View from Angel’s Landing, Zion National Park

Whistler, British Columbia in the summer 

Indian Cove, Joshua Tree National Park

Missing Colorado 

The 411:

Distance: 6 mile loop, pretty straightforward 

Time: 3 hours with minimal breaks. There are only 2 convenient stopping points throughout the hike: A shaded picnic table about 1.5 miles in, and the boulder atop the summit. 

Difficulty: Easy/moderate. The ascent is gradual in places, but if you hike on a hot sunny day, the heat can definitely get to you. Bring lots of water and be generous with the sunscreen! 

Elevation Gain: 1400 feet 

Condition: Well maintained, although you have to watch your footing in places due to gravel and rocks moving under you. When I hiked this trail back in September, a few of the forks in the trail did not have signs which caused a bit of confusion, but I was happy to see that they had all been replaced. 

Trailhead: The trailhead can be accessed from the Pacific Coast Highway as well as the 101. From the PCH, take Yerba Buena Road in Malibu for approximately 6 miles. From the 101, take the Westlake Blvd exit to Decker Canyon Road/Mulholland Highway. Keep right after 2 miles to turn onto Little Sycamore Canyon Road, turning into Yerba Buena Road which you will follow for 2.5 miles. The entrance to the Sandstone Peak trail parking lot will be up a short gravel driveway. 

The Rundown: The Mishe Mokwa Trail was my introduction to SoCal hiking when I first moved to LA last September. I remember loving the hike, blown away by the diversity in topography. The hike begins with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and quickly changes to desert-like scenery, somewhat reminiscent of Joshua Tree. This hike is full of boulders for those who like to climb, and if you feel like carrying ropes and gear uphill for a mile, there are several routes along the trail. 

On a recent trip back home on the east coast, my parents (who love to worry) expressed their concern about my tendency to hike alone. I promised I’d try harder to find companions. Lucky for me, I was able to convince two friends to accompany me, neither who had joined one of my outdoor excursions. Little did they know what they were signing up for…

From the parking lot, the trail climbs upwards for about a quarter mile until you come to a fork and signpost. To the left, a series of switchbacks and a mile long uphill climb will lead you straight to the summit, while the Mishe Mokwa trail to the right will take you the longer duration of the loop.

We took the fork to the right, which immediately takes you by breathtaking views of the surrounding green mountains. As you walk further along, more sandstone begins to emerge from the hills, slowly converting into a more desert-like landscape. 

For the next 3 miles, the trail is pleasantly shaded. Do not take this for granted, for you and the sun will be very well acquainted by the time you return to the parking lot. Keep an eye out for the lizards that dart back and forth across the path, as well as the wildflowers that decorate the trail’s canopy.

About 2 miles past the junction, the trail will cross a small stream and through a pleasantly shaded area, complete with picnic table. Get some rest here, even if you aren’t tired. As you continue onwards, the topography changes you will leave the green mountains behind. The trail begins to ascend, gradually but continuously, until you break out of the trees and find yourself out in the open, surrounded by large boulders.

(At this point, I have to give respects to my friends who came with me. They were amazingly good sports about the whole endeavor, but I learned my lesson about being explicit about what hiking with me entails. Where I say “hiking,” others may equate that to “a leisurely stroll outdoors.” That is not the case. Shout out to Christina and Miguel!)

Once the landscape opens, you continue to walk along the boulders for another half mile or so before a few switchbacks will take you to a small staircase and sign pointing to the summit of Sandstone Peak. (Watch your footing on the way down, it can be a bit of a scramble!) Once you’ve reached the top, you have 360 panoramic views of Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains that are simply fantastic.

From this point on, it’s an easy, downhill mile back to the parking lot. I was thrilled to re-hike this trail and was able to appreciate it just as much the second time around. There is something beautiful and mysterious about the outdoors. Months, or even years after visiting a spot in nature, you can return to find it exactly as you remembered.

                               Miguel and Christina at the summit :)

Cathedral Lakes, Yosemite 

Emerald Lake

The 411:

Distance: Ideally, if you leave from Dawson Gap or Vincent Gap, the trail is 8 miles roundtrip. If you take the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) from Islip Saddle, it’s 8 miles ONE WAY. 

Time: 5 hours/10 hours

Difficulty: Strenuous. I only made it 2 miles in, but the switchbacks AND the snow made hiking twice as hard and time consuming. 

Elevation Gain: 2800 ft

Condition: Well maintained, but hard to tell through the snow and ice. 

