I've been Places!

Bryce Canyon - UT

2010-07-17T23:01:00.000-07:00

Bryce canyon is a beautiful place full of amazing landscapes and nicely shaped, colored rocks called "Hoodoos". We didn't do much planned hiking in Bryce Canyon, because, well... we didn't "plan"... and also some of us were pretty beat up from hiking the 3 days before in Zion and running the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon that morning. Someday, I hope to go back and do a lot more exploration here as well as in Arches National Park!

[Hike] Zion Narrows - Zion NP - UT

2010-07-16T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Zion narrows hike, is one of the most beautiful and unique hikes I've ever done and I think this is also a must do if you are in Zion (heck, it's worth just going to Zion for!). The reason I say it is unique, is because this is one of the few hikes where you are actually hiking through a river (yes, not along it, but, through it!!). And to top it off, you are surrounded by canyon walls several hundred feet high that are closing in on you as you keep going. Absolutely stunning!

The hike starts off at the "temple of sinawava" shuttle stop...

[Hike] Angel's Landing - Zion NP - UT

2010-07-16T22:59:00.000-07:00

Angel's Landing is one of the most breathtaking hikes I have done. I think it is worth going to Zion NP, just for this hike. The first pic below is the view of Zion Canyon from the Angel's Landing summit. The ones after this are pics in order, from start to end of the hike.
The Trailhead for Angel's Landing is at "The Grotto" Shuttle stop, and very easy to get to.
You get off the shuttle, cross the zion scenic hwy and head north to approach a bridge...
Cross the bridge, turn right and head up the winding trail...
From that point on, there are no forks and the trail is pretty easy to navigate, all the way to the summit
At one point, you reach a series of switch backs that look like a set of walls, stacked up one upin the other...
Go past the switchbacks, hike a little more and you get up to "Scott's Lookout". This is a good turn around point for those with a serious fear of heights!

But, clearly, as you can see... not many seem to heed the warning signs :-)...
And then, you finally get rewarded with these spectacular views...

[Hike] Weeping Rock - Zion NP - UT

2010-07-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

A short touristy walk to a rock that has soaked up water like a sponge and keeps dripping ("crying", if you will). Starts off from the same trailhead as Hidden Canyon...

[Hike] Hidden Canyon - Zion NP

2010-07-15T22:58:00.000-07:00

[Hike]Creamery Meadow Trail to beach - Big Sur, CA

2010-07-04T22:00:00.001-07:00

A short walk through a meadow to the beach. The trailhead is in the Ventana wilderness area of Big Sur (the north end).

[Backpacking Trip] Ventana Wilderness - Big Sur - CA

2010-07-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

I never realized that the Big Sur backcountry would be so beautiful...
This was a very impromptu trip... we decided just two days before the July 4h long weekend and headed out to Big Sur, hoping to find a backcountry campsite at the Sykes Hot springs campground. Unfortunately, when we got there, sykes was full. The ranger was kind enough to tell us about another backcountry campsite on in the Ventana Wilderness.

Urban exploration at Chicago - IL

2010-06-04T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just realized that I've never uploaded photos from the several general (urban/ non-outdoors) places I've visited over the years. I'll have to dig into my plethora of photos and upload all my general travel photos some other time, but, for a start -- here are some photos from my recent 4 day visit to Chicago. (Note: Click on Panoramic photos to see full size to truly appreciate the details)

(Top) Panoramic shot of Downtown looking north from Sears Tower Skydeck. (click on it to see full size)
(Top) Downtown Skyline as seen from the Adler Planetarium

(Top) Panoramic shot of Downtown Chicago with Shedd aquarium in the foreground (click on it to see full size)

Close up shot of Downtown from Sears Skydeck

(Top) Lake Michigan
(Top) Perspective shot of Downtown on a cloudy day, taken from Lake Michigan near North Beach

(Top) Downtown as seen from Bridge over South Lagoon/ Diversey Harbor
(Last two) The Chicago Elevated Train (or "El) as shot from Quincy Station in the downtown "loop"

(Top 2) The Famous Chicago "Bean" in Downtown
Dearborn Station (not sure if this is famous or not, but, I thought it looked cool!)

The next two pics are these weird statues of "half men" in Grant Park on the SW side of downtown. I didn't know what these were, when I was there... but, some research later revealed that they are called "Agora" (excerpt from this website: Agora consists of 106 headless cast iron figures, posed as if walking in multiple directions or standing still, frozen in time. The figures invite viewers to gather and become part of the artwork. Agora extends the traditions of monumental figurative sculpture, offering a contemporary expression and a reflection of our time.)

(Top) View of downtown from Grant Park
(Top) Buckingham Fountain in Millennium Park in downtown
(Top 2 pics) Boats in the harbor just south of Navy Pier
(Next pics) General Pics of Navy Pier...

And, finally, some general photos of Downtown...

[Hike] Mirror Lake - Yosemite NP - CA

2010-06-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

Mirror Lake is an easy hike that can be started from the Curry Village area itself. It gives you good reflections of mountains around, including half dome. If you want to see the reflection of the half dome, plan for a sunset time visit and take the road around the lake. If you have to go in the morning (which is what we did) take the "equestrian trail" by turning right after the entrance...

Tried something arsty with the above pic to get the painting like photo below... (Can you figure it out?)

