The first weekend of April and Mother Nature pulled out all the stops to make mountain hiking irresistible. Barbara and I chose this trail at random and discovered a new-to-us treasure located in the north central portion of the Santa Monicas on Stunt Road off Mulholland. We entered on a trail bordering Cold Creek, one of SoCal's "most pristine free-flowing creeks" and designated a Significant Ecological Area, and followed it to the Stunt Ranch Reserve. The Reserve is stewarded by the TreePeople Land Trust, protecting an ecosystem with a number of species designated "threatened" on the endangered list. Trekking the muddy, rocky trail above and beside the creek we were serenaded by constant birdsong. After four rock-to-rock jumps over the creek to stay on path, we had mastered our creek-hopping game by the time we reached the trail leading us around the Stunt Ranch Reserve. Stunt Ranch was named for the family that homesteaded the property in 1885, after thousands of years of Chumash who had lived off this land without having to grow a thing. As we circled the Reserve, eleven informative signs posted by the Santa Monica Audubon Society indicated coastal sage scrub, riparian, grassland, and chaparral areas and bird species to watch for. We heard but didn't see any birds, and fortunately the endangered lizard, snake, rat, and bat residents ignored us. Once around the Reserve loop, we picked up the creek-bordering trail and returned to our starting point. A spectacular hike, easy to find, and filled with beauty and adventure!