Hiking, Climbing, Outdoor Sports Archives Digest
This is a summary of each post only. The numbers in parenthesis after each entry are the number of comments and number of trackbacks.
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March 29, 2008
INCIDENTS Location: above Pasadena Update on latest bleeding knees instance Subject was mountain biking down trail, apparently feeling good about self. Went through section with loose rocks, got out of control. Fell. Somewhere between involuntary dismount and full-on crash. Almost went headfirst into rocky ground, snapping off helmet visor in...
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December 09, 2007
A common question! I don't know about you, but in my case it's because I was jogging down the Old Mount Wilson Trail earlier today and, after getting a little out of control running down a rock I stumbled over another rock and fell forward. I had hiked up a...
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August 27, 2007
Reader "S. Gupta" writes: I saw that video of you on the Mt. Wilson Trail. I'm familiar with that trail and with the still shots you included in it of the fence [ed.: about the 2:50 mark]. Others might not have picked up on what you did, but I did!...
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August 07, 2007
And, the best part about it is that there will be no asterisk or anything: he did it completely legitimately. And, he's a nice guy to boot....
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April 29, 2007
This short video shows you the proper technique to use when biking down wet slopes through bushes: I was coming down a not-very-difficult rock and a I hit the soft, wet edge of the trail and, needless to say, just kept going. Just a few small cuts are the result....
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March 25, 2007
OK, this isn't as fun as the last one, but it's still fun or at least it was to me. I'm actually doing megajumps, bunnyhops, and advanced trials work, you just can't see it because of the camera angle: If you don't like that one, watch this one instead....
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March 04, 2007
This is a little slow at the beginning, but it slightly picks up speed - as do I - near the end: Background on this here....
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December 22, 2006
Dude! Extreme! Wait dude, Extreme Dude! Dude? Dude! Lonewacko comments: the guy in the second video is absolutely, positively, freaking out of his mind batsh*t insane....
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December 21, 2006
A few random notes on recent outdoors stories: First, my speculation about the search "effort" in the James Kim case appears to have been correct, in that not only did they fail to take advantage of the knowledge of locals, other aspects were handled incompetently. ("A FAMILY'S TRAGEDY: Fumbles, missteps...
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December 09, 2006
This is an update to this post. I haven't extensively researched the case of the San Francisco family (James Kim) who were trapped on a road in Oregon, but what I've seen and read so far leads me to several uncomfortable questions that others don't seem to be asking. First,...
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December 06, 2006
The case of the San Francisco family who were lost on a back road in Oregon has been all over the news the past couple weeks. I'm not familiar with the specific circumstances involved there, but it might prove useful to look into what went wrong in order to prevent...
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August 07, 2006
Last year I tried for White Mountain Peak - at 14,246 feet the easiest 14er in California - and turned around just shy of the summit due to a thunderstorm. At least that was better than 2003 when I didn't even make it to the campground but was forced...
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June 18, 2006
Yesterday I and my bike visited Mt. Baldy (10,064') outside Los Angeles. I basically pushed it up to the summit and then more or less biked down. Here are the details on my Mt. Baldy mountain biking expedition....
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October 14, 2005
Do mid-level managers at the National Park Service need to be approved by a political appointee, and are they screened for fealty to Our Leader? Thus is the charge from the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility: The National Park Service has started using a political loyalty test for picking all...
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October 09, 2005
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) out of the highway stop known as Tracy in Northern California, has written legislation that would sell 15 National Park properties in order to raise funds. He says this plan was just a "conversation starter" intended to encourage opening up ANWR, and that he has no...
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October 06, 2005
You may have seen the picture of a python that tried to eat an alligator and ended up split in half with a burst stomach. It's a real picture, as described here. The photo was taken 9/26/05 in Everglades National Park, and the American Alligator was 6', while the...
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August 25, 2005
I'm sure many of you have woken up of a morning and said, "What the Grand Canyon needs is more tourists. There should be more parking lots, more infrastructure, a resort, and a golf course. But, even better, what about a glass-bottomed walkway jutting 70 feet out into the Canyon...
