This weekend, I took a trip out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to take an overnight hike up to Whale Peak with my friends, Jim and Alex. As with any hike into Anza-Borrego, this was also an opportunity for me to re-scout a few routes (5, in this case) for a possible 6th edition. I …
Trip Report: Hot Springs Mountain
Last Sunday, I woke up with the dawn and broke like the wind to get in a solid walkabout. I initially had my eyes on a Cuyamaca walkabout, which has become my go-to for a longer, more involved hike that also features good views and a splash of fall color. But for a variety of …
La Jolla Shores to Torrey Pines
It's been a long, long time since I went to the beach at a low tide, kicked my shoes off, and walked barefoot along the surfline. I've never been a huge beach fan, so I tend to overlook the experience. However, after I gave a presentation at the University City library on Afoot and Afield while recommending …
Pacific Crest Trail via Desert View
I've fallen a bit behind on writing thanks to a rather nasty bout with the flu. Now that I can string two sentences together, I want to share the singular observation I gleaned from a recent sunrise hike from the Desert View Picnic Area in the Laguna Mountains. For the hike itself, I hopped onto …
Cuyamaca Peak Sunset
On Saturday, 6/16, I joined the San Diego Hikers on a sunset hike to the summit of Cuyamaca Peak. Having seen sunsets from there before, I knew that there's really no better place in San Diego County to watch a sunset. And on this night, the sunset did not disappoint. A thick stratus of marine …
On Turning 40
Last week, I permanently deleted my Facebook account. I had been on the service for nearly 12 years, and over the last four years I had become very active in administering hiking groups, following the news of the day, and getting into a lot of pointless arguments with people I don't know personally. At one …
A Spring Day on Palomar Mountain
Fresh off of a re-commitment to blogging, I set out for a moderate hike at one of my favorite stomping grounds, Palomar Mountain State Park. This was partially a test to see how my still-inflamed Achilles bursa would respond to a more significant hike, but I also went with the intention of hiking mindfully. At …
Ontario Peak
One of the newly dominant themes in my life has been a quest to find more age-appropriate human interactions. Most of my interactions with other humans over the past year have occurred in the company of a toddler. As good as he is at using sign language to indicate that I'm pooping when I go …
Trip Report: Maui, Days 1&2
With Day 1 devoted solely to sitting in a flying sardine can soaring halfway across the Maritime Continent, Day 2 on Maui was all about settling in and falling into the island's rhythm. Generally, the mainland moves at about 146 bpms, which is the approximate tempo for Led Zeppelin's "Achilles' Last Stand." Maui's tempo is usually …
Trip Report: Dawns Peak (Peak 6582)
“Guys, where’s my food?” Just as I was putting the last odds and ends into my pack, I realized that I could not find the food that I had packed for the trip up to Dawns Peak. The trip had already gotten off to an inauspicious start, as I spilled a gallon of water that …