Trailhead: From the 210 La Canada Flintridge, take the Angeles Crest Highway approximately 50 miles, about 10 miles past the Waterman ski lift. As of 3/20/2012, the road is blocked off past Islip Saddle, but the PCT can be accessed in both directions. The trailhead towards Mt. Baden-Powell can be found on the road across from the Islip Saddle picnic and parking area but the PCT also continues both upwards and downwards from the lot. 

The Rundown: Sadly, this hike marks the first time I’ve ever failed to reach the summit/my final destination. I had the brilliant plan of waking up at 5:30 in the morning to watch the sun rise from Angeles National Forest (which was actually a good idea!) and made it to Highway 2 just as the sun was peaking up from behind the mountains. 

So far, so good. What I failed to take into account was the massive rainstorm over this past weekend that dumped a foot of snow over everything upwards of 5000 feet in elevation. No crampons + snow = probably not the hottest idea. Did this stop me outright? Heck no. 

My original plan was to take the Pacific Crest Highway to Dawson Gap, where I would hike the smaller summit of Throop Peak, make my way to Mt. Burnham and continue on the PCT to an amazing panoramic view from the top of Mt. Baden-Powell. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. At Islip Saddle, the road was blocked off due to snow and ice covering the road. Luckily, the PCT passes through Islip Saddle on both sides of the road; the trail opposite of the parking lot takes you on a longer journey of 8 miles one-way to Mt. Baden-Powell through Windy Gap. Although slightly deterred, I was determined not to let the extra 8 (total) miles stand in my way!

Some super baller hiker had been on the trail the previous day and left a series of helpful footprints in the snow for me to follow. I was easily sidetracked by the abundance of icicles hanging from the pines and taking pictures of the frozen shapes that had formed on all of the plant life. 

There is something so magnificent about walking in the snow; it absorbs so many superfluous sounds, you find yourself alone in a white wilderness being serenaded by the wind, your crunching footsteps and the distant sound of icicles breaking away from their branches. 

About 2 miles of steady, slow trekking through the snow, the footprints disappeared, which seemed to be a pretty obvious indicator that I should turn back. Being the stubborn adventurer that I am, I continued to trudge forward, dodging bits of ice falling from the trees that seemed to be aiming for my head. A little way on, I crosses paths with a COYOTE, that was not nearly scared of me enough. I interpreted this as my exit cue, and started down the mountain. 

                              (crazy amount of ice under my feet) 

Although my hike didn’t result in my desired outcome, it was wonderful to be in such beautiful, secluded wilderness so early in the morning. The Pacific Crest Trail is truly magnificent, spanning all the way from the U.S./Mexico border to British Columbia in Canada (2,663 miles long!!!), passing through 25 national forests and 7 national parks. It’s easy to get carried away in the middle of the mountains, I literally want to hike EVERYTHING. Good thing they’re not going anywhere anytime soon… 

The 411:

Distance: 5 miles round trip

Time: 3 hours (I ran for part of the trail and finished in a little over 2 hours)

Difficulty: Moderate. After the steep descent on the fire road for about half a mile, the rest of the hike is a gradual and sometimes steep climb uphill)

Elevation Gain: 1000 feet (not too bad, you only notice on the switchbacks)

Condition: Excellent. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. There are also 2-3 signposts throughout the hike, directing you towards multiple destinations.

Trailhead: From the 210, take the Santa Anita exit north and drive straight into Angeles National Forest. The parking lot at Chantry Flat is the end of the road. There is a parking lot, but be prepared and buy a parking pass at the store for $5. This trailhead opens to multiple paths and on the weekends, you’ll find cars parked almost a half mile down the road. Plan ahead and GET THERE EARLY ON THE WEEKENDS!!! (I hiked on a Tuesday morning and the place was pretty empty)

The Rundown: Santa Anita Canyon is truly a fantastic spot due to the ability to access Winter Creek, Sturtevant Falls, Mt Zion and Mt Wilson. I set out to hike the Winter Creek lower and upper loop and ended up getting insanely sidetracked on the way.

The trail begins at the parking lot entrance through a gate and down a paved fire road. The road curves steeply down to the valley floor for about a half mile until you cross a bridge running over the stream.

The trail for the Winter Creek loop branches off sharply to the left after the bridge, while the right path will lead you to Sturtevant Falls. The path leads you through the valley running next to a crystal clear stream and the floor covered in bright green, lush vegetation. It feels like walking into a fairy-tale, with a tree canopy covering the trail and an abundance of birds and squirrels that freak you out by jumping out of bushes. As hippie as this sounds, this hike has a great vibe and energy to it.

