“Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra For the past three months, nature has been an important refuge for many Americans, providing exercise, fresh air and a relief from the stresses and uncertainty of COVID-19 and quarantining. However, with more and more people taking to the trails, overcrowding has become a problem…
Read more Five ways to pick social distancing friendly hikes
Right or wrong, the term “Prepper” has certain connotations. However, Dr. William Forgey’s “Prepper’s Medical Handbook” isn’t necessarily aimed at doomsday believers. (Given the current social and political state of the world, the idea of prepping for doomsday might not seem as crazy as it one did…but I’ll leave that idea for another blog post.)…
Read more Book review: “The Prepper’s Medical Handbook” by William W. Forgey, MD
“Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.” – Reese Witherspoon, “Legally Blonde” I celebrated my 45th birthday with a hike. Even as I enjoyed the views from the top and along the way, the sounds of trickling streams and the peace and quiet, I couldn’t help feeling…
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Nobody Hikes in L.A.’s debut, I decided to revisit my hiking roots. This is an essay I wrote in 8th grade about a 1988 backpacking trip on the Wapack Trail in New Hampshire. Other than some spelling and punctuation corrections, I have made no edits. Enjoy! Wildwood Nature…
San Jacinto Peak and Mt. Baldy are often thought of as the second and third tallest mountains in Southern California, behind San Gorgonio. In fact, they rank #6 and #22. However, as the tallest mountains in their ranges, San Jacinto and Mt. Baldy are better known than the actual #2 and #3 summits: Jepson Peak…
As an outdoor enthusiast, I’ve been hiking and backpacking for over 10 years and I love sharing my experiences with fellow outdoor lovers. In this article, I will cover every factor you need to consider before purchasing a sleeping bag. There are several essentials when it comes to camping, but a sleeping bag is the…
Photos: Trish Flynn In February, I was contacted by Size up Apparel about reviewing one of their products and I picked the puffer jacket which features a water resistant polyester shell, padded baffles, a hood and four pockets (two inside, two outside). When COVID-19 shut down many trails in Los Angeles and elsewhere, I decided…
Special thanks to Leo Lockeretz who assisted with research for this review. The PrimeStick from Dynamo is billed as the “world’s only combination cane, walking stick and trekking pole.” When the company asked me to review the stick, I expressed concern that, given the restrictions placed on many trails in the Los Angeles area and…
Instagram personality Ava Louise will be leading a hike at Walker Canyon in Lake Elsinore. The Dr. Phil alumna recently posted a picture of herself lying in a bed of California golden poppies and captioned it, “At first, when I found out where Lake Elsinore was, I was all, you want me to go to…
All photos by James Redden What is Lake Baikal?* It’s the largest freshwater lake in the world. Estimates suggest that the 400 mile long, one mile deep body contains one fifth of all the world’s fresh water. To give you an idea of the scale, it even has a 43 mile long in the center.…
Read more Traversing Siberia’s Lake Baikal: An interview with James Redden of TrekSumo
Photo credit: bluepoetje Leave No Trace. It seems self-explanatory, right? If you spend time camping in the wilderness, pack out all your trash, leave the site as you found it and don’t feed the wildlife. Yet, time and time again, ill-prepared and ill-informed people get themselves into trouble or at the very least ruin a…
Read more How to lower your impact on the environment while camping: Guest post by Mildred Delgado
“Early to bed and early to rise. Out jogging about 5:30am. Jog a mile and walk it back briskly. It takes me 12 minutes to jog the mile and 15 minutes to walk it. Do some upper trunk exercises, work in the yard, and walk to the market, and work.” -Hulda “Grandma Whitney” Crooks (1896-1997;…
Read more Top tips for active seniors interested in hiking: Guest post by Ashley Halsey
Buying a tent may seem simple at first glance. But, with so many options on the market, how do you choose one that’s not too big, not too expensive, but “just right?” That’s why I wrote this guide. Inside, you’ll learn everything you need to know about picking a tent. We’ll go over what factors…
It’s that time again – to look back at 2019 and recall some of the best hikes from the year. Long-time followers of this site know that it is a tradition to list the top hikes of each year and for the second year, we are spotlighting the hikes whose write-ups received the most traffic.…
There are plenty of locations to hike near Los Angeles. Many people enjoy getting lost in nature and observing the world around them while they’re hiking. But what if you could also go for a treasure hunt? Yes, that is right. There is more than just nature lurking out there waiting to be discovered. All…
Read more Treasure Hunting in LA: Combining Hiking and Geocaching
Almost everyone loves to travel as it introduces us to new experiences and create long-lasting memories. An increasingly popular trend in traveling is backpacking: traveling with simply a bag and its contents. Backpacking is usually dependent on public transportation, hitchhiking, and shelter is usually found at more public locations rather than homes for rent. Backpacking…
Photo: Fred Green Part of the joy of hiking is finding new locations to explore and discover. If you’re an avid hiker, you might have already explored all the trails around your house and need a change of scenery. A small trip to a new location might be exactly what you need. Small islands are…
Read more Small islands that are great for weekend hiking trips
We are proud to announce our 2019 Will Hike for Food hike and food drive! Once again we will be collaborating with Walking Pasasdena and collecting food items for donation to Friends in Deed. The hike will take place at Cherry Canyon Park in Glendale. Approximate distance will be 3 miles with some moderate climbing.…
Long before the Catskill Mountains of New York State became known as the Borscht Belt, glacial snowmelt from the Ice Age was carving streams and canyons through the region. Numerous waterfalls were created as a result of this activity. This edition of Beyond L.A. spotlights Kaaterskill Fallls, the highest waterfall in the state (including Niagara)…
Read more Beyond L.A.: Three waterfalls in the Catskills (Upstate New York)
Featured photo: Mailsparky Worried that your kid cannot read a map? Want to teach children some basic map reading skills quickly and effortlessly? Find out how learning map navigation can be useful for your child’s education and how you can make learning fun. In the era of GPS navigation, the actual map reading skills are…
