Back to Big Santa Anita Canyon

So, the training continues. The Mountain Goats (MG's) had planned a second trip back into the Big Santa Anita Canyon to continue with our training and to attempt our first summit. Which we decided would be Mt. Wilson for those not paying attention. Since the first attempt at getting the MG's to a meeting to discuss the trip last go 'round was something akin to hurding cats I just sent out an email saying I would meet everyone at 7:00am at the Denny's down the street from REI in Arcadia for breakfast.

The email went out about a week before we were to meet on March 28, 2009. Everyone started buzzing about going again and then life and other interests got in the way. Mike M. had a beach party and a baseball game, which I hear both went very well. Adam had to meet folks about the paperwork for the house he is buying. Dennis just flaked out. His words not mine.

Mike P. and I talked about just calling the whole trip off and then decided we would just day hike it instead of making it an over night trip. Mind you this was going to be a full day! From Chantry Flats to the summit is 7 miles. Then you have to make it back before the gate to Chantry Flats is locked.

Mike P. and I met at Denny's as scheduled ate our Grandslams and then stopped at REI so I could pick up a new spork. I either lost it on our last trip or someone mistakenly picked it up and has it in their pack. Either way, I was lacking one and didn't really want to use my fingers to eat tuna salad later.

Well, riddle me this Batman. Why does a store that specializes in outdoor gear not open until 10:00am. This makes no sense to me at all. I decided I would just have to scoop the tuna with my crackers and deal.

We drove up the road to Chantry and found the all the parking lots packed. Yet another lesson learned. I is going to be a busy season at the trailheads and if you want to get close parking you had better arrive early. We had to park about a mile down the road from Chantry and hike back up. Not a big deal really, this being a training hike and all.

We made a pit stop at the restroom and set out for the trailhead. Over breakfast Mike and I had discussed the fact that if we attempted to summit much of our decent would be in the dark and that just didn't sound wise. Not to mention there was a good chance the Chantry road gate may be locked before we got back to the car. We opted to do the Winter Creek loop instead.

Winter Creek trail is split in two by Hoggie's Campground. There is upper and lower Winter Creek trail. We had returned on lower last time we were in the canyon when we returned from Spruce Grove campground. It was not a great way to end the day so chose to hike in on lower and return on upper which cuts out that nasty accent from the green bridge back to Chantry Flats right at the end.

The hike was great, although we did take about a mile detour toward Sturtevant Falls when we missed the trailhead. It's not very well marked, but at the green foot bridge we should have made a left and not a right. Back on trail we headed in along the creek. This trial has a beautiful canopy of trees all the way into Hoggie's Camp. Which was fortunate for me since I left my hat in the car. This section of the trail is 3 miles long and a pretty gentle climb for the most part.

I was testing out my new back pack that I had just picked up the night before. I had spent way too much time reading reviews and specs on packs and finally settled on the REI Flash 50. The Flash 65 won Backpacker Magazine Editor's Choice award this year and my pack is its smaller twin brother. And after my first hike with it I'm glad I picked it. It is an internal frame, 3,051 cubic inch, 50 liter, 2lbs.10oz., wonder! Mind you, I was still using my external frame pack I have had for more than 30 years. I get my money's worth out of my gear. This pack has a great suspention system and has plenty of room for my gear and food. It also has an internal sleeve and hooks for a bladder. Backpacking gear has come a long way baby! I also picked up a 3.0L Platypus hoser bladder when I bought my pack and it fit in the sleeve nicely. It will take a little geting use to having not been one to drink from a tube but, so far so good. Some people don't like Platypus because it has a small fill opening. I don't plan to use it for anything except water. So this was not that big of a concern for me. When I want to use mixes or something more difficult to clean out, I plan to use a wide mouth bottle in addition to the bladder. If I have learned one thing over the years backpacking it is to hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate some more.

We reached Hoggie's dropped our packs and sat down for some well earned snacks. Hoggie's is a bit larger campground compared to Spruce Grove. Being on the Winter Creek Trail it has a lot more people going through it too. Many people use this as a day hike trail since it is only a 5.5 mile loop. Here is a bad picture of the entrance to Hoggie's Camp. The yellow sign has the camp name on it although you can't read it here. Mike and I finish up our snacks, the crackers worked well enough and I was able to scoop my tuna without, too much of a mess, then headed back to Chantry Flats via the Upper Winter Creek Trail. The trail out of Hoggie's is an easy hike back down to Chantry and it has some very pretty views look back toward the valley. You can actually see the Chantry parking lots and people milling about from the trail at a couple points along the way. Mike and I made this trip with the stop at Hoggie's in about 4 hours. Not bad eh? I did have a little more trouble with my right knee this time so I will be purchasing a wrap of some kind before the next time. So until then, happy hiking and get out there!

