South Rim, Grand Canyon, Arizona(more local history here)
Trails: South Kaibab + Phantom Ranch + Bright Angels
Length: 18 miles
Notes: A very difficult trail often discouraged by rangers. For me, it wasn’t the trail that I had problems with. South Kaibab is steep, but a breeze to run down. However, it is the heat leading from the Colorado River to Indian Gardens that is the killer. I was warned a number of people died on this trail, though I think it is the result of heat exhuastion and dehydration. I went in late April an it was already well over 100 F. I also did a really stupid thing and hiked it even though I skipped two days of sleep. So by the end of the trail, I had gone 68 hours without sleeping. It is recommended to go down South Kaibab because it is very steep and has no water refills. Though Angel Brite is longer, it is far more friendlier and there are many water and restroom stations, much more suitable to go up. Also, if you wait until the late afternoon, you will be shaded from the blazing heat.
The area was originally inhabited by Ancient Pueblo people … I do not know how they survived without air conditioning, really. I roasted and used sunblock every hour. People thought I was going to pass out because I was so red, but that’s because I inherited a bit of my father’s skin color, ‘gomen.’
The Peubloans were mostly farmers and they used the Bright Angel delta for their crops and hunted animals and gathered wild plants. I really do not know how they can make large farms in this weather. The Puebloans was not homogenous, though. You had the Cohonina, (now known as the Sinagua, Havasupai, and Walapai), Singua (now several Hopi tribes), Hualapai, Pauites, some Diné (aka Navajo).
I should have slept the night before … but I got lost from my camping group and ended up ‘sleeping’ on a bench next to the edge of the canyon and got distracted by the meteor shower.
Phew lawd bless Theodore Roosevelt for turning this into National Park.
San Gabriel Mountains (East Fork Trail)(more local history here)
Difficulty: Easy. Road is mostly flat until the last mile. Beware obscure trails and river crossings.
Distance: 10 miles
It was once the home of the Tongva people. During the Great Depression, there were multiple attempts to construct the ‘East Forks Road’ but it was destroyed during the Great Flood of 1938. The few things remaining of the project is the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ in the middle of Sheep Mountain, which is the only place where you can bungee jump in California! Wish I was loaded.
There was once a hidden area called Bighorn Gold Mine in Mount Baden Powell that I wanted to go to, but it has been closed down from what I heard. During the Gold Rush era, thousands of blokes came here in search for riches. I encountered a few miners still panning the San Gabriel River today. I wonder if they have any success.
The trail shouldn’t take more than four hours, but I got lost for an hour since the trail is kind of difficult to find at some points. I felt bad because I dragged a friend of mines across the river back and forth multiple times and had her climb up a bunch of rocks with me to get back on the trail above. I hope she had fun, heh.
Then encountered a disaster. I was crossing a river and took off my shoes, but I slipped and my left shoe went surfing down the river. I swam after it, but it kept slipping … I went pretty far, and nothing happened. I thought I was ruined since I was 4 miles into the wilderness. In my head I screamed, “Mother Nature is an amoral bitch! Uwa.” I found another victim’s shoe and decided to clear out the mud and claim it for myself … but I realized it was another right shoe - useless! I hobbled up the river and when I was close, I saw my shoe perfectly sitting on a pile of rocks like it was on display for sale. “W-wow, Mother Nature … Sugar Mama.”
Once the home to of the Esselen, Ohlone, and Salinan people. Most folks here lived nomadic and hunter-gatherer lifestyles. The first Europeans to arrive in the area were Spaniard settlers around the mid-1550s and most of the original population died from diseases or lived in missionaries where the culture and language eventually faded with assimilation with Mexicans and Spaniard ranchers.
When California became “United Statian” territory following the Mexican-American War, pioneers came into the region in search for land. Anglo-Americans and Mexicans mixed in this area, and the name Big Sur came up. After the Gold Rush passed, the area was left to the wilderness against until the construction of Highway 1 in the 20th Century.
Big Sur is my favorite place in California. If I had all the money in the world, I’d probably become a burly hermit in a cabin somewhere in either Big Sur, Washington/Oregon or Montana. Maybe it is a lot of fond childhood memories …
Upper Snoqualmie (meaning “moon” in Salish) River was a rendezvous point for trade among various Amerindian civilizations. Eventually, the Snoqualmie Tribe (part of the Coast Salish people) created a camp nearby. The area was settled by American pioneers around 1850s.