[Hike] Upper Yosemite Fall - Yosemite NP - CA

2010-05-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

[Hike] 4-mile Scenic Trail to Glacier Point - Yosemite NP - CA

2010-05-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

Beautiful hike that gives you spectacular views of half dome and the valley...
This was one trail that felt somewhat like I was in "nature"... there were about 10 other people on the trail that I passed on was passed by... unlike the rest of yosemite, that is super crowded!
Not sure if it had to do with this.... (trail wasn't open all the way to glacier point, so we were only able to go up till union point
Views of the valley...
This is probably the best trail to see the full view of upper yosemite falls (the tallest falls in the US).. which we hiked later in the day :)

[Hike] Sentinel Bridge (or Swinging Bridge) Yosemite

2010-05-31T16:56:00.000-07:00

Well... "technically" this is not a hike per se, it is more of a "walk" or stroll that can be done and perfect for people for all ages. We passed this on our way to the 4-mile scenic trail to glacier point.

[Hike] Mist Trail to the Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall and John Muir Trail

2010-05-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

The Mist trail is a beautiful hike that is a must do. Unfortunately, for the same reason, it is super touristy and crowded (esp on long weekends). I would recommend doing on a long weekend or weekday if possible -- although it starts to really feel like you're hiking in nature, once you go past vernal fall and start heading towards the top of Nevada fall (harder hike== less people!).

True to its name, the trail takes you through two waterfalls (if you go all the way to the top of Nevada fall) and there is a constant "misty" spray of water throughout, so prepare for getting at least a little wet!. The total hike time for me, from trailhead to top of Nevada falls via Mist trail and back via John Muir trail, took about 3hrs... but, then I did to a "trail run" down John Muir, so the descent was just 45 mins!!

Vernal Fall...

Trail signs while you get close to the top of Nevada Fall (on my next trip, I hope to backpack through Clouds Rest and get to the base of half dome so I can avoid all the "touristy" crowd and also explore the backcountry!)

Stream on top of Nevada Fall (above the fall)...

Nevada Fall Gushing down...
View of Yosemite Valley from the top of Nevada Fall...

View of Nevada Fall about 1/2mi out as you start to descend via John Muir trail (don't forget to look back and you walk!!)

[First Bouldering Trip]Joshua Tree National Park - CA

2010-04-17T22:55:00.000-07:00

The "Wonderland of Rocks"...
Can't believe I've lived in SoCal for almost 8 years and this was my first visit to "J-Tree". I had been told things like "you feel like you're on a different planet", but I was skeptic. All I can say now is, sometimes "seeing is believing" :).
I just realized that I didn't snap up a lot of pictures of the beatuful rocks themselves (I guess I was too busy trying to find the perfect "lines" for bouldering :)... but, I guess that leaves something for the next trip!

"Oasis in the dessert" - Barker Dam...

[Hike] Cedar Creek Falls - Julian, CA

2010-03-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Best waterfalls I've seen in the San Diego area - Period!

This is a must do for every San Diegan that likes the outdoors, in my opinion. The key is to time it so you go there, right after the rainy season (if there is such a thing around here, that is!).

Getting to the trailhead is relatively straight-forward, but, can be a bit of an "offroading adventure". You first need to head towards Julian (I prefer the Hwy 67 from Poway, but, Hwy 78 from the I-15 is another option). Right before you enter Julian, look out for "Pine Hills Road" and turn right on to it. About 1.5mi into it, look for "Eagle Peak Road" and bear right on it. 1.4 miles into Eagle Peak road, you come up to a fork, bear right here to continue staying on Eagle Peak Rd. The road from here on gets progressively poorer and poorer ( remember the adventurous part, I mentioned earlier?) and is mostly dirt trail. A 4X4 is preferred, but not necessary (I was driving a sports coupe!). About 8 miles at 20MPH later, you descend on to a particularly steep part of the trail, that ends in the trailhead. You have to turn around and park uphill on the side. The drive is about 60 miles from UTC, but takes 1.5 hrs due to the real slow pace on the last part.

The greenest I've seen the San Diego mountains....
15minutes with this fella could save us 15% or more...

Wildflowers on the trail...

And, of course, no trip to Julian can be complete without the customary Apple Pie :)

[Backpacking Trip] Multi Day trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up.

2009-11-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

One of my best outdoor adventures to date. A beautiful hike down the S Kaibab Trail to the bottom of the grandest canyon in the world. An overnight camp out at the Bright Angel Campground and a absolutely awesome hike back up in cloudy weather up the Bright Angel trail, through Indian Gardens!

Trip report coming soon! - For now, enjoy some pics...

[Hike] Corte Madera Mountain and Los Pinos

2009-10-09T23:12:00.000-07:00

A nice 2-fer hike that takes you dangerously close to the US-Mexico border!

[Hike] San Bernardino Peak - CA

2009-10-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

A tough hike, with spectacular views of the two tallest peaks in Southern California, from the peak.

[Hike] Black Mountain - San Diego, CA

2009-09-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

Black Mountain is a nice hike within the city, that can be done in a couple hours, on any weekend. A great workout and perfect when you are looking for a quick way to get out into nature, but don't have a lot of time.

Pics coming soon!

[Hike] Tahquitz Peak and Lily Rock - Idyll Wild, CA

2009-09-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

A very beautiful hike that can be made considerably challenging and fun, this one!

The basic hike to the top of Tahquitz Peak is quite straightforward. It is about 6miles RT and takes you up about 2300 ft over 3 miles. It might be a little on the tougher side for some, but, I think it is worth the climb. I am not going to describe the details of this hike because, they are already available here

What made it more interesting for us, was taking an "offtrail" path after we reached the peak and heading towards Lilly Rock. We then boulder hopped our way up to the top of Lilly rock and that was one of the more thrilling experiences I've had. At some points along the scramble up lilly rock, there were steep drop offs of several hundred feet, just inches from our feet!

