Conestee Natural Preserve
May 13th, 2023
My neighbor Tim took me over to this Nature Preserve 10 minutes from our house. I had wanted to go for some time but was happy to go with someone who knew the area. So green!
Castle Peak, last time
Apr 29th, 2022
Hiked up to Castle Peak for the last time over looking the San Fernando Valley with my two buddies! What a great day....
Browns Canyon
Apr 23rd, 2022
Marv and I hiked up Browns Canyon today after the rain, what a perfect day! Marv is just 17 days out from an 8 hour surgery to remove breast cancer. He is an animal for sure.
Porter Ranch area Trails
Apr 2nd, 2022
Just before his surgery Marv took me up where I had never hiked before, over by the Aliso Canyon gas fields in the Porter Ranch area. It was so green and the flowers were amazing!
Simi Valley hidden cave swing
Mar 4th, 2022
Marv, Pete, Steve, and I hiked back up to this amazing hidden cave. The last time we went was August 2020. The climb up was harder than I remember but always a cool place to hike to!
Topanga Lookout Trail
Feb 17th, 2022
Last Thursday, Marv and I set off to find this fire tower remnant that is now filled with graffiti. We continued down the backbone of the mountain. It was quite strenuous!
Kobe Bryant crash site
Jan 28th, 2022
I saw yesterday on the news that a statue was put up for Kobe Bryant and the others killed in the helicopter crash in Agoura, so we decided to hike up and see it. 7 miles later and 1100 elevation gain, and we made it to the site. There were a lot of flowers and pictures but no statue. A woman told us that a guy had put it up for the news broadcast but took it back down with him. It only takes a mile to get up to the site, but we started on way over on Mulholland. A great day for a hike and a lot of green.
Ladder Hike, Mecca
Nov 20th, 2021
Marv, Barry, and I did the EPIC Ladder hike in Mecca California. It was a long 3.5 hour drive, but you only live once! As usual we got a bit lost and will have to return to do the rope hike and the rest of our hike.
Las LLajas Trail to Coquina Mine
Oct 13th, 2021
Today we hiked up to the Coquina Mine operation above Simi Valley. It was a fairly moderate hike, almost 7 miles with 1000 feet of elevation gain. If you are looking for million year old ocean shells, this is the hike for you.
Las Leonis Canyon Trailhead
Jul 23rd, 2021
Marv leaves on August 1st to ride his bike from Santa Monica to ground zero to honor the fallen on 9/11. We thought we would do a few miles up Las Leonis Canyon today, but ended up hiking the entire way up to Mesa Overlook. It was nice cross training for Marv, and the longest hike we have done in at least a year.
Circle X Ranch loop to Balancing Rock
Jun 30th, 2021
Hiked the Circle X Ranch loop to Balancing Rock, then over to Inspiration Point, then on to Sand Stone Peak. 6 miles of amazing hiking on a very sunny 85 degree day, with some sparatic cool ocean breezes!
Gaviota Wind Caves
Jun 19th, 2021
We made the 2 hour drive to Gaviota yesterday and then hiked up to the wind caves, but this time we went way beyond the first tourist caves, way up to the arch at the top. We could not see the ocean for the clouds, but it was 100 degrees in the valley today and we were hiking in a mild 70 degrees.
Hill Canyon
May 21st, 2021
Always on the lookout for new hiking spots, we stumbled upon Hill Canyon just west of Paradise Falls in Thousand Oaks, and it was nothing short of amazing!
Sand Dunes in Malibu
May 21st, 2021
Five years have passed since I last conquered the challenging ridge overlooking the sand dunes at Sycamore Canyon. If you've never experienced the exhilarating ascent of the face at Sycamore Canyon, it's a must, albeit intensely steep and demanding.
Colby Canyon
May 15th, 2021
Our hike up Colby Canyon to Josephine Saddle, off of Hwy 2. 1400 feet elevation gain in just 2.2 miles is no joke! Great hike, great views!
Dawn Mine
May 8th, 2021
Our hike today took us to Dawn Mine above Altadena. I have always seen the mine on my map, and we finally made the hike. 7 miles and almost 2000 feet of elevation gain and lose. The mine itself was not great, but the hike and views were fantastic! I have never seen this much poison oak in one place. At one point poison oak bushes canopied the trail, unreal!
Devils Canyon
Apr 24th, 2021
Hiked this obscure trail Friday in the San Gabriel Mountains, not a soul in sight the entire 6.5 mile hike. Embarked on an off-the-beaten-path adventure last Friday in the San Gabriel Mountains—a serene 6.5-mile trek with not a soul in sight.
