Hiking and climbing mountains inspired me into this life philosophy - LIFE IS A MOUNTAIN. Every step you make leads to summit. You may be forced to turn around or change routes for any cause, never know. But, stay focused and look forward. The mountain will be there always. Pace yourself and reach "your" summit, for every step counts. Enjoy the view and feed your soul as it comes along. Life is a journey, not a destination. Life is like climbing a mountain.....
This is a great way to view LA city,
surrounding environment and far beyond from high above all along the drive.
Mulholland Scenic Parkway and Corridor is one of the most famous thoroughfares
in the country. Constructed in 1924, twenty four-mile Mulholland Drive in the
City of Los Angeles was envisioned by the famous Water Bureau Chief and City
Engineer, William D. Mulholland, as a scenic road that would transport city
dwellers to the mountains and beaches. The winding route starts west of the 101
Freeway in Hollywood, and offers panoramic city, mountain and ocean views along
with a history of LA city development and conservation/preservation of water,
land and nature.
This is a must do drive, sightseeing or hike at least once if you live in LA or
are a visitor to discover its scenic beauty of LA and history behind how the
city of Angels came about what it is for today. It owes much respect and honor
to those forerunners who had a vision for the city of Angels in the past,
present and the future.
January 27, 2016 Distance: 9.5 miles RT Elevation Gain: 1,300 ft Difficulty: Easy to moderate Point Reyes National Seashore offers a variety of beautiful hikes and Tomales Point is one of the best among them. The trail travels through the Tule Elk Reserve and chances are you can sight several herds of tule elk along the journey, also with breathtaking views of
the Pacific Ocean. Luck be with you, and you could also spot whales traveling off the seashore. Tomales Point trailhead is located at
the Historic Pierce Point Ranch. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. It gets sandy part of the wayfor the last mile or so to the end of the Point....good workout! Stay on trail and do NOT disturb sensitive natural habitats.
Enjoy fantastic panoramic vistas all along and at the north end of the peninsula - Tomales Bluff, Pacific Ocean, Dillon Beach and Bodega Bay. Be careful not to stand too close to the edge of the cliff as the trail is washed out at the end and the ground is cracked and fragile. I recommendthis hike when weather is nice and calm as Point Reyes is quite often windy and foggy. Fog can limit visibility and wind would make this hike more challenging. There is no shade along the trail, so make sure to bring enough water and stay hydrated. Extra layers are a good idea as this is a coastal trail and weather can change quickly. Make sure to leave
no trace in this beautiful natural wonderland. Restroom is available at McClures Beach trailhead down the road from Pierce Point Ranch. Follow the sign. Bear Valley Visitor Center Point Reyes National Seashore's primary Visitor Center provides useful info of the park's
roads, trails, and human and natural history. It's wroth stopping by on the way to Point Reyes. Rangers can answer your questions and provide useful info.
This is a great hike with jaw dropping views of N. Cascades including
Mt. Baker, Glacier Peak and Mt. Rainier. If you like the hike of Cascade
Pass/Sahale Arm, this hike will not fail you with sweeping vistas of
amazing landscape and mountain ranges. However, no pain, no gain....be
prepared for a strenuous journey as the trail continuously climbs up and
up, and even gets rocky. Wildflowers are still blooming strong,
particularly paintbrush is abundant at this point. But, summer is
fading....so that could change any time soon.
The lookout is
going through re-roofing now and the work may continue for a week. I
saw two guys (Robert and Ethan) working on the roof. Many thanks for
their work and dedication!....I should have brought them a bottle of
sake for kampai (cheeres)! It made me realize once again the fact that
it does take time and effort to preserve history and wilderness. Hike
up there and witness the history and appreciate their work while
re-roofing is in progress or completed.
Road condition
Cascade
River Road is paved and in great condition. Drive about 10 miles to the
junction/FS 1540. There is a sign for the Hidden Lake Trail. FS1540 is
a narrow dirt road (rutted, rocky, pot holes). So, go slow and take it
easy. My sedan could handle the road with no problem. In 4.5 miles you
reach trailhead. There is one section on the road where it gets really
narrow due to washout, but the spot is well marked with a white stick,
so pay attention as you go....you don't want to drive off the edge!
Trailhead
Parking
lot is small. When you park in the lot or on the road, make sure to
leave enough room for other cars to drive in/out. No privy at
trailhead.