The Mountain Goats first Adventure or Yup we need more training.

Hello again readers, if indeed there are any out there.

So I've been continuing my training. Each Sunday I've gone out to the Crenshaw extension and got in a few more miles. Still haven't managed to get back in the gym and paid for it. Just can't seem to get out of the office in time to make it there and still have time for dinner and C. I have not given up on the idea however. Enough of that. On with the excitement of our first weekend out in the mountains.

Who are the Mountain Goats you ask? That's the name I've given our merry band of hikers. No I didn't ask permission I just needed a name and presto! It popped in my head. No one seems to mind too much. At least not to my face.

For our first foray into the "mountains" we had decided not to go out too far and since our first summit will be Mt. Wilson, California, we decided that the Big Santa Anita Canyon area would be as good as any place to start our first hike together.

The plan was to hike from Chantry Flats Campground which is located at the end of Santa Anita Avenue off of the 210 Freeway in Arcadia, California. It requires a U.S. Forest Service Adventure Pass to park in the area near Chantry Flats so we decided car pooling would be a good idea. You can purchase an Adventure Pass for the day or the year at REI and most other outdoor stores. They can also be purchased at some Ranger stations check the U.S. Forestry website for more information.

The morning started off well. C and I got up and had breakfast then headed over to REI in Manhattan Beach for the used gear sale to see if we could find any bargins. Which we did. She picked up a pair of hiking capri pants for a great deal and we found a portable table for our car camping trips for $14.00. I highly recommend checking out the used gear sales but, get there early as you can stand to get the real deals. C was going on this little excursion so Scott and his lady friend Kathrine met us there in the parking lot so I could catch a ride.

Mike P had a 5K he was running that morning so the had talked about just meeting up after in the parking lot at REI Manhattan Beach. When Mike was a no show Scott called him and he said he was waiting at the REI in Arcadia with Mike M. It's just off the freeway on Santa Anita Avenue which is where we turn off to head up the mountain anyway. So off we went to meet up with the others. Only got lost once on the way there too. Once we arrived we decided which vehicle would stay and who would ride with who. Good news, REI Acadia will allow you to park in their parking lot overnight so long as you let the Manager know before you leave.

It's about six miles up Santa Anita Avenue to Chantry Flats Campground. By the way, this is a very popular place. Parking is at a prememum so car pooling is not just a good idea but, necessary. There are several trail heads that start at Chantry Flats so make sure you know where you are going before you set out. We almost started off in the wrong direction ourselves.

We chose to take the Gabrielino Trail out of Chantry to Spruce Grove campground, which is a no charge trail side camp and first come first served. Along the trail we came to a sign showing Strurtenvant Falls was half a mile down a side trail and we decided that we couldn't pass up the falls. We stopped at the falls where there we at least 20 to 25 day hikers enjoying the afternoon. It was nice to drop our packs and have a snack since we didn't even get to the trail head until around 1:30 pm and my breakfast was long gone. Mike M brought his dog Hobart along and he was great. Fun to watch on the trail and enjoyed the other people we encountered on our way. Hobart loves the water too. He was having a grand ol' time running and splashing in the pool at the bottom of the falls. Okay, so he was doing what we all wish we could have done without getting a lot of people pointing and laughing.

So after a short break it was back to the trail Hobart and Mike M leading the way. Oh, Hobart has a thing for finding the biggest "stick" (read tree trunk) around. He like carrying it down the trail in his mouth trying to take our legs out as he goes. I think Mike P got the worst of it at least once. It was funny to watch although I'm sure it didn't feel great at the time.

After, we got back to the trail the real climb started. It was a pretty view of the falls from the top side but, as you go into on the trail gets much steeper and it doesn't let up until you reach Spruce Grove. The elevation change from the falls at 2,125' to Spruce Grove at 3,100' is over about 2 miles, a gain of almost 1,000 feet. I know it doesn't sound like much but, it seemed like a great deal more. The trail itself was in a word, beautiful. Not much of it was exposed due to the wonderfully lush canopy. The trail follows the creek all the way into camp. The way Spruce Grove is situated you won't even know you have arrived until you have stepped foot into the campground.

I haven't been that excited to camp in a very long time. Yes, I was pulling up the rear and there was the team just sitting there when I arrived. Mike P and I discussed later that we deffinitly needed to get more workouts in and probably needed to get to the gym too.

