Episode 59 Cahuilla Mountain Day Hike
May 22, 2010
John looking southwest from the trail
This episode is about a day hike to the summit of Cahuilla Mountain in inland Riverside County California. John and I check out the land of Ramona and Allessandro made famous in Helen Hunt Jackson’s western novel and source of the famous Ramona Pageant. We also overlook the historic Juan Bautista De Anza Trail.
Along the way we meet Jose Murillo’s California Conservation Corp work crew and talk to Jose about the trail work he’s been doing over the past year. This hike was a nice surprise as we hike up to two summits and discover a picturesque valley in mid spring.
I shot some High Definition video along the way, click on the link below to watch it
Here are some good links to more information I talked about in the podcast
- Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail
- Ramona Pageant History
- The Killing of Juan Diego
- California Conservation Corps
- Californiaherp.com – Online guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of California
BONUS AUDIO – The Killing of Juan Diego – Coming Soon.
Episode 58 Los Pinos Peak Day Hike
May 4, 2010
Along the Los Pinos Peak Trail
In this episode Dave and I take a short day hike to the summit of Los Pinos Peak, the fourth highest summit in the Santa Ana Mountain range of Southern California
At a modest elevation of 4610 feet, it features a magnificent view over the southland. Eastward, views range out to the11500 foot Mt. San Gorgonio and toward San Jacinto’s 10,804 foot summit. To the South, Mt Palomar’s High Point can be seen as well as the lesser known peaks in Southeastern Riverside, inland San Diego and Anza Borrego. To the north; Mt. Baldy, Cucamonga Peak, Ontario Peak and Baden Powell’s summit from the San Gabriel Mountain Range stretch northward and finally, to the west, all of Orange County’s urban sprawl spreads out toward the Pacific Ocean. All of this visible from this short day hike to Los Pinos Peak in the Cleveland National Forest.
Along the way Dave and I meet two energetic trail runners and an avid mountain biker while on our adventure and take a quick tour of the Blue Jay Campground. I also shot a video of our adventure, check it out.
Links:
Episode 57 The Old L.A. Zoo and the Bat Cave
April 16, 2010
Lindsey inside the abandoned L.A. Zoo
In this two part episode my daughter Lindsey and I continue our adventure into Griffith Park in Los Angeles California. The first part is about our quest to find the site of the abandoned Griffith Park Zoo, Los Angeles’s first zoo. The zoo was built near the turn of last century and was abandoned in 1965. Lindsey and I get the creeps crawling in and around the abandoned zoo enclosures.
Part two is about our hunt to find one of the most used wilderness filming locations near Los Angeles. We locate the secret filming location of the Bat Cave, made famous in the 1960’s television show, Batman and interrupt a film crew.
I shot a video of our adventure and posted it on Youtube. It will give you an idea of what it was like crawling around in the abandoned zoo enclosures. Check it out
Here are some great links to check out to learn more about the zoo and the Bat Cave
- Bat Tours – Great Bat Cave Video
- Bat Cave – Bronson Canyon Video
- L.A. Zoo – Official site of the Los Angeles Zoo
- The Bronson Caves– trail photos
Episode 56 Mt. Hollywood Day Hike
March 27, 2010
Griffith Park and L.A. Basin
This podcast is about a short day hike I took with my daughter Lindsey from the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles to the nearby summit of Mt. Hollywood. Few places in the Los Angeles metropolitan area afford such a tremendous view with such little effort. With over 4,102 acres of both natural chaparral-covered terrain and landscaped parkland, Griffith Park is the largest municipal park with urban wilderness area in the United States. It’s only a little over 3 miles round trip but its got about 650 feet of elevation gain making it a good early morning workout hike.
Our trip begins at the Griffith Observatory parking lot and we take the Charlie Turner Trail up to the summit. Along with way we take in spectacular view from high above the observatory with all of the L.A. Basin and downtown below us. A special treat is a magnificent view of the famous Hollywood Sign across the hills on Mt. Lee. We’ve got lots of company on this hike. Folks of all ages and physical conditions take this hike that seems just about right for everyone.
Check out the short video I took of our hike along the way.
If you are interested in hiking to Mt. Hollywood or anywhere in Griffith Park, click on the link below
Episode 55 Outdoor Adventures in Cinema
March 12, 2010
Favorite Adventure Films
After watching this years Academy Awards I started thinking about how much enjoyment I’ve had over the years watching films set in the great outdoors. Some of my favorite scenes have been shot in fabulous locations throughout the world and on days when I just can’t get outside; I head to the DVD cabinet to fulfill my desire to get out and smell the pines or feel the frosty chill of a mountain breeze. I compiled a list of my top adventure films from my DVD collection. I know you’ve probably got your own list of favorite adventure films like I do.
