Moonlight Hiking: How To

First, I would like to take a moment to apologize for not posting sooner. My absence was a combination of the weather heating up and me being lazy. Sorry, it happens. However, the heat leads directly into my post (what a segue!).

Moonlight Hiking: How To

Moonlight (or midnight) hiking is just that, a hike that takes place in the moonlight. This unique activity allows you a chance to venture into the wilds without having to deal with the oppressive (especially if you live in the southern latitudes such as myself) heat of the day and offer you a chance at viewing different plant and wildlife. The trail that you hiked during the day can transform 100% by night, offering you a chance to see and experience more. However, before grabbing your friends and heading out into the night there are certain things that you want to make sure of.

1. Location Location Location - now the only reason I mention this is not all trails are open to the public 24 hours a day. In my local area, for examples, most trails close at 10 pm and open again the next morning at 7 am. Double check with your local parks and recreation department to make sure that your excursion will be legal.

2. Gear - Hiking at night is still a hike, and preparation is key. Gather information about the location that you are planning on visiting (I recommend the wilderness press, USGS, and trails.com as valuable information stores) to get an idea of what you might expect. You may end up having to bring more gear. On top of the First Aid kit, knife, compass, and rain shell that I would recommend bringing a flash light would also be included (size and power are up to you, personally I carry an iNova X0 LED flashlight and highly recommend them). Also to be considered are local conditions: is it going to be a cool night, do I need a wind breaker? Do I need a warmer jacket? Also not to be forgotten, WATER. I have been on a number of moonlight hikes where others in the group have not brought water and found that you can still dehydrate in cooler weather.

3. Lions and Tigers and Bears... - This technically falls under number one but it is important enough that it deserves it's own heading. Night time means that other animals wake up and are on the prowl. Consult your local park and recreations department if you need information and take appropriate precautions.

4. Enjoy - get out and there and have a good time. Night time offers you a rare glimpse at a landscape that we hardly get to see (humans being sun worshipers and all).

My New Friend

While this doesn't necessarily constitute a hike, he is a native Californian.  Enjoy.  

My New Friend

Know Thyself!

I originally intended this to be a longer post with more information, but writers block has been whipping my butt and I have finally relented.

Know THYSELF

A typical question I get asked is: "Where should I go?"  The answers can be, much like the time you have to wait before doing a painful dental procedure, infinite.  "You can go to: the moon, the store, the park" or my personal favorite "go away".  "Oh wait," I would catch myself at this point "you want ideas on where to go and explore nature.  Ok, what do you want to see?"  And here we are, at the topic at hand: Know Thyself!

Before you set off on a trek it's important to know your own abilities.  Questions you may want to ask yourself: 'How difficult is this particular trail?' , 'What is the weather going to be like?', 'What is the makeup of the group that I am going to be traveling with?', etc.  Personally I recommend advanced planning, looking up the trail online and checking weather conditions.

The question I ask (see above...I'm not reposting it...lazy) people looking for trail recommendations actually has a lot to bear on locations I will recommend for them. Do you want to see Waterfalls, Streams, Wildflowers, Avian Life, Sweeping Vistas of the San Gabriel Valley, Geological Formations?  A combination of some?  All?  Do you want to be doing a hike on an incline?  In the shade?  Along a well established path?  Boldly, where no man has gone before?  All should be taken into account before setting out.

Lastly you want to consider the group make up and the gear that you may want to carry.  Remember you want to carry the least amount of poundage with the most amount of gear possible.  How much water will you or your group need?  How big of a first aid kit (not if, how big, you ALWAYS should have one)? etc.

So looking back now, knowing yourself or your group and what you want really does help in choosing the right trail for you.

Sam Merrill Trail

The Sam Merrill Trail is really a crossroads, I can say this because there are so many options open to you from this one particular trail head, multiple trails branch off from the main trail head.

For the San Gabriel Mountains, Sam Merrill is a trip back through time.  It's start is the (now demolished) Cobb Estate grounds.  It quickly ascends up Las Flores canyon eventually reaching it's summit, Echo Mountain.  From here you can jump on to one of the two other connecting trails or do as I did and explore the ruins that are on top of the mountain.

Ruins?  Yup, back in 1893 Prof. Thaddeus S.C. Lowe envisioned and eventually built a rail and hotel complex on the top of the mountain.  As is the case with Southern California, natural disasters (read: Wild Fires and Wind Storms) eventually forced its closure and abandonment in 1938.  You can read more about it here.

I learned about the trail by going to trails.com and browsing their trail finder.  Great site Trails.com, highly recommend it.  So Saturday April 11th, myself and my brother set out to conquer the trail.  It took about two and a half hours but we did make the summit, and what a trip.  For your consideration, here's the review:

Trail Conditions

The trail was in reasonably good shape, although at some points it does narrow to what I felt was an uncomfortable width.  The initial hundred yards is on broken paved road that made up the Cobb estate; once you leave the grounds, however, you will be on packed dirt with rocks.  Depending on the weather you may encounter small rock slides.  

The trail, for the most part, is exposed to the sun.  There are a few locations where you are under shade but the majority of the time will be spent under direct sunlight.  Dress accordingly, layer and you may want to pack a rain coat, and make sure you bring enough water to keep yourself well hydrated.  There is a drinking fountain at the very beginning of the trail but no other facilities are available for the remainder of the trip, so plan ahead.

Plant life abounds along the trail.  Trees, bushes, wild flowers both native and non-native can be found blossoming along the trail and the steep inclines.  The one plant that was noticeably lacking was Poison Oak, which was a blessing.  I can be in close proximity to the plant and develop the rash. 

Trail Difficulty

This trail is not for the weak of heart, or in this case body.  The trail itself is a series of switch backs up the canyon wall till you eventually reach Mt. Echo's summit. The incline itself was not all that bad, but the entire 2.5 mile trek is uphill.  My brother and I had to stop twice to take a quick breather and swig some water.  But much like the tortoise in Aesop's fable, a slow and steady pace will eventually land you at the top.

My Experience

I can honestly say I really enjoyed this hike.  One thing I dislike about certain day hikes is how quickly they are over.  Sam Merrill didn't have that feel; two and a half hours to tackle this particular trail plus there was the promise of additional trails at the top where our adventure could continue.  While I did have to exert myself to get to the top, the feeling of looking down the ridge and seeing the old rail road ties and hotel foundations was intriguing.  It is the same feeling that I would get when visiting Ghost Towns or places where people have been in the past.  

I know I will be going back to this trail and that I will be bringing others with me.  

First Post

Greetings, salutations and a hearty hello to all!

First post!  Welcome to my blog.  I suppose we should get introductions done now.  My name is Steve, I'm 24 and live in the greater Los Angeles area.  I work in the IT industry but when I am not tied to the desk I would like to consider myself an "Outdoorsy" kind of guy.  I have gone camping every summer for 13 years and try to go hiking at least once a month in the local mountains.  If you were to ask me what a good vacation is I would respond with "Hiking, Camping and Fishing" (or some combination of those three).  

Why the name 5 Pound Pack?  Simple, I aim to show you that you can hit the trail without overloading on gear.  There are some that may argue that all you need is a water bottle.  While this may sometimes be the case, I have found it is better to be prepared in case a "worst case scenario" develops.  With day hiking, the goal is to be prepared without loading yourself down.

With that all said, sit back, relax, grab a cold drink and lets hit the trails.