Weekly Gallery Update #4: Blue Sky Backgrounds

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Kyle Kuns

My Weekly Gallery Updates are about sharing photos I’ve added to the gallery section of this site. The galleries are my way of creating a visual approach to searching for hikes by having collections of photos that link to information about hiking to where each photo was taken.

This week I’ve added five photos to the Blue Sky Backgrounds Gallery. Having taken well over 15,000 snapshots in Angles Forest in the past two years, I started seeing unintended patterns in my photography. Over time, recognizing these patterns has made me conscious of trying to add more snapshots to the series. It turns out I have a predilection for the simplicity of a subject set against a blue sky.

February 2012

Above photo taken from the Dawson Saddle Trail.

July 2012

Above photo taken from the Icehouse Canyon Trail

June 2012

Above photo taken from the Pacific Crest Trail between Mt. Baden-Powell and the Dawson Saddle Trail.

June 2012

Above photo taken from the Chapman Trail.

April 2012

Above photo taken from Mt. Waterman

Favorite Places: Rock Platform Along The Mt. Hillyer Trail

Posted on December 19, 2012 by Kyle Kuns

One of my favorite things about hiking is that the terrain varies as the miles pile up. There are always interesting places along the trail to spend some extra time in. When I’m training and trying to reach a certain spot and be back at my car before dark, I often don’t take the time to stop and enjoy these wonderful places along the way. However, when I am exploring, I like to invest the time to enjoy some of the places a trail passes by. This is the first in an ongoing series to share these places.

On a recent family and friends hike to Mt. Hillyer from Chilao, a mountain biker suggested we climb around and up an interesting rock formation and check out the view–which we did. The view is terrific and the greenery is made more poignant as nearby the forest is dominated by burn areas. It’s also fun to take a small break from hiking and do a micro rock scramble–challenging enough to require that one pay attention but easy enough for most to easily accomplish safely. The rock formation is oriented so that a rock wall blocks the view from the trail. So, rock scrambling up a short and somewhat narrow path of boulders to then reach the top of a rock that forms a small platform significantly enhances the drama of the expansive view that emerges. The rock platform is high enough off the ground that It feels a little precarious to be there, but not so much so as to be distracting. With the rock wall blocking the view of the trail behind, the place has an intimacy to go along with its remarkable view.

This rock formation is located on the Mt. Hillyer Trail between Horse Flats Campground and Mt. Hillyer. Since it forms one edge of the trail, it’s easy to spot.

View of rock formation heading down from Mt. Hillyer toward Horse Flats.

To get to the rock platform, climb up between the tree among the boulders and the rock wall.

View of boulders to climb on the way to the rock platform.

There is a nice spot to sit on along the way–especially if the last boulder to cross to get to the rock platform is more challenging than you want to attempt.

View of nice spot to sit as seen from the rock platform.

From November 15 through April 1, the Chilao trailhead isn’t accessible by car. However, another way to get to the Mt. HIllyer trail is to hike the Silver Moccasin Trail to Horse Flats from Three Points.

View from rock platform.

Weekly Nature Question #3: What Species of Lizard Is This?

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Kyle Kuns

My Weekly Nature Question is about my asking for help from the blogosphere (and other internet users) to learn about species living in Angeles Forest and to share that learning with others. I’m really hoping that this turns out to be a viable and meaningful way to share knowledge.

The answer to last week’s tree question turned out to be a Limber Pine. More information on this tree is now on it’s page in the Forest Life section of this blog and will be updated as new information is shared.

I’d like to extend thanks to:

Dave Bucholtz for being the first to correctly identify the species and to blogger Scott Turner of the blog 1000 miles for confirming the identification, providing a nice description and link to a photo. As a side note, I assume Scott’s post with a link made it past the spam filter because he’s posted here before. So, if you have a link to share and it doesn’t show up in the comments, please assume it went into spam and send me the link through my contact page. I also want to say thanks to blogger Henry Mowry of the blog Mowry Journal for checking with his naturalist to confirm the identification and to everyone else who commented on this question. Knowing what to look for led me to a page on the Encyclopedia of Life that also identified the Wally Waldron Tree as a Limber Pine.

This week nobody sent me any links to blog articles and I was unable to find any through the search feature in the WordPress reader.

This Week’s Question: What species of lizard is this? I’ve only seen this species of lizard one time in close to 1,600 miles of hiking in Angeles Forest.

November 2011

Above photo taken from the South Fork Trail

November 2011

Above photo taken from the South Fork Trail

November 2011

Above photo taken from the South Fork Trail

Weekly Gallery Update #3: Details, Patterns, and Textures

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Kyle Kuns

This week I’ve added five photos to the Details, Patterns, and Textures Gallery. Perhaps due to my training in architecture, I spend a lot of time looking at my surroundings at different levels of detail. Most of the photos I share on this site are intended to give a broad overview of the terrain and views that a particular hike or hiking experience encompasses. However I also enjoy looking at the elements around me. I might look at the trunk of a tree and see an interesting pattern or texture, or I might see a natural assembly of elements that form a composition I enjoy looking at, or I might just find myself focusing on one part of something–e.g. the charred roots of a tree that is still very much alive.

November 2012

Above photo taken from Valley Forge Campground

April 2012

Above photo taken from the Mt. Waterman Trail.

November 2012

Above photo taken from the Valley Forge Trail.

November 2011

Above photo taken from the South Fork Trail.

August 2011

Above photo taken from the Middle Icehouse Canyon Trail.

Weekly Gallery Update #2: Views From Peaks

Posted on December 5, 2012 by Kyle Kuns

This week I’ve added five photos to the Views from Peaks Gallery. All photos in this gallery were taken from a peak. For me, peaks are typically the main destination I reach on a hike where I take a break, have lunch, enjoy the view, and get ready to hike back down the mountain.