My next big scheme has percolated into my brain. I've been looking at Joshua Tree National Park closely. There is a trail from the entrance at Black Rock Campground to the Northern Entrance Station known as the California Riding and... Continue Reading →
The 17th was National Hiking Day! I decided to head back into the wilds north of Castaic lake to visit a little-known gem knows as Fish Canyon Narrows. North of Castaic in the Sierra Pelona, I'm hiking to the southernmost... Continue Reading →
This morning the sunrise was a lovely pink. By mid-day it had worked its way up to a yellowish-orange. At 5 pm it was no longer visible. It is said that nuclear war will introduce so much smoke and soot... Continue Reading →
Current map of the Bobcat fire as of the time of posting. Yellow burned 12 hours ago, red is burning now. The lines are 20-30 mph winds from the southwest. They can reverse direction very quickly. To the south are... Continue Reading →
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. And get up there earlier, dammit! A week later from the last time I posted (To Hike...) I went back up to the mountains determined to get to Grouse Mountain for... Continue Reading →
I like to freehike as most of you know. This has been a bad summer for it. It got hot in June and stayed that way. we just got our first real break from triple-digit weather. Today was a mellow... Continue Reading →
Featured image from LA Co. Firefighters Local 1014. Yesterday this was the Lake fire. In the closeup, you can clearly see the wind direction, blowing from the east and averaging about 10 miles an hour. I added a cloud cover... Continue Reading →
CalTopo is a very useful mapping tool. It is mapping software that takes a standard topographic map and allows you to overlay information from a variety of sources. You can adjust the opacity of each layer to make the data... Continue Reading →
Photograph: Myung J Chun/Los Angeles Times/Rex/Shutterstock Welcome to Southern California! This is the first really big fire of the year for us. The featured image is the view looking north from Santa Clarita. The "Lake Fire" is burning through steep... Continue Reading →