Our Backyard

Santa Anita Canyon -- Los Angeles

Ultralight Backpacking Dog Tackles LA Trails

Mt. Wilson, CA -- Andy is a 14-pound chiweenie (dachshund and chihuahua mix). This little dog loves to hike. For a small "designer dog," he knows how to put on the miles.

An average backpack for us, like the one above, we will hike up to 20-miles or more a day. He does great and never complains. The secrete is in pacing and obedience; my wife and I taught Andy to walk behind us and not run ahead. By doing this, we estimate he saves more than twice the energy than most off-leash dogs, chasing squirrels, sniffing out holes and sprinting after deer. As for the leash violation: I take my chances with the authorities, but only remove the leash once we are well into the wilderness and away from people. Plus, being an ultralight backpacker, every gram counts. The same goes for the dog, a leash actually weighs a few ounces and pulls on his neck. I even made an ultralight collar my little buddy!

This photo was approximately mile 10 on a 17-mile day with about 3,000 vertical feet of climbing.I estimate he has at least 300 miles logged. Not bad for a wiener dog.

Been A Long Time

Mountains Above LA -- Yes, I've taken a long-needed break from DFLA. My wife, Amber and I, have been trekking the local hills as well as the trails of the High Sierra with our trusty dog, Andy. The photo above is of us after a 25 mile weekend in the San Gabriel Mountains, a one-hour drive from our back door in Pasadena.

Life is busy but good. I hope to get back to my regular posts soon. Stay tuned.

Exploring LA's Backyard

Big Santa Anita Canyon -- Friday after work, my wife and I grabbed our backpacks and drove a short 20-minutes to the trailhead where we began our overnight adventure. We left the high tech, flat lands of Los Angeles for the low tech trail and rushing streams of our nearby mountains. What a great way to start off a weekend.

Pine Cones of Henninger Flats

The trail head begins in Pasadena, my home town. A short yet steep hike ends at a place called Henninger Flats.

Early Winter Hits L.A.

The foothills of Los Angeles had a nice sprinkling of snow this morning. Temperatures were below normal, yet still way above what most states and countries consider "cold."

LA Foothills

Corona, CA -- On a clear day, viability can be more than 100 miles. Winds from the North/East help as heated, desert air whisks up and over the mountain into the LA basin, making for picture-perfect days.

Happy Trails of LA

Lately, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on hiking. Not just with me but with America. Walk into any REI or Sport Chalet and you see oceans of merchandise directed to those socializing with Miss Terra Firma. Other than the new slim-fit shirts sold for $128 at Nordys, the ever-popular safari (or Sahara) shirts that boast of repelling both the suns UV rays and mosquitoes, has hit the fashion scene. Cotton is out—polyester-blend in. Wow, who would of thunk?

Trends come and go—just like the great hiking eras of the late 1800s and the 1920s in Los Angeles, people rediscover hidden treasures, often in their own proverbial back yards.

John Denver gave voice to another great outdoors period in the 70s ushering in a love for granola, pet rocks and freeze-dried scrambled eggs. But the new wave, techno culture of the 80s squelches most camp-lovers and replaced the sleeping bag with Starbucks and the satellite TV atop the RV.

Although the outdoor recreation retail stores sell more GPS’ than backpacks, there does seem to be an insurgence of back-to-nature people hitting the trails. Many of us sit for hours at work behind the LCD screen, then drive home with ear bud in place, referring to the portable GPS in the car and finally logging onto the family PC to catch up with friends on Myspace, Facebook and Twitter. Even the local gym has TV screens in front of the treadmills…. At some point we get sick of the screen!

Enter Terra
I’ve been guilty of “hiking while on ‘Pod.” At least the music I am listening to is a sort of soundtrack to my walkabout experience. How can John Barry not add to a setting sun on the trail? But I think most people I see on the trail are mostly interested in getting away. What is cheaper than a walk on the trail?

The Asian community caught onto hiking. They are a perfect example of the outdoor enthusiast consumer. Typically dressed in North Face zip-off pants, long sleeve shirt (UPF 30+), an explorer hat, trekking poles and friendly smiles on their face, they are living out the great hiking era of the 2000s. They understand. That makes me happy.

I too have jumped back on that Nature Valley trail. Although hiking has been a large part of my recreational life since high school, I seem to rediscover the beauty of hiking each week, educating myself on flora and fauna as well as using time alone on the trail to think, and time with others to socialize and build community.

Never once have I regretted making the decision to hike over watching TV.