Archive for: January 2012

Driving to Mammoth in January 2012

Jan. 28 Skiing, US 2 comments

One of our tamer adventures has to be skiing. We try to make it a few times every season, which seems crazy for life-long skiers, but there are so many things in Southern California that compete with skiing in the Winter. The months of October to May are ‘red tag’ season, when dirt bikes that aren’t quiet and polite (our kind) can be ridden in the many off-road areas around Los Angeles. Those same months are also the ideal time to hike and climb. It is hard to live somewhere with so many competing activities. But we must ski…

Packing up

Mammoth is a five-hour drive from the LA Basin, through the Coastal Range, across the Mojave Desert, and then up the Owens Valley on the eastern side of the state. It is a gorgeous drive that passes through so many climate zones that that it has the scenery of thousands of miles. It also makes its way from the very modern city of LA to a land that time forgot, where sagebrush tumbles across Highway 395 and roadside stands sell homemade beef jerky. Entering Owens Valley means passing the highest peak of the Lower forty eight states and also seeing the turnoff for Death Valley, the lowest point. It is a trip of extremes.

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert sits in the rain shadow of the Coastal Range, the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains. Funny to read that the definition of the Mojave versus the Sonoran Desert is the presence of Joshua Trees, that crazy cactus-looking ‘tree’. Most people are surprised to find out that Las Vegas is part of the Mojave, which also includes a slice of Arizona. It has an average July temperature of 100 degrees (43.6 degrees C), making it much more interesting in the Winter months. Heading for Mammoth means crossing the northern part of the Mojave before turning north to the Owens Valley.

Owens Valley

An enormous valley that runs 75 miles (120 km) between the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range and the White Mountains, the Owens Valley is in the rain shadow of two major ranges. It is dry but has the Owens River running down the center until it is diverted to provide half of the water supply for Los Angeles. The California Water Wars were fought over this river and the backdrop for the movie China Town. It is a gorgeous place with mountains on each side often called “cathedral peaks” for their snowy grandeur.

Mammoth

Once through towns like Lone Pine and Big Pine and past the old-west look of Bishop, the highway climbs quickly to seven thousand feet and snow appears on the sides of the road. It becomes more alpine forest than sage brush just as the turnoff appears for Mammoth Lakes. Within a few minutes, the snow becomes deep and the condo appears. You’ve made it to skiing paradise. The mountain is appropriately named as it covers 3500 acres and has 31 lifts. With 30% of the terrain categorized as expert, it something for everyone in the family. Time to ski!

When adventure isn’t your job

Jan. 22 Advice, Checklists, Gear sites no comments

We know people who are paid to have an adventurous life, and we’ve interviewed a few like Eric Weihenmayer, Melissa Arnot, and Lee Farmer.  But what about the rest of us…those who have jobs and responsibilities that make it tougher to take the time and cover the expense of all of the things we’d love to do? We manage to have a great deal of adventure and are often asked, “when do you work?” and, “how do you afford it?” Here’s our advice for how to make it happen no matter what your circumstances:

Be ready to go

If it takes a great deal of effort to go, then you’ll make excuses not to. Every time we return from an adventure, we clean and dry our gear, fix anything that is broken, and have everything on shelves and in duffels in our garage so that we can find it quickly. We also have a master checklist broken down into sections that helps us quickly make sure we’re ready to go to the beach, climbing, or camping. The things we use most often, like our shoes, flash packs, headlamps and doggie water bowls are kept in the house where we can grab and go.

We find invariably that if don’t use our checklist, we forget critical things. Likewise, using a checklist makes us feel comfortable that we can make a decision about a hike very quickly and not feel stressed that we’re not thinking it through. Also, we always have extra canisters of fuel for our stoves, dehydrated food, MRE’s, and fully charged batteries. This way, we can leave any time of the day or night without stopping at a store or even worrying that a store is open.

Lastly, we have resources on the web, maps and books that allow us to quickly do research and pick something without taking large amounts of time to get all the information necessary. For Southern California, we use websites like Dan’s Hiking Pages, Modern Hiker, and SoCal Hiker. Having a few websites like these makes deciding and being prepared both stress free and quick.

Make adventure part of everything

When we have trips for work, we find ways to squeeze adventure into the mix, like when we hiked the first part of the Appalachian Trail while in Atlanta for business, or visited the Kennedy Space Center when at a conference in Orlando.