Snoqualmie Falls is 268 feet high and it pretty well-known with the locals.
Unfortunately, when I went, the area was being developed by the Puget Sound Company.
Warning: took these photos years ago with an battered up point-n-shoot camera. mind.
An oasis west of the Dead Sea near the site of Masada and the Qumran (which hid the Dead Sea scrolls). En-gedi, meaning “kid springs” hosted a number of civilizations since 4,000 BC. Despite the scorching heat of the region, nomadic tribes made residence here, such as Judah’s tribe.
Though I shrivel here, plants thrive. Throughout its history, the area was known for its agricultural fertility and its two fresh water springs. In fact!
Solomon compared his lover to “a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi,” an indication of the beauty and fertility of the site.
To this day, it is still used for farming.
The hike to the actual springs is pretty short. No more than a mile, but the heat just kills you. It didn’t help that I went during late Summer. Typically, heat in Israel, Lebanon, West Bank, etc. are more humidity based, but that day the sun was really out to get me.
The mountains were settled by various Amerindians years ago. Though the Serrano and Cahuilla people arrived and built villages near streams and springs. They were hunter-gatherers and they survived on small game and acorn. San Jacinto was the seasonal home to these folks. It’s fabulous hiking here during the winter because you’ll be trotting along snow, but if you look down you’ll be greeted with the view of this golden desert …
San Jacinto peak is close to 11,000 feet above sea levels. Luckily, there is a tram station that takes you far up. I’m kind of wowed how Amerindians made their way up here with moccasins so many years ago. The trails are covered with sharp rock, and from my experience at Ansel Adams Wilderness … I know how much that hurts with thin shoes.
There is a trail called Cactus to Clouds where you climb from the bottom of the mountain to the top. Most people opt to take the tram station to the near the top of the mountain, then proceed to the peak. It would be a whopping twenty-three miles to do Cactus to Clouds. I felt ashamed because as I was descending the peak, I met an old gentleman who was at least sixty and accomplished it. Apparently, he was a marathon runner. W-wow. Heh. I hope when I become an old man I’ll be as ace. Be careful about attempting the full Cactus to Clouds trail in addition to the peak. Some folks have died on that road from dehydration and cockiness.
Note:My failing, ten-year-old point-n-shoot camera is ailing. Please excuse the poor quality photos.
Located in the Sierra Nevadas Mountain ranges of Eastern California, Ansel Adams Wilderness (originally Minaret Wilderness because of the jagged mountain peaks) was renamed after the esteemed photographer, Ansel Adams, who spent much of his life lugging around ancient photography equipment and taking gorgeous photos of the American wilderness.
Ansel Adams Wilderness was once the home of various Amerindian groups such as the Sierra Miwok, Washo, Mono, and Shoshone for three thousand years. The area I travelled in specifically was used as a trading route. Though the Spanish had colonized much of California, the Sierra Nevadas were left alone until the Californian Gold Rush attracted many miners and American entrepreneurs from the East.
The trail I hiked ends at a gorgeous lake called Thousand Island Lake, though I started on the trail later that I expected, so I wasn’t able to make it. I think the autumn season is the best time to visit the area if you have time, because it is so crowded during the summertime.
I was so underprepared when I went; I hiked thirteen mile in the wilderness with a pair of chucked with holes in them. Consequently, the snow started seeping into my shoes and soaked my ripped socks. To make matters worse, the trail was extremely rocky and my feet hurt so badly by the time I was done, haha.
I am rewriting a lot of old blurbs. Don’t mind me.
Some of you know I went to Mount. Baldy last weekend, apart of the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County. I had to turn back because I lacked proper equipment and it was storming. The snow had mostly melted at the bottom, but I came back with a vengeance anyways.
I went to the top of the summit with a small group. It was around 10,000 feet above sea level and the view was just amazing. Poor bloke passed out from exhuastion. You could see the Californian islands off the coast - Catalina and San Clemente. From the other side, you could see peaks as far away as San Jancinto, Saddleback Mountain, etc.
