Acorn Trail

I would like to start a series of blog posts about hikes in and around my hometown of Wrightwood, California.  Nestled in the San Gabriel Mountains above L.A., we are blessed to be surrounded by fantastic hiking.  My hope is that this will be beneficial to both local residents, and visitors.  I am going to start with a somewhat lesser-known trail called Acorn Trail since my husband and I just hiked it today.

The trail head is accessible from a residential area at the top of Acorn Drive.  The very top part of Acorn Drive is private, and there are signs posted that parking is not allowed on this portion of the road.  It is advised to park on the street below these signs (which are around Camp Mariastella).  Click here for a link to more trail info and map.

Acorn Trail is about 4 miles round trip (depending on where you park your car), and relatively steep.  From the actual trail head, it is 2.1 miles to the top.  Remember that it will be a bit longer, however, to walk from where you park (The sign at the bottom of the trail says that there is an elevation gain of 1,500 feet).  I would rate the trail moderate in difficulty.  There are lovely views of the desert to the North, the crest of the surrounding mountains, and the landslide area.  All in all, we REALLY enjoyed this hike.  It's not too long, so I think we may hike this trail more often in the afternoon.  It took us about 2.5 hours round trip, and we were taking it easy.

If you would like to use the Acorn Trail but are interested in getting more miles in, it would be simple to either continue on the Pacific Crest Trail, or hike up Pine Mountain.  Once you reach the top of Acorn Trail, you could head either east or west on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), depending on if you want to go to Mexico or Canada ;)  If you walk along east along the dirt road at the top of the Acorn Trail, you will connect to Pine Mountain Trail shortly.  We will be hiking this trail soon, so stay tuned for a report!

One reason we hiked the Acorn Trail today is because it was so windy.  For the most part, we weren't exposed on a ridge line.  We had planned on hiking Pine Mountain, but the last time I hiked that trail it was very windy, so much so that my foot flew with the wind with each step!  We decided to save that hike for a calmer day.

If you have any questions about Acorn Trail, be sure to leave me a comment!

Yoga Selfies

I have discovered a new fad... the Yoga Selfie.  At first I was resistant to any and all selfies, but I started following yogis on my Instagram, and discovered I was inspired and learning more about yoga poses and yoga in general.  In my book, anything that inspires and teaches is a good thing; hence, my standpoint on Yoga Selfies (and selfies in general, I suppose) was forced to shift.

I read an article this morning that criticized the Yoga Selfie fad.  It claimed that it was creating a shift in yoga that was too far away from yoga's original purpose.  It claimed That the Yoga Selfie encourages the ego and hence it is B-A-D, bad.  I liked the article; I thought it was balanced and had a good point.  But it doesn't mean I am going to stop participating in challenges and posting Yoga Selfies.  Why?  Because I believe in my life, the benefit of these yoga photos outweighs the negatives.  And, let's face it: we do live in a technological age.  In fact, my New Year's Resolution was to stop being so dang technologically resistant!! (Which is why I started writing a blog, and opened a Twitter and Instagram account).  I came to the realization that if I don't hop on this technology bandwagon, I am going to be left in the dust!

All this is not to say that Yoga Selfies may have the potential to encourage the ego.  I think that if you are posting these photos in order to increase your self-worth, then that is the incorrect motivation.  But, if you are doing it in search of a community and a place to learn new things and go deeper in your practice, then why the heck not?!  I can tell you that this has opened me up to a whole new sense of community, challenged me like I have not been challenged, and taught me new concepts (i.e.- I have found this is a great way to learn the Sanskrit names of the yoga poses).

All of this may be true especially for me and those like me who do not belong to a yoga studio.  I practice at home through my yogatoday.com membership.  I am already connecting through technology via streaming videos in a way that yogis have not for thousands of years.  It makes sense to find community in a new way as well.  And really, all this does is make yoga more accessible to everyone, everywhere.  And that, is never a bad thing.

Namaste

Hiking in my Hometown

My first love for the outdoors came through hiking.  I remember being about seven years old and hiking out my backyard with my brother and my dad had a blast (minus the fact that my brother managed to accrue a tick inside his belly button).  I now participate in many other outdoor activities, but hiking remains one of my favorites.  It's so accessible, easy, and fun.  All you really need is a decent pair of shoes and some water, and you're set to go!

Now that the weather has warmed and there are longer days it's easy to go for a quick hike after work.  Recently some friends and I did just that.  We set out for a popular local trail called Blue Ridge Trail in seek of a beautiful sunset location. We found just that!

My Experience with Minimalist Shoes

In light of the recent court decision for Vibram FiveFinger shoes, I thought it timely to talk about my personal experience with minimalist shoes. My hope is that this would start a discussion with other folk's personal experiences.  Granted, all these testimonies would be anecdotal, and not scientifically-backed (which is why Vibram lost the court case, they did not have scientific research to back up their claims).  But, that being said, in my personal opinion, I do not think personal testimonies should be discounted.  We live in a world that puts science above all else, and I question that approach in our society.  Not to say that I don't love science (I am becoming a science teacher, after all), I just think we should take a moment to step back and admit that we may not see the whole picture all the time.  There are, after all, many contradicting studies out there.  All this to say, take what you read here, and elsewhere with a grain of salt.  But, I digress...

