Anza-Borrego is California’s largest state park, over 600,000 acres, located just Southeast of Los Angeles. It’s a hidden desert gem, often forgotten about by SoCal natives. The park is named after Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and the Spanish word borrego translates to bighorn sheep. Although the bighorn sheep inhabit the area, they are quite elusive and often go unseen…
Tag: dayhiking
Mount Whitney-One Day Hike
This year I really wanted to challenge myself—push myself to my absolute limit. I made it my goal to not only hike once a week for a year but also hike Mount Whitney in one day! Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the contiguous 48 states at 14,508ft! I knew it would be difficult…
San Jacinto
Difficulty: Strenuous | Elevation Gain: 4,689 ft | Length: 11.4 miles roundtrip | Time: 8-9 Hours This past weekend I hiked San Jacinto via the Marion Mountain Trail. It marks #5 of the Six Pack Peaks I have hiked this year! Since I’m training for Whitney, I passed on the tram route and opted for the more challenging Marion Mountain Trail that’s detailed…
San Bernadino Peak
Difficulty: Strenuous | Elevation Gain: 4,702 ft | Length: 16.5 miles roundtrip | Time: 8-9 Hours This year I’ve been training for Whitney by hiking the six tallest peaks in Southern California aka “The Six Pack Peaks.” This past Friday I just completed hiking San Bernadino Peak and it’s one of my favorite hikes in Southern California! It is quite a strenuous…
Goblin Valley
One of the most unusual places we explored while driving through Southern Utah was Goblin Valley State Park. This alien like place features thousands of Hoodoos or “goblins” as the locals refer to them. These distinct mushroom like rock formations are formed from the gradual erosion of sandstone, deposited about 170 million years ago when the area was situated…
Lithium Speed Pack
If you’re like me you use a pack for nearly every hike. I’ve used a few different packs in the past but have found them to be too bulky or heavy while hiking the trail. My favorite day pack for hiking is the Mammut Lithium Speed 20. It’s incredibly light-weight, at just 560 grams. I…
