boxy bear's adventures » hiking

hiking the fish canyon narrows trail

boxy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:10 +0000

pretty wildflower i found on the trail

Hope everyone had a fabulous and fun halloween!

I went hiking last weekend up near Castaic on the fish canyon narrows trail, whew, what a long hike but it was nice being out in the wilderness. We saw only 2 other people on the trail the entire day, so it was a nice excursion if you like less crowded areas. One thing I didn’t know though is that quail hunters also use the area, so it can be a little worrisome to know that hikers and people with guns are using the same space. Just FYI! The hike is ~ 8 miles roundtrip but can get longer depending on how much you explore. I was expecting a lil more water in the stream but there were still nice clear pools of water, very cold and refreshing on a hot day.

To get to the trail head, exit Templin Hwy off the 5 Fwy just past Castaic, and head east ’til you reach the end of the road (blocked by a gate) and park your car. Hike on in past the gate and follow the paved road, which turns into dirt. Take the left fork and continue down the path, eventually passing through an old campground. This is the part that gets a bit tricky…the directions I had told me to follow a dirt trail heading north, but it was just climbing in elevation so i eventually turned around and backtracked to the campground. A hiker we passed earlier on in the day mentioned he had followed a dry streambed, so we tried that option and eventually came upon an area that seemed to be the narrows. Nice shady trees, boulders and rocks to hop around, and some water to play in.

taking a break

throwing rocks and making the water splash!

hiking the paseo miramar trail

boxy — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 03:23:38 +0000

me at parker mesa overlook, the end point of my tough uphill hike!

isn’t the view gorgeous? this is the parker mesa overlook, reached by hiking the tough, mostly uphill (on the way to the overlook) paseo miramar trail in pacific palisades. the steady incline got me huffing and puffing, but the overlook was worth it. there are a couple of benches at the overlook where you can sit, catch your breath, and take in the panoramic view of the coastline and ocean.

to get to the trail, follow paseo miramar (located just off sunset blvd. and PCH) ’til you reach the dead end. find street parking and hit the trail, which is technically part of the east topanga fire road. keep in mind that most of the way up is uphill with sporadic shade, so don’t forget to bring a hat/sunglasses if it’s a warm day, and water to keep you hydrated. during a lot of the hike, you’ll also be able to see the coast and ocean. enjoy the views!

taking in the views at parker mesa overlook

camping on the kern river!

boxy — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:16:32 +0000

finally, here are my photos from my camping trip over the weekend at the lower kern river. i had so much fun relaxing and am so excited to share my photos! i took sooo many pictures and i hope you guys will go through them all to see my adventures and yummy eats

we stayed at hobo campground on the lower kern river, and pretty much all the campsites have river access…how cool is that? our particular site had giant boulders submerged in the river which turned out to be awesome places to sit and dangle your feet in the river. the weather was hot but the river had cool breezes and was perfect for lounging around and reading. i didn’t bring my fishing pole, but our neighbors seemed to have good luck. i saw lots of fishies jumping in the river, and duckies cruising by.

on the road! ...are we there yet?

driving through Bakersfield, we're getting closer!

i got to take a picture w/ smokey the bear! he's so much bigger than i am...can you see me?

grilled chicken kabobs with pineapple, bell pepper, and onion for dinner the first night

there was chicken leftover from the kabobs, so i made a salad with tomatoes and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing

yum! a breakfast scramble of eggs, jalapeno sausage, onion, and bell pepper

time for a hike!

taking a break to relax by the river. it's so peaceful here!

spaghetti by the campfire. nom nom nom

...along with some wine! i am a content bear =)

doing some rock climbing while enjoying the kern river

nice peaceful spot along the kern river...i'm not ready to go home!

the weekend passed much too quickly…i definitely wanna go back to camp again. i heard there are some natural hot springs in the area so exploring those are on my to-do list when i return. who wants to come with me?