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August 10, 2005
On Sunday I tried to get White Mountain Peak, the third-highest summit in California at 14,246'. It's also the easiest CA 14er. I got to somewhere around 14,146' and turned around. On the one hand, I wasted a lot of gas getting there. On the other, I was able to...
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July 11, 2005
Some people have... hobbies. I'm sure there's more than one person who's spent a week driving 3597 miles in a big circle (that's at least 8 hours of road time per day), starting in Houston TX, hitting various tourist spots along the way, and ending up back in Houston. But,...
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July 04, 2005
I drove into the Angeles National Forest earlier today and took a hike. To avoid further embarrassment, I'm not going to reveal the actual location. (For someone who's less interested in that side of things and had a much worse time, see this). So, I hiked up, climbed over some...
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June 20, 2005
Almost a year ago I described an outing up the Old Mount Wilson Trail above Sierra Madre during which I twisted my ankle. On Saturday I hiked the same trail and on the way back I started a slow jog and I twisted my ankle yet again, just about 1/4...
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May 30, 2005
Earlier today I bagged Azusa Peak. Unfortunately, said Peak is mainly a weed covered bump that's only at an elevation of 2081'. I decided to do this based on the description here of the Garcia Trail that leads to near the summit: This great little trail starts at the fire...
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May 22, 2005
It appears to have been around 95 degrees in Sierra Madre when I started a brief hike up the Old Mount Wilson trail. It wasn't that hot, or it didn't feel that hot, but it was definitely hot. How hot was it? I personally spotted snakes and lizards falling out...
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May 16, 2005
When I go for training hikes in Griffith Park I usually use my hiking poles to which I've attached snow baskets. That occasionally results in inventive idiots asking, "where's the snow?" Oh boy, that still cracks me up. Well, today there was snow in Griffith Park. In fact, carrying a...
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May 05, 2005
In a truly heartwarming development for American commerce and progress, up to 58.5 million acres of Forest Service land could soon see roads for the first time. Imagine! No longer would woodchucks and other furry creatures need to hew to decrepit forest paths. Instead, they can use nifty new modern...
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April 14, 2005
Drudge is linking to the NYT article "Study Cautions Runners to Limit Their Water Intake" about hyponatremia, also known as water intoxication. My suggestion is that while the article has some worthwhile information, if you hike in the southwest U.S. you might want to consider the source. No, not because...
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Someone from the North Bay has petitioned to change the name of Mt. Diablo to Mount Kawukum. Mt. Diablo is, of course, the highest peak in the S.F. Bay area at a whopping 3849'. Quoting from the application: The proponent, a resident of Oakley, suggests that the existing name is...
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January 23, 2005
Earlier today I hiked from the top of Lake Avenue in Altadena to Inspiration Point. I took the Lower Sam Merrill trail and then then Castle Canyon trail: Distance: 10 miles Gain: 2800' Pack weight: 32 lbs. (2L drinking water, 1L Gatorade, 6L of weight water which was jettisoned...
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January 14, 2005
Our sources tell us the Angeles National Forest is basically shut down. The Angeles Crest Highway is closed just above La Crescenta, and Highway 39 above Azusa is closed too. They mentioned something about the road to Wrightwood probably being open, but since that's partway to Vegas that's too far....
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January 01, 2005
Whatever the aesthete's way is, it certainly wasn't mine. I got up early and drove up the Angeles Crest Highway to hike to Vetter Mountain with a group from the - gasp - Sierra Club. The hike was about 12-13 miles round trip with only about 1200-1300' or so...
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December 29, 2004
I haven't been to a rock climbing gym since March and the last time I climbed outside was when I pulled myself up the Third Flatiron outside Boulder last year. I would have taken a hike today but, since thunderstorms were still predicted, I decided to brave the drive and...
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December 21, 2004
I've already visited Mt. Lukens - the highest point in the City of Los Angeles - and I don't necessarily want to go back. It's not that the view is that bad, it's just that the top is devoted to a very large antenna farm so it's not exactly an...
