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.
05 Saturday Jan 2013
Posted by octrailhikers | Filed under Uncategorized
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.
06 Thursday Sep 2012
Posted in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, The 10 Essentials, Waterfalls
OC Trail Hikers on the summit of Mt. Whitney 14,508 ft!
Where do I begin… Lets see..
This was the biggest hike of my life and it was far from easy… It wasn’t physically tough but more mentally challenging. The hike to the summit is 11 miles with an elevation change of around 6,000 ft. The hike itself is relatively easy but the higher you get the harder it becomes to breath… and you get really high! In fact, at 14,508 ft., its the highest point in the lower 48!
The Fantastic 4
Our plan was to start hiking at midnight so that if we encountered any difficulties along the way we would still have plenty of time to recover. That idea I was fine, but the idea of getting to the portal and sleeping during the day before our hike totally backfired on us! We spent all day trying to sleep and couldn’t even squeeze in a minute of shut eye. Before we knew it it was already 11pm !
We geared up and hit the trail by 1130pm. Hiking in the dark is something I had only done a couple times before but only for 2 hours at the most… This was going to be a 7 hour hike in the dark until sunrise. It was nice to hike under the cover of darkness but the only downfall was that we missed all the nice scenery on the way up.
Sunrise at Trail Camp
We arrived at Trail Camp just in time to see the sunrise. After a quick break we refilled our water and continued on to the infamous 99 switchbacks. The switchbacks arent so bad on the way up.. The way down is a different story!
Switch-backing it up to Trail Crest
As you can tell by the look on my face the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll…
When you reach Trail Crest you are overcome with this feeling of accomplishment and joy and you almost feel untouchable!
Finally reached Trail Crest!
That feeling lasts about 2 minutes!… as you make your way down, yes down, Trail Crest you begin to realize that getting to the summit is going to require a little more work than a measly 99 switchbacks! If you made it this far, there is no reason to stop here although you might be slightly discouraged, just keep on trekking!
Along the Trail Crest/JMT you will have amazing views into Sequoia National Park. The views are like no other that I’ve experienced on any of my hikes Just plain amazing!
A look into Sequoia National Park
My lovely wife and myself on the Trail Crest / JMT Trail. Sequoia National Park in the background
On Trail Crest/JMT
The final push to the summit is an amazing feeling… Knowing that all your hard work, training and sacrifices are about to pay off, makes that moment one that you will never forget!
Me making the final push to the top!
This was a wonderful journey I was fortunate enough to share this experience with my beautiful wife Martina and my hiking buddies Neal and Scott.
Our total hike time was 19 hours including breaks and stops to regroup. The altitude played a big roll in our long trek. Dealing with elevation sickness and the extreme headaches was something that required us to slow down and take lots of breaks,very frequently. It took us 11 hours to summit and 7 to return back down.
A permit is required to hike to the summit of Mt Whitney. Click here for info on entering the lottery.
Permits can be picked up at the MT Whitney Ranger Station/Visitor Center
Click here for directions to the trailhead
28 Thursday Jun 2012
Posted in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks
Tags
Deer Springs, distance hike, mountain, peak, San Jacinto, Taining for mount whitney, trail, Wilderness
Me on San Jacinto Peak
This was probably up there on the list of tough hikes. I don’t know if it was the late 9:30 am start or the warm summer day or a combination of the two… But I had a hard time on this particular hike.
Anyways, Deer Springs Trail is located off of highway 243 and is actually on a turnout off the main highway. A forest adventure pass is required. You will also need a wilderness permit to day hike in the San Jacinto wilderness. You can pick one up at the ranger station a few miles down the road past the Trailhead. (Follow the signs on the roadside)
This a wonderful trail and I cant wait to bring my wife back to experience it. We have reached the summit before via the Palm Springs Tram which was a wonderful hike but this trail is my new favorite way up to the peak. The 9.3 mile trail makes its way up the west side of the mountain so an early start is recommended or else the sun will be beaming down on you as it was on me.
The trail is well marked and almost impossible to lose. The First marker is always such a drag… nothing but a reminder of how long you have left!
2.3 miles down…. 7 more to go!
The scenery on this trail is absolutely some of the best! Tall pines, lovely creeks and amazing rock formations
Large Boulder on the trail
Usually climbing out of the tree covered forest is not one of my favorite things… sometimes i wish i could stay there wondering around all day.. but on this hot summer day i knew that getting higher meant cooler weather. So we kept pushing on passing trail junction after trail junction. Finally! blue skies in the distance! This is when you finally get a real feel for how much elevation you have gained..
Little windows like this were breathtaking!
view of The Santa Ana Mountains to the West
View of The Santa Ana and The San Gabriel Mountains
The views were amazing!!
We passed a lot of streams along the way making note of them and their distance just in case we needed to refill on the way back.. (which we did)> The last water source before the peak was at The Little Round Valley Campground. From here it is about 1.3 miles to the top. On our way back we refilled our 3L waterpacks here before heading down.
The climb out of little round valley was tough about 1,100 ft in in 1.6 miles. Not to worry The views from here were great! I got s sneak peak of my soon to be next hike San Gorgonio! (which was easier than expected)
View of San G
The Final Push! This was the longest 1.6 miles EVER! But being that close to the peak is nothing but motivation to keep on going.. So thats exactly what I did.. Reaching the last trail junction is always such a good feeling especially when it reads……
.3 MILES TO GO!!!
This is the Longest, Hardest .3 miles around! At least from my experiences.. The trail leads to the emergency shelter and from there its a rock scramble to the peak. Take your time and be careful the high altitude can get you even at this point. I saw a guy sick as a dog throwing up just before the peak. I made sure to take some advil every 3 hours or so to prevent the killer headaches associated with high elevations hike.
Happy Trails!
AlexG
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