Barbara and I drove out to Santa Clarita for this waterfall hike, one of the few locally left unaffected by the fires. Whitney Park's 442 acres sit in the Rim of the Valley trail corridor, the network of parks and trails connecting the Santa Monica Mountains to all mountains surrounding the San Fernando, Simi, Conejo, and La Crescenta Valleys. Whitney Canyon makes up part of the critical corridor between the Santa Susana Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. This doesn't necessarily mean much to us today, but before the railroads came in the mid to late 1800s, the Native population, traders, and Western pioneers used corridors like Whitney Canyon to walk, ride horseback, or hire stagecoaches to take them out of the San Fernando Valley. Regionally significant as an entrance to Angeles National Forest, Whitney Canyon became known for its ranching and oil drilling. Barbara and I followed one trail—marked on our map as Whitney Canyon Road—to weave up and through the canyon. The higher we got, the more water came downhill from the waterfall ahead, so clear we could see the bottom. Depending on the rain situation, be prepared to stream hop. We scavenged for loose branches and used them for leverage in hopping slippery rocks to the other side. (Hard not to slip— fortunately my hiking boots tolerate splashes.) We hit the first waterfall, a small but loud and ambitious flip over the rocks at about our halfway mark. We had the option to continue to waterfalls #2 and #3, but the option involved hopping sideways across a wet boulder with only a makeshift rope device for stability. The slippery front of the boulder/canyon wall looked too dangerous for us to chance a sideways rappel (ask us during dry summer) and we were content to check off one pretty waterfall and  head back. The trail changes personality multiple times from bottom to top and back. Acres of coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, chaparral, and riparian corridor line the shore of a clear year round spring. Birds in chorus or arias break the silence. Everybody likes this popular hike: hikers, dog walkers and happy pups, big and little children, and equestrians. For us, Whitney Canyon was a clean and welcome escape away from the destruction in January. Loved this trail and park so much!

   

   

   

   

   

A new month, a new beginning for thousands of Southern Californians, and a new start for the thousands of LA hikers who treasure our natural resources. The weather cleared enough for Barbara and I to hit the trails again, sad for the trails, landmarks, and wildlife we lost and grateful for what was left. We headed out for this 3 mile return to Deb's Park, the 282-acre open space nature reserve and regional park in Central NE Los Angeles, that marks the NE boundary of the 1781 founding El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles. This particular hike hits every high spot and view that individual hikes through the park cover. Named for Ernest E. Debs, a deceased county supervisor who came to SoCal from Toledo in 1924 to work as a dancer in the movies in 1924. He ended up dancing his way into city hall. A self-made man, he won election to the assembly in 1942. Despite his artistic start, Debs became a foe of youth counterculture on Sunset Strip in the 1960s, forced closures of coffeehouses and rock venues—crackdowns that led to the 1966 Sunset Strip riots. His park is nice though. The hike began on the City View Trail heading up the right (east) side of the top loop on the map, curves along the Lake View, Valley View, Summit Ridge, Seco View, and Scrub Jay Trails. There are two sections of steep gain but most of the hike is a good amble through brush, along well-kept dirt trails, and a skirt around the lake. Best part: seeing hikers back on trails again and utterly deliriously happy dogs trotting the trails. It felt so healing to be out in nature again. 

AllTrails' reviews promised incredible views of DTLA and Dodger Stadium. But Mother Nature's cloak of fog kept our eyes on the narrow trail edging the fifty story drop down to the I5. Barbara and I came for the history and views and got a two-sided hike. The first half started at the trail on the east side of Stadium Way that circled clockwise to the N, following the mountainside trail that wrapped and wound above I5.  If you ever drive the 5 and catch a gaze up at the wall of mountain as you speed past—that's where we were. Somewhere far below us we could HEAR the cars on the 5. Beyond the 5 to the east ran the Los Angeles River—invisible to us this morning. The importance of the L.A. River in the history of Los Angeles River cannot be overstated, even during its concrete imprisonment. In 1769, Spanish noble and first governor of the Californias Gaspar Portola followed the path of the L.A. River through this portion of his expedition to settle and bring Christianity to Alta California. About a hundred years later in 1886, as the city boomed, six-hundred acre Elysian Park, future home to Dodger Stadium and the site of our hike, became Los Angeles' oldest park. The history of the river/park combo create the heartbeat of the city. The fact that Barbara and I couldn't see very far ahead intensified the narrowness of the trail and closed in the the views—we could see the trail ahead but the fog curtained most everything else, including where the bobcat that crossed the trail ahead came from and went. (I'm sure we looked curious as we wind-milled our arms for a quarter mile.) One bobcat and a few big loud birds kept us entertained until we had to scramble up a pile of concrete block remnants to reach the street above at 0.9 miles. The second half of the hike was flat and serene. The cool weather and fog eliminated any of the game and picnic action for the last 2/3 of the hike. We stopped at Angel's Point then followed a paved road to Stadium Way and the car across the street. No matter, the foggy danger of the first round was worth it. If you are looking for a risky trail in the heart of the city, check out this hike. 

   

   

   

Inevitably, during the holidays Barbara and I end up hiking somewhere near Pasadena's Rose Parade bustle. This hike put us smack dab next to the float construction grounds. Even more fascinating was the variety of stops and stories on this 2-mile hike around 61-acre Brookside Park. Located on Arroyo Blvd south of the Rose Bowl. Brookside Park parallels the 24.9 mile Arroyo Seco ("dry stream"), named by Gaspar de Portolá because the river had the least water of any river he had ever seen. The hike begins at an unassuming trail off the parking lot behind the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center then quickly connects to a gorgeous river-stone bordered trail with stairs, both constructed in 1938 by the WPA and Work Relief depression-era programs sponsored by the city of Pasadena. We followed the trail to a switchback leading up to Arroyo Blvd, exiting the park for just enough distance to take in a couple of gorgeous Pasadena Craftsman homes and catch a stunning view over the Rose Bowl to the mountains beyond. Back into the park, the trail led us past the backside of the Kidspace Children's Museum added to Brookside Park in 2004. The trail took us out of the park again at Seco Street and past the float construction area (top secret, no peeks). Last turn, up Arroyo Blvd got us back to the park and a detour to get closer to the museum entrance (adorable), then back into the park and back to the car. A great morning for a hike, followed by a trip to Colorado Blvd. for mochas at our old favorite, Intelligentsia. Next week Pasadena will be dressed in full Rose Bowl glory with tourists and parade watchers galore.