Bear Mountain

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Let's get to the plan...

I’m going up & back to Bear Mountain on the same day, but I overheard some people kicking around the possibility of staying overnight. If you're interested, please:

(1) let me know you're interested (to keep inboxes free of clutter, please email me directly at sirish.upadhyay@pepperdine.edu instead of replying all on my "outdoor" list),
(2) if you're willing to drive and, if so, how much space you have,
(3) if you want to go but have no ride,
(4) whether you're going for the day or staying longer.

I'll send out another email tomorrow night with info on who has room, length of stay, links to directions, weather, meeting place and time, etc.

One thing: I'm anti-caravan. Why? Because you're only as fast as your slowest driver and it means that every car has to wait for any late-comers; I'm stingy about my time on the snow when I'm heading up for just one day. So, I think it's best to meet there. Of course, you're free to plan your trip however you prefer.

I have a truck so bring anything you'd like me to take for you (no later than Wednesday night - I'll be at school until 5pm, but can wait around if you need to use my truck), and throw your equipment in the back.

Let me know if you have any questions. I can't wait!!!!

Stay tuned...

Due to a going away party for Ida and Lisbet this Saturday night and a ridiculously-busy first week of classes, there won't be a hike this Sunday. BUT, this short hiatus won't last long. Stay tuned for details on the next outing, which I'll post some time in the next few days.

Sweat...tears...

...swollen knee...bloody shoulders...callused hands...scraped knee...and that's just me. My body looks like I got into a grappling match with a wolverine high on angel dust.

That is a quick and dirty recap of our hike to Cathedral Peak. That being said, it was well worth it. We got started a little after 11:15 AM and got right into it. After about a mile up a paved road, we hit the trail. It had been a little over 2 years since the last time I was on this hike so I pulled out the directions I downloaded from a local website (www.santabarbarahikes.com), as my fellow hikers looked on with worried, "WTF, I thought you knew what you were doing!" faces. Easy, fellas, it's been a while!

So, we went up and came down. The Santa Barbara Hikes website describing this as a "super-strenuous boulder hop" on a "primitive trail" was spot on. I had forgotten the intensity and the length of this trip. I must have said "we're almost at the top" a dozen times before we actually reached the summit. Needless to say, my group tuned me out by the third or fourth time. A bunch of stuff happened in between, like...


but then it really got interesting.

As we descended, we took the left side of a fork in the trail, which led to a steep descent down a very loose, unmaintained trail - emphasis on steep and loose. We soon came to realize that we likely took a wrong turn. I left the group and ran back up the hill to where the trail forked and found the way we came up (and what seemed to be the easiest way down). I called to the others to come back, but they had gone down far enough that they felt they could easily meet up with me shortly. Not wanting our group to be separated, I joined them and we continued our descent.

“If there’s a trail, it has got to lead somewhere,” we thought. Well, it led somewhere, no doubt, but nowhere we wanted to be. We arrived at the top of a series of picturesque pools surrounded by slick rock formations. See the pools near the top of the following pic?


We made our way around a couple of pools and came upon what seemed like a dead end. I tried to jump one of the pools to scope out what was on the other end, only to slip and get one of my feet wet and, even worse, inadvertently wet the already-slick rock everyone else hoped to jump onto to get to me.

The main trail seemed close, so I made my way down another slick decline and, in the process, got my other foot wet as well. At least I felt balanced. I quickly realized my mistake -- I was on one side of pool that was about ten feet lower than the previous pool, the group was on the other, and there was no way for us to join up without risking injury. The worst thing - the main trail was literally yards away from me, but there seemed to be no safe way to get there. You know how they say "so close, yet so far away"? Well, I never truly appreciated that expression until then.

And guess what? Clouds rolled in during our "discussion" and we saw a few drops. And where there are a few drops, a rainstorm is likely to follow. Yes, it seems Murphy, that pesky legislator we all hate for his poor timing, was the uninvited 7th guest on our hike.

We had to make a quick decision. If it started raining, you would be reading about a group of foolish students who got stranded in the San Gabriel mountains and had to get air-lifted out due to near death by exposure. We decided that the group would go back the way they came (yes, up that steep incline), and I would climb down to the main trail.

It was my first foray into free-solo climbing. Luckily for me, the descent wasn't too bad. That being said, I'm glad the group didn't follow my path given three people in our party had little or no rock climbing experience. After I got to the main trail, I began to scope out any possibility of getting back to the group when I heard Elliott call my name. The group found a trail outlet that led them to the main trail without having to climb back up the way we came. We simply missed it on the way down. Murphy must have been taking a nap.

A few minutes and about half a mile later, I was reunited with the crew. What could have ended in a disastrous day instead ended happily. As we walked back to our cars, we compared battle scars while laughing about the day's adventures and the 3-hour hike which turned into a 5-hour excursion, and reveled in the fact that we'd soon be consuming copious amounts of barbecued flesh. I can't wait to do it again SOON. I'm going again in January - wanna come?