I bought my one and only pair of minimalist running shoes a little over a year ago today.  I didn't go for the Vibram Five Fingers, because they felt odd on my feet (I believe my toes are just not made for that kind of shoe).  Instead, I splurged for the Merrel Dash Glove.  It took some getting-used to, and I had to return my original pair for a larger size because I found that when I ran, my feet felt squished, though they felt great just for walking.  They are the most expensive running shoes I have bought to date, and so they felt like quite a gamble.  I wasn't sure how I would adjust to having no padding under my feet, what's more, I wasn't sure if that was even a good idea.

The only reason I ventured to give them a try was the vast amount of personal testimonies I heard that praised the wonders of minimalist running shoes.  When the trend began, I (along with the vast majority of folks) thought the concept and look was ridiculous.  But I worked as a canopy tour guide, and people came on the tour wearing these shoes in droves.  Out of sheer search for conversation, I would ask these trend-followers how they liked their shoes.  The answer always gave praise to the wonders of the minimalist shoe.  Back problems were better, knees stopped aching, ankles became strong, balance increased.  After hearing enough of these stories, I was convinced enough to give them a try.  I figured I didn't have anything to loose, since was purchasing them at REI (I could always return them).

Lo and behold, I was soon among those proclaiming the miracles of the minimalist shoe.  It took me a while to work back up to the mileage I was at before the shoe.  I went from running four miles comfortably, to not being able to run 3/4 of a mile without my calves being on FIRE!  But once I worked my way back up, I noticed that I was having less knee problems, better balance, and most importantly, my hips have not giving me problems since strapping on my Merrels.  I have always had issues with my hips hurting when I run, or even when I go on long hikes.  This issue has all but disappeared, except for on exceptionally long hikes.  I don't know exactly how it happened, but I believe the the minimalists have strengthened muscles I didn't use with a traditional shoe.  Additionally, my yoga practice has seen benefits from my minimalists.  My balance has increased, undoubtedly due to the muscles in my ankles, calves, and thighs improving.

As a disclaimer, I am not a hard-core runner.  I don't know if I would recommend minimalists to marathoners, for example.  I only run to ensure that I have done some cardio, and to tire out my energetic Siberian Husky.  I wouldn't call myself an expert in the field, but I do know what minimalist shoes have done for me.  I am curious, what are your experiences with minimalists?

How to Clean Wood Walls (AKA- How to Make Your House Not Smell Like "Old Cabin")

We live in a lovely cabin in the woods.  It was built in 1958, so as you can imagine, it has tons of charm... (I have come to find the word "charm" often is a euphemism which means "older").  I love having a home that is full of charm, however, the trade-off is that there are often more challenges when it comes to caring and updating the home.

Sometimes we come home in the evening and are surprised that our house smells like an old cabin.  You know what I mean-remember when you were a kid and you went to summer camp, and the dining hall either smelled like food, or like "old cabin"...its that slightly dusty, warm smell.  Well, needless to say, I really didn't want my home smelling this way.  So I began with scented candles.  Then Febreze.  Then more candles.  Then some insence (which I will say works the best in covering up smells... but that may just be my inner hippie talking).  But it still wasn't solving the problem.

When we first moved in, I cleaned the walls with a damp rag since I didn't know what else to use on the knotty pine wood walls.  I am pleased to say that I have found the solution to "old cabin" smell!  I cleaned the walls with Murphy Oil Soap Clean and Shine Spray- and viola- the smell has gone away and not come back!  Not to mention, my walls look fantastic.  I didn't even notice any dirt on them before, but once I cleaned them, I could really tell the difference.

Hizzah to beating old cabin smell!!

Friendcation in Yosemite

For three blissful days seven friends and I went on a trip to Yosemite National Park. The trip was filled with lots of laughter, strenuous and rewardingly beautiful hikes, and more than a few new inside jokes (among which include the time we tried to fit all eight of us in a jacuzzi made for about four people. Half the water overflowed onto the porch and the heater kept turning off. We ended up in a luke warm squished situation we lovingly termed "friend soup.")

It was such a blast and very affordable to split a cabin from groupon among all eight if us.  We had time for one big hike up to Vernal and Nevada Falls. It was such a beautiful day. We went to bed tired, and we're all surprised to wake up to snow the following morning!

We were glad we could still drive around in the snow, but managed to pick up a chain link in our tire (FYI that is not where they are not supposed to go). After a quick repair in Oakhurst, we went onward to stay with friends in Visalia. It was a joy to stay with such a gracious family and enjoy their little boy (I think some if the boys in our group had more fun playing with his toys than we did). 

Don't Run it Alone

Exercise is so much more enjoyable when you don't do it alone.  That is one reason I enjoy always having my dog with me on running adventures.  But it gets even better when I have a human companion to join me.  For one, humans speak English, and can actually talk back to me.  That really helps.

My brother and I have been running together once a week lately.  It has really helped me push myself to be consistent in running, and to go further and further.  My brother is a great coach!

Do you find exercising with someone helps out?  I think making a date to meet up ensures that you stay active.