Here are some interesting pics from the hike...

Nice fire lookout cabin on the top of Tahquitz peak (oh, I wish I could live in this!)

[Hike] Crescent Meadow - Sequoia NP, CA

2009-09-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

The famous Naturalist John Muir called this the "Gem of the Sierras"...
.... and I believe it is for good reason....

[Hike] Tokopah Valley and Falls - Sequoia NP, CA

2009-09-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

Tokopah Falls is a easy hike that is right next to the lodgepole campground and, in my opinion a must do, if you are in the area (it is one of the most beautiful hikes I've been on).

The hike starts off from inside the lodgepole campground itself. The trailhead is just past the lodgepole visitor center. You have to cross a wooden bridge that runs over a creek (this creek originates from Tokopah falls, upstream). The hike is shaded all the way with tall sequoias on either side and you can see some very interesting peaks through them (including the watchtower and the face of Mt. Silman). The total hike distance (if you go all the way) will be about 3.8 miles round trip.

[Hike] Alta Peak - Sequoia NP, CA

2009-09-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

At 11,204 feet, Alta Peak is one of the best 11K+ hikes I've done!

Panoramic shots from the peak looking east Somewhere out there are the great peaks of Mt. Whitney and Mt. Langley (Eastern Sierras). These pics DONOT do justice to the feeling of being up there!
Panaromic shot, looking west/ south...
View of "Peak Lake" from the Summit...

------------ Hike Report.--------------
Alta Peak is a fairly challenging hike, even for someone is decent shape. It is a 14mi round trip hike, that makes you ascend about 4300ft (over 7miles). Looking at that statistic alone, doesn't quite make it feel that hard - what makes it hard, is that almost half of that elevation gain happens over the last 2 miles!!

The trailhead is located at the wolverton parking lot, and is pretty easy to find. To get to it, you drive south on Generals Hwy, from the Lodgepole visitor center and then turn left, where the sign says "wolverton". Drive for a couple miles to reach the (rather huge) trailhead parking lot (photo below)...
The trailhead sign is very clearly marked and is on the north side of the parking lot (right by the bear cannisters (yes, this is bear country!!). The trail system is quite complex and leads to several trails, but, it is very easy to stay on the correct trail, because, there are trail signs at all forks on the trail. There are 4 main forks on the trail - 1) The lakes trail 2) Panther Gap 3) Alta Meadow and 4) High Sierra Trail. The simplest way to remember these is "one right and 3 lefts" (you gotta stay to the right of the first fork, at the lakes trail, and to the left at the remaining three)The trail is very shaded for the first 4-5miles, after that it is completely exposed (this is a common characteristic with peaks in the western sierras) after you get above the tree line.

The first main intersection you come up to is called "Panther Gap" (~1.8mi from the start) and the views from here, are the first warning of how breathtaking the views on this hike are going to be. You get some very nice views of mountains (not sure if this is Mt. Silman) and the western divide from here (see pic above).
I tried to do a perspective shot of the peaks visible from panther gap in the pic below....
You turn left at Panther gap to continue on towards the peak. The next intersection you come up to is called the "High Sierra Trail" fork. I didn't realize I hadn't taken a pic of it, but anyway, it's not too hard to spot. The fourth and final major fork is "Alta Meadow Trail" and this comes up at about 2.1 miles from the peak.

(Above) view from Alta Meadow fork (alta meadow in the foreground)
From the Alta Meadow junction, the trail start to get STEEP, because, you have about 2000 more feet to climb and only 2 miles to do it (half the total elevation, in 1/3rd of the total distance). There are no trail signs from this point on and there really is no clear marked trail (it is loosegravel at this point, so you can go up any which way you like), but, it is almost impossible to get lost, because, the peak is always in sight. Below are two shots of the peak at about 1 mile from the summit, the second is a zoomed in (notice the "little people" in the first one?) version of the first...

The peak itself, is basically one big flat rock! and you have to scramble up to get to the hike register (yes, the "naturists" haven't stolen it yet). This is a little intimidating for those with a bit of a fear of heights and so, some choose to just sit by the main rock (notice the two people on the right side of the above pic?).

The views from the summit are ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING and totally worth the huffing you did over the last 2 miles. If you are familiar with the back country, you can easily identify most peaks of the eastern sierras from here (including the tallest peak in the lower 48 - Mt. Whitney).

The above pic was a rock that reminded me of Davie Jones (Pirates of the Carribean?!) a little bit :)

[Hike] Moro Rock - Sequoia Natl. Park, CA

2009-09-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

Although, it really isn't much of a hike, but, Moro rock is a must see when you visit Sequoia. It is a nice and clean way to get a clear view of the seirras and the great western divide, without breaking too much of a sweat. A series of about 400 steps, leads you up to a vantage point that lets you see all the major peaks of the western sierras as well as the great western divide.

Notice the steps with the railings, below...

For me, this was particularly interesting because it helped me clearly see all the peaks, including the towering Alta Peak, that we were on top of, just a day before....

General Sherman, Tunnel Log and Auto Log.

2009-09-06T21:24:00.000-07:00

A trip to Sequoia National Park is incomplete without a visit to the largest tree in the world - The GENERAL SHERMAN , and the famous Tunnel Log and Auto Log.
I'm not going to bother describing these, because, you can find more information than you can use on the web about them (Warning: very touristy stuff!!)