There was one part that was rather dangerous called Devil’s Backbone. The trail is very narrow, and if you slip and fall, you are good as dead because it will be complete free fall until you were smashed open by a rock or tree. What made is really nervous wracking this time was because the ridges were covered in snow and ice, so you would have to climb over it or trek past it.
To be honest, I was scared out of my mind. Devil’s Backbone (Photo 7 & 8) is notorious for killing hikers during the winter due to high winds and ice. I think a conversation I had with a journalist behind me was, “Oh my God, I am going to die. Oh my god, I am going to die. Wait, wow, that is a nice picture. Hold on one moment. Pause. Oh my god, I just looked down. It is so steep. Oh my god. I am going to die. I am going to die.”
Warning: I have decade-old point-and-shoot camera that is on the verge of breaking, so the photos are less than stellar.
A beautiful lake hidden in the Sierra Nevada forests off Highway 395. I took this shot sometime in the autumn on a crisp day. I caught random rides from people. I was really lucky, haha.
The lake has a rather interesting history. The reason why it is called Convict Lake is because there was a band of men from Nevada who were escaping imprisonment. They traversed through a horrible blizzard across the mountain ranges of the Sierras and finally arrived here. However, the police caught up with them and had a showdown here where one bloke was killed. The men who survived the long, long trek from Nevada to California were eventually caught and returned to prison. I guess … at least they had ‘fun’?
Warning: As usual, these photos were taken with a broken point-n-shoot camera.
Mount Baldy, California
It was once the home to the Tonva people. Not sure what happened to them. Here is a reconstruction of a Tongva dwelling. From some billboard I found because information about this area seems very scarce. :(
For thousands of years, the Tongva ventured into this mountain region in search of food and material goods. Leaving their permanent villages in the valleys below, the Yongva set up summer and autumn camps in the cool mountains. Outside the thatched walls of their “kich,” fish and deer meat were hung to dry. Roots, seeds, berries and nuts were gathered and eaten; dried acorns were stored in the willow baskets granaries. Hard world and summer bounty meant survival during the long winter ahead. Permanent villages of the Tonva were located in the valleys. They included ceremonial area, ceremonial house and family dwellings.
Wooeyhoo, what wild ride. I went to this place on a whim, and ignored reports for violent winds and storm. The first portion of it was hell – the rain was pouring and the gusts were violent enough to blow droplets sideways. About a mile or two in the trail, rain was replaced by snow, and this very moist fog. In fact, the mist was actually clouds! Pretty neat, but rather chilly.You can tell that the storm hit rather suddenly from the plants and flowers neatly encased in ice.
The trail was exceedingly difficult in pour weather because towards the summit, the slopes can have an angle of 45 degrees. Not to mention towards the top, the former ridges of the mountains below no longer protect you, so you are subjected to very harsh winds that can blow to at least 20 MPHs.
I was fearless about climbing it, until I reached towards the top … and looked down. Unfortunately, after hiking many miles, we had to turn back one mile from the summit because the weather has become so awful, and worst, the snow had become nearly ice. Unlike soft snow which you could easily supplant your foot in, ice will slide you down that slope unless you have cramp-ons.
I think the rapid elevation gain adversely affected my thinking abilities because I kept pulling icicles and ate them. Then I took my cane and attacked them while proclaiming, “You will never have the Water Crystal.” I tried to take a picture of the feat, but my equipment was dead. I turned around and said, “My batteries camera died!” Yeah …
Some passerbyers later on asked me if I blaze. Though the answer is no, can’t blame ‘em for assuming.
Wedged in the corner of the Riverside County and Imperial County - it is a few miles away from Mecca, California. It’s formation is pretty mysterious to me. My camera did not capture it well, but it has a very unique color. It’s sedimentary rock was worn away from the San Bernardino mountains and deposited in the Mecca Hills.
Its very interesting to look at all the layers and attempt to figure out what was going on. It is a geologist’s landmine.
The trail can be 3 - 4 hours long. I did not find it very difficult but if you aren’t comfortable climbing up cave walls with your hands and using a number of rickety ladders into narrow spaces, it may not be for you.
I went with a friend of mines studying abroad from Japan and her father. Sometimes, I think I make a bad impression. One time for dinner, I was walking around in one sock and he asked me if I was injured, I just said I was lazy. Haha. Actually, I took off one sock, and got severely distracted.
The passage is pretty narrow. I am very klutzy and tripped.
