Tuna Canyon left turn

The trail climbs

 Today I returned to Tuna Canyon, and instead of turning right at the fork I turned left and followed the Hearst Tank Mountainway trail.

Click to "embiggen" and see the flowers

This was a steep uphill climb, curving through shady oaks, but relentlessly climbing. At a saddle between two ridges, you could see to Malibu. Here, the first flowers of the early spring showed, the white Buckthorn, or Ceanothus megacarpus, is blooming.

Then the trail climbed once again, and it ended at a broad flat open space that overlooks the ocean and the Los Angeles Basin. From here, you can see the Santa Monica beach and pier, and the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles.

Here, too, is another kind of Topanga magic - a stone labyrinth or spiral maze, creators unknown. Though a little goofy and hippy-ish, in this setting it is charming and magical.

In addition to the stones that make the spiral, people have left beads, shells, and spelled out words in pebbles.

Here at the center of the spiral, a peace sign and beads.

Such a discovery to be made, right here near home. What will you find, in your explorations this weekend?