Pinnacles Trail

location: Pinnacles Trail near Lake Arrowhead
distance: 5.2 miles
elevation: 5,737 ft

details: Andy asked one of his co-workers (who grew up in the area) for some hiking recommendations within a reasonable driving distance of us. today we headed into the San Bernardino Forest beyond Lake Arrowhead to hike the Pinnacles.

the area is know for excellent rock climbing, as well as trails for off-highway vehicles (ATVs, dirt bikes, etc.). we set out early this morning so as to beat the forecast heat of midday and found the trailhead, located near the entrance of a rifle range, with a bit of effort. (we got a chance to test out the new car's suspension by taking a rutted track to the OHV staging area, only to realize we weren't anywhere close to the trailhead and had no interest in encountering motorized vehicles while hiking.) the sounds of target practice kept us company along the first part of the trail through rocky creek beds, steadily working our way uphill.

we gained a fair bit of elevation during the course of the hike, though I can't find the exact figure. on numerous occasions we climbed over boulders and squeezed through narrow openings between rocks. the mountains are part of the Transverse Ranges and the rocks stem from an older epoch than the mountains themselves. I not any good with geology, but we identified some granite and possibly some quartz (probably dating from the Cretaceous period, according to this map). as Andy observed, each of our recent hikes has been remarkably different from the others - Mt. Baldy, Mt. Rainier, Pinnacles - hiking up scree, sliding down snow, bouldering... what will next time bring?

the views from the top of the peak were expansive - the mountains to the east, west, and south; Victorville and the Mojave to the north (west and east, respectively). the online hike description we found indicated there was a register for people to sign - we didn't see it nor look for it. we couldn't miss the American flag braced among the top rocks! another hiker who arrived at the summit the same time indicated the flag blew over not infrequently and moved around the summit; a filled-in post hole on top of the highest rock supported that observation.

after resting for some water and snacks, we headed back downhill - a much easier prospect as always, though the gravel made for occasionally unsure footing and left the heels of my palms slightly worse for the wear. overall, we prepped and coped better with this hike than Mt. Baldy; we've now got one of the hiking packs stocked up with (most of) the 10 hiking essentials, which should make getting out of the house to beat the heat just a little bit easier next time!

Mt. Rainier - Burroughs Peaks

View from First Burroughs, with snow-covered trail
in the distance and Rainer shrouded by clouds

location: Mt. Rainier
distance: approx 5.5 miles
elevation gain: 1000 feet

details: on all my previous trips to Seattle, I hoped for the opportunity to get out to Mt. Rainier for some hiking. this trip, not only did we have plenty of time to make the trip but also a driver eager to join us. after some discussion (and random searching to help narrow down the plethora of ideas presented by the Washington Trails Association) we settled on the route from Sunrise that covered both Burroughs peaks on the northeastern slope of Rainier.

our initial directions too us to a campground on the White River, some 600ft lower than our desired starting point. we got back on the road and followed it to its terminus - and the second-most visited starting point for Rainier hikers. after grabbing sandwiches from the lodge for lunch, we set off on the Sourdough Ridge trail at the direction of one of the rangers and got an early glimpse of what scrambling over snowpack might be like. (one tween nearly took me out with sliding down the snow, heedless to the presence of people on the trail behind her.)

the Sourdough trail took us past Frozen Lake, where we followed the path up to the First Burroughs peak. I was a little surprised at how quickly we reached that summit - maybe 2 miles and 600ft of elevation gain. we all agreed that we ought to continue in spite of the snow covering most of the trail to the Second Burroughs and made the remain distance in good time.

a fair few people had settled down for lunch in view of Mt. Rainier; one recommended we take a look at the meadow to the west of the Second Burroughs to see some mountain goats - something we'd been hoping to espy along our hike. we enjoyed our sandwiches and sitting for a bit, then headed back the way we'd come - slightly more treacherous going downhill with minimal traction or purchase for shoes on the snow. none of us went careening off the mountainside, however, and we even indulged in a bit of shoe-sledding going down the last bit of snow on the Wonderland trail.

after some painful misadventures with the last set of hiking boots, Andy bought picked out some new ones last week an tested them out for the first time at Rainier. overall verdict - pretty good. a couple of hotspots on his heels, but after tightening up the laces the rubbing that produced those spots dissipated sufficiently to make them worthy of at least another shot. here's hoping they'll make it through the qualifying all the way to Fiordland!

