A Short Hike...part 1

My friend Joanathn (AKA Jax) invited me to go on "a short hike" with him last weekend. I figured that short was 5 or 6 miles, which is well within the acceptable guidelines and something that I was looking forward to, as it has been a while since we took the time to go on a long jaunt (Unemployment Fridays are of course a thing of the past). I filled my Camelbak with water (100 ounces, I don't mess around with hydration!), packed a few Kind and Clif bars and pulled out the shoes that were best suited for the hike...not because they offer the best support, but because they were the dirtiest.

Things started off well enough. It was a GORGEOUS day and there were all kinds of LA locals out enjoying the fresh air. A few miles into things, we passed the M*A*S*H* site. For the record, it isn't much to look at, but to see the swarm of tourists taking photos and posing next to a rusted out Jeep...well, I guess I am not as memorabilia and star inclined as the general population! (I didn't even take a picture and we all know that I photograph almost EVERYTHING)

We left the tourists behind and the incline began. Nothing like a little uphill for 3 hours or so to stretch out your legs and tendons! The goal (which we did make) was to hike to the highest point, eat lunch and then set off down the other side. My stomach started growling at about 30 minutes before we reached the summit, but I held out and persevered...did you know that Corner Bakery makes the best vegetarian panini EVER????? Seriously, never before has a sandwich tasted so good. The chips and blueberry clif bar that we split were pretty darn good too, for that matter.

It was windy up there at the top of the MOUNTAIN that we hiked, so the sweatshirts came out as we started off with the ocean now in view. We had traveled maybe a mile when a couple with horses passed us and let us know that there was a baby rattlesnake in the middle of the road about 50 yards ahead of where we were heading. Excellent. Jax and I both picked up small rocks and tentatively set out towards the area rumored to have a snake.

This short hike was really shaping up to be quite an adventure!