Hiking

I was hoping to go on a serious hiking trip up a local mountain, but my guide, a Japanese teacher with a lot of knowledge of the parks, had to cancel at the last minute because his father was sick. So, having nothing to do that Saturday I hopped on my bike and headed out with no plan in particular.
I followed the river north for about an hour then turned off towards the hills. Passed through a tiny town then chose a road that seemed to go straight up the mountain. 30 min, and maybe 5 km later (yes it was steep!) the road has changed from asphalt to concrete and I am getting passed by a little truck with two horned goats in the bed. The driver saw my red perspiring face and gave me a big grin and a thumbs up, so I guessed I was near the end of the road.
Indeed, a short while later there was a collection of a handful of houses, and just beyond them the path changed from concrete to dirt. This is where the picture "bambootrail" was taken. As I climbed the foliage and terrain changed, see "trekkingtrail." It was quite a nice hike, some rocks to climb in a nice steep trail with footing that definately made it a hike rather than a walk; some good views too. I had almost forgotten how much I like hiking. Even though there are options around LA, I rarely took advantage of them, and when I did never really appreciated the desert climate anyway.
So I will take that trip to the bigger mountains some time soon, I hope. Maybe once before it gets snowy at the top, and again afterwards.