On our way into camp we passed a troop of Boy Scouts that had just done camp maintenance on our soon to be home for the evening. Not only had they painted the "out house" but, we had a brand spanking new fire ring, with its own pile of wood. Well, there's no rest for the wicked or hikers that start late. It was already starting to get darker than we expected and tents needed pitching.

Mike P had his brand new solo tent with him and I had my 700 lbs. Coleman tent. I won't be hiking that thing again anytime soon. The others decided it wasn't going to be cold enough to worry about a tent and chose to sleep under the stars. I helped Mike P figure out his new tent and it went up in a hurry once we relized which part was the rainfly and which part was the tent. Ah, lesson learned, never set up a tent for the first time in the field. I had mine up pretty quickly after that and was ready for dinner.

I decided to try out a new (new to me) freeze dryed meal. I did some research before shopping and found that the Mountain House Beef Stroganoff had received some high praise. Let me tell you brother, that's some great freeze dryed eats. I will be getting that one again and again. Love that fact that you just boil the water and pour it in the pouch. No extra dishes to wash!

After dinner it was time to get out drink on! Scott and Kathrine had hiked in beer. Glad I didn't carry it! I had my flask full of JD and Mike M had a full bottle of Maker's Mark. He's young and in good shape so hey. . . . why not? We had a nice fire going and started sharing stories about this and that. There was even some sill discussion about getting up "real" early and summiting Wilson, which was only three more miles up the trail. It was a great evening and everyone seemed to enjoy being out of the city. I couldn't believe how many stars I could see. It's been much too long since I've really had a chance to stop and look up in the sky away from all the light pollution of the city.

It wasn't too long until the fire started to die down and everyone started thinking of our warm sleeping bags waiting. Mike M, Scott, and Kathrine figured they would sleep up near the fire ring which might provide a little warmth since they had no tents. I went down to my tent and climbed into my new sleeping bag.

It was an REI, UL Nooksack UL +35, which I was trying out for the first time this trip. I hadn't had a chance to try it out before the trip since I had to have it transfered to my local store. It would have been ideal except it was a little too small through the shoulders. It was pleanty warm and very light for a synthetic bag, weighing in at less than 2 lbs., but, I didn't sleep more than an hour without waking because it was so constricting. Let me tell you how happy I was I purchased it at REI. They have the best return policy around.

When morning arrived I was ready to get up and enjoy the day. Breakfast was instant oatmeal and instant espresso. Oh, there was no summiting going to happen this morning either. Scott and Kathrine had changed their minds. Not a lot of time to stand around this morning since some of the merry band had to get home and study. So we packed up and set off back down the trail. This went pretty darn well until we found out that there is a 700' gain over the last half mile coming back into Chantry Flats. Ouch! We survived to tell the tale and found out that we might want to try another trail back into Chantry Flats next time.

Too celebrate we stopped at In and Out for lunch and boy was it good!

That's it for now folks. S0 until next time, remember every minute you spend in nature adds to your life.

Day One of conditioning . . . or Blah!

Just now getting a chance to sit and write about this a little after the fact.

Okay so it was time to get things moving. I live in the South Bay area of Los Angeles and was hoping to find a few local trails to do some conditioning hiking just to get my base back. (Did I mention it has been a minute since I have done any thing you can call hiking.) So of course I jumped online as everyone does these days to find some likely suspects. I was very fortunate to find a great trail just few minutes away on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The trail is called the Crenshaw Extension Trail and Portuguese Bend Overlook. The Trail head is just down Crenshaw passed the Del Cerro park parking lot. It is a fire road that seems pretty well maintained. It starts with a long decent so you can get the hard stuff out of the way right off the bat. Everyone knows man was meant to go up hill right? I've seen varied distances on a couple different sights but, it is about 1.6 miles and I think it makes a good down and back. Link to trail information here: http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/PalosVerdes_4472.asp

The was to find something close that I can do regularly around six miles long. If I do this trail twice it's a little over six and I also get some decent elevation gain. It looks like it's about 350 feet over the less than a mile. It will get your heart pumping and wake up your legs.

I decided to try it out Sunday, January 18, 2009. I told Scott and Mike P. I was going to start around 8:00 am if they wanted to join me. Well, Mike P. had gone out the night before and wasn't up for any real, moving, breathing, or anything else. Scott had decided to go snowboarding the lucky bastage the day before. (Bastage, not a real word I know but, you get the idea.) And when I talked to him later he had hit the trail that afternoon instead on his mountain bike with his lady. So, I set out on my own.