If you have an hour, find an adventure that takes an hour. For us this means hitting a trail near our home, like the Eaton Canyon First Waterfall. If we have a day, we find an adventure that can be done in a single day, like climbing Mt Baldy.  Too many people put off adventure because they have an idea that fun takes days or weeks. We have constant adventure because we take what time we have. Also, having small but consistent adventures increases your fitness and keeps your mind always open to finding new experiences.

Have a partner

We’re fortunate that we’re married and both enjoy the same things. Having someone you can rely on to share adventures makes it easy and more fun. For some of our friends whose wives don’t do the same things, we are their partners for adventures. You’ll be much more likely to carry out a plan if there’s someone else involved. If you don’t know anyone, there are great websites like Meet Up that will help you find partners.

Keeping the cost down

Your adventure doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. If you’re a beginner, buy good gear gradually, starting with great shoes. Hiking is inexpensive and an easy way to get started on the ‘right foot’. When you decide to invest more, buy only once by reading gear reviews and consulting with experts at the best stores like REI. Quality gear that is well treated will last for a long time, as opposed to inexpensive goods that in the end won’t save you at all. Don’t be afraid to use the internet to find the best prices but be aware that shipping costs and difficult returns could make the online experience not so competitive in price and service.

More than anything, get out there. The more you go, the more you’ll go. That sounds silly but is the heart of having great adventures.

Kennedy Space Center in January 2012

Jan. 15 Inspiration, Other adventures, US 3 comments

A business trip to Orlando gave us an excellent opportunity to visit the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Less than an hour from the Orlando Airport, the Center is an easy day trip into scientific reality so close to a city full of theme parks selling a world of fantasy. Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong instead of Mickey Mouse and Goofy. We stayed at one of the many hotels in nearby Cocoa Beach and planned to spend a full Sunday at the Space Center.

Exploration

For a government facility, it doesn’t come cheaply; adult tickets are $43 apiece. What you get, on the other hand, is to stand in the place where the greatest explorers of our time launched into Space. This is our modern equivalent of where Columbus departed the Old World, Shackleton stepped off for the South Pole, and Hillary departed for the summit of Mt Everest. Going into the unknown is something only a select few humans have ever done, and not all have returned to talk about it. It is the sort of adventure that is quite different from anything we do on our typical trails and peaks. We needed a visit to the Kennedy Space Center to get an idea of how these things are attempted.

Kennedy Space Center

The first thing to learn at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC, locally) is the enormity of the property itself. It takes a few miles of driving through Florida scrubland to reach the Visitors Center, which is still a few miles from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), one of the largest buildings in the world. It is large enough that there are coach buses as part of the tour.

We started with the IMAX Theatre and a surprisingly good film about the history of the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. From there we walked the Rocket Garden with its outdoor display of the various rockets used for space missions from the program’s start in the 50′s.

Launch Center – 39

Leaving the Visitor’s Center on NASA’s white buses, we made our way to LC-
39, home of the Observation Gantry, where 30 years of Shuttle launches were watched from a safe distance. It was a brief stop with a movie about the dedicated ground crews that made the Space Program so successful despite the difficulty and setbacks.

From there we boarded a different tour bus with a talkative and distracted driver who crossed the center line and nearly went off the shoulder as we careened toward our next stop. He managed to avoid an oncoming bus on the narrow road, and we were relieved to make it to the Apollo/Saturn V Center.

Apollo/Saturn V Center

The best film of all was the one we saw upon entering the Apollo/Saturn V Center, our third stop. It was a short but a very inspirational film about the Space Race and Kennedy’s commitment to land a man on the moon (and get him back safely–the part many forget). It covered the triumphs and the terrible tragedies the program experienced on the way to the Moon. There were several clips of rockets blowing up on launch, turning toward the earth just after lift off, and rockets off course needing to be remotely destroyed. They covered Apollo 1‘s tragic fire during a test and Apollo 13‘s “successful failure” when the crew was able to figure out how to survive multiple system failures and make their way back to Earth safely after Lovell’s famous, “Houston, I think we have a problem.” By film’s end, the viewer had a very good idea of just how heroic the engineer’s, mission planners, controllers and the astronauts really were.

