More hiking fun

I'm such a lazy person. I hate to exercise and I only do it if I'm motivated to fit into a pair of pants. I always feel great once it's done but I'm bitter and pissed during the actual act. So about a month ago I went on a hike with some friends near Santa Barbara. I couldn't wuss out and I couldn't quit. And, by god, I liked it! So Noah and I have been doing some hikes. I bought a book about hikes within two hours of LA. Noah and I chose some easy ones. The great thing about hiking, and being able to stick to it, is that there is a reward. The summit, the vista, the waterfall, whatever. It's easier for me to have a goal to walk towards. And my wussy ass will walk harder and longer if someone is with me; I won't quit earlier if my pride is at stake. Pathetic, I know, but it has proved to serve me well.

On Monday, Noah and I chose a hike close by that advertised a waterfall at the end. I pretty much figured, in these dry days, that we would miss a spectacular ending to the trail. But it was fun all the same; we hiked through an upscale neighborhood with gargantuan houses, then hit a well used horse trail and meandered through a canyon. As we got closer to the end we saw a small creek along the trail and the waterfall at the end was just a trickle. None the less it was pretty and satisfying.

The view down stream was equally pretty and we imagined how amazing this spot must be after a few days of rain...

Noah decided that this hike wasn't challenging enough for him so he did push ups every 15 minutes or so. Very cute...

The next day we chose a hike out of our guide book that was rated "easy". It was timed at 2 1/2 hours so we thought it was perfect given our late start. We drove up a windy road outside of Malibu and drove through a few small neighborhoods of crazy big houses with even crazier big views of the ocean. The trail brought us down into a wooded, shaded canyon. It was easy to begin with. Then we started climbing out of the canyon, both of us out of breath, and having to take a few water (and pee) breaks. This view was looking down into the canyon we had just hiked out of:

This was basically the summit and I am pooped! I feel tricked by my guide book that said it was "easy". But the view of the ocean, Catalina Island, and the opulent homes was well worth it.

The sun was starting to set when we got to the peak. We started to worry that it would be dark by the time we got down. Thoughts of cougars and rattlesnakes danced through our heads!

We made it to the car with some light to spare. It was rewarding and calorie burning and we treated ourselves to a huge steak, quinoa and yams when we got home!