When hiking in Hollywood and looking at the San Gabriel Mountains, people ask me all the time, “Am I crazy, but is that a transverse mountain range?” And I say, “You mean that very rare mountain range over there that runs transversely, EAST to WEST?” And then they say, “Yes! It kind of reminds me of one of the other rare transverse mountain ranges, the Pyrenees which separates the Iberian Peninsula from continental Europe.” The View of the Valley Okay, this conversation neve

Not really. I say “trail” too! But our friends at Leave No Trace make an important distinction in #2 of their 7 principles of Leave No Trace which states, “Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces.” https://lnt.org/learn/principle-2 They say, “The goal of backcountry travel is to move through the backcountry while avoiding damage to the land. Understanding how travel causes impacts is necessary to accomplish this goal.” What is durable and what is not You can use your common sens

Leave no trace. It’s obvious. Mostly. But there are several steps involved. Of course, it’s good to remember the core principal which is simply stated, “LEAVE NO TRACE.” Which means when you are on a trail or sidewalk or at a park that you pick up after yourself. Seems obvious as that kind of thing is what we teach to children starting at very early age. But as evidenced nearly everywhere we travel as humans, there are plenty of our kind who forget or ignore this basic

I’ve decided the best way to pick up trash is to do it with others! Specifically, your KIDS. They reach down more easily and are able to really dial in on the teeny-tiny plastic lids and micro shreds of purple straws. Kids Are Closer to the Ground It also helps to have said trash strewn everywhere around you so that no matter where you step, there’s MORE trash. This was the case today along the ENTIRE south facing beaches in Southern California. Specifically, Sunset Beach adj

What does reuseable really mean? I was stopping by the Starbucks that’s the closest to my hike up to the Hollywood Sign. I lead hikes up there frequently and I often need a little cup of joe or a sausage muffin thing before I walk backwards up the fire road and explain that that sign right up there has nothing to do with being a movie star and everything to do with real estate. Back to the coffee. Just about every time I order a coffee (weather Starbucks, Coffee Bean or loc