Secret Walks #33: La Tuna Canyon, 5 miles. 

Mother Nature gifted us a break from the cold and rain with a beautiful, sunny day under a clear blue sky. Barbara and I headed for La Tuna Canyon in the Verdugo Mountains south of the Foothill Freeway, and about 8 miles north of Studio City. In his book, Secret Walks, Charles Fleming quipped, "This walk is like an interrogation scene in a bad movie: we can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way." Barbara and I took one look at the 50° "short cut" that would cut off a mile from our hike, and opted for the longer but gentler 2-1/2 hour, 5 mile walk. The rain had gutted sections of the path, but sidestepping the rocks and ruts was a small price for the greenery that flourished around us. The dangerous part was dodging the mountain bikers trudging up and barreling down the path! Such a fun getaway. Pictured below: the "shortcut" (yep, looked like this: / ), the winding trail, our water tank goal, the view from the top, and a pair of mountain bikers that posed for us. High up enough to feel heavenly.