I took a break from the computer this Saturday and hiked 8 or 9 miles up the Harding Truck Trail in the Santa Ana Mountains. That’s in Orange County just off Santiago Canyon Road for you non-Southern California residents.
What a perfect day for a hike! The weather was absolutely beautiful, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight breeze. Nice and warm in the sun and just cool enough in the shady spots to make things comfortable.
I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife. One small white tailed rabbit and a lot of birds. A red-tailed hawk led my way for about half a mile at one point, darting up and down along the trail just ahead of my pace. There wasn’t much wildlife of the human variety either today which was fine by me. Folks are always friendly on the trail, but it is nice to stop once in a while and check out the view knowing you’re the only person within a mile of where you’re standing.
My legs were burning by the time I hit mile post #1. I am really out of shape for hiking. Too much time in front of the computer I think. I pushed on past the first mile marker and made my way up about halfway past mile post #4. Since I had my handy dandy Canon Rebel XTi with me I snapped a personal triumph shot of me by the 4 mile marker. The trail called “Main Divide” (which is actually an access road like the Harding Truck Trail) eventually intersects with the trail I was on, but since I was on mile 4 and “Main Divide” is up another 4 or 5 miles past that I thought I’d better save that ascent for another day.
Two features make this hike a wonderful experience: the wide trail and the incredible views. The trail is wide enough to allow for easy sharing between both hikers and mountain bikes and the views are absolutely breathtaking on a clear day. I was able to see the Pacific Ocean along with Catalina Island and the Palos Verdes Penninsula while making my way up the mountain.
Today’s hike was literally a breath of fresh air for me. I’m going to make sure to get outdoors and have fun more often in 2007.
All the photos I took today are on Flickr.
One Comment
Oh that was really nice to read! I’m guilty of get-caught-up-in-front-of-computer syndrome too. Thanks for the inspiration of how fun it can be to get out and go walking/climbing! I might go up my favourite hill today!
It’s really good how your journal synchronises with Twitter!
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