I just realized that I took a rather crappy pic of the General Sherman (a toddler could have taken that), but, thankfully, I at least got a couple people in, so you have a sense of relative size (I guess I'm just not into photographing stuff that everyone does ;-)

The above is something we Indians like to call a "Patel shot"

[Camping] LodgePole campground - Sequoia

2009-09-06T20:20:00.000-07:00

Details: TBA

[Camping] Dorst Creek Campground - Sequoia Natl. Park

2009-09-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

Details: TBA

[3 peak, PEAKBAGBING Hike] - Baden-Powell Traverse - Angeles Natl Forest - CA

2009-08-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Baden-Powell Traverse is a fairly hard hike that takes you up 3 peaks - THROOP PEAK, Mt. BURNHAM and Mt. BADEN POWELL, all in one single hike!

Summit pics of Mt. Baden Powell (above) and Throop Peak (below) (what's a peak bagging hike, wihout some bags at the peak, right? ;-)

The idea with this "peak-bagging" hike, is to park one car at Dawson Saddle and the other at the Vincent Gap Parking lot. You start from Dawson Saddle, hike about 10 miles while gaining and losing quite a bit of elevation (2400'/ 3700') and end the hike at Vincent Gap, you summit Throop Peak, Mt. Burnham and Mt. Baden-Powell, in that order!
To get to the first peak (Throop), turn right at the first PCT trail sign you come up to (about 2mi into the hike), walk about 300ft and look for a very inconspicuous trail (just a couple of sticks on the ground) heading up the mountain on the right). We missed this, so, we learnt it the hard way! This park of the hike up to Throop Peak is pretty steep and so is the final summit to Baden Powell (pretty breathless, in all senses of the word ;-)

[Camping] At the Mountain Oak Campground - Angeles Natl. Forest - CA

2009-08-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

We camped at the Moutain Oak Campground in the ANF area, up Big Pines Hwy, for one night on the 8th of Aug, 2009.
This is a REALLY NICE campground and the host (at least when we were there) was a very nice lady. She welcomed us nicely (this is the first campground, where I had a name tag attached to my site!), brought us firewood and ensured we were comfortable.
Jackson lake is right across from the campground and is quite beautiful, complete with picnic tables and stuff (we walked across before sunset played frisbee and beach volleyball there). The sunset allowed for some nice photo-ops...

[Hike] - Mt. Islip - Angeles Natl. Forest - CA

2009-08-23T11:09:00.000-07:00

Mt. Islip is an easy to moderate hike with some pretty rewarding views. We hiked it on Aug 8th, 2009 and the weather was great.

There are two main ways to hike to the top of Mt. Islip. The more scenic (I believe) route is to head up from Crystal Lake campground. Unfortunately, that area had been closed off when we were up there, so we took the other approach from the Islip Saddle, which was pretty nice too. It is about 5.5mi round trip with an elevation gain of about 1100ft

Getting to the trail head is fairly straightforward. Take Hwy 138 from the I-15 and then turn left on to Hwy 2 (this one comes up rather abruptly, so watch out!). Drive about 6-7 miles (past the town of Wrightwood) to reach Big Pines. You come up to a fork in the road, hwy 2 continues on the left and the right is Big Pines Hwy. There is a visitors center at this fork, where you can buy a adventure pass (needed to park at the trailhead). Continue about 5 more miles on hwy 2 (left fork). The trailhead is pretty clearly marked (as "Islip Saddle") with a fairly huge parking lot.
Finding the trail is a little tricky, we initially thought the gates accross from the parking lot were the trailhead entrance, but, the actual trailhead starts rather obsurely a little south of the parking lot on Hwy 2 (see the hikers exiting the trail in the pic below, for reference)

.

Hats off to Mt. Islip?...

[Hike] Devil's Bridge - Sedona, AZ

2009-07-07T00:19:00.001-07:00

This hidden gem is a MUST DO, if you happen to be in the Sedona area...

To get to the trail head drive about 3mi to the west from the 89A/ 179 intersection (the "Y") in Sedona, then turn R onto Dry Creek Rd. Drive about 3 miles out and be on the lookout for a sign that says "Red Rock Day Passes" on the right side of the road. Turn into this and find a vending machine, where you can get a day pass (parking permit) to hike in sedona. After this point, the trailhead is about 1.1mi, in and the road is rough (off-road). We chose to park and walk to the trailhead, but, some others were driving. The trailhead shows up on the right side as well. The hike itself is easy to moderate.. only the last part is very steep and you have to scramble up to get to the bridge. The most intersting thing, is that the bridge isn't visible till the very end (I almost thought, the bridge was covered in brush or something, and nearly gave up). Overall a very rewarding hike for relatively minimal effort, but, definitely not for someone with a fear of heights!

[Hike] - Blue Mesa Trail - Petrified National Forest - N-E AZ

2009-07-06T23:37:00.000-07:00

This has to be the most magical and surreal trail I have been on...

To get to this trail, take the I-40 E in Arizona, exit into the Petrified National Forest, take the scenic route South to "Blue Mesa Rd". Turn left on Blue Mesa Rd, drive about 3 miles and park where you see a "sun-shade" a little below the road, with some trail maps. The trail is short (about 1.5mi out), but kinda steep... but, a must do, if you visit the petrified national forest!
The weather was absolutely perfect, with blue skies, filled with dispersed clouds... couldn't have asked for better!

I just had to take another angle of the same mountain, because, the clouds looked like smoke pluming off a volcano!(agree?)

[Hike] - Puerco Pueblo Trail & Newspaper Rock - Petrified National Forest - N-E AZ

2009-07-06T23:32:00.000-07:00

Great places to see some stuff written by humans that lived in the area between 1200 and 1380 AD!They are both right off the scenic hwy in the Petrified Nat'l Forest area.

