Modern Hiker

Out of Town

Published on January 6, 2009 in site news. 0 Comments

… and unfortunately, not on a hike, but on a trip to the Consumer Electronics Show, where I will be writing two three-hour live specials for G4. It’s going to be a lot of work, but if I can get away from the control booth to check out any GPS stuff, you know I will.

I’ll be back on the weekend, when I’ll hopefully get a chance to get outside and then maybe try to fix the site layout — I know it still looks a bit wonky in some versions of Internet Explorer, but it seems to look fine in Firefox, Chrome, and Safari. Go figure.

I Know It’s Winter And All …

Published on January 6, 2009 in clothes. 0 Comments

but BackcountryOutlet is having a pretty big sale on a bunch of Reef sandals and shoes right now.

The sale runs 30-35% off regular prices, and with coupon code 41G-1-QKVMK you can bump that up to 50%. Maybe it’s time for some new yurt slippers?

State of the Site 2008

Published on January 6, 2009 in site news. 2 Comments

I know most people have already done these sorts of posts, so I figured I’d throw mine in for good measure.

2008 has been an exceptional year for Modern Hiker. As we approach our 400th post, Modern Hiker currently indexes almost 60 hikes in and around the Los Angeles area, and have watched as my write-ups and information pop up higher and higher on the Google page rankings.

This year also seemed to be the year that people really started taking notice of LA hiking — I mapped trails for Backpacker magazine, was interviewed by media outlets like SNEWS, the LA Times, and NPR’s Morning Edition (and ALMOST NBC Nightly News! Bad timing on that one). Readership was on a steady growing trend through the entire year, increasing over 200% from January to November — and then drastically spiking in December to numbers that honestly, I never thought I would get.

Even better than pure numbers, Modern Hiker readers tend to stick around the site for a while — leaving comments, responding to other readers, and emailing me questions and trail experiences. The site has become much more interactive over the last year, which keeps things interesting for everyone. Especially me.

So, thanks for reading. I hope to keep things steadily moving forward around here and, as always, welcome your input. In 2009, look for:

- revamped site design
- a new photography section
- increased coverage of the Santa Monica Mountains
- more hikes in Joshua Tree and Death Valley
- … and probably a lot more that I can’t predict!

Until then, keep reading and keep hiking!

10 Hikes Near San Diego

Published on January 5, 2009 in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Cleveland National Forest, Excursions and hiking. 0 Comments

The blog Outside San Diego has done all SoCal hikers a favor and listed his top ten must-do 2009 hikes near San Diego.

I don’t get down to that neck of the woods as often as I’d like, but I have done a few of the trails he’s picked out, like The Slot and Iron Mountain, and can attest to their general awesomeness. If you’re looking to spend a bit more time to the south this year, this list is a good place to start planning.

Being Outside Makes You Smarter

Published on January 5, 2009 in City Life, The Great Outdoors and motivations. 0 Comments

… at least, according to a recent study published in Psychological Science.

A group of scientists from the University of Michigan had two sets of volunteers who were given memory tests. After taking the tests, one group walked through downtown Ann Arbor, while the other took a stroll through a park. When they came back to the lab to retake the tests, the group that went into the park had “greatly improved” results, while the city-walkers had no improvement.

In a second take on the experiment, the groups were just shown pictures of nature or city settings, and had the same result. The authors write:

urban environments provide a relatively complex and often confusing pattern of stimulation, which requires effort to sort out and interpret. Natural environments, by contrast, offer a more coherent (and often more aesthetic) pattern of stimulation that, far from requiring effort, are often experienced as restful. Thus being in the context of nature is effortless, permitting us to replenish our capacity to attend and thus having a restorative effect on our mental abilities.

Of course, many hikers — myself included — often wax poetic about the rejuvenating effects of spending a bit of time by yourself in the woods. Now we have Science to back us up. Science! Take that, urbanites!

Via Backpacker.

REI Used Gear Sale

Published on January 2, 2009 in City Life, Gadgets and Gear and clothes. 1 Comment

dirty hiking boots If you don’t have your hiking plans finalized for ~~Sunday~~ Saturday yet, you may want to drop by the Santa Monica REI for the first Used Gear Sale of 2009.

The REI Used Gear Sales are a great way to replace some of your not-so-gently used items with upgrades, without spending all of your holiday cash. Sign up for a membership if you haven’t already, then brew some coffee and head over for 7AM. We hikers’ love bargains only slightly more than we like getting up early on the weekends.