Hidden Lake
The journey begins in the forest and
the trail climbs steadily. In about one mile, views open up as the
treeline thins out and you come to green meadows on the hillside in the
valley. Wow, wildflowers galore! The higher you go, the more flowers
blooming....particularly, paintbrush. The trail continues to climb
steadily with switchbacks for another 1.5 miles or so. As you reach the
saddle, look for Mt. Baker looming over the skyline. The trail levels
out along the saddle. After the breather for 1/2 mile, the trail climbs
up again and gets rocky. The views get better and better as elevation
gains, however. Trekking up the steep and rocky trail about 1.5 miles,
you reach the bottom of the summit block of Hidden Lake Lookout. From
there, zoom in and look for the lookout sitting on a granite boulder
pile at 6,900 feet. What a view! The trail continues to the ridge
where Hidden Lake can be seen down below. There are some snow fields to
traverse about 200 feet or so....it's slushy, but easy to cross. Enjoy
the view of Hidden Lake!....with Forbidden Peak/Boston Peak/Sahale
Arm/Johannesburg in background. Cascade Pass (another amazing hike!) is
somewhere behind Johannesburg, you can visualize.
Lookout
The
trail continues from the viewpoint of Hidden Lake. To reach the
lookout, follow the steep trail climbing up with switchbacks to the
summit. It's pretty steep ascent, but the route is solid with
switchbacks....hopefully, you are not acrophobia!? A little scrambling
and rock hopping are needed for the final push to the lookout.
Wow!
Take in the sweeping vistas in all directions! Splendid! 360 panorama
of jagged N. Cascades peaks with Hidden Lake as foreground, including
Eldorado, Forbidden, Boston Peak, Sahale Mountain, Johannesburg, Spider
Mountain, Mt. Formidable, Snowking Mountain and more. Glacier Peak, Mt.
Baker, and Mt. Rainier are seen in the distance. When you stand on one
of the pointy granite rocks and view those craggy peaks far and near, it
almost makes you feel like you are standing on the Himalayas. It was
also nice to happen to witness the work of re-roofing the lookout. Can
you imagine what it would be like roofing the lookout standing on top of
the granite boulder pile at 6,900 feet?
This hike is
definitely one of the top 10 hikes among my favorites now....not only
spectacular views, landscape, wildflowers and lookout, but also the hike
gives you a sense of the experience of being out in a remote alpine
wilderness. With extra sweat and effort, the reward you'll see is
AWESOME! This is a hike that should be on your hiking list as a PNW
hiker!!
This hike was one of my bucket list for quite a while since I noticed
the wind turbines along I-90 near Ellensburg. I am glad I finally made
it.
There are four trails you can explore in the area
depending on your interest....Ridgeline Solar Trail (2.4 miles RT),
Bitterroot Trail (1 mile RT), Bluebird Canyon Trail (1.7 miles RT) and
Whiskey Dick Mountain Backcountry Routes (8 miles? RT).
I
started my hike at the Renewal Energy visitor center located in 3 miles
up on Beacon Ridge Road from Vantage Highway. As part of the hike, I
highly recommend to stop by the Renewable Energy Center because you can
get basic info on the hiking trails, permit and also learn about a
unique renewable energy complex of the wind and the sun. The staff at
the center is very helpful and I learned so much about the wind turbines
and renewable energy. There is a restroom, too (nice and clean!). You
don't need a hiking permit to hike Ridgeline Solar Trail, Bitterroot
Trail, Bluebird Canyon Trail, but to hike Whiskey Dick Mountain
Backcountry Trail, an Access Permit is required at the center.
Those
turbines are gigantic!...360ft tall and blades are 240ft diameter made
of fiberglass. It costs $3 million to build one turbine which generates
power enough for 40 households annually. Lifespan of turbine is about
20 - 30 years. It takes about 15 years for return of investment and
after that will be profit minus operating costs. The complex can
generate electricity for 70,000 households per year. The turbine has a
wind sensor to sense wind directions for efficiency and newer turbine
designs can generate 4 times more energy than the current ones which
were built over 10 years ago. About 10% of Puget Sound Energy is
generated by the wind. I learned something new - wind turbines and
renewable energy.
The trails are well maintained and good
condition, and you encounter no significant elevation gains (a gentle
few hundred feet) with Ridgeline Solar Trail, Bitterroot Trail and
Bluebird Canyon Trail. There are trail signs, but they are very
small....a small plate attached on a small rock on the ground! So, the
map I got at the visitor center was helpful to navigate. I didn't hike
Whiskey Dick Mountain Backcountry Trail in this trip, but I was told
parts of the trail get faint and sketchy, so carrying a map seems a good
idea if you are hiking Whiskey Dick Mountain Backcountry Trail.
It
was quite interesting to hike along those wind turbines on the mountain
hills. From the top of Ridgeline Solar Trail, you can view the entire
wind facility with Mt. Rainier and Mt Stuart range in the distance. I
was hoping to see some wildlife, but no luck yesterday....deer and elk
can be sighted. Wildflowers are still out there and blooming. There
were about 5 - 10 mile winds yesterday, which helped not sweating too
much and also kept bugs away, I think. By the way, this is a desert
hike, so be prepared for hot, dry and sun-exposed conditions when you do
this hike.