[Hike] Tawa Pt <-> Kachina Pt. - Painted Desert - NE Arizona

2009-07-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

This is a short hike (~2mi RT) that trails along the rim of the desert, giving you splendid views and some information on the kinds of vegetation you can expect.

An Indian house at Kachina Pt....

[Hike] - Fay Canyon - Sedona, AZ

2009-07-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Beautiful hike, with an opportunity for some rock scrambling and possible rock climbing on this monster of a rock....

To get to the trail head drive about 3mi to the west from the 89A/ 179 intersection (the "Y") in Sedona, then turn R onto Dry Creek Rd. Follow Dry Creek Road till you reach a dead end (T intersection). Then turn L onto Boynton Cyn Road, drive couple miles to come up to another T, turn L on to Boynton Rd and continue about 1/2 mi to reach the trail head parking on the left side. You have to cross the road to get to the trailhead.

[Hike] Coffee Pot Trail - Sedona, AZ

2009-07-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

I hope you get the reason for the name of this hike from the photos...

London Bridge - Lake Havasu, CA

2009-07-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Historic significance of this bridge is what makes it so interesting... read this

[Hike] Blue Sky Eco Reserve to Lake Ramona Dam

2009-06-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

This is was one of those hikes that beat my expectation totally! I expected the hike to be a boring stroll (and, that is part of the reason, I didn't take it for such a long time), but it turned out to be a rather good workout, going all the way to the top of the face of the dam. The views were also spectacular, for the minimal amount of effort.

The trailhead is right before the Lake Poway entrance, on Espola Rd, in Rancho Bernardo.

[Hike] Cuyamaca Peak "Redux" - Descanso, CA

2009-02-22T13:41:00.000-08:00

So, just for kicks, I decided to go back and do Cuyamaca Peak EXACTLY a year after I did it the first time !
I was curious to see if the weather would be any different and also note any changes to the trail and surrounding geography. What was amazing was that I saw none (or very minimal) - It was just as beautiful and amazing as it was the first time around! - perfect 65F odd temperatures and snow on the mountain (up to a foot at some points). What made it even better was the awesome company of a big (10 people) group!
Since, I already put up the hike stats and description on the blog post from the first time I went up, I am not going to repeat that here and instead, just post up a few selected (of the over 100) pics I took, on the trail...

Starting out at the campground....

Quick stop to grab some chocolate chip ice-cream...

(I took the next one in two different exposure levels, just to demonstrate how changing that can make the weather look different... in this case... absence of clouds!)
Love the contrast of colors in this next one...
And then we meet the (not so) abominable snow-man...
... who says "Y? Y ? Y? Y? oh, Y?"... (would you come here?)...

Yeah... I had this thing for Tree #4! ;-)

The magic of "post processing"...
A little "Artsiness" never hurt...
The rowdy inhabitants of Cuyamaca Peak, that had "permanent camping permits" to the place!

And, finally...my obsession, with trying to get the perfect woodpecker pic...

[Hike] - Mt. San Jacinto Peak (via tramway) - Palm Springs, CA

2008-10-18T23:09:00.000-07:00

I finally did the hike, I've been dreaming up for a while now!
At almost 11,000ft (10,834, for the purist), Mt. San Jacinto is the 2nd tallest peak in Southern California (the tallest, San Gorgonio, is only a few hundered feet higher). And I think this deserves a photo of self (first time) as well as a little more writing (trip report, if you will), than usual.

Since this was the first time up, I decided to take the easiest route to get to the peak. The hike statistics were:
Distance: ~11mi (RT, out and back)
Start Elevation: 8500ft
End Elevation : 10,834ft
Gain : ~2300ft

To get to the trail head you have to take the Palm Springs Aerial tramway - a $22 ticket (round trip) and about 15mins later, you will have gone from ~1000ft to ~8,500ft.
Head out of the peak tram station to continue down a cement path to get into the wilderness area. Continue on the path to the right to reach the "WILDERNESS RANGER HUT" (about 0.2mi from the tram station), where you will need to obtain a Day Hiking Wilderness permit (self issued). Fill out the permit, drop the original in the box and carry the copy with you.
Continue on the trail to come up to the next major milestone - "ROUND VALLEY" at approximately 2mi from the trail-head. At this point you will notice some restrooms and trail signs. Turn left here, to continue towards the peak.

The next major milestone is "WELLMAN DIVIDE" at about 3.3mi from the start. The part between Round Valley and Wellman Divide is probably the steepest part of the trail. Wellman Divide is an excellent resting area with great views (the trail signs below, and view is from Wellman Divide).
From Wellman Divide, turn right to continue toward the peak. The trail goes through a ridge and the views to the right looks like this:

This mountain, I believe, is Cornell Peak (9721ft)...

About 0.3mi before the peak, you will come up to a "STONE HUT", which was built in the 1930's, as a shelter.

You can leave a note (like we did) in one of the hiker's diaries, but, only on your way back from the peak (be true to your self now!)

Remember to drop off the copy of your wilderness permit at the Ranger's Hut on the way back, once you (and all your fellow hikers) have made it back safe (it is the way for the rangers to know, they don't have to send in the chopper!)

[Sunrise Hike] Garnet Peak Revisited - Mt. Laguna - CA

2008-09-21T22:37:00.000-07:00

I guess I must not have gotten enough of Garnet Peak, when I hiked it earlier this year, in May .
I decided to do a twist on it, this time, and go up at sunrise....