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December 01, 2004
Over the past week I've gained an average of 1000' a day on these hikes: Altadena to Inspiration Point: 11 miles RT, 2800' gain Red Box to Strawberry Peak: 7 miles RT, 1500' gain Griffith Park Ranger Station to Mt. Hollywood: 5 miles RT, 1300' gain (times two) Let's just...
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November 21, 2004
...workers were working to remove the cash from the beaver's dam. That was worth more than a tinker's dam, eh Paul? That's right Colleen. Now, let's go over to meterologist Lonewacko. I thought you said it was going to be warm? Sorry Paul and Colleen! I tried! In fact, today,...
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July 25, 2004
My left ankle looks like it has a golf ball embedded inside it. Earlier today, I hiked up the Old Mount Wilson Trail above Sierra Madre. On the way up, I dropped one of my water bottles over the side of the trail, and it skittered down into the bushes....
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June 24, 2004
An article written by a Highpointer appeared earlier this year in the San Antonio Express-News. It's apparently not available online except in this excerpt: In the annals of mountaineering, standing on top of all 50 state high points ranks right up there with, say, crossing America on a unicycle. It's...
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April 25, 2004
All you need are 624,000 setules attached to your claw tufts....
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April 22, 2004
The Lincoln Park Zoo brought in professional rock climbers (how many professional rock climbers live in Chicagoland?) to test whether amateurs - specifically our ape ancestors - could escape from a new ape house. Details here....
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April 20, 2004
This is news to me, but apparently for over two years a group of Sioux have been occupying part of Badlands National Park. According to Backpacker Magazine: A band of armed Sioux warriors have seized 134,000 acres of Badlands National Park to protect what they say is a sacred burial...
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March 23, 2004
LONEWACKO HEADQUARTERS OUTSIDE PAHRUMP, NEVADA -- As this blog previously broadcast using our giant antenna, elk have been mysteriously dying near Yellowstone National Park. Almost all possibilities were discarded: "calcium deficiency, chronic wasting disease, bacterial and common viral infections, tick paralysis, meningeal and carotid artery worm as causes..." This blog...
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March 11, 2004
LONEWACKO HEADQUARTERS OUTSIDE PAHRUMP, NEVADA -- Are one group of space aliens - code named 'Zerbians' by ultra-top-secret besuited government scientists - fighting another group of space aliens - code named 'Realians' by that same group of top-secret spooks-? Have the Zerbians - disguised as elk and located near Rawlins...
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February 19, 2004
From this: A magnitude 4.4 earthquake centered near the Geysers geothermal field north of Santa Rosa shook a wide area of Northern California Wednesday shortly after noon, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The 12:37 p.m. temblor was felt in San Francisco and was the latest of a growing number of...
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February 11, 2004
According to Pravda: ...Hawkins & Powers, one of America's leading fire extinguishing companies based in California will use [eight Be-200] planes for fighting forest fires along the US western coast... The Be-200 amphibian aircraft is meant for extinguishing fires, aid in emergency situations, search and rescue operations by sea, also...
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January 21, 2004
The L.A. Times has a guest comment advocating carrying guns when one goes into wild areas: ...I am puzzled now by the strange way people here are dealing with mountain lions — which is to say, letting them kill you... I don't know much about big cats. We don't have...
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June 29, 2003
On Saturday, I hiked up San Jacinto Peak outside of Palm Springs, CA. The pictures are here. Originally, I had wanted to take a trip which had been listed on the Sierra Club's website. That trip was to Cornell Peak (near San Jacinto Peak), and it involves some Class 2...
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June 15, 2003
Earlier today, I pushed and carried my bike up the large firebreak on the southwest side of the Verdugos. That's the firebreak that's visible for miles and that goes up above the Brand Library. I made it up to about 50' below the fire road before I turned around. Close...
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June 06, 2003
The call has become urgent... As soon as I can acquire a notebook, I think it's time to load up the SUV with my bike, backpack, camera, and other miscellana and hit the road. I think I'm going to spend some time in Utah and Arizona....
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June 03, 2003
It's a bit complicated. I haven't taken a test in a while, and I don't even know if this is a #2 pencil. But, all I need to do is just fill in all the circles under where it says "Yankees," right?...
