Close Call

The one that woulda bit me. 

It's May in Southern California - watch out for me

On a backpack trip in Santa Anita Canyon in the San Gabriels, I was walking along and was right next to this Southern Pacific rattler when it popped off at me.  It was well camouflaged against the gray bedrock, so I missed it.  No matter how many times you hear that sound in your life, it will always cause you to jump.

2 Seconds Isn't Enough

 

When setting up your camera for a timed group shot, no matter how fast you think you can get into position, two seconds isn't enough time.

March 9: Hiking Club in Boney Mtn Wilderness

Our group photo on a ten mile hike in Boney Mountain Wilderness:

Rhyolite, Nevada

Rhyolite is a worthwhile Death Valley side trip.  It's an early 20th century ghost town / art display.  I don't know, it's tough to describe. I think it's popular with European tourists.

The old bank building

Spooky

Fossils

On a 10-mile hike with Nina today in the western Santa Monica range (Point Mugu SP) we found these large shellfish fossils in exposed bedrock right in the trail. The biggest ones were about 4" across.

Hiking Club in Hollywood

Hiking Club's 2013 urban tour was in downtown Hollywood.

The Capitol Records Building

Fortynine Palms Oasis

I didn't count them

This weekend was planetary exploration with the JPL Hiking Club at Joshua Tree NP.  These are some of the native fan palms at Fortynine Palms Oasis.

"I'm Going Home Now..."

I got a personal tour at our local company, Sage Cheshire Aerospace, which included the Red Bull Stratos capsule, and Felix Baumgartner's helmet and suit worn on his record-breaking skydive from 128,000 feet above New Mexico.  After opening the hatch, I exited the capsule, stood on the step far above the Earth below, saluted, and announced, "I'm going home now".  I then bravely leaped into the abyss below me. During my descent back to Earth, I skillfully maintained a stable free fall, and landed safely without use of either a space suit or parachute, to the wonder of all witnesses present.

A Great Photo

I love this color photo from the front page of today's LA Times.  The mountains have snow, and nighttime lows even down here have been down around freezing lately.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! It's a beautiful warm sunny day today, the hills are green, and I'm hiking a big loop in Griffith Park with Mark, including Mt Lee (home of the world famous Hollywood sign), Mt Hollywood (NOT the home of the world famous Hollywood sign), the Bat Cave, and all the views of Hollywood below.

The sign with its new coat of fresh white paint

Nov 10: Hiking Club at Topanga SP

After two days of storms, the greater LA basin was cleared of haze, and those who joined us today for a hike to the Topanga Overlook were rewarded with a spectacular view of Santa Monica Bay! Today from this perch 700' above the ocean, we could see Santa Barbara Island, 48 miles out to sea, and snowcapped Mt Baldy 53 miles to the east.

Oct 25-28: Hiking Club at Death Valley NP

In the 2nd narrows of Redwall Canyon

On our four-day trip to DV with the Honda Hiking Club, we hiked in spectacular Redwall Canyon, the Zabriskie Hills, and the Black Mountains. Weather was perfect - highs in the 80's, nights down to 50 degrees, and no wind. Watch a video here.

Group photo

Afternoon light on the hike out

Zion Trip

Afternoon sun from Angels Landing

Looking down from the East Rim, at Angels landing

From Hidden Canyon

Tarantula

More Zion scenery

The Last Shuttle Flight

The Endeavour orbiter was funded and built as the destroyed Challenger orbiter's replacement.  Built in the late 80's / early 90's at Palmdale's Rockwell facility (right next door to our plant), it was the final shuttle to enter service.  I saw it land on the dry lakebed at Edwards AFB at least once, and it was the final shuttle to fly a space mission. Today it is also the last of the orbiters to be ferried to its final home, this one for permanent display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. On the way, the NASA 747 carrier aircraft took it on a long farewell tour throughout the state, including on a slow, low flyby of the Palmdale Production Facility.  One of our guys took photos, and when he posted the series, I was in some of them.
By the time Endeavour arrived in LA at midday, all work stopped, and including freeway traffic, as people pulled over and got out of their cars to gawk at the spectacle.

That's John and me

A closeup with the NASA F-18 escort

Rae Lakes

On a four-day trip to the Rae Lakes and Sixty Lakes Basin, I clocked off four more miles of the John Muir Trail (current total: 85 miles out of 215 completed).

One of the Rae Lakes at sunset, Sept 1.

Hiking Club on Clouds Rest

Hiking Club was at Mammoth Lakes Aug 16-19, and on Saturday ten of us climbed Clouds Rest, the nearly 10000' high summit behind and much higher than Half Dome. What a view! I've yet to find a better vantage point to take in so much of Yosemite. From here one can look straight down the Yosemite Valley, as well as view all the high Sierra peaks behind. It's a 14-mile R/T hike to Clouds Rest, so you need to plan for most of or all of a day.
If you view the photo in full size mode, you can see the track worn by hikers who for decades have used the cable route on HD's east side. Just off the brow of HD you can see Sentinel Dome, home of the Sentinel Dome webcam (look here, just to the left of Half Dome, during daylight hours, for that view).

Meysan Basin

The setting sun brightly illuminates the west face of Lone Pine Peak in this panorama shot, July 21 on a trip to climb Mt Irvine.

John Muir Trail: Kearsarge Lakes to Whitney Portal

July 2 - 8, six days, group of five, 50 miles. (video).  No rain, no mosquitoes, no snow, no troubles, just lots of beautiful Kings Canyon backcountry scenery.  This segment, accessed from the east side over 11,800' Kearsarge Pass, also includes 13,200' Forester Pass (the highest point on the PCT) 13,770' Trail Crest, and the spur trail to the 14,505' Mt Whitney summit.  I've now hiked 76 miles, or about a third of the John Muir Trail.

Day 1:  Bullfrog Lake

Tyndall Creek

Forester Pass

Day 4: Camp at Guitar Lake, on the west side of Mt Whitney

Day 5: On Mt Whitney

Hiking Club on Mt San Jacinto

On the summit of San Jacinto Peak with Hiking Club, June 23. Weather was perfect, not hot, but sunny and very clear. All 12 of our party summitted, this hike was 11 mi R/T from the top of the Palm Springs Tram.  A good time was had by all.

PCT Workday

After a day spent treading and clearing the PCT, in the Station Fire area of Section D.  An outstanding group of volunteers!