On Taking a Hike
I know it’s a bit of a cliché. I’ve heard it’s on every single online dating profile and it’s even a meme about LA, but hiking absolutely rules. It’s also something very easy to take for granted if you live somewhere with interesting topography. My dad’s side of the family is from Milwaukee so I’ve been to the Midwest quite a few times and MAN is it flat out there. Nothing but flat as far as the eye can see…makes me kinda nervous how far you can see…nobody needs to see that far. Needless to say, hiking without elevation is…kinda just a walk. Well, a few weeks ago I had the absolute pleasure of going on two completely bonkers hikes around Mammoth, CA, and I’m very excited to tell you all about them.
Our first hike started at a place called Mosquito Flats. “There can’t be THAT many mosquitos” I thought to myself. “It’s early, it’ll fine.” I lied to myself. Well I’m sitting here with about a thousand bug bites on my legs and I STILL think this hike was rad as hell! Mosquito Flats is at an elevation of about 11,000 feet, making it the highest trailhead in California, so I was absolutely out of breath just getting out of the car. Our destination was a place called Gem lakes and it was around 4 miles and a thousand feet of vertical gain to get there. We passed meadows, crossed rivers, and ooo’d and ahh’d at about 5 different breathtaking lakes and eventually arrived at the titular Gem lake, nestled against a mountainside and still surrounded by the snow that feeds it even in July.
Even though it was hard trekking, and I didn’t have the right shoes, and I was getting eaten alive by mosquitos, and I should probably be in better shape, it was amazing. Just getting away from it all to be surrounded by nature, to walk and walk and walk, to chat now and then with your companions but mostly just enjoy the silence…it was a wonderful experience.
Our second hike was up to a spot called Lake Agnew. It wasn’t as long, about five miles total, but seemingly straight up the entire time. While the first hike was a gentle climb to a series of lakes, this was almost entirely along the edge of a cliff which made for incredible views the whole time. The coolest thing is that about half way up this hike, we noticed what looked like minecart tracks going up the extremely steep mountain. Upon reaching the top of the climb (which was only the beginning of several longer hikes) we found out that it was part of a still functioning hydroelectric dam that had been built more than 100 years ago!
Through these two hikes, I completely fell in love with hiking again. Nothing against LA hikes but going for more remote, less crowded hikes was a wonderful way to disconnect from everything that has been going on in the world and remember how nice this place can be…without other humans (besides the wonderful ones I was on the hike with)
So, do you like hiking, or is it more of a hassle than it’s worth? Do you have a favorite hike?
Those hikes look so rad! (Minus all the blood loss…)
I love hiking a whole lot. In LA and elsewhere. My favorite hikes usually have a view and a body of water. Even a creek is a nice place to wet the bandana. Maybe we should have a book club hike one of these days??
These look great. And to make a case for L.A. hikes, have you ever tried a full-moon hike? We've gone up Mandeville a lot because it's nearby. Decades ago we did an organized one to the east...Maybe Franklin Canyon? It's nicer than the crowded trails you might find during the day. And no need for a flashlight, it's that bright.