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I went to the climbing gym last Thursday. Right afterwards, the front part of my left shoulder hurt a bit. It didn't hurt that much the next day, so I went for a bike ride in the Verdugos and along the L.A. River. I went up behing the Brand Library,...
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May 22, 2003
Pictures from the Ride are here. "Damn roadies" is meant in good humor, and reflects the fact that I didn't see anyone else on a mountain bike like I was. The ariding shot was taken by strapping my camera bag to my chest; while riding I took the camera out...
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May 18, 2003
Iroda! You're back! Yes, Krees. Kak dela? Ochen' khorosho. Just a bit tired. Where have you been? I have been acting as secret agent for Uzbekistan government in Iraq. That's quite interesting. I'm sure the long-time reader of this blog may remember our various imaginary conversations from way back when....
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May 14, 2003
The Los Angeles River Bike Ride is this Sunday. There are three routes: a Kid's Ride, a 15 Mile Family Ride, and a 70 Mile River Ride. The last ride goes from Griffith Park to Long Beach and back; about 2/3 of the route is along the river. I might...
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May 04, 2003
The photo above is of your leader practicing his ice axe skills earlier today. Click the pic to see a couple more. As you can see from the pic of the Waterman ski area, unless there's a big, cold storm in the near future, there soon won't hardly be...
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April 20, 2003
Tuesday or Wednesday I'm going to drive up the 2 and find a slope on which to practice self-arrest. Saturday I went out for a bit of practice and I ended up having to drive 40 miles up the 2 to the currently-closed Kratka Ridge ski resort before I found...
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February 25, 2003
It's raining, and Tuesday around noon or 1pm I think I'll don my raingear and gaiters and go get muddy in Griffith Park. I know it's a fairly bad thing to do erosion-wise, but there's a bit of a steep mud slide off ridge trail "c" mapped at the end...
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February 05, 2003
OK, it'll raise the avalanche risk in winter, but, during the summer, it'll make all those big peaks that much more accessible. Maybe even (finally!) let me do a drive up of Whitney. Here's the article: "Bush Plan Seeks More Sierra Logging." I'm stuck between being opposed to this, and...
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January 28, 2003
Let this serve as notice that I'm starting an organization called H.A.S.P.: Hikers Are Special People. This new organization was inspired by the efforts of a group called 'Safe Trails' that wants to ban mountain biking on certain trails in the Santa Barbara area. They might have somewhat of a...
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January 19, 2003
MTBs aren't allowed on the dirt trails; there are signs all over the place. Sure, despite hiking a few hundred miles there, I've never once seen a park ranger on one of the trails. But, that's not the point. To the other visitors, it makes MTBers look like scofflaws, and...
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December 28, 2002
The latest TV commercial for the Honda Element mentions: a) JTree, b) Highway 247, c) mountain biking, and d) rock climbing. All of which I did two days ago. Now, 247 isn't exactly the most popular way to get to JTree. One would normally take the 10 to 62. Sure,...
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December 27, 2002
Just about two years ago, I had an epiphany out at Joshua Tree. In the previous version of this post, I had a link to a poem I wrote at that time. I'm not a poet. My poem was very embarassing. If you like to make fun of rotgut-vodka-soaked mid-life...
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October 21, 2002
Went MTBing in RCP earlier today. Unlike the trip reports there, I ascended then descended, I didn't just do a one-way. Took eastern route (up the steps made with railroad ties to the overlook with the benches) instead of the route suggested as Ride #3 in the excellent book Mountain...
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September 27, 2002
I'm looking for people who want to climb or go on hikes with me. For the climbing, I'm a very responsible and moderately experienced belayer looking for the same or greater. I'm mainly interested in TRing at LA Rock Gym, but I might also be interested in Rockreation or the...
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September 24, 2002
For the rest of the fire season? Mandatory evacuations of Mt. Baldy Village? That's definitely unfortunate and that's no fun, and I don't mean to make light of the situation, but, can I get a rebate for my yearly Adventure Pass?...
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