Image by kfergos.

Update: sale is on Saturday, not Sunday. I blame that mistake on jetlag.

Free PDF Topo Maps

Published on December 31, 2008 in GPS, Web Sites and Apps and maps. 1 Comment

In the last post, I said ordering topographical maps from the USGS can be tedious and expensive. This is still true. However, what I didn’t notice was that it is possible to download high-resolution 7.5 minute PDFs of every USGS map — and it’s free.

Reader SHot70 tipped me off to the Map Locator, an intuitive Google Map mashup that lets you zoom into whatever area you’re looking for, then find what maps are available to you for download or purchase. You can download the maps as PDFs, and if you have a PC, you can download a free copy of the GeoPDF toolbar, which will let you markup the maps with GPS tracks and notes, and let you export the file as a KML or GPX file — if you >em>really want to get down and dirty.

Give it a try next time you head out!

Best Hiking Maps for L.A.

Published on December 31, 2008 in Angeles National Forest, GPS, Santa Monica Mountains and maps. 2 Comments

Reader Jess wrote-in recently with a few questions:

We know LA fairly well and have done dozens of hikes. However, we’ve yet to get too adventurous in terrain or distance. One reason is we have yet to figure out where/how to find decent/detailed maps for the Santa Monicas and San Gabriels. We’ve scoured online and have never found a ranger station with much info.

Do you have any suggestions? Is there a one-stop shop or do most people cobble together different resources?

Also, we have a compass but no GPS. Do you think one is mandatory? Or will compass + good maps do the trick?

Good maps are an important part of hiking — they’re one of the Ten Essentials, even. A lot of times, local guide books and ranger stations will have simplified trail maps that are often hand drawn. These are fine for getting an idea of the area, but should not be considered “trail-worthy.”

It is possible to order specific maps from the USGS, but it’s a tedious process that can get pretty expensive, too.

Instead, I highly recommend using a Tom Harrison map for the area you plan on hiking in — they’re waterproof, durable, very detailed and easy to read — and he covers the L.A. area pretty comprehensively. You should be able to find them at your local outdoors store (or you can pick one up below and support this site, too!)

Angeles Front Country
Angeles High Country
Mount Baldy and Cucamonga Wilderness
Mount Wilson Area
Point Mugu State Park
Zuma-Trancas Canyons

… Harrison doesn’t have an overall map for the Santa Monica Mountains, but National Geographic does. I haven’t used this map personally, but I did take a NatGeo map of Joshua Tree into the backcountry and thought it was fantastic.

And, despite this site’s love of all things GPS, they are not necessary to hike. They’re great, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t need one to enjoy a good trail, and even if you do take one with you, you should always have a hard-copy map backup. You never know when your batteries are going to give out, and you don’t want to be lost in the woods without any idea how to get out.

Image by hexodus…

Modern Hiker on the Radio

Published on December 24, 2008 in Angeles National Forest, The Great Outdoors and in the media. 2 Comments

I just wrapped up a short interview with KCRW’s Morning Edition,which will air on Friday’s show. I gave a few quick suggestions for family winter hikes in the area (with side tips like hitting up the Mount Baldy Lodge for pie and hot chocolate), as well as a few options for more moderate treks in the snow.

They said it should air at the top of one of the hours, so either 6:06, 7:06 or 8:06. Be sure to tune in or hit up the web site for live streaming if you want to hear your favorite SoCal Hiking Blogger fight through some New England allergies to keep you motivated to hit the trail.

Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Angelenos Love Their Snow

Published on December 22, 2008 in Angeles National Forest, City Life and in the media. 0 Comments

The LA Times has a short story about people in LA getting all psyched up about the snow, and driving a short distance to the Angeles National Forest for sledding, snowball fights, and — in what is apparently an LA Tradition I didn’t know about — making snowmen on their cars and then driving back home with them.

The story leads with descriptions of people in the Northeast, who just got slammed with snow and ice and are about to get hit again. Unfortunately, this is where I will be for the next week — trudging through the snow of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts (maybe Vermont if I’m lucky), instead of tromping through the San Gabriels. Posting will be light until after New Year’s Day, most likely, but I will still be stopping in to check news, answer emails and comments, and do a little dusting-up here and there.

It looks like LA is due for a few more light storms this week — like the one I just walked through this morning — which means the mountains may get another dusting of the white-stuff. Enjoy it responsibly.