... aaaaaaaaaand... here's the result... think it was worth waking up in the cold at 5am?

[Camping] At the Burnt Racheria Campground - Mt. Laguna

2008-09-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

The Burnt Rancheria Campground is an excellent campground located in the heart of Mt. Laguna, in the Cleveland National forest, about 60mi SE of San Diego County.

The campsites are conveniently located close to the Mt. Laguna Lodge and Visitor center and provide all basic camping aminities, including fire pits, camping tables and restroom access. The campsites are pretty spacious as well.

We spent a couple days there and that was one of the most memorable trips of my life.

[Hike] Noble Cyn -> Big Laguna Trail -> Sunset Trail - Mt. Laguna CA

2008-09-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

Sunset trail, in Mt. Laguna, is a beautiful trail of ups and downs that takes you through a Pine forest a meadow and rewards you with some spectacular views of the Cuyamaca Mountains (that are even more stunning, at sunset)

To get to the trail you could follow this link, or, if you are feeling mavericky (like I was), you could follow a series of connecting trails to get to it. The path we took to get to Sunset trail started off at the "PENNY PINES" trailhead, just past the 27mi mile marker, on Surise Hwy. We started off on the NOBLE CANYON trail, which has a gated entrance. Walking for about 200ft, you should notice a hand pump, on your right. A little further, you turn left to get on to the BIG LAGUNA TRAIL and pass another gate. After this, just stay on the trail, till you see a pine meadow with a water body (Big Laguna Lake) in the distance.

Just before you come up to the meadow, you should see a trail sign that points to SUNSET TRAIL, bear right on that to get onto sunset trail. Continue on that and notice a fence on the left side that goes to the lake (Big Laguna Trail). Continuing past the fence the trail turns to the left, climbs a little and then goes down to the other side of the moutain. Continuing a little further, you climb again to come up to an amazing vista point to view the sunset with the CUYAMACA MOUNTAINS as the backdrop.

Elephant Ear fungus growing on a tree!

[Sunset/ Moonrise, Full-Moon Hike] Cowles Mountain

2008-09-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Cowles Moutain (in Mission Trails Regional Park) is probably the most popular trail in San Diego county, and a great sunset/ full-moon hike. There are about 4-5 different ways to climb to the peak, the one we took was the shortest route up (1.5mi, one way) from the Golfcrest Trailhead.

Getting to the trailhead is straightforward. Exit Mission Gorge Rd from the I-8, drive North (the road turns right, stay on it) about 4 miles to come up to Golcrest Drive, Turn R at Golfcrest and drive a couple miles to see the Trailhead sign.

Big Bear Lake Revisited

2008-09-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

Drove up to Big Bear Lake exactly a year after the last time I was there.

[Hike] Mount Constitution - Orcas Island (Off the Washington Coast)

2008-08-21T21:26:00.000-07:00

This was one of the most amazing views I've seen on a hike. Mt. Constitution is the highest point on all of the San Juan Islands. Located on the east end of Orcas Island, this is a very nice hike through some thick Doug-fir trees, that rewards you with spectacular views of the islands, from the peak. Only wish it was less hazy :(

[Camping Trip] San Juan Islands - off the Washington Coastline

2008-08-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Took an hour long ferry from Anacrotes Harbor in Washington to get to these beautiful islands.
There's about 127 islands of various shapes and sizes, off the Washington coastline. The main (rather, biggest) ones are - Orcas Island, San Juan Island, Lopez Island and Shaw Island.

[Sunset/ Moonrise, Full Moon Hike] - Iron Mtn - Poway, CA

2008-07-20T14:05:00.001-07:00

This was my 4th time up Iron Mountain, but, my first ever evening/ night hike. I loved hiking after the sun goes down and am sure I'll do more.

The first pic is a panoramic photo, I stitched this up to try and highlight the beautiful view of the San Diego back country you get from the Iron Mtn Peak (Looking east). Visible in this, among other things are Lake Ramona (in the center), Lake Santee (to the far right) and maybe some of the bigger mountains, in the distance.

Sun behind a rock, on the way up to the peak.

This next pic is looking west towards the coast, I took it at two different exposure levels for fun...

Lake Ramona....

... and Lake Santee, as seen from the peak
Ughhh... if only that ray of light hadn't sneaked into my pic...
What's a sunset hike without a couple sunset pics...
And the Going,... going,... gone sequence..

And finally the moonrise...

Sand Castle's at Imperial Beach

2008-07-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

We got a chance to go see the US open of Sand Castle Building, today... it was held at Imperial Beach, very close to the US/ Mexico border in San Diego, CA..

This should explain why this is the "US OPEN" :)....

Smokey Bear in action

2008-07-07T19:03:00.001-07:00

Snapped this up at the 4th of July parade in Julian (CA)

Kayaking at Mission Bay

2008-07-06T14:26:00.000-07:00

Cooled off this July 4th, by kayaking at mission bay. Was an awesome workout as well. Like a good photographer, I made sure I don't loose a chance for some cool "photo ops" :)
The things I liked about this photo are the symmetry, the "framing" and the fact that it seems totally deserted, when in reality there were like a million people around (land and sea)

[Hike] - Volcan Mountain Summit - Julian, CA

2008-07-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hiked Volcan Mountain in Julian (that beautiful little town about 50mi NE of San Diego county) on July 4th, 2008. The hike was beautiful with breathtaking views of Anza Borrego Desert. It also had some surprisingly well shaded portions, for a San Diego hike.