Leaving the small theater gave us a big surprise as we looked up and realized we were at the bottom end of an enormous Saturn V rocket lying on it side…all 111 m (363 ft). Each of its 5 engine nozzles were 6 m (19 ft) across and the nose cone of the rocket was far, far across the building. Walking the length of the rocket and reading the information about each stage and how it fit together as a single spacecraft took around an hour. This was truly the most fascinating part of the day and also the most crowded with tourists.

Besides the rocket, there were also examples of the Moon Buggy, the Lunar Landing Module, Apollo 14′s command module and various versions of spacesuits, including early models looking like they came from Buck Rodgers’ wardrobe. There were moon rocks in glass cases around the facility, including one that visitors could actually touch. These displays, unlike the Space Shuttle, were a part of a glorious past that seemed more from another time than the more recent Space Shuttle missions.

Far more than a touristy place, the Kennedy Space Center is a very well-documented display of the greatest achievement in exploration. The best time to visit is Sunday morning when the whole story can be digested without distraction and fully appreciated. Save plenty of time for the Apollo/Saturn V Center, too, as it has the most to take in. This is an inspiring place and you will leave with a different perspective on what was truly achieved. Don’t be surprised, however, when you are asked to exit through the gift shop.

Leo Carillo State Beach in January 2012

Jan. 08 Beaches, Camping, Dog fun no comments

It’s too bad that most of the beaches that allow camping in Southern California put the tents so closely together. If you’re not careful, you can be in a tent a few feet away from an RV’s generator in the middle of the night. Leo Carillo is not one of those beaches. We made our reservation at the California State Parks reservation site. The total cost for the reservation was $35 per night and $8 processing fee, so our one night came out to $43. We had been to Leo Carillo in past but only to the beach side.

Dogs on leash

Leo Carillo is also one of the few beaches in Southern California that allow dogs, albeit on leash only. As the only dog beach that also allows for camping, Leo Carillo State Beach is an exceptional treasure for people like us who love our dogs and want to bring them with us everywhere.

Arriving

As soon as you enter the park, you face two decisions; head right to the campground or left to the beach. We chose to set up our site first and have it ready when darkness fell. We quickly had our tents set up and were ready to walk to the beach, only ten minutes away. All of the campsites seems reasonably good, but if you’d like to get specific, there is a site that ranks each. We used it to get an “A” site, and it was a large, beautiful spot under several sycamore trees.

Leo Carillo Beach

Reaching the beach means crossing under the Pacific Coast Highway through a tunnel that is very artfully painted with scenes from the forest just behind you as you walk. Even though a major road cuts through the park, the murals and tunnel make it not nearly so obvious. As soon as you emerge from the tunnel, the beauty of Leo Carillo is immediately evident. The path to the left enters the sand immediately, and to the right climbs up a hill to the cliff above the rocky point that bisects the beaches.

The cliff

We went to the right, toward the dogs-allowed northern section of the beach. In the early part of January, there are very few people on the beach even though the temperatures were the same as they can be on a Summer day. The dogs vibrate in excitement from the smells in the air, the birds circling off the coast, and the other dogs playing down below. Getting down to the beach meant being careful not to be dragged down by the very-excited dogs. Once on the sand, we had nearly a half mile of beach completely to ourselves and enjoyed watching the dogs going through sensory overload.

MRE’s

We normally love cooking over a campfire, but a last-minute trip makes that tough, and makes MRE’s an easy choice. There’s something Cracker Jack-like about MRE’s and not knowing what will come in the package besides the main course. Once the MRE’s are open, the trading begins. By the time the bargaining finishes, its time to create the magic with the build-in heat source and to enjoy a hot meal from what started as a vinyl-covered package. We made a great fire after the meal and were off to bed early.

Morning at the beach

The best part of camping at the beach is going to the water’s edge first thing in the morning. The cool morning air and the absence of nearly any other human beings has a wonderfully calming feel. We walked the beaches, climbed the rocks and had a wonderful morning before packing up and heading home. Leo Carillo State Beach is a great  place to camp and take dogs to the ocean. We hope you have the chance to enjoy it.

