TWILIGHT TREKS

Scott Regberg
Mirror contributing writer

   With daylight savings providing a renewed enthusiasm, twelve of us met at the top of Queensferry, off of Westridge (Mandeville to Westridge to Baylis), for our usual 6:30 p.m. departure.
   It’s always an adjustment, rediscovering trails in bright sunlight, and Queensferry has a lot to offer — including major new grading which has transformed the bottom of Sullivan Canyon.
   First, a word about the parking issue. In effort to protect the peace and privacy of the homes adjacent to the trailhead, restrictive signs have been posted for the first few hundred feet from the Queensferry cul de sac. Other than shifting the parking burden up the street to the homes beyond the restriction, I’m not sure what this strategy accomplishes.
   (There is something illogical about maintaining state park lands, supposedly for the public, and then restricting the parking in the immediate area. There must be another solution — and I will write more about this dilemma in the next week’s column about a similar situation at the top of Kenter).
   Back to Queensferry: walk down the long cement ramp and discover a completely re-worked basin floor with fresh grading, new gravel and a neat stream meandering back and forth across the wide Sullivan Canyon.
   On this hike, our group headed north for about 15 minutes, jumping the narrow stream several times along the way. A discreet side trail took us up the west face, winding up the hillside along a little horse trail, and delivering us to upper Capri.
   You could go either way on Capri, but we chose to head north for about 20 minutes, picking up some stunning twilight views along the ridgeline. 
   Our group split into two parties, one doing the “bumps” and the other following the main trail, re-uniting just before the descent back to the canyon floor.
   The way back was in the dark and I was kicking myself for not remembering a flashlight, especially down the heavily eroded side trail. Not only did I fall a few times, but slowly drifted behind the pack. The final walk back up the Sullivan cement ramp is always a disappointing way to end a hike — but a small price for a great evening.
   Fearless readers who are interested in free Monday and Wednesday night hikes should contact Scott Regberg at 310-475-5735.