Getting to the trailhead (and Julian) is pretty straightforward. Take either the 78E or the 67N (which meets the 78E) and continue till you reach Main St/ Farmers Road. Once you get to Julian, turn L on Farmers road, continue till stop sign, turn R on Wynola Rd and turn L again to get back on Farmers road. The trailhead sign should be visible on the right side of the road, shortly after that:
The Hike starts of on a gravel/ paved road with apple orchards on either side, leading up to the main entrance with trail maps and a wooden gate.

Next two in B&W for a change!
Continue past those gates and up a fire road to come up to a point where you see a fork with a sign for the "Five Oaks Trail:

At this point you can choose to do the shorter, but fairly steep, fire road all the way up to mid summit or take five oaks and join the fire road back later at mid summit (~1.2mi)

Hmm.. can't decide if I like the B&W better or the color better, what do you think?

[Hike] - Bernardo Mountain - San Diego, CA

2008-06-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hiked Bernardo Mountain this Sunday (6/22). This was probably one of the hottest days on the trail for me. I believe the temperature went past 100F at some point during the day.
Bernardo Mountain is located just north of Lake Hodges , in the Rancho Bernardo/ Escondido areas of North County San Diego. Getting to the trailhead is quite easy and not much of a drive. Exit Via Rancho Pkwy (the same exit as the westfield mall) from the I-15N and head east (turn R at the signal), turn R again at the next signal (Sunset Blvd), drive all the way to the end of the road and park in the trailhead parking lot.
The trailhead starts as sidewalk/ pavement going south, parallel to the 15. Shortly the trail turns R and goes under the fwy, emerges and goes N. The trail then continues along the border of the lake. At about 1.5mi from the trailhead, you come to a shady area with a small creek ("felicita creek"). Shortly past this point, look for a "fork in the road" and take the one that climbs upward (the other one just continues along the lake). Follow the trail all the way to the top. You will come accross two other forks in the road, stay left on both of those and keep climbing. At about 3.2mi you come across a water tank (pic below), you summit shortly after that.

[Hike] Garnet Peak - Mt. Laguna, Descanso, CA

2008-05-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Hiked Garnet Peak Trail in the Laguna Mountain area, on Sunday May 25th, 2008.
The hike is fairly easy and less than 3mi round trip, but, you get exceptional views of Anza Borrego Desert :
What I liked the most about this hike is that it clearly brings out the effects that the geology of Laguna Mountain has on the terrain around it. Mt. Laguna is basically like a "camel's hump" and so when all the cool air from the San Diego coast hits the west side of the hump, it causes rain and snow enough to make the vegetation look like the pacific NW (see photos in the post "Lightning Ridge Trail" below). By the time the air goes over the hump to the east side, it is too warm to cause any more moisture thus resulting in the vast. dry, hot expanse called the "Anza Borrego Desert"

Kite-Runner

2008-05-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yay, I flew a Kite this memorial day weekend!! (Can't remember the last time I did this, but, I am pretty sure I was half as tall, as I am now :) )

And in a strange coincidence I walked into Hollywood Video later that day to find a Movie called "The Kite Runner" (based on the NY Times Bestseller )
Which now, BTW, is one of my all time favorites. Be sure to read and/ or watch it!!

[Hike] Lightning Ridge Trail - Mt. Laguna

2008-05-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hiked the Lightning Ridge Trail in Mt laguna (about 60mi SE of San Diego County), today.

At about 3mi round trip, this was a very easy hike, but with some splendid views:

To get to the trailhead you have to Take Sunrise Hwy (from the I-8), and keep driving North on it, till you get to the Laguna Campground. The Trailhead is not clearly marked, but look for the Amphitheater and a small Stone Monument and follow the trail from there. It goes through a few quick switchbacks and leads up to a water tank (see last pic below). There is a split half way up and you can take either route (it is a loop from there on, so you can go one way and come back the other).

Spotted this red Ladybug lazying on a wildflower (should have tried harder to get a closer shot?)

View looking North East

(last two pics) Views looking SE

Water Tank at the top

Lake Elsinore - Riverside, CA

2008-03-02T20:36:00.000-08:00

(Pics 1-3)Views from the a look out point along Ortega Hwy (CA-74) . The winds were some of the heaviest I have experienced (I am actually surprised I didn't shake this one!)

Palm Springs, CA

2008-02-25T22:17:00.000-08:00

No hike this weekend... but I managed to dig up some old pics, that I hadn't posted before. I took these on a trip to Palm Springs, during the Thanksgiving holiday, last year (2007).

Windmill farm, as seen from the I-10 near palm springs

Sun setting behind the mountains

Snapped this one from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway

Looking at the moon from the top of San Jacinto Peak

I like my drink cold...

2008-02-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

.. no matter what!

[First Snow Hike!!] - Cuyamaca Peak - Descanso, CA

2008-02-16T23:41:00.000-08:00

I did I my first hike, through snow, today (Feb 16th, 2008). We hiked up the famous Cuyamaca Peak (supposedly, the second highest peak in San Diego county) in Descanso, about 40 mi East of San Diego city. The trail head was at the Paso Picacho camp ground, in Rancho Cuyamaca SP , at an elevation of about 4800ft and the final peak was at about 6500ft. So the hike was an elevation change of about 1650ft over ~3.5mi (round trip hike distance ~7mi)

Hiking through snow was an interesting challenge, a lot of fun and definitely something I would love to do again. I did take away something from the experience though - like, even though kicking up snow and embedding your shoes in it seems like fun, initially, the real fun starts when they soak up and you can no longer feel your toes anymore :) or that, walking on a thinner sheet of watery snow can be much more challenging than doing so in a couple feet of it. Overall (to put it in more "san-diegan" terms), it seemed a lot like hiking through a sandy beach (a cold and steeply slanting one, that is!)