Lee Farmer on conquering the Seven Summits

Jan. 03 Inspiration 1 comment

A couple of years back, we met Lee Farmer through a friend when we were visiting the UK. He seemed an unassuming fellow and we were surprised when our mutual friend brought up after a beer or two that Lee had just climbed Mt Everest. We don’t know if we’ll ever make it to Mt Everest, but we’ve watched every documentary we could find and think that it may happen for us someday. We asked what was probably too many questions, and Lee was more than happy to share his adventures with us.

Seven Summits

Since that evening at the pub, he has become one of only 272 people in history to complete the Seven Summits; climbing the highest point on all seven continents. When you consider that that includes the infamous Mt Everest, the deadly McKinley and Antarctica’s Vinson, you realize what an amazing achievement this really is.We had a chance to interview Lee recently about his remarkable achievements. If you want the numbers and dates, check his website…we were most interested in how and why he did it:

JRT: How did you end up as a mountaineer?  Did you just fall into it or was it something you planned?

Lee: It really happened by accident. I was into hill walking and general outdoors and I suppose you look up and see things that are high and snowcapped, and wonder, “What’s up there?” For me, it all started on Mont Blanc in 1999. I was looking for camaraderie, beautiful scenery…short term objectives. I didn’t start as a small boy saying this but I can’t sing, can’t act but I can put one foot in front of the other and do it for a very long time. I have great stamina and I’m happiest when it is a 15-20 hour day. I realized it was something I was just good at, but don’t ask me to do a 100 meter dash. I’m not a sprint guy.

JRT: Did you plan to climb the seven highest peaks before you climbed the first, or was it an idea that came after?

Lee: Around 2000 I went into a very old-world second hand bookshop in my hometown. It was one of those Indiana Jones/Harry Potter moments. I found Steve Bell’s book, “The Seven Summits” and said “Here’s something an ordinary guy could do.” It was before I did any of the summits and it started something. I had left an international company because it wasn’t working out for me so I started my own business. When the money came in we made plans for Kilimanjaro. I was a real estate broker and still am, and it has given me the finances and freedom of time to go do the Summits. About 272 have completed the task according to Harry Kikstra‘s site.I expect I’ll be about 275th around January or February 2012. My climbs happened in this order:
  • 2003 – Kilamanjaro, Tanzania, and Mt Elberus, Russia
  • 2004 – Vinson Massif, Antactica, by flying in from Chile to Patriot Hills (most expensive of all of my climbs)
  • 2005 – Koskiuscko, Australia
  • 2006 – Aconcagua failed attempt
  • 2007 – Aconcagua failed attempt
  • 2008 – Mt Everest – Southeast Ridge as an unguided expedition, as the youngest member of the team and the only one to summit with just one Sherpa. I met Hillary when I was 15 and never expected to walk in his footsteps
  • 2009 - Aconcagua, Polish Traverse, on third attempt after weather and my wife’s AMS stopped the first two attempts
  • 2010 – Delayed to join friends the following year
  • 2011 – Mt McKinley, Alaska by the West Buttress leading for 8-13 hours

JRT: What is the hardest part of the profession of mountaineering?  What would you say in warning to someone considering this as a career?

Lee: Raising funds, keeping fit and keeping a focus. This doesn’t attract the same sponsorship or prestige as golf or Formula 1; There’s a constant striving to find something new. I’ve thought about doing the other peak of the nine that make the list (Karstenz Pyramid, Indonesia) because few have done that. I’d like to go back to the Himalayas and Africa and am planning to go back to Africa next year. I’d also like to pick things we can do together and find things that would be of interest to my wife. I’d like to see more of Namibia, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Sub-Saharan Africa in general. I sometimes think of the lyrics of an 80′s pop band song, “The Look of Love”, where they sing, “Raise your sights but lower your aim.”  I’m looking a lot closer to home.

JRT: What is the stickiest situation you’ve found yourself in? How did you manage your way out of it? What did you learn from it?

My worst have involved people not even in my group. I was climbing Cho Oyu between Nepal and Tibet and saw refugees being shot by Chinese border guards. They could have arrested or shot all of us. This became an international incident and ended up in a documentary called, “Tibet: Murder in the Snow”.

Another time, I was leading a team on Mera Peak in Nepal in 2009 and we were met by roadblocks set up by the Maoists. My clients asked me to sort it out with 200 or so die-hard party members. I was so glad I had long pants on because my knees were shaking. I had to do a parent-child thing with him and try to take control. I told him we were British and in his country to climb his beautiful mountains.

