the winter season. ‘Tis the time of year to settle in, get cozy and drink hot cider by the fireplace.

But this is also the time of year to hike in forests made green from winter rains, inhale the fragrance of pine, and observe the seasonal migrations of whales, birds and butterflies.

Although seasonal transitions in this part of the country are subtle, in winter we share one dramatic change with the entire northern hemisphere: shorter days and colder nights. But even with less daylight, there are plenty of things to do.

Michael Kristiansen, executive director of the Theodore Payne Foundation and an authority on native plants, explains that our Mediterranean climate provides the rebirth of spring when our calendars say winter. The winter rains promote regrowth, especially of Mediterranean plants such as lavender, rosemary and sage.

You can learn how to care for native plants in your own garden--January is the end of the planting season--at a workshop Jan. 17 at the Payne Foundation facility in Sun Valley. The session will focus on watering, pruning, weeding and fertilizing to enhance the appearance and extend the longevity of your native plants.

Payne volunteer and arborist Sylva Blackstone, who grew up in Reseda, equates the winter rain season with the new year’s revitalization. “During this time of renewal, brown hillsides turn green, weeds grow out of sidewalk cracks, and the dormancy of the dry summer ends,” she said. “The crisp air carries aromas of eucalyptus and wood-burning fireplaces. Walks in the mountains are redolent with the aromatic foliage of pines, conifers and eucalyptus.”

Blackstone explained that the rain hastens the decomposition of leaves on the ground. That rich smell is carried especially well when rains create dense, damp air.

From her own childhood through her child-rearing years in the Valley, Blackstone recalls the magic of driving from her sunny neighborhood to the snow of Frazier Park or Wrightwood and creating improvised sleds out of trash can lids or cardboard boxes. Once mittens reached saturation, extra pairs of socks were pulled on as ersatz gloves.

Angeles Crest, Wrightwood and Frazier Park continue to beckon Valley residents. Although sleds, toboggans and more elaborate devices prevail, inventive thrill-seekers squeal with equal delight sliding down hillsides on their bottoms, legs protruding from holes cut in jumbo plastic trash bags.

Pam Gallo, park operations supervisor for Ventura County, recommends starting 1998 by “reaching inside of yourself for an ultimate experience and a great personal tradition, a new year’s hike up a nearby peak.” Gallo does this by climbing Boney Mountain, the highest peak overlooking the Conejo Grade near Newbury Park.

Nestled below Boney Mountain are the secluded hiking trails of Circle X Ranch, off Yerba Buena Road near Malibu. This former Boy Scout camp has picnic tables and grates for charcoal fires if you’re planning to have lunch before or after your hike.

This area offers easy-paced short strolls or all-day vigorous explorations, including the climb to Sandstone Peak, which at 3,111 feet is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains. Winter offers the kind of clear days where a hike up Sandstone will reward you with magnificent views of the Channel Islands, and the Conejo and San Fernando valleys.

The trails within Circle X Ranch provide a glimpse of coastal ecosystems. Watch for stands of red-shank chaparral, recognized by its reddish-brown shredded bark, as well as abundant coastal sage scrub invigorated by recent rains. Now that the streams are flowing and waterfalls splash to life, the riparian communities at Split Rock on the Mishe Mokwa Trail and near Happy Hollow Campground are the places to see sycamores, live oaks and ferns.

These plants are also on view in Topanga State Park, also part of the Santa Monica Mountains. Docent-led winter adventure hikes, such as the one offered Sunday, offer hikers a chance to see, touch and smell some of the flora that comes to life in the winter.

Too rustic? Urbanites also can re-center themselves by starting 1998 with a hike to Los Angeles’ geographic center. Franklin Canyon Ranch, near Coldwater Canyon, is rich in the California history of Native Americans, Spanish and early settlers as well as of modern water distribution and filmmaking. Volunteers from the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom guide walks through this unique canyon.

The area’s mild winter climate annually beckons migratory birds, which are stopping here to rest en route to their warmer winter habitats in South America. Other birds that arrived in late December will stay for the whole winter.

