A Quick Look Around

A cool spring fog lingered this week, keeping the temperatures perfect for hiking, so I headed out to the Tujunga/La Crescenta area with f0t0m0m.

He finally got to pick this one up:
Owed to f0t0m0m

It’s on this trail:

I’m not sure what that high-falutin’ name really means, and I’m also not sure what these initials stand for here, either:

This week, I looked up:

I looked down:

I discovered that I was actually on the Balcony of Southern California. I guess it’s a good place to look around.

The Call of the Trail

My escape to nature for the week was a hike part-way up Mission Peak, the centerpiece of the mountains that edge the north side of the San Fernando Valley. The trail I chose starts at the end of Neon Way.

Welcome to the Dr. Mario A. DeCampos Trail
Dr. DeCampos Trail #2

I was greeted at the trail head by a variety of bird calls, cool weather, and inviting greenery.

Right after finding the first cache, I stopped to gaze into this antique horse watering hole:

I was mostly surrounded by daisies along the way as I chugged up the hill:

Where Am I Standing #2 – the most challenging of the day
Fallen Tree – the only DNF of the day

I encountered a handful of people enjoying the trail, but mostly the company I kept was just birds (the one you hear loudly is the blurry thing on the top of the branch – my little camera couldn’t get it in focus):

As a kind of dessert cache, I found one on a nearby street on my way home. Considering the title, it was surprisingly easy:
Ivy Hide, Santee Style

Where’s EMC?

What a spectacular view! Was I there to see it?

Uh oh… is that what’s left of my mighty Prius?

There seems to be some confusion:

Was I out in the Landers desert? Or was I in Fontana with a different group of rabble rousers?

California Wildlife: Mountain Lion
HENDECAGON SHAPE

Am I invisible in this T-shirt after all?

Like Harvey, do I really exist?

(p.s. it’s nice to be missed!)

Credits:
two top photos are by Max Power
video by the VKs

Vegas Desert

I love going to Vegas, but I almost never go to casinos. The geocaching in the desert out there is far more compelling, and made this latest opportunity irresistible. I headed out for two days, joining f0t0m0m in progress as finished up a Delorme challenge and found his 29,000th cache. The scenery really speaks for itself. The caching was easy, with only 2 DNFs out of about 100, and there was a wide variety, from basic piles of rocks to a quirky flash mob.

The journey was most refreshing.

F-10

Vegas Phoon Flash Mob

The Bidnis Woman's Vegas Base of Operations

Lizard tracks in the sand:

I might never take the 15 freeway from Vegas to Baker again, as the route through Pahrump and Shoshone is just too spectacular.