There have been close calls physically but nothing serious. I’ve had porters get sick but we monitored them and everyone made it. Altitude hasn’t been a problem because I often climb something else beforehand. I believe I’m naturally good at altitude. I Have never had headaches or been sick.

JRT: What comes next after the Seven Summits?

Lee: I’m a Fellow at the National Geographic Society and I’m very interested in walking where people went before. I’m and adventurer and mountaineer but not an explorer. The lack of knowledge the explorers had in those first trips is like landing on the moon for us today. They went to the white spaces on the map. Shackleton, Lewis and Clark and the others…they were the space explorers of their time. The 100th anniversary of Captain Scott’s expedition to the South Pole is next year and I wouldn’t mind being part of it.

Eaton Canyon to the First Waterfall in January 2012

Jan. 02 Dog fun, Hiking adventures, San Gabriels, Southern California 2 comments

This is one of our favorite hikes in Los Angeles and is also just blocks away from where we live. The Eaton Canyon Nature Center and the first part of the Eaton Canyon Trail are part of Los Angeles County and are well maintained but also very, very popular on weekends and holidays. If you like avoid crowds as we do, choose your time to go very carefully.

This is also a very popular hike with local dog owners and is just long enough to be good exercise for our very active brittanys. You will see other dogs on the trail and you’ll also see the evidence they leave behind. If you take this trail with your dogs, please pack out your dog poo!

Parking to Bridge

The first part of the trail is mostly exposed and can be uncomfortable on hot days. Once leaving the parking lot, the trail crosses the Eaton Canyon Wash, which is a dry creek bed in the dry season but can be tricky to cross if there has been significant rain.

The trail turns left just after the wash and heads north until it reaches the turnoff for the First Waterfall. Along the way, there is a different turnoff for what we call “The Horse Trail” but is actually called Walnut Canyon. This is a very steep trail that connects to the Mt Wilson Toll Road, cutting off several miles of hiking for those willing to make a fast climb, but bypassing the trail to the First Waterfall.

Many people miss the left turn off the main trail at 2 km (1.2 miles) which comes just before the bridge. There is a small sign at the on the left and newer sign right at the merge point of the two trails that makes it easy if hikers are aware that they need to leave the main trail.

Bridge to Waterfall

The trail continues under the bridge and past the first of a set of old dams that created reservoirs for irrigation when Pasadena was known for its orange groves. There are many points where water crossings need to be made but rocks have been placed strategically to make it easy.

Narrow canyon

This narrow section in the canyon floor is our favorite as the continual crossings of the streams make it a fun challenge to move as quickly as possible. The dogs never hold us back and often will jump into the deeper pools of water. This is also the shady part of the trail and very comfortable in the Summer.

Once you reach the waterfall, it is immediately obvious why it is such a popular hike. The falls drops about 14 m (50 ft) from a narrow split in the canyon. It falls into a shallow pool that is often filled with children on the hotter and busier days. It is such a unique spot that there will oftentimes be people playing music or writing, especially on the quiet days. The water is quite cool, even in the warmest part of the summer and we often take our shoes off and enjoy the moment with our feet in the water. For the dogs, the waterfall is a great chance to jump in and cool off.

Dangerous trail

The reason this is called the First Waterfall is because there are a whole series of waterfalls further up the canyon. The Second Waterfall can be reached from the same trail but requires a turn just before the First Waterfall and a climb up a very steep spine of rock known as the Razor Back and then a traverse across a very exposed rockface. Many people have been rescued from the cliff face and several have died, including two just this Fall.

The facts

This is a fairly easy hike that takes you out of urban Los Angeles and into a cool, shady canyon in a short period of time. If you want a shorter distance, enter from the back gate on Pinecrest Drive between dawn and dusk (The Fire Service locks the gate at night). There is also a side entrance higher on Altadena Drive that shortens the overall hike but has more poison oak than the main trail and is hard to follow. We recommend either the main or back entrances.

(right click and ‘Save Link As’)

Advice

Poison oak is prevalent in the canyon, so stay off the sides of trails. Remember to bring water! Many people think this hike is short and easy and don’t bring enough, and keep in mind that stream water must be treated. Lastly, sunscreen should be worn as the first half of the trail is very exposed and sun burns happen quickly.

For Dan Simpson’s very good write up on this hike, click here.


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