In fact, one reason the National Audubon Society holds its annual bird count near Christmas is because this is when the most species can be observed.

The other reason is that during these shortest days of the year, virtually no migratory movement occurs. In coming months, days will lengthen and some of the winter birds here now will indeed fly farther south as cooler temperatures set in.

Ed Stauss of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society relishes the arrival of the migratory birds. To him, they are a sign that life is continuing as it has for millions of years. “I always like to see the migratory birds return,” he said. “They have twice the hazards of nonmigratory birds because they must survive in two habitats.”

Now is the time to watch throughout the Valley for the white-crowned sparrow, with three distinctive black and white stripes on its head and a gray breast. Predators such as Cooper’s and sharp-shinned hawks also have abandoned their pine-forest nesting places in the Sierra to winter here and will swoop in to feed on other smaller birds.

Muriel Kotkin of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society also loves to observe the birds in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area, where society members lead guided bird-watching walks.

The Sepulveda Basin is an urban oasis, ringed by mountains in the distance and office buildings in the foreground. Every fall and winter, numerous water birds, often hundreds of them, enjoy a small lake and wetland that are in stark contrast to the surrounding metropolis.

“To watch them and the hawks and small songbirds hunt for food, rest, bathe and squabble provides a peek into their world,” Kotkin said. “The experience persuades me how important it is for us humans to allow that world and its wonderful creations to continue to exist.”

Butterflies can be counted upon to follow their winter tradition of migration to their seasonal habitats as well. One place to view them by the thousands is at Leo Carrillo State Beach at the Los Angeles County-Ventura County line, where guided walks are available.

Every year at this time, the magnificent Pacific gray whales, some of the largest mammals to ever live on Earth, migrate 6,000 to 10,000 miles to the secluded Mexican lagoons where they breed. From mid-February through early April, they guide their newborns north to feeding grounds in the Bering Sea between Russia and Alaska.

At Point Dume State Beach, at the end of Kanan-Dume Road, guides offer informative talks while you watch for whales through your binoculars. Or, you can visit Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard between Feb. 1 and March 29 for the second annual “Celebration of the Whales.”

Half-day and full-day whale-watching excursions offer the opportunity to observe these graceful giants as well as other bird and marine life including porpoises, dolphins, seals and sea lions as they journey through the channel, just a few miles off the coast.

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BE THERE

Theodore Payne Foundation and Native Plant Society, 10459 Tuxford Road, Sun Valley. Classes Saturday, 9 a.m.-noon. Suggested donation, $15 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Reservations required. (818) 768-1802.

Topanga State Park Nature Center, open Sunday, noon-4 p.m., Jan.-June. Docents lead two-hour tours starting at 1 p.m. Call (818) 591-2825.

William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom, at Franklin Canyon Ranch. Nature center is open daily 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Docents offer guided walks. Turn west on Franklin Canyon Drive at Mulholland Drive and go half a mile. Turn left to get to the classroom. (310) 858-3090.

Circle X Ranch, has periodic guided hikes. Take Pacific Coast Highway to Yerba Buena Road. Turn inland and drive 5.4 miles to the ranch entrance. Call the National Park Service, (818) 597-9192, Ext. 201, for times.

San Fernando Valley Audubon Society leads bird walks at Sepulveda Dam Recreation Area. This Sunday at 8 a.m. meet at the first parking lot on the right at entrance to Tillman Water Reclamation Plant. Call (818) 894-9332.

Beginners and Family Bird Walk at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 10 at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area. Call (818) 783-4293.

Leo Carrillo State Beach rangers give lectures and lead walks during the monarch butterfly migration. Beach is off Pacific Coast Highway at the Los Angeles County-Ventura County line. Call (818) 880-0350 for times.

Point Dume State Beach guided whale watch, Saturday, 9 a.m., and Feb. 7, 3:45 p.m. Bring binoculars and meet at the entrance station. Call (818) 880-0350.