A springtime Hike in Solstice Canyon in late September!
Led by Tom Molloy and Anna Baum
Photo above: Anna resting by the creek in Solstice Canyon. Photo Tom Molloy.
By Tom Molloy
What a surprise we all had doing this hike! In September we would expect a trickle of water left in Solstice Creek, the hills to be all yellow and brown, the sycamores leaves turning a bit yellow perhaps. Instead, several weeks after the unprecedented hurricane dropped 4.5 inches of rain on the canyon, the streams and waterfalls were all full. The chaparral and grasses on the hills were bursting with new green growth. Wildflowers, mustard and trees blooming out of season. Even California lilac, which blooms March to May, was blooming.
Our initial advance through the main canyon beside the rushing creek was verdant with live oak, sycamore, bay and alder trees. Our ascent up the Sostomo Trail looked more like Kauai than Malibu, with the jagged oddly verdant peaks hugged by a thick humid marine layer. The Deer Valley Loop at the top of the trail did not disappoint. We navigated through beautiful forest of live oak and California lilac . At the midpoint of the loop, we took a break and looked down upon Paradise Cove, and the subsequent coves advancing towards Point Dume in the distance. We stopped for a snack and a water break at the shaded pools and rock slabs at the two creek crossings we traversed.
We did a brief review of the architectural ruin of the Roberts Ranch House, also known as Tropical Terrace, which burned in the 1980s in one of the countless fires that have come through the canyon. Interestingly after 40 or so years without irrigation the tropical vegetation survives likely due to the high water table what with the waterfalls and creek. Bananas and Palms were abundant!
The Roberts Ranch House was designed by architect Paul Revere Williams in 1952. In 1929, Williams became the first African-American member of the American Institute of Architects. He was a prolific architect in So Cal at the time. On the ashes of that fire was born Solstice Canyon Park, part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Behind the ranch we enjoyed the series of waterfalls that the house once looked out on, now enjoyed by all who come, before we did our hike back through the main canyon to the cars.
A special thank you to Anna Baum who at the last minute stepped in as a co-lead as Alan had injured his knee while we scouted the hike a few days earlier.