Zuma Canyon Trail
Apr 5th, 2021
A great little hike up Zuma Canyon Trail to find a small little waterfall.
Bell Creek Park
Mar 26th, 2021
Another hike into El Scorpion Canyon Park, through Bell Creek Park, into Ahmanson Ranch and back out. Amazing views of all three! A nice stop for lunch on one of the hill tops. Just an amazing day for a hike!!
Rocks over Bell Canyon front gate
Mar 13th, 2021
Residing in this breathtaking locale, we're blessed with an abundance of remarkable trails to explore in and around Bell Canyon.
Corriganville Park
Feb 2nd, 2021
This past Friday, we embarked on a captivating hike down to Corriganville in Simi Valley, a location steeped in cinematic history, having hosted the filming of classics like "Creature From The Black Lagoon" and "The African Queen."
Rex Frankel Wilderness Preserve
Jan 8th, 2021
On Friday Jan 8th we hiked up into Rex Frankel Wilderness Preserve above Simi. When it rains there is a whole slate of rocks that look like they are weeping water.
Chumach Trail to Rocky Peak
Dec 29th, 2020
We hiked up Chumash Trail in Simi Valley and made a long hike over to Rocky Peak where we left Marv's car. Great day for a hike after the rains on Monday!
Lady Face Trail, off of Kanan
Dec 18th, 2020
Ascending Lady Face Trail to reach the peak above Kanan and the 101 Freeway is an unparalleled hiking experience.
Simi Valley Hidden Cave Swing
Dec 12th, 2020
Embarking on another adventure, two intrepid hikers set out to discover the hidden cave above Simi adorned with a swing and graffiti art. Our journey, however, took an unexpected turn, adding an extra 2 miles to the trek. Despite this detour, perseverance prevailed, and we eventually located the elusive trail.
Simi Valley Hidden Cave, unfound
Dec 5th, 2020
Embarking on a thrilling adventure, two seasoned hikers set their sights on discovering the elusive hidden cave with a swing in Simi Valley, nestled along the tantalizing Hummingbird Trail.
Woolsey Canyon Road
Nov 20th, 2020
With the fires in the San Gabriels and the Covid shut downs, we must find hiking trails closer to home.
Fossil Lookout Point
Nov 20th, 2020
Our hike over to fossil lookout point. It is right across from Bell Canyon, but it takes exactly 4 miles to get over there. Always looking for an adventure we cut 1.5 miles off of this 8 mile hike by taking deer trails down a short cut, OMG, we had fun, but it wasn't always easy. There were only a few fossils. If you want to see real fossils, go to fossil trail at the top of Stunt Road, but what a great day to hike!
Vanalden Cave, above Tarzana
Nov 7th, 2020
Another adventure in the local mountains. We set out to find Vanalden Cave above Tarzana. I never knew we had such a large cave so close to us.
Aliso Canyon, over to Dripping Cave
Oct 17th, 2020
After we hiked to the Pirates Tower, we drove over to Aliso Canyon to hike up to Dripping Cave where Juan Flores and his gang would hold up after robbing stagecoaches.
Pirates Tower, in Laguna
Oct 7th, 2020
Our weekly adventure took us to the Pirates Tower in Laguna. I was not allowed to fly my drone but a resident forwarded me some great drone shots. We had hoped to get closer to the tower, but the tide was coming in and we didn't want to get wet! I particularly liked the 100 year old swimming pool that collected water at high tide and then left new fresh water to swim in at low tide. It works the same way 100 years later. Strange that the water level has not changed in 100 years.
Las LLajas Trail
Oct 5th, 2020
I have never done much hiking or mountain biking north of the 118 freeway in Simi Valley, but today was the day to check it out.
Zev Yarislovsky Trail, to the Agoura dump
Sep 25th, 2020
I have always seen this trail going up from Las Virgenes Road and wanted to hike up.
Vasquez Rocks
Sep 18th, 2020
Today we went to Vasquez Rocks to hike some of the trails that are farther to the west. The morning started out very hot, no shade, and a bit smokey, but clouds came in with a slight breeze that cleared out the smoke. If you get a chance to see these rocks do it, they are amazing!
Burro Schmidt's Tunnel and Bickel Camp
Sep 11th, 2020
Our adventure today took us to Burro Schmidt's Tunnel, where we hiked the half mile through the tunnel it took Schmidt 38 years to build by hand.
Dawn Mine, closed for Covid
Sep 3rd, 2020
Back to the San Gabriels! Our goal was to hike to Dawn Mine, which you can see on the map just to the right of the trails we ended up hiking. When we got to Dawn Mine trailhead it was closed, either for COVID or mating birds.