When I arrived at the trail head it was a clear morning and about 53 degrees Fahrenheit. It seemed cooler with the slight breeze. I was wearing shorts, a cotton t-shirt and a fleece zip-up. It was perfect, or so I thought. I also had decided to start breaking in the new trail shoes. Being an old trailhound, I of course, forgot my sun glasses, hat and water bottle at the house. Okay, I was a little excited to get out and move in the world.

I stretched and set off. By the end of the first quarter mile I as already feeling my shins starting to ache and had shed the fleece. I saw many people on the trail coming and going. It appears to be a popular trail by hikers, runners, and a few mountain bikers. It wasn't crowded and saying hello to others on the trail helped pass the time. Before I knew it I was at the bottom of the trail and had only to make the short climb at the far end to Barn Owl lookout. Once I got to the lookout point I rested just long enough to check out the view and started back.

Okay, the hike back was a little more work, being almost all up hill back to Del Cerro. Without water it was a bit more uncomfortable than I was hoping. Legs were tired and I could drink a river dry but, it was all good for a first day back on a trail. No blisters and the new shoes were very comfortable. I did notice a little rubbing on my right ankle so I'll have to try a different sock next time.

I had promised my Honey (Crystal) that I would accompany her to a bead show that afternoon so I needed to get back and shower. The shower felt great and I figured the walking at the bead show would help keep my legs from getting too tight. I was right about that but, boy my feet were tired after four hours more of walking and standing.

It’s Gear hunting season!

Yes, it's gear hunting season.

So the Trailgoon suggests that for ultra-light hiking you don’t need to wear the big heavy boots. Now, don’t get me wrong. They still have their place, for example, on the trail with a 65 lbs. pack or in winter snow and ice. But, being that I’m going light weight on this trip I’m giving his suggestion to wear trail runners and trekking poles a try. Yes, nice light weight trail running shoes, which weigh ounces and not pounds. Wearing light weight shoes you do give up some ankle support so the trekking poles help with stability. I have never used trekking poles so that will take a bit of getting used to but, I’m game.

I headed back over to REI which is having its big year end sale. As I walked in and turned to my left what was the first thing my eyes fell upon. A stand of trekking poles and the beauty part was that they were on sale. I looked through the dangling rack and found they had not just the low end heavy poles but, the REI Peak UL Carbon telescoping poles. These babies weigh in at a whole 12.5 oz. Very comfortable padded grips and these usually go for $139.00 for the pair, where on sale for $54.00. It was a successful hunting trip and I had only made it ten feet into the store.

Feeling lucky, I continued and moved on to the shoe department. They have a very nice selection of trail runners and lightweight hiking shoes, so this was going to take a while. I found a friendly REI person and told her what I was looking for. She said, I needed to speak to Linda who was the resident shoe guru. Shortly, Linda came walking up and asked me how she could help. I explained what my plan was and she showed me several options. Then the light bulb went off and she walked over to the clearance rack. She handed me a box of Merrel's. I have heard of Merrell and know they make a good shoe, so I was happy. I pulled them out but, they were a little small. I went on to try just about every shoe she had. I loved the Merrell Moab Ventilators but, they are dry weather shoes and I like to do a lot of hiking where I have the potential to get wet. I also, can't presently afford both a dry and wet weather shoe. So I tried some of them on again and back and forth I went. Then for some reason I thought I would check the clearance rack one more time and presto there was a Merrell box under a larger box that I had missed previously. It was a pair of Grey and Red Merrell Chameleon Wrap Gore Tex XCR's. I tried them on and what do you know. They fit perfectly. But wait there's more! These usually sold for $120.00 and I got them for $60.00.

Well, that was enough for me. Wasn't going to press my luck and a good hunter knows when it's time to hike back out and be happy with what he bagged.

REI Preparing for Mount Whitney Clinic

Wednesday night arrived and right after work I headed over to REI in Manhattan Beach for the “Preparing for Mount Whitney” clinic that Scott had told me about. I was interested to see what the presenter had to say. I arrived and wondered around the big kid toy store like a five year old in FAO Schwartz. It had been a long time since I’d been in an REI and I really wanted to just take my time and check things out but, the clinic was about to start and I needed to find where it was being held. I turned the corner of the aisle and Scott was approaching with a guy who seemed twice his height. I said hello and Scott introduced me to Tyler. Tyler is Scott’s buddy from college and it looks like he will be on the Whitney team. We showed up just in time to get a seat before the clinic began.

Greg Patrick (A.K.A., Trailgoon) was the presenter and he knows his stuff. It has been a long time since I’ve been up this mountain and I wondered what had changed, as far as how to approach it and prepare. He covered everything. I’m not sure how many times he has summated but, during the clinic he spoke of at least three separate occasions. Not long after Greg began I turned to see where Scott and Tyler found seats just as Mike P. had showed up. Mike P. is another workmate who said he would like to join us on this little adventure.

