Hiker's First "Real" Hike

As some of you may know from my other blogs, I adopted a dog on October 13, 2011. I named her Hiker and she is a Australian Cattle Dog Mix. She is just a little over a year old.

Today my friend Linda and I took Hiker for her first "real" hike over in Placerita Canyon. Hiker loves her walks and up until today, the longest walk she had taken with me was 2 miles, but today she did 4 miles and she did very well. She is really good on the leash and she was checking out all of the new smells and new sounds. She kept watching the trees because she would hear the birds.

Here are some photos that I took of the hike and also some that my friend Linda took.

 Linda, Me & Hiker

 Linda and Hiker on the Trail

 Hiker

 Linda on the Trail

 Me, Hiker & Linda

 Me & Hiker

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Linda took the photos below

 Linda took this one of Me & Hiker

 Here's another shot Linda took

 Me & Hiker in the sunlight

 Me and Hiker resting

I love how Hiker is tilting her head

4.5 Mile Hike In Placerita Canyon With My Friend Linda

Took advantage of the marine layer and cool weather to take a 4.5 mile hike through Placerita Canyon with my friend Linda this morning. There was still a little bit of water in some areas of the canyon and even a few wild flowers.

Hike With My Brother - Placerita Canyon

My brother Keith came to stay with me July 2nd & July 3rd. We got up early this morning to take a hike before it got too hot. We went over to Placerita Canyon and hiked a total of 2 miles. At first we were the only people along the Canyon Trail but then we started passing people who were just starting up the canyon when we were heading back to the Nature Center.

Summer Hike In Placerita Canyon - July 22, 2010

I usually do not go hiking in the summer. First, it is normally way too hot here in SoCal for summer hiking. Then there is the chance of running into rattlesnakes along the trails in the canyons. But this morning we had a very heavy marine layer. It burned off around 7:00 am but it kept the temperatures in the low 70's so I decided to head over to Placerita Canyon Nature Area and go for a short hike. Actually ended up doing about 2.25 miles.
I can add another reason to my list as to why I don't usually hike in the summertime....everything is so dry and brown. The last time I hiked the Placerita Canyon Trail it was still spring. Everything was green, the creek was flowing and the wildflowers were blooming. Today everything was brown, the creek is almost completely dry and there are no flowers.

I did see a lot of lizards, birds and several squirrels. The birds were singing as I walked along the trail. I could also hear the drone of either bee swarms or fly swarms as I walked through the canyon. The flies were eating me alive. There's another reason to not hike in the summer!

I will say that some of the trees were still green, but the grass under them was brown.

I like to take photos of fresh cut tree logs. They always have such pretty colors and markings on them. Sometimes you can almost see "shapes" in them. Is it just me, or do you see the turkey in this one?

After my hike, I went over to the Nature Center to use the bathroom and stopped by to see their Red tailed Hawk (Kia) and their Great Horned Owl (Orion).

Turned out to be a really nice morning.

Another Hike In Placerita Canyon

I hike Placerita Canyon a lot. Probably because it is the closest Natural Area to where I live. It is about 4 or 5 miles from our house. I really love to hike Towsley Canyon too. Actually, Towsley Canyon is a prettier area, but it is about 8 miles from us, so I go to Placerita more.

The weather was beautiful this morning. Perfect for a hike. There is still some water in the stream which surprises me because usually by this time of year, the streams here have all dried up. It's nice to still hear the babbling as I hike the trail.

The birds were out this morning and the were singing up a storm. Even heard a few quail off in the distance.

There are still a few wildflowers, but not like there was during the month of March when the hillsides and canyons were covered with so many colorful plants.

Video Of Placerita Canyon - Feb. 19, 2009

PLACERITA CANYON TRAIL HIKE #2 - 01/07/09

Beautiful morning when I looked out this morning so decided to go on another hike in Placerita Canyon. Again I hiked the Canyon Trail....2 miles in and 2 miles back.

Along the way a nice young man (maybe 40sh) passed me on the trail and spoke to me. Asked me how far it was to the waterfall. I was just below the bubble pot when he came along. I told him about how far it was and that there wasn't any water right now. He went on up the trail and when I got to Walker Ranch he was there looking at the fireplace hearth. He asked me if I knew anything about it so I told him that the cabin down at the center used to be there. He sat on the bench with me and told me that he doesn't work Wednesdays, so that he is trying to get out and hike once a week. He said he'd hiked up around Castaic lake and over on the Piru Creek Trail but had never hiked the Canyon Trail and he was really enjoying it. We talked for about 15 minutes while we rested and then I told him I had to start back down the trail. He seemed like a nice guy.

 

Then coming down, I came across 4 senior citizens hiking....2 men and 2 women. I'd say they were in their late 60's early 70's. They stopped and talked for a few minutes too. You meet nice people out on the trails.