The Obligatory
"Play safe. Ski only in clockwise direction. Let's all have fun together."
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Waterman Mountain
Drove up to the Angeles National Forest early this morning for an extended hike to the Twin Peaks.
Unfortunately, setting my alarm clock on Sunday morning did me little good. A bike race blocked the most direct route to the Forest, detouring me into the sprawling freeway maze of downtown L.A. I got spit out in Pasadena which, while a very picturesque city, does not have the best street signs in the world. Finally, due to missing signs in the actual Forest itself, it took me almost two and a half hours to get to the trailhead ... which is just over 50 miles from my apartment.
But all was forgotten when I stepped out of the car. Warm weather, the scent of cedar all around me, and clear skies ... at least above the 'marine layer,' anyway. Just a few minutes onto the trail, and I was surrounded by giant trees like these:
I crossed a few small mountain streams and pressed on, and was soon greeted by an odd sight - snow.
But Casey, you may say, didn't you just say it was warm? And isn't it May already? Well, yes. But it was also almost 7000 feet above sea level, and it snows up there for a long, long time. There were several stretches where snow covered the trail, too. It wasn't too bad, but as it was warm, the snow was the slushy, slippery kind ... which doesn't make for easy walking.
Due to a late start and me looking in the wrong spot for the Twin Peaks trail (I really do have to get a pedometer. Direction I know. Distance, not so much), I skipped on the Twin Peaks trail and instead opted for Waterman Mountain's summit. And now that I can find the Peaks trail in a reasonable amount of time, I'll tackle it when I don't waste hours on the drive in.
The views weren't particularly spectacular, but the surrounding scenery was fantastic. And, aside from birds, deer, and a few swarms of gnats, totally silent. The kind of total, peaceful silence that is absolutely impossible to achieve anywhere remotely near civilization. I love the white noise of a good waterfall or crashing surf as much as the next guy, but sometimes you just need that quiet.
... as always, more pics on Flickr.
Unfortunately, setting my alarm clock on Sunday morning did me little good. A bike race blocked the most direct route to the Forest, detouring me into the sprawling freeway maze of downtown L.A. I got spit out in Pasadena which, while a very picturesque city, does not have the best street signs in the world. Finally, due to missing signs in the actual Forest itself, it took me almost two and a half hours to get to the trailhead ... which is just over 50 miles from my apartment.
But all was forgotten when I stepped out of the car. Warm weather, the scent of cedar all around me, and clear skies ... at least above the 'marine layer,' anyway. Just a few minutes onto the trail, and I was surrounded by giant trees like these:
I crossed a few small mountain streams and pressed on, and was soon greeted by an odd sight - snow.
But Casey, you may say, didn't you just say it was warm? And isn't it May already? Well, yes. But it was also almost 7000 feet above sea level, and it snows up there for a long, long time. There were several stretches where snow covered the trail, too. It wasn't too bad, but as it was warm, the snow was the slushy, slippery kind ... which doesn't make for easy walking.
Due to a late start and me looking in the wrong spot for the Twin Peaks trail (I really do have to get a pedometer. Direction I know. Distance, not so much), I skipped on the Twin Peaks trail and instead opted for Waterman Mountain's summit. And now that I can find the Peaks trail in a reasonable amount of time, I'll tackle it when I don't waste hours on the drive in.
The views weren't particularly spectacular, but the surrounding scenery was fantastic. And, aside from birds, deer, and a few swarms of gnats, totally silent. The kind of total, peaceful silence that is absolutely impossible to achieve anywhere remotely near civilization. I love the white noise of a good waterfall or crashing surf as much as the next guy, but sometimes you just need that quiet.
... as always, more pics on Flickr.
Labels: hiking
that one guy you know, 9:35 PM
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1 Comments:
You're such a fish out of water in that city brother. It's nice though that you have nature that clsoe by, even if it's hidden most of the time.