Mt Baldy Summit

location: Mount San Antonio, San Gabriel Mountains
distance: 8.75 miles

details: we kicked off training for our next hiking adventure (to New Zealand this fall) with a recommendation from one of Andy's co-workers - the highest peak in the San Gabriel mountains. officially, it's Mount San Antonio (probably named by a rancher in the 1840s for his patron saint, Anthony of Padua) but everyone refers to it as Mt. Baldy.

lots of hikers start off from Manker Flats, once home to a gold-rush era store, following a 13 mile loop with a 4,300 ft elevation gain. however, not sure of our hiking readiness, we opted to take a ski lift up to Baldy Notch, which cuts some 2,000 vertical feet off the ascent (along with several miles on foot). this set us up for the more strenuous ascent (the climb up from Manker Flats is more gradual) along a trail called the Devil's Backbone. there are portions of the trail that snake along the top of vertiginous ridges, or cling desperately to the mountainside with a gut-clenching drop to one side. normally, I have no problem with heights, but there were moments when the 18 inches directly in front of my dusty boots became fascinating.

we were on the trail by 9 a.m., which made the temperature warm but tolerable throughout the hike. as a person who prefers having extra water on-hand at all times, we budgeted a bit short -- or thought we did until I found an extra bottle of water at the bottom of our pack upon returning home. all the same, there was plenty of shade, opportunities to rest, and fellow-hikers to leapfrog and hike-chat with. one pair in particular were a dad and son wearing kinesio tape and a hoodie, respectively.

from the outset the views were stunning - north to Victorville and beyond; south to the rest of Los Angeles county. because of haze we couldn't see much to the south beyond the great blue sky, though on a clear day I'm told you can see Catalina (and vice versa). on most days, you can see Mt. Baldy from near where we are staying. it'll take some adjusting to the drier, warmer climate while we're prepping for NZ, to make sure we have adequate hydration and fuel on these hikes, but it seems pretty reasonable that we'll be better prepared for the Routeburn Track than for the Camino or Dingle!

Berry Creek Falls

location: Big Basin State Park, California
distance: 11.89 miles

a fortuitously-timed search for plane tickets allowed me to escape the frigid wintery Wisconsin weather for a nice long weekend in San Francisco in mid-February. Andy had never been, though his only requested activity for the weekend, beyond relaxing, was to see "big trees." initially, I figured we'd head over the Golden Gate Bridge for Muir Woods and a leisurely walk throughout the national monument. being February, I figured the crowds wouldn't be too overwhelming.

as planning progressed, however, it seemed less convenient to head north to Muir to see redwoods - not the least because off-peak season public transit is understandably limited. we were heading south to Santa Cruz for dinner with a good friend of mine from college, for one thing, and for another a quick search for "good hikes near San Francisco" turned up a great list of options that did not include Muir Woods.

ultimately, we headed out for Big Basin State Park located northwest of Santa Cruz (a destination heartily endorsed by my Santa Cruz friend) on a twisty country road that kept getting narrower and narrower until the hairpin turns only left room for one very slow-moving compact-sized car at a time. I only half-remembered the name of the recommended trail, but a ranger was able to help us out when given our parameters of "afternoon hike of about 10 miles." he gave us an appraising look, glanced at the clock, and pointed out the Berry Creek Falls loop - a strenuous 10 mile hike that would take us past 3 waterfalls.

we got out of civilization somewhat faster than I anticipated and, consequently, were somewhat underprepared fuel-wise for a strenuous 10 mile hike. we picked up sandwiches (and a bag of what proved the best-tasting peanut butter M&Ms of my life) from the camp store before heading out on the trail.