Hollywood’s been great at entertaining us over the years and the stories they’ve told satisfy an inner desire to get out into the wild and experience nature in all its fury; epic stories of pursuit, survival, tragedy, greed, revenge and adventure.
In this episode I talk about my favorite outdoor adventure films and feature some movie trailers and music.
Here’s some links to some of the films mentioned
Episode 54 Trail Preparation and the Gear List
February 26, 2010
ready to go hiking
This podcast is about how I prepare for a day hike. This includes what research I do to find the exotic locations for my hikes and what type of gear I take with me on my adventures.
While getting ready for the last hike to the Devil’s Chair, I laid out all of my gear I was going to take and took some photographs. I numbered the items later and talk about them on this podcast.
If you ever wonder what to take, or don’t think you’re taking the right things; check out what I bring on a typical day hike.
Check out these cool links:
- Andrew Skurka’s Great Western Loop Gear List
- Ten Essentials from R.E.I.
- The Ten Essentials from GORP
- Jerry Schad’s 101 Hikes in Southern California
- Afoot & Afield in San Diego by Jerry Schad
- Trails of the Angeles by John Robinson
Episode 53 Devil’s Punchbowl Day Hike
February 13, 2010
Devil's Chair Group Photo
This podcast is about a winter day hike to visit the Devil’s Punchbowl and the scenic sights from the Devil’s Chair, a peninsula of rock overlooking the Devil’s Punchbowl, a mass of twisted rocks near the San Andreas Fault Zone. In this edition I led a group of 8 energetic hikers from the visitor’s center over the Burkhart Trail to the Devil’s Punchbowl Trail. We crossed over a couple of sparkling icy creeks and met a friendly hiker who took time to chat with us on the trail.
Also in this episode I talk about the history of the Devil’s Punchbowl County Park, the San Andreas Fault and throw in a little bit of music, movie clips and informational audio about the region.
Check out the photos, click on the group photo.
I also posted a short video of the hike on You Tube
Check out the links:
Trouble at the Trailhead
January 14, 2010
CAUTION – This episode’s about how to be safe along the trail and how to safeguard your valuables at the trailhead. True stories of horrible violent crimes committed where the killers dumped their victims along the roads of the Angeles and Cleveland National Forests of Southern California.
Ralated Links, Stories and Video:
Rodney Alcala Murder Trial Video
Orange County’s 50 Most Notorious Crimes
Jason Bautista dismembers his mother
William Bonin – Freeway Killer
Here’s a few links to articles that might help you safeguard your valuables while you enjoy yourself on the trail
Winter Warning Podcast
December 18, 2009
This episode is about an ill fated winter hike and what to do if you find yourself trapped in your car in the backcountry. I had planned a group hike to visit the Devil’s Chair on the back side of the Angeles National Forest but a heavy winter storm moved into the region. I sat at home, watching the rain and realized I might not be properly equipped to handle traveling in the winter along a snowy, icy stretch of highway. In this podcast I remind everyone about what can happen if you venture into the backcountry unprepared and what to do to make sure you’re safe on the road.
Here are some great links you should check out.
Carey Castle Day Hike
November 19, 2009
Carey's Castle
The 50th Episode of Anthony’s Audio Journal, is about our hike into Joshua Tree National Park and our adventure up the Red Butte Wash to visit the Carey Castle. This trip was unique because there isn’t really a trail to Carey’s Castle, in fact, it’s not a trail at all. The only tell-tale signs that it’s there is a small black dot on the USGS Topographic map and the words, “Carey’s Castle”. It’s a pretty well kept secret, and folks want to keep it that way. There are no signs at the trailhead or along the way. There’s no sign at the castle or any mention of it in any of the Joshua Tree publications that I’m aware of. The few cairns that have been placed by hikers are routinely knocked over and scattered about or purposely built to redirect hikers into dead ends, further adding to the mystery of the hike to Carey’s Castle.
The hike involves over four miles of walking in loose gravely sand and climbing through the boulder choked wash that forks many times throughout the adventure. Elevation gain is a modest 1400 feet but by the time you’ve walked through the deep gravel and climbed up and over the boulders, it seems like more, much much more.
Be sure to click on the photo to link to all the photos I took of our trip. Also check out the link to Joshua Tree National Park to find out more interesting facts about the park and possible hiking adventures.
Anthony's Audio Journal 