My First Hike of 2014

Posted on January 20, 2014 by Kyle Kuns

I finally stopped coughing up lung cookies and got my first hike of the year under my belt this past Saturday. I hiked solo to Muir Peak from the Cobb Estate. Although I was a little huffy puffy and slow having gotten out of shape due to injury, it was wonderful to be back in the forest.

At 11.6 miles and 2,947′ of gain, it was a good start to training for my planned High Sierra Trail hike this summer. My IT bands passed the test with no pain on the hike, no Aleve, and no soreness the next day (though I discovered my calves are almost as out of shape as my cardio).

Sunset from the Middle Sam Merrill Trail.

Getting a late start turned out to be fortuitous. I enjoyed a great sunset as I made it down the Sam Merrill Trail and was treated to city lights on my way down from Echo Mountain. I feel ready to begin training in earnest and will now start hiking twice a week.

Underappreciated Muir Peak

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Kyle Kuns

I mentioned in an earlier post why I like to do my training hikes from the Cobb Estate in winter. Like any area with numerous interconnected trails, the number of people one sees gets significantly smaller as the distance to get to a spot increases. In the case of the numerous spots reachable by day hiking from the Cobb Estate, the first two most people attempt to reach are Echo Mountain, and Inspiration Point. On weekends the hike to Echo Mountain is packed, but at Inspiration Point, there are usually only a few people. So, it’s easy to strike up a conversation. After hiking to Muir Peak last winter–which is only about 0.7 miles east of Inspiration Point, I’ve started asking people if they have hiked to the peak. Nobody has told me yes yet–which I find unfortunate. To be fair, Muir Peak is not labeled on most maps, others have it improperly placed to the west of Inspiration Point, and I haven’t yet seen any map that shows the Muir Peak Trail.

View toward Mt. Lowe from Muir Peak. (click to enlarge)

Part of my hike last Sunday included reaching the summit of Muir Peak. After having another four conversations where nobody had visited the Peak, I decided to finally add this hike to my blog (which is more direct than my Sunday hike that included Mt. Lowe).

View from Inspiration Point down the One Man & Mule Railway Trail and toward the West Bump of Muir Peak.

While Inspiration Point has a great view, being located in a saddle results in it having blocked views east and west. Also, from Inspiration Point, Mt. Lowe is close by and blocks views of Mt. Markham and San Gabriel Peak. It is worth the effort to make the trek to Muir Peak and its 360 degree views far enough from higher peaks to take them in fully, and its better vantage point to see the city below.

View along the One Man & Mule Railway Trail.

The Muir Peak Trailhead is reached after a short half mile walk on The O.M. &M. Railway Trail. The first time I hiked it I was surprised to find such a well-maintained trail. There is a small sign on the trailhead marker reading “This trail reconstructed by volunteers from the J.P.L. Hiking Club” (now known as JPL Hiking +). I appreciate their efforts as the short trail to the summit is in great shape and offers a nice variety of views.

View toward Mt. Wilson from the Muir Peak Trail.

You are likely to have this peak to yourself–even on weekends.

Sunset And City Lights From The Sam Merrill Trail

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Kyle Kuns

I’ve finally started training again. I’ve been taking it too easy lately and have put on some of that weight I lost while training to hike to Mt. Whitney. Presently, I’m training to hike the Grand Canyon rim to rim and back in April.

My favorite hikes to train in winter are those departing from the Cobb Estate. I have three pragmatic reasons. First, with the shorter days I need to take advantage of the shorter drive time from my house. Second, even after 9 pm I’ve seen people going up the trail as I make my way down it. This makes me feel more comfortable hiking in the dark. Finally, there are numerous destinations that exceed a 15 mile round trip effort to reach. So, an entire winter season of weekly training can be of different hikes starting from the same place.

Last Friday I hiked from the Cobb Estate to Tom Sloan Saddle. On the way back I enjoyed another great sunset and views of city lights to finish off a long day of training. The Sam Merrill Trail has continuous unobstructed views west and south as far the Pacific Ocean often including a view of Catalina Island. This orientation has the practical benefit of providing natural light later in the day compared to other trails where the mountains block the setting sun. At its darkest, the view of city lights beyond provides something to look at outside the range of a headlamp. I find these two transitions are a wonderful way to end my day providing me with something else to fixate on other than my tired feet. Below are photos from last Friday’s sunset and views of city lights. Click on any of them to enlarge.