Greg covered everything from permits to pooping in a bag. No more chemical toilets. It seems that using a helicopter to do maintenance had gotten a little too expensive. He showed us the six “standard” routes. The (main) Whitney trail, Cottonwood, Kearsarge pass, Crabtree pass, Mountaineer’s route and JMT. All of these trails have very different features. I’m pretty sure our intrepid adventurers will head up the Whitney trail, which is an eleven mile hike from Whitney Portal that requires no technical climbing. We haven’t discussed the route yet but, I get the feeling not everyone in the group has done a lot of hiking, little to no technical climbs.
Greg talked about AMS (acute altitude sickness) and other altitude related issues. Not a fun part of the presentation but, absolutely necessary. Of all the thousands of people who attempt to summit each year two thirds never make it. There are a lot of reasons but, most fail to plan, train properly, follow some sensible altitude rules, or a combination of these. My goal is to get our whole team to the summit and back down safely and enjoyably as possible.

For me the biggest tip and most interesting idea was he suggests going as light as possible. This is known is known as Ultra-Light hiking. Being from the old school of hiking, which basically means carrying everything thing and a few extras just in case someone forgets theirs; I was thinking I would be carrying a 45 lbs. pack up this mountain again. According to Greg, if you have the right gear you can complete this hike with considerably less weight. The goal is to carry no more than 15 – 20 lbs. Yep, including food. Let me just say how good that sounds. It makes a lot of sense too. Carry less weight and your body doesn’t have to work as hard, which means less stress, which means more fun. You can look around more and enjoy the trip more. Ah, there is something to be said about modern technology.

The clinic went fast and it was very much an overview, so Greg told us we could get more information on his Yahoo group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hikingmtwhitney/There is a great deal of information, such as a lightweight gear list, maps of the routes, other goodies. After the clinic Scott, Tyler and I must have talked for 20 minutes in the parking lot about ideas that had come to us while sitting in the clinic. This is going to be a fun year!

And so it begins!

Hello out there. Is this thing on? Can anyone hear me? Okay, well. Here goes nothing. I am Aidan and this is a blog about my adventures for the next year as I prepare to hike Mount Whitney. I hope I can keep it up, as I have never successfully keep a journal, diary, or blog going for very long.

I guess I should start with a little about myself. I am a forty something male, living in the Los Angeles, South Bay area of Southern California with my girlfriend Crystal. I am a father of two, (from my first marriage) and grand-father of two (just last year). For a guy in my forties, I would say I'm in reasonably good shape, although since I started the new job I have neglected the gym and put on about five pounds over the holidays.

I am an experienced hiker, although most of the miles I have logged where in my youth as a Boy scout. It was an addiction. I was a member of troop 281 which was a high adventure troop. We hiked year 'round and on the average did a hike a month. I have been on all the major trails in California and portions multiple times. However, that seems a lifetime ago as I think about what lays before me now.

My last hike of note would have been, on the trail to the Seven Lakes above Bishop in 1995. Yes, for those keeping score, almost 15 years, ago. It was a beautiful morning as we hit the trailhead around 6:00am. The sky was clear and blue. The air was crisp and I couldn't wait. It had been several years since I had been out on the trail due to family and school obligations. The four of us set out at a good pace with Bill in the lead and a plan to make it up to the seventh lake to make camp and fish along the way. Bill a friend of mine, was the point man and made this trek regularly. We made it up to the fifth lake; wet our lines for about 20 minutes and the sky opened up. I'll be honest, this wasn't actually rain. It was more a deluge. I was prepared, like all good Boy scouts are. I checked with my Dad and he said he had his rain gear on him and wasn't all that concerned but Bill wasn't interested in staying and so down the mountain we went. Let me say it was a brisk march back to the trooper in a full down pour. Life went on after that and although there have been many car camping trips no real hiking worth mentioning. That brings me to how the heck I decided hiking Whitney would be a great idea.

It’s all Scott’s fault!

I was sitting in my office and Scott wondered. I asked how his weekend had been and we talked about this, that and the other thing. Then he mentioned he was considering going to the Preparing to Hiking Mount Whitney seminar at REI. A light came on over my head and a bell rang in my ears. I told him that sounded like a great idea and asked if he would mind if I tagged along. He said, no he didn’t mind, then I explained I had hike Whitney twice before and would love to do it again.

And that is all it took.

Stay tuned.