Malibu Creek State Park during Covid
May 16th, 2020
Our first hike since the trails opened after the Covid shutdown. Malibu Creek State Park was just AMAZING today, but many people where wearing masks OUTSIDE!
Malibu Creek State Park, dry!
Oct 16th, 2019
Amazing hike today in Malibu State Park. The creek is totally dry allowing Marv and I to walk under the bridge where the turtles and ducks normally reside! It has NEVER been this dry before!
Bridge to Nowhere, with Jose
May 4th, 2019
What an amazing day, Jose and I hiked to the Bridge to Nowhere yesterday, 6 very wet river crossings, some rock climbing, log balancing, and we saw bungee jumpers, bighorn sheep, a rattlesnake, AMAZING water, and had some great whiskey! This is always such an epic hike, a right of passage if you hike Southern California!
Joshua Tree, in the Tesla
Mar 15th, 2019
Our Tesla trip to the Joshua Tree National Park, 426 miles, 2 charging stations, 12 hours total, and many many beautiful amazing hikes. Check out our short video!
Pressman Trail
Dec 28th, 2018
This was my first hike down Pressman Trail since the Woolsey Fire tore through Bell Canyon. You could see every nuance of the trail including this old VW bug that still sits along the trail.
Sycamore Cove Beach
Dec 25th, 2018
Our hike and rock hunting at Sycamore Cove Beach. To much death on the beach. These turtles seem to be coming out of the water to die, but we did find some very nice rocks!
East fork of the San Gabriel river
Dec 24th, 2018
Rock hunting up the east fork of the San Gabriel river. Omid carried out 150 pounds of rocks!
Lava Tubes, Mojave
Dec 10th, 2018
We planned a very full day in the Mojave National Preserve starting with, * Mary Beal Nature hike. * Mitchell Caverns. * The Hole In The Wall ring's hike. * The Lava Tubes. We made it to all of them, but just made it to the Lava Tubes before dark.
Hole In The Wall and Ring's
Dec 10th, 2018
We planned a very full day in the Mojave National Preserve starting with, * Mary Beal Nature hike. * Mitchell Caverns. * The Hole In The Wall ring's hike. * The Lava Tubes. This was our hike through the Hole In The Wall ring's.
Herman Trail after the fire
Nov 14th, 2018
With all of the devastation from the Woolsey Fire, somehow my meditation chair, trail sign, and wood bridge survived even with fire swirling all around them!
Malibu Creek State Park, with new friends!
May 8th, 2018
If you have never hiked Malibu State Park, it is the Yosemite of Southern California.
Malibu Creek State Park
Apr 12th, 2018
My first hike in over a month, it was AMAZING, an amazing place and amazing weather. Even saw a deer, but it was dead!
Malibu Creek State Park
Mar 14th, 2018
Another great hike in Southern California, our own amazing Malibu State Park.
Hollywood Sign
Mar 7th, 2018
This was my second time hiking up to the Hollywood Sign, but this time by way of Wonder View Drive and Trail, past Wisdom Tree. The views were spectacular!
Las Virgenes View Trail
Sep 27th, 2017
We hiked from the corner of Las Virgines Rd and Mulholland Rd, the entire way through Calabasas to the 101. It looked like maybe 6 miles on my map, but ended up being 11 grueling miles!!!
Topanga Tower Motorway
Aug 10th, 2017
I always wanted to hike from the top of Stunt Road, starting at the abandoned tower, down to Mullholland Rd near Mountain Park. It starts out a fire road but quickly turns into this back bone of rock. There was a trail, but some parts were challenging. Omid wanted to go up to the tower, but the security patrol turned him back.
Malibu Creek State Park, after the rains
Jun 1st, 2017
We have hiked MCSP maybe 30 times, but we wanted to see what El Nino did to.the park. Century Lake was full of debris, right up from the lake, the bridge that crosses the creek was washed out, and that is no easy feat since the bridge is concrete and an entire half is gone.
Gaviota Wind Caves
May 19th, 2017
We had our eye on four hikes in one day I the Santa Barbara area. The Gaviota Wind Caves, the Gaviota Hot Springs, the Nojoqui Falls, and Lizard Rock. This is our hike to the Wind Caves. They are spectacular indeed, how does the wind do this? This is our hike to the Wind Caves. They are spectacular indeed, how does the wind do this?
Gaviota Hot Springs
May 19th, 2017
We had our eye on four hikes in one day in the Santa Barbara area. The Gaviota Wind Caves, the Gaviota Hot Springs, the Nojoqui Falls, and Lizard Rock. This is our hike to Gaviota Hot Springs. The hot springs were the best that I have ever been to, and we had to get in. Omid enjoyed the spa mud very much.
