Mount Wilson from Chantry Flat in May

@serafinahikes

It is mid-May, and there has not been much rain, so the terrain is fairly dry. There is a waterfall nearby, but I am unsure if today will be the day, I return to it. I have hiked from Chantry Flat, once before. It is a beautiful area for hiking, in Santa Anita Canyon. It is a popular hiking destination, accessed by a winding road, with a 15 mph speed limit, from Sierra Madre, below. The area has been affected by wildfires, and recently re-opened after the Eaton Fire tore through, the same day Pacific Palisades burned. I began my hike from Chantry Flat to Mount Wilson along Upper Winter Creek Trail around 8:30 am. It would be a 9.5 hour day of hiking, with a 30 minute break, for a total of 10 hours. I hiked 15.7 miles through all types of terrain, to complete what many consider one of the most iconic hikes in the Angeles Forest.

Mount Baldy Summit #7 on Mother’s Day Weekend

@serafinahikes

I was here for summit #7 of Mount Baldy. What a crowd on a Saturday on a holiday weekend. It was jam packed with cars at Manker Flats, so much I had to park a 1/4 mile down the road. I began hiking at 7:30 am, headed past beautiful San Antonio Falls, which was flowing at full blast, making a right on Baldy Road, and then a left soon after, up Baldy Bowl Trail. This would be my 2nd time to Mount Baldy aka Mount San Antonio (Elevation 10,064 ft) this year, and my 2nd May summit. I was here today with an awesome group of hikers, in honor of moms for a Mother's Day weekend hike, during one of the most crowded weekends to hike of the year. I was back at my car by 2:15 pm, and had made good time on this one, along with being grateful to make it back safely. My hike was 10 miles with 4200 foot of gain. Until next time Mount Baldy! Mount San Antonio is named for St. Anthony of Padua, whose birthday is August 15th. The Tongva tribe referred to the peak as Joat, which means snow. The mountain receives a lot of press, due to the extreme environment it becomes in winter, which now results in closures, after multiple fatalities of hikers in winter.

4 Peaks in One Day: Cowles Mountain, Kwaypaay Peak, North and South Fortuna Mountain

@serafinahikes

A Mission Trails 4 Peak Challenge : Cowles Mountain, Kwaypaay, South Fortuna and North Fortuna I would be hiking through Mission Trail Regional Park, to four peaks in one day. This expansive park is actually one of the largest in the entire country. It is over 8000 acres and the area has history going back over 10,000 years. This park is the site of an old dam, and granite was mined here. What is left of the old dam still stands today. There are 60 miles of trails, a lake, a campground, and a nature center here. I awoke at 3:30 am, which is much earlier than I usually ever get up to hike. It was just way too early for me, and most people. But I was not hiking with "most people," today, and that is ok. Despite all this, I knew it was on. I was barely awake, having only slept a few hours. I have climbed Cowles Mountain twice before, once from this trailhead and once from Big Rock Park, the longer way. I have climbed North and South Fortuna once before. I was on the trail by 5:15 am in the pitch black darkness, before first light. My hike would be 12.5 miles with 3400 foot of gain to the 4 peaks.

2 Peaks in a Day – Vedder Mtn and Mt Mooney

@serafinahikes

I have been to two other fire towers in socal, the one at Butler Peak, and the one at Tahquitz Peak. There are very few of these historic wooden fire towers left in existence. They are free to visit, if you can make the trek. Some are more accessible than others, and one of these is located on Vedder Mountain, just off SR-2 Angeles Crest Highway, and the Charleton Flats Trailhead. I was considering hiking to three peaks today: Mount Sally, Vedder Mountain, and Mount Mooney. Each of these involves a relatively short climb, so I thought why not combine them together, versus one long hike. Mount Sally was 2 miles, Vedder Mountain was 4 miles, and Mount Mooney was also 2 miles. Together it would be an 8 mile day, except plans changed a bit.

Hiking a Superbloom: Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

@serafinahikes

The poppy fields near Lancaster, California, are a place that I've wanted to visit for sometime. They are open from dawn until dusk and there are several hundred acres to explore. Some parts of the reserve are accessible by OHV, along unpaved sandy roads. The best parts of the park are