05 Friday Apr 2013
Tags
canyon, Eaton, hikers, missing, mountains, rescue, San Gabriel, sheriffs department
The five hikers that were reported missing on Friday morning have been found uninjured. The group apparently failed to inform anyone that they planned on camping overnight instead of returning home on Thursday evening.
What a waste of the Sheriff Department’s resources…
05 Friday Apr 2013
Tags
canyon, Eaton, hikers, Hiking, los angeles, lost, missing, mountains, San Gabriel, sheriffs, waterfall
Less than a month after a hiker lost their life in Eaton Canyon, a group of hikers has gone missing in the same area. The group set out at 8am Thursday morning and were expected back 8 hours later. The group was reported missing by one of the hikers’ parents Friday morning.
Eaton Canyon is located in the San Gabriel Mountains. The search for the missing hikers is being lead by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Eaton Canyon is an extremely popular hiking destination for Southern California natives, but has had more than of it’s faor share of rescues and deaths over the past few years.
04 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in Outdoors, Uncategorized
Tags
Hiking, nature, OC Parks, orange county, outdoors, Santiago oaks
Deer Trail
Santiago Oaks is one of my favorite parks to visit for a quick day hike. The nearly 2,000 acre park is on the border of wilderness and residental areas making it easly accessible. There are many trails within the park one of my favorite is the Deer Trail. At under a mile this small detour is worth the visit.
The trail can be access via Burnham Ridge or as you come down Robbers Peak. This is some what of a spur trail but there is also another trail that leads up and away from the canyon but that will take you to Weir Canyon so avoid that trail.
Meadow at the bottom of Deer Trail
The trail quickly descends the backside of Santiago Oaks and parallels this nice meadow and Oak grove. Make sure to pay this beautiful trail a visit on your next visit to Santiago Oaks.
04 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in News, Waterfalls
Tags
falls canyon, found, Hiker, Holy jim, kyndall jack, lost, missing, Nicholas cendoya, Trabuco canyon
Kyndall Jack has finally been found. She was found very near where her hiking companion was found last night. She was airlift off of the canyon wall near Falls Canyon. I’m very glad to be wrong about this outcome!
03 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted in News, Waterfalls
Tags
falls canyon, found, hikers, Holy jim, lost, missing, rescue, Trabuco canyon, waterfall
Nicholas Cendoya was finally found late Wednesday night near Falls Canyon. Falls Canyon is a small trail off of Trabuco Creek Road just about 2 miles before the Holy Jim trailhead. Nicholas stated to authorities that Kyndall Jack was still alive and further up the trail from where he was found. Rescue Teams have not yet located her.
Personally, of course I’m hoping she is found alive and well, but it does seem odd that Cendoya would leave her out there. Not to mention that the Falls Canyon Trail is a pretty short trail and for them to get “lost” still sounds unlikely to me.
02 Tuesday Apr 2013
Posted in News, Waterfalls
I’m always surprised when hikers go missing near Holy Jim. It is one of the easier trails in Orange County, but this happens on a fairly regular basis.
23 Friday Nov 2012
Tags
american flag, android 4.2, Hiking, Irvine park, orange county regional park, Parks, peak, photosphere, Santiago oaks, tiny planet, Trails, villa park
This is from today’s after Thanksgiving calorie burn off hike.
Posted by octrailhikers | Filed under Outdoors, Peaks
24 Wednesday Oct 2012
Posted in Distance hikes, News, Outdoors
Tags
How cool would it be to work for Google as a Street View team member? What Southern California hiking trails would you like to see get some Street View love from Google Maps?
18 Thursday Oct 2012
Posted in Distance hikes, News
Trail trek takes O.C. man 250 miles for 70th birthday – The Orange County Register
http://www.ocregister.com/news/trail-374919-whitney-hike.html
13 Thursday Sep 2012
Posted in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls
Tags
falls, Hiking, JMT, John Muir trail, mist trail, nature, Nevada, outdoors, sierra, trail, trek, vernal, waterfall, Yosemite
VERNAL AND NEVADA FALLS
During my last trip to Yosemite my buddy Hugo and brother Fidel decided to check out these two waterfalls.. Seeing as they were the only two left that still had flowing water we decided to tackle both of them in one hike.
The first of these two waterfalls is Vernal Falls which is 317 ft and is the smaller of the two. The waterfall first comes to view just .8 miles into the hike. Here on the Vernal Fall Bridge you will get your first glimpse of one of Yosemite’s many beauty’s!
Vernal Falls Bridge
The next .7 miles are far from easy! The Mist Trail consists of hard granite steps that seem to get higher and endless with every step! The beginner or average hiker might find this section a bit difficult.
Mist Trail leading to the top of Vernal Falls
Getting to the top of Vernal Fall is a nice hike all in its own . One could turn back once at the top and have a very rewarding 3 mile hike checked off their list, orrrr………..
Top of Vernal Falls
You could continue up the Mist Trail as we did for 1.9 miles to the Larger and more impressive Nevada Fall. At 594 ft this magnificent waterfall almost doubles the height of Vernal fall. Along the way we stopped to check out Emerald pool. Considering it was late August and the weak winter there was still a substantial amount of water.
Emerald Pool
After our quick detour we picked up the trail again and continued on. Views are Nevada Falls begin to appear giving you that extra motivation just in case thoughts of quitting are crossing your mind. Just remember, start early, take your time and drink lots of water… 3 keys to finishing any hike!
First glimpse of Nevada Falls
The image above is all I need to keep me going. When it comes to exploring I am a very driven individual. I never doubted myself not even once.. I wasn’t going to let a few measly granite steps keep me from accomplishing this goal.
Finally! We reached the top! We went over to the top of the falls overlook and took in the gorgeous scenery that is the Sierra Nevadas. Looking down on the 600ft beast was a very humbling experience..
Looking down Nevada Falls
Getting here was not easy but the payoff was about to come in the form of the JMT! (John Muir Trail)
We had two options for our return trip, A) go back the way we came orrrrrr B.) venture off onto the JMT and doing a lollipop loop back to Vernal Fall Bridge.. Yeah we went with option B.) lollipopping it adds about an extra mile but it is well worth it!
Entering the JMT
Anytime you have the opportunity to loop a hike I go for it! Every step and turn offers something new. Its like 2 hikes in one. The JMT section descends down the opposite side of the canyon than the way you came up. The scenery and views are totally different. This section of the JMT is well shaded and gradually switchbacks it’s way down to the start of the mist trail. (A lot better than returning via the Mist Trail).
Nevada Falls can be seen from this side with great clarity. No obstructions what so ever!
Nevada Falls from the JMT
All in all we did about 8 miles round-trip. Explored new trails, saw 2 amazing waterfalls hiked on the JMT and still made it back to camp in time for lunch! This, like most hikes, was an amazing experience! Its definitely a must do for any hiker visiting Yosemite.
Happy Trails,
Alex G
To get to the trail-head one can take the Yosemite Valley Shuttle to the Happy Isle shuttle stop or you can drive to the parking lot just before the shuttle stop. The parking lot does fill up so arrive early.
Your Favorite Hiker 