If, after reading this post, you're thankful you didn't come, you probably won't enjoy the trail. If you feel like you missed out, you're in luck!

A big THANKS to Elliott, Elizabeth, Ida, Lisbet, Siawn, and even Murphy (not pictured below) for a truly unforgettable day.

The Big One!

OK, folks. I checked the weather in Santa Barbara and, so far, it looks like rain won't be a problem. It did say it would be cloudy so I'll check daily to make sure things don't change. Because of all the rock scrambling on this hike and because all of the rock in SB is sandstone, this hike cannot be done in the rain and for at least 48 hours afterwards. If it rains in SB but not locally, I'll shoot out a Plan B hike, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Since this one involves a bit of a drive (it's about 75-90 minutes to SB) and will require more coordination that usual, please email me at sirish.upadhyay@pepperdine.edu by no later than Saturday morning, if you're planning on coming. I'll then send out an email with details on what to bring, where we're meeting, etc.

I'm pumped!

The following is from the Santa Barbara Hikes website - please read, but note that "Class 3 rock climbing" in the description means it's not as steep as rock climbing as you know it, which is straight up. Class 3 climbing involves climbing over boulders, not sheer rocks.

Trail: Class 3 rock climbing, steep, primitive trail

This is a super strenuous boulder hop. It's been suggested I recommend you not bring a dog. I'll leave it up to you.

You start the trail on a paved access road that the Edison Company uses. After a mile of gentle uphill, the road turns to dirt and you follow it just a little more toward the turnoff to Jesusita Trail. Take Jesusita Trail to the first creek crossing on Mission Creek, then turn right up mission creek and look for a steep trail on the left that continues up to Cathedral Peak.

This is a steep trail that takes you on a class three rock climb to the top of “Cathedral Peak.” The actual Cathedral Peak, at 3333 ft., is a jutting rock formation a bit further, but this trail goes to a peak just in front of it, properly named Arlington Peak, where there is a nook in a rock with a sign-in book to register your joyous summit.

The views are amazing, stretching from Oxnard on a very clear day all the way up the coast past Goleta and out into the Channel, past the Islands.

The hike is about 4 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 3000 ft.

Solstice Canyon

Tuesday night's extreme Malibu wind made for a great hike today at Solstice Canyon. Look...

Plus, Anna brought a friend. When she said she was bringing a "sexy bitch," she wasn't kidding. Meet Bella:

I was planning to set up the next hike for Friday, but I have to meet up with one of my former professors so, instead, the next hike will be on Sunday. I promise you'll love it. I'll post details tomorrow.

Old faithful

The next hike will be tomorrow, Wednesday, at 1:00 PM. It's a bit late because I have a dental appointment in the morning. Several of you have already done this one; it's the first hike I took you on when we started out - the Solstice Canyon Loop. For those of you who will be joining us for the first time. It's a great hike for those who want to start off with an easy-to-moderate level trek. The hike takes about an hour and a half and it's about 3 miles.

Here's a description I found:
From the gate, follow the service road that runs along the right side of the creek. Bear right at the dirt road that takes you up to the 2 odd looking buildings that house the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. To the right of the second building, take the Rising Sun Trail. This trail heads up the ridge, with great views of the ocean, then drops down into the somewhat mysterious Tropical Terrace. This is actually the ruins of a home build in the 1960s, and burned in 1982. There are exotic plants, lovely pools, a 30 foot waterfall, and a hidden statue of the Virgin Mary just before you cross the creek heading into the ruins. This is really a fun place to explore!

I'll be leaving from Santa Monica around 12:00 - let's meet at the B-school parking lot at 12:45, get into as few cars as possible, and head over. For those of you in SM, I can drive. Just let me know.

For those of you who want more of a challenge, Jessica suggested a great hike - the Backbone Trail. It's 65 miles long so I'll research a good 5-mile segment and send details soon.

Thanks, Helena!

This blog was the brainchild of our very own Helena King. She suggested it as an easy way to keep people informed of the outdoor activities I plan. At least that's how she sold it. I really think she just got annoyed with my emails filling up her inbox.

Seriously, it should help keep those of you who are interested in learning about future group activities. And, instead of receiving emails, you can choose to check in whenever you get that serious urge to move. If you're the forgetful type, you can always subscribe to the blog and continue receiving emails. I also thought about creating a Facebook group but, since a few of you are still Facebook-challenged, this seems the best way to go.

This won't just provide a forum to keep you in the loop with future events, but provide a journal of our past adventures. Feel free to post how you felt about activities after we've done them or give suggestions for future excursions. This isn't a clique - spread the word to anyone you think may be interested.

Enjoy your winter breaks - I'll see you soon on the next outing. Details to follow soon.....