About 30 minutes into the hike, you’ll pass through a group of cabins. Let me be real: I hike alone all the time and friggin love it. Solo hiking lets me clear my head and I’m always careful before heading out on my own. That being said, walking through these cabins is freaking creepy. They look like the type of place that Michael Myers might use to spy on unsuspecting hikers and then jump out and serial-kill their asses. The cabins also kind of look like the place where the Others live on “LOST,” which isn’t that much more reassuring.

If you have an over-active imagination like yours truly, scoot through these cabins to find where the trail picks up past the stream. If you like the idea of getting chopped up into little pieces, explore away.

Continue on the trail for another 30 minutes past the creepy cabins and a small series of switchbacks will lead you to Hoegee’s Campground (about 1 hour/2 miles in). Here you will find more creepy cabins and the trail will take you back and forth across the stream. Past the creek, the trail travels up and leads you to a fork; the right path will take you for another 1 1/4 miles to Mt Zion, while the Upper Winter Creek trail to the left winds upwards along the edge of the mountain for 3 miles to lead you back to the parking lot. (A few hundred feet further, you can also opt to hike another 4.5 miles to Mt Wilson)

A series of switchbacks open up as the trail winds along the side of the mountain back towards the direction of Chantry Flats. Be aware of the steep drop-offs to the left, if you drop your phone while trying to take a picture, it ain’t coming back. Once the trail levels out, it continues steadily and opens up to some amazing views through the trees. After about another 45 min-1 hour, you’ll be able to see the parking lot below and the trail dips down to rejoin the upper fire road which will lead you back to your starting point.

The 411:

Distance: 6 miles roundtrip

Time: 3 hours, add about 30-40 minutes for wilderness explorer-style photo ops and crawling around on boulders

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Elevation Gain: 1,300 feet. The trail ascends slowly for the majority of the hike, so gradually in fact that you never really notice that you’re going uphill… until the last 100 feet and you find yourself wishing there was an escalator to take you back down.

Condition: Well maintained for the first 2 miles, then sometimes the trail escapes you as you wind through the pine forest. Luckily, there was snow on the ground and it was easy to track the prints of previous hikers. Then again, there was always the option of leaving behind a trail of miniature snowmen.

Trailhead: From the Angeles Crest Highway, drive about 45 minutes for 35 miles. The trail begins right past the Waterman Ski Lift. Park in either the small lot to the side of the road, or in the Buckhorn Day Use site. The trail can be accessed by two paths, located within about 100 feet of each other. The first begins beyond a peeling signpost, while the other is located directly across from the Buckhorn lot through a white metal gate. Walk up the dirt road and trailhead can be located to the left of the path.

The Rundown: Snowmen, runaway logs and sandwich-related fantasies: Just a few of the highlights of this epic hiking experience.

I’m always a fan of hikes that let the hiker climb to tree-line and expose this “Ooh” and “Ahh” inducing reaction due to the sheer awesomeness of the panoramic views. The first two miles of the hike ascend gradually (so gradually, there is minimal presence of burning in the thigh area!) through a covered path, shaded by redwoods and massive pines. Being mid-winter, the path had a decent amount of snow covering the trail, which provided excellent entertainment in the form of snowmen-building. (We named ours “Ben.”)

Pretty Narnia-esque, if you ask me. Luckily, I had these two dashing young men to keep me company.

After about a 1.5 miles, the trail curves around a ridge to reveal a spectacular view. This portion of the hike is simply fantastic. Every bend opens to postcard-worthy landscapes, which only improve as you continue to climb.

(At this point in the hike, someone *cough*Naseem*cough* managed to loosen a log, which then proceeded to chase him and Dom down a portion of a hill. Being the loyal friend that I am, I stood by, pointing and laughing.)

Another .5 miles up the mountain, you’ll find a weathered sign, directing you either .75 up to the summit of Mt. Waterman or to continue straight to Twin Peaks, another 3 miles. From this point on, the trail continues in a series of switchbacks, which really aren’t so bad, until about 200 feet from the summit. During this short but painful stretch, we began to hallucinate. Where most hikers would have seen a rocky, majestic summit, this was all we could fathom:

Sandwiches. It was clear that we were in luck: The reward from this hike would not only take form in the personal triumph of conquering an 8000 ft mountain, but also in the form of getting to lunch on our tasty sandwiches. Spoiler alert: They were awesome.

The summit provides excellent panoramic views if you feel comfortable scrambling to the top of the pile of large boulders. Out in the open, we could see the surrounding mountains disappearing and reemerging from a curtain of fog and clouds. The exposure to the winds made it quite a bit chillier than than the protection of the trees, but the excitement of such beautiful, secluded wilderness more than compensates.