May 16: Hiking Club in Fish Canyon

Fish Canyon in the Angeles NF offers a route into the wild and empty northwest corner of LA County, and our May outing with the Honda Hiking Club was an 11-mile dayhike through the narrows of Fish Canyon (two of them, really), with a lunch stop at Rogers Camp. Afterward was supper at the Rose & Crown pub in Valencia.  A good time was had by all.

At Rogers Camp

In the narrows

  

Miner's Lettuce on the PCT

After the good rains that our local mountains received this spring, a lot of greenery has emerged and the Miner's Lettuce on the PCT by Sawmill Mountain looks particularly healthy right now.  The shady miles on the north-facing slopes are currently covered in a carpet of this edible plant.

April 10: Hiking Club in Santa Anita Canyon

Hiking Club had 18 out to hike the 10-mile Mt Zion loop, with a stop at the historic backcountry Sturtevant's Camp. A good time was had by all.

Along the way

The resupply pack train at Sturtevant's

March 21 on Mt Baden-Powell

Came back today to try out my new trail crampons on 9400' Mt B-P, and they not only did the job, but were a lot of fun, and got me to thinking about their use to extend the season in the Sierras. On years the Sierras have snow, I mean.

The north-facing slope of the mountain

Love these

Summit view of the tallest peaks in So Cal, from left 11000' San Gorgonio Mtn (57 miles away), distantly visible in the notch is 10800' San Jacinto Peak (73 miles) and 10000' Mt San Antonio (also known as Mt Baldy, 8 miles)

March 7: Hiking Club at Bear Canyon

On Mt Baden-Powell X36, this time in winter

This is the earliest I've ever climbed 9400' Mt B-P, but since weather is in the 80s lately, I figured I had a shot on the snow. I found it to be not without risk but doable. I started about 1:00pm to ensure the snow was softened up. I saw a few others coming down as I went up, and I finished before sunset. I've heard it said that the ocean can be seen from the summit but I'd never seen it, but here again, in winter when the air is dry and clear, the low afternoon sun sets up a shine off the water that highlights the ocean very well.
I could identify the Channel Islands, including Santa Barbara Island 95 miles southwest, and 11,000' Telescope Peak in Death Valley NP and 12,000' Olancha Peak in the south Sierra, both about 130 miles north.

The summit register box, and ocean shine

Catalina Island at left, and tiny Santa Barbara Island right of center

Across to 10,000' Mt Baldy

February 13: Poppies

Due to the recent rains, the grass is a foot high in places, and poppies are blooming in the hills outside of town.

"Where does he get all those wonderful toys!?"

Where America shops, of course.

When you're the Caped Crusader, you quadruple park.  Because you CAN.

Hiking Club on New Years Day

Afternoon shine off the ocean

Hiking Club was out in Griffith Park on NY Day, to climb Mt Hollywood and visit the Griffith  Observatory. It started out cold, but the seven hikers of our group warmed up under the sun and found it to be the perfect way to start 2015.

Thanksgiving in Death Valley

Thanksgiving week this year was in Death Valley with Nina, Mark and Jerri. Weather was perfect for this four-day trip.

Sunday in Mosaic Canyon, where gravity was weird

Monday we hiked into the narrows of Redwall Canyon

We climbed this pouroff

Hiking back as the sun sets behind the Cottonwood Mtns

Crescent moon

Tuesday we rented a Jeep and drove Titus Canyon

Along the way we climbed 6300' Thimble Pk

The summit offers an outstanding view of the valley. From here we could even see peaks of the High Sierra

Wednesday we hiked to Zabriskie Point

We looped back to the trailhead in Gower Gulch

November 8 in Nightmare Gulch

Sixteen of our Hiking Club members spent the day in the high desert north of Mojave, in Nightmare Gulch in Red Rock Canyon State Park. Having hiked in most of the weird places of the greater southwest, Nightmare Gulch might be the weirdest canyon I've yet seen. This was my fourth trip to this canyon.

Weird erosional forms

Runoff has created this weird 'downspout' feature in the wall

An old wall collapse debris pile, eroding away

Colorful walls

The only animal we saw all day

October 18: Ocean View from Boney Mountain

I took this shot from the summit of 3111' Boney Mountain in the western Santa Monicas. Boney Mountain is the highest peak in the range, and on clear days offers a view of the Channel Islands. Today I could count five of them.

This paraglider was circling the peak

August 30 University Peak Attempt

13632' University Peak straddles the high Sierra crest, just south of Kearsarge Pass. I considered taking a shot at it since I climbed nearby Mt Gould in 2009.  After arriving at the trailhead Friday night, I slept in my car and got on the trail before sunup. But sometimes circumstances don't favor summiting and this was one of those occasions.

Route traced in magenta, showing my farthest point of progress

Sunrise from the trailhead

From Robinson Lake: aiming for 12,700' University Pass at center

Lots of cold wind in the upper bowl. I found this small rock shelter that some previous climber built, and eye that big pile in the upper bowl just below University Pass

Atop the talus pile.  No other climbers up here today.

Here I could look across to the base of the 700' chute to U. Pass. Just gaining access to the mouth of the chute would involve crossing the rest of the pile, comprised of car-to-RV-sized boulders and holes in between.  Having spent four hours to reach this point, I ate lunch and considered the chute and high winds on top. My mind was made up when I heard rocks tumble down the chute.

Right after I started down, the sun came out

Looking down at Robinson Lake and Independence Peak. This hike was worth it for the scenery.

I had time to see the Eastern California Museum in Independence, where the Norman Clyde exhibit includes his ice axe

At the Dow Villa Hotel in Lone Pine, I drew the Norman Clyde room, upstairs on the front corner of the building. It offered a view of the Eastern Sierra that Norman Clyde would have appreciated.

A monster in my backyard

Old Friends and 14'ers in Colorado

On August 1,  I met my old buddy Steve, his daughter Nicole, and his sister Teri in Colorado for a short trip to climb some of the Collegiate Peaks.

Saturday on 14,199' Mt Yale

We summited by 9:30

Sunday we summited around 10:00

The Huron Peak trail crosses this lovely alpine meadow

Finish at Huron Pk trailhead