The bad part, I forgot to juice up my camera batteries before I left, so, I couldn't snap up as many photos or experiment with too many modes either. So, anyways, here's what I did manage to capture...
View from the peak, looking South West, towards San Diego

View from the peak, looking south

View from a midway point, looking west

United we stand!

Lake Cuyamaca, as seen, from half-way up the trail.

United we (sometimes) fall? (heck, I just liked the contrast of colors in this one!)

Interesting tree bark hollow (If only I had paid more attention to choosing a less noisy background, this could have been somethin' else!)

Aah, there we go! Now, ya stay right there, till christmas ;-)

"Reflecting" at Lake Poway - Poway, CA

2008-02-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

Snapped these up while chilling out after a long hike up Mt. Woodsen...

[Hike] Mt. Woodson Peak - Poway, CA

2008-02-09T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hiked Mt. Woodson from Lake Poway on Feb 9th, 2008. This is the longer and more strenuous way to reach the peak (the easier way is from the Hwy 67 staging area). The total round trip distance is about 6.5 miles and an elevation gain of about 2000ft.

Bear Lake - Big Bear, CA

2008-01-21T21:26:00.000-08:00

The last one was on a trail called "Cougar Crest Trail"... that connected to the famous Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), that runs through the west coast states, from Mexico to Canada. I couldn't resist the "Braggin' rights" ;)

Birds of Flight at Coronado

2008-01-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

Seaport Village at Sunset

2008-01-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Seaport Village by the Embarcadero in San Diego.

In case you haven't noticed yet, in the first photograph, the orange hue you see on the windows of the restaurant are caused by the sun reflecting off of them. I posted a zoomed out version (second photo) of the same to emphasize that!

Wildlife Photography can be pretty interesting!

2007-12-30T23:13:00.000-08:00

I never realized how interesting wildlife photography can be, till I visited the zoo with a super zoom camera!

A new reason to be back!

2007-12-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

Been a while since I posted any new photos here... but now I have more reason to do so, my new Canon S5-IS!!

Just got the camera a couple of weeks ago. Here are some initial test shots I took with it.

The first 4 photos, emphasize the "color accent" feature, that allows you to filter out all colors in a photograph, except one (green, by default). I still need to figure out how to change the default, so if you already know it, please let me know through a comment!

The last 2 photo's attempt to demonstrate the 48x zoom on the canon S5-Is (12x optical + 4x digital). Notice how the fishermen, in the left pic are hardly noticeable, when no zoom is used.

Mt. Defiance - OR

2007-05-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

Ostrich Land - Buellton (near Santa Barbara, CA)

2007-04-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

Snow in San Diego -Cuyamaca State Park - Jan '07

2007-01-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

Jan 17th, 2007 was one of those rare occasions when we San Diegan's got a chance to experience what snow feels like first hand... well... maybe we had to drive ~30mi, but it sure was worthwhile...

House next to Ranger Station at Cuyamaca State Park

Fireworks at the Cove

2006-07-16T08:58:00.000-07:00

July 4th 2006, Fireworks display at La Jolla Cove - La Jolla, CA (North San Diego)

Lake Cachuma - Santa Barbara, CA

2006-07-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Beautiful and serene... can't believe this place was just a couple miles from where I lived!

Stanford University - Palo Alto, CA

2006-03-31T22:34:00.000-08:00

Probably the most beautiful campus in the US...

Montecito Peak - Santa Barbara, CA

2006-03-30T18:57:00.000-08:00

(below) And visible in the picture's below is the Santa Barbara Coastline (looking left and right respectively)..

Sea Lions on a Buoy...

2006-03-28T22:36:00.000-08:00

... Somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean, a few miles off of the California coast...

The Queen Mary - Long Beach, California

2006-03-27T22:15:00.000-08:00

The Legend lives on...

The Lake Shrine - Malibu, California

2006-03-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

Who would've thought there could be such a peaceful place just minutes from all the maddness called "LA"...

Blue Angels at Pt. Mugu AFB, California

2006-03-25T00:27:00.000-08:00

2005 Pt. Mugu Air show

In case you're wondering why I have no acrobatic pictures of the F/A-18 Hornet's, the Blue Angeles show was cancelled due to very poor visibility conditions... aah.. SO CLOSE AND YET SO FAR. The Fat Albert (below) did take off though, only to report bad visibility conditions...

Well... now that I live pretty close to Miramar AFB (TOP GUN) I hope to get many many more opportunities to see the Blue Angels up close!

Catalina Island - Off the Southern California Coast

2006-03-21T20:44:00.000-08:00

We left Santa Barbara at 6 in the morning, on the first day of Thanksgiving last year ('05), to get to Long Beach Harbor (120 mi S) by 8am to catch a boat... but wasn't it TOTALLY worth it??

The wet and Misty morning brought our hopes down (notice the zero visibility behind the boat)...

But, soon enough the weather cleared up and after the hour and a half long boat ride, we began to see some spectacular views of Catalina....

First order of business... hike up to the highest reachable points...!

The building with a red-roof is a casino and pic following this one.. is taken from the top of the mountain behind it (so it is strategically opposite to this location..

Calabasas Peak - Calabasas, CA

2006-03-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

We hiked Calabasas Peak in Jan 2004. Was a bright sunny day. It was an easy to moderate hike with elevation gain of about 1000ft over 4 miles.

Titled rock on the way up. Notice those hikers in the distance?

This one's right on top at the peak.