A Tale of Two Ecosystems: Los Leones Canyon and Pacific Palisades

Los Leones Canyon views

Visiting relatives in the San Fernando Valley, and still relishing a change of weather, I craved hiking some of the many hills in the vicinity.  Lucky, my sister-in-law was happy to lead us to a place near Topanga Canyon called Los Leones Canyon.

A fairly steep spot on the trail

The scrubby hills are a world apart from green western Oregon.  The trail had a couple steep pitches, but it was mostly easy.  We passed fifteen or twenty people along the way. After a mile and a half, we reached a broad viewpoint that took in Pacific Palisades and the many rugged hills in the vicinity.  A bench there beckons hikers to rest.  We enjoyed the sunny views for a few minutes before descending.  We could even see downtown L.A.   It was pretty darn nice.

Looking towards downtown L.A. in the hazy distance

One thing we didn’t see was the ocean, which was fog bound.  We joked about the ocean being comprised of clouds, and I thought that would make the setting of a nice little fantasy story.  Hmm.   Afterwards, we stopped along the beach, which was a nice counterpoint to the sunny hills.   It was only a mile and a half by road from the trailhead, but it felt like another world.  No sun in sight, just fog and wind!

The beach

I spied a gorgeous and fearless  bird that seems similar to a snowy egret, but such a species seemed out of place on a beach.  Regardless, the excursion was  great success, and we stopped for cold drinks in Topanga Canyon on the way home.

Is it a snowy egret or something else?