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.