as promised, there were redwoods - and lots of them. not the giant sequoias of farther north but impressive all the same, and many sporting blackened trunks or limbs from long-ago fires. the path roughly followed creekbeds, and had us climbing up and down slopes with regularity -- easy to believe the "strenuous" classification -- taking us from muggy, verdant, with thick undergrowth, to nearly arid ridgetops with exposed bedrock and sandy soil.

we took a break just shy of the midway point on a bench overlooking the namesake falls -- the first of the three we'd see. refueling helped a lot, as did the promise of more waterfalls and the hush of the redwoods and quieter trails as we returned back on what seemed slightly less-traveled trail -- or perhaps everyone else had gotten an earlier start and beat us out of the woods!

as incredible as the views, the hike took plenty out of us and we were both ready to take a breather once we returned to the car, and ready for a hearty dinner by the time we reached the wharf in Santa Cruz. but, as Andy put it, if we'd only done an 8 mile hike (which was probably about the distance where we decided we were about ready to be done) we wouldn't ever push ourselves to a point of exhaustion. and if we have any hope of keeping up with hiking, we've definitely got to keep pushing ourselves.

day 12: Bru na Boinne & Guinness

location: Bru na Boinne, St. James' Gate
transportation: passenger van to Bru na Boinne and back; back on foot in Dublin
distance: 7.78 miles
sights: Knowth, Dowth (from a distance), Newgrange, Guinness Experience
dining: giant eclair in the cafeteria of the visitor's center for "lunch" and tasty Mexican back in Dublin.

details: Bru na Boinne is one of my favorite tourist sights in Ireland. like Stonehenge but older and at least as impressive. there are three monuments at Bru na Boinne, situated in a bend of the River Boyne to the north of Dublin and west of Drogheda -- Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth. on my first visit I opted for the Newgrange-only ticket, it being the most elaborately-restored of the sites. this time, however, we started with Knowth and were not disappointed.

after the guide showed us around the site, explaining the evolution of the sites usage and inhabitants, we had time to investigate on our, climbing to the top of the mound to survey the country with views to Dowth (the smallest of the mounds, which isn't currently open to the public), the Hill of Tara, and Slane Castle. Knowth itself is also surrounded by some 17 smaller mounds, as well as an impressive array of intricately carved kerb stones, which depict some of the best-preserved megalithic art in Europe.

while we could climb atop the mound, we weren't permitted down the passage at Knowth - over time, the top of the mound slid down the sides, which made the interior unstable. the entire mound was painstakingly dismantled in the mid-to-late 20th century for research purposes before being restored, but the structural integrity cannot be guaranteed and, thus, visitors are not allowed into the central chambers.

the opposite is the case at Newgrange. the mound has remained structurally sound since it was constructed and, while visitors aren't allowed to climb atop it, they are able to venture into the central chamber, where the guide offers a simulation of being inside the chamber at sunrise on the winter solstice, when sunlight comes over the top of the hill across the valley, enters through a small space above the passage entrance, climbs the passage and illuminates the room for some handful of minutes before disappearing nearly as quickly.

back in Dublin, the Guinness Experience is truly unique. it is unquestionably the most elaborate brewery "tour" I've ever encountered, with elaborate graphics to help explain the brewing process, and carefully plotted routes to keep the huge number of visitors moving to their ultimate goal -- a pint at the top of the building, probably with panoramic views out over Dublin. as we've both been through numerous breweries, the most interesting piece of the "educational" experience was that detailing the work and lives of coopers at St. James' Gate during the early 20th century. the skill and speed of the men who cranked out the hundreds and thousands of barrels necessary to distribute Guinness was astounding. and almost as interesting was the speed with the profession declined with the advent of stainless steel kegs - that such a valued, well-paid profession disappeared in the space of a few years is staggering to contemplate.

finally we reached the top of the building, turned in our ticket stubs for pints to enjoy while trying to find space along the windows to enjoy the aforementioned panoramic views. a fitting way to toast our time in Ireland.