Lizard Rock
May 19th, 2017
We had our eye on four hikes in one day in the Santa Barbara area. The Gaviota Wind Caves, the Gaviota Hot Springs, the Nojoqui Falls, and Lizard Rock.
Malibu Creek State Park, after the rains
Feb 27th, 2017
After the rains, we made our way over to see the damage to Malibu Creek State Park, the Yosemite of the south. We found massive damage!!!
Mesa Overlook in the rain
Jan 13th, 2017
This was such a great hike out to Mesa Overlook in the fog and rain.
Sand Dunes in Malibu
Sep 24th, 2016
I always saw this trail up the rock face above the Malibu sand dunes and even though it says to keep off, it is WAY to inviting, and I have done it at least 3 times. The cliffs overlooking PCH are sheer and steep, but the views are so worth it!
SS Dominator Shipwreck
Jun 11th, 2016
I saw this hike in the L.A. Times and wanted to go, so Omid and I planned a day to get down there.
Lake Vista - Malibu Lake Overlook
May 31st, 2016
Starting at the Reagan Ranch Trail, we hiked over to Malibu Lake Overlook. We have hiked and ridden all around this lake, but I always wanted to hike above the lake. We then hiked over to the Mash Unit from the back of the lake. What a wonderful day.
Big Horn Mine
May 24th, 2016
After hiking to Mount Baden Powell, we saw that the parking lot was shared by this hike. So we planned to come back and hike down instead of up. This was a rather short but exciting hike to Big Horn Mine.
Murphys Ranch
Mar 23rd, 2016
Our hike to Murphys Ranch in Santa Monica. It was a Nazi camp that was established in the hopes that Germany would win, oh well. You can see a sign saying that graffiti is illegal, yet you will see some amazing graffiti on this hike! The stairs down go on forever.
Manson Family Cave
Feb 6th, 2016
I worked in Chatsworth for years before finding out that the Manson Family held up just miles from our offices at the Spahn Ranch and hung out in the caves just behind the ranch.
Herman Trail
Jan 30th, 2016
Me and my buddies, Marv, Omid, and Pete helped me clear a trail up to the 20 foot waterfall in our backyard. Today I put stones along the trail and dug out a dam for the water to rest for awhile.
Tri Peaks to Sandstone Peak
Jan 27th, 2016
This was an EPIC hike straight up the face of Mt Bone to Sri Peaks and then over to Sandstone Peak, and down to the car. We started up from Newberry Park and climbed what looked like a sheer cliff. For whatever reason Omid hung way back, scary far back. I don't think that he liked Pete. It was Marv, Pete, Omid, and I. It was hard to navigate what ended up being two groups, sad!
The Pillars at Crawley Lake
Dec 8th, 2015
I read about this in the L.A. Times, and coordinated with Marv and Omid to drive up and check it out! It was as amazing as the article described! This year was a perfect time to visit them on foot, since the drought kept the water levels low. Usually you would have to take a boat.
Mt Boney Peak
Dec 3rd, 2015
Marv and I hiked up to Mt Boney by way of a creek bed. It what a nasty 9 miles!
Caballero Canyon Trail, above Reseda Blvd
Jul 15th, 2015
We have hiked this trail hundreds of times, but this morning gave us some of the best water mist photos that I have ever taken. This was a special morning indeed!
Our six mile hike from Agoura Hills to Malibu State Park. I want to redo this hike in the spring to see the many types of flowers. There were so many different kinds, so beautiful, and a few caterpillars and more than a few butterflies.
Happy Camp near Simi Valley
Jan 10th, 2015
A day hiking is like a day in heaven! Always wanted to do Happy Camp above Simi and Moorpark. 11 miles of beautiful valleys and vistas, with my buddy Omid. Marv had planned to come but was down with the flu.
Corriganville Park
Dec 26th, 2014
Corriganville is an interesting movie set where movies like Creature From The Black Lagoon were filmed. Corriganville is at the east end of Simi Valley and everything is uphill from here with a tunnel under the 118 with some creative graffiti.
Tri Peaks by way of fossil trail
Nov 6th, 2014
Tri Peaks by way of fossil trail was an amazing hike up to the top, and we got to see some million year old fossils.
The Wave
Oct 15th, 2014
This was the hike of a life time. I had seen The Wave on motivational poster forever, and every time I would see the poster, I wanted to go. Doing my research to go, I found that they only allow 20 people a day to hike to The Wave. 10 passes are awarded online and 20 in person. I tried for two years online with no success. So Marv and I........
Subway in Zion
Oct 14th, 2014
This hike was high up on my bucket list. We spent the morning at the rangers station in Kanab, trying to get a pass to go to the Wave, WE GOT THEM! We then headed out to start the hike to the Subway.
Los Robles Trail
Sep 10th, 2014
Marv, Omid, and I decided to hike up above Thousand Oaks while Kara shopped with her friend below. Other than that crazy dinosaur, all went well.
Charmlee Trail
Aug 8th, 2014
Triufo Pass Earth Satellite Station
Jul 22nd, 2014
Marv and I hiked down to the border to get a first hand look at what is going on, and then Marv had to go and cross into Mexico! The NSA was looking for us for the rest of the day.....
Paramount Ranch
Jul 22nd, 2014
Today we thought we would do something different and hike over to Paramount Ranch. So many films and TV series have been filmed here.
Devils Punchbowl
Jul 5th, 2014
This is a very special area for hiking out on the Pear Blossom Highway that has some very unique rock formations.
Zuma Ridge Trailhead
Jun 10th, 2014
We were looking for a coastal hike that we had not done, and we found this one. It only got 3 stars on Hikespeak.com, but off we went.
La Jolla Canyon Trail
Apr 16th, 2014
This hike took us up La Jolla Canyon Trail, which headed up from the parking lot to La Jolla Canyon and then up the rock falls to the trails beyond.
Verdugo Mountains
Dec 17th, 2013
Always looking for a challenge, we decided to travers the entire length of the Verdugo Mountain range in one day. It would require two cars, one at each end. The hike was special and quite unique. I doubt that many hike the entire length.
Devils Canyon above the 118 Freeway
Nov 13th, 2013
We decided on this short hike up Devils Canyon today, but out of nowhere these guys showed up. But they were very peaceful.
Solidad Canyon to Vasquez Rocks
Nov 5th, 2013
This was our EPIC hike from Solidad Canyon Rd into Vasquez Rocks, 8.9 miles of amazing hiking. I always wanted to hike from Soledad over to Vasquez. It gave us more of an adventure than just driving to Vasquez Rocks. Don't get me wrong, Vasquez is the goal, where they filmed so many movies and TV shows, from the Flintstones to Star Trek, but this gave the day a purpose.
Placenta Canyon Nature Center
Nov 1st, 2013
We wanted to hike the back side of our own mountains, so we drove over to Santa Clarita and had our way with the trails in the Placenta Canyon Nature Center. We hiked to the very top and did the loop, then Omid had to leave and Marv and I hiked over to a dry waterfall. At 60 years old, Marv took on the tire swing!
Bridge to Nowhere with Obama
Nov 1st, 2013
Obama getting his ass kicked on the Bridge to Nowhere. Had to bring masks, it was Halloween! This is a 10 mile epic hike to see the bridge.
Cave of the Munits
Oct 30th, 2013
We hiked over to the Cave of the Munits to see if we could get a blessing!
Wildwood Regional Park
Aug 13th, 2013
Omid, Marv, and I wanted to hiking every last inch of this park, and so we did. From Paradise Falls, to the cave, to the teepee, up to look over into Santa Rosa, and back to the car. What an amazing day of hiking!
Mesa Peak Motorway
Dec 12th, 2012
We started this hike at Malibu Creek State Park, then hiked up challenging Bull Dog and hooked up with Mesa Peak Motorway, which is old Back Bone Trail, and then down to Malibu Canyon Road. 11 miles in 100 degrees temps made this a VERY rough day, but we got to take shelter near the meditation rock formation.
Climbing around Eagle Rock
Nov 20th, 2012
What a great day hiking over to Eagle Rock and trying to traverse the side with the tree on it.
Parker Mesa Overlook at night
Nov 30th, 2011
I took Kia and a gaggle of her friends out to Parker Mesa Overlook for a night hike. We saw some snakes and a bunch of wild life, and you could see the planes lining up to land at LAX. Nov 30th 2011
Farmer Ridge Trail
Jun 16th, 2011
This car must have been from an old TV show or movie, but artists have had their way with it over the years.
Malibu Creek State Park, and Mash
Mar 30th, 2009
Omid and I road over to the Mash Unit in Malibu Creek State Park, and then up Bull Dog to the old abandoned house. 28 miles of aggressive riding. Malibu Creek State Park is like the Yosemite of the south.
The Grand Canyon rim to rim
Apr 8th, 2000
When Kia was maybe 13 we visited the Grand Canyon for the first time and hiked a mile down Bright Angeles Trail. The walls were so high that I asked Kia to sing so that her voice would bounce off the walls for all to hear! I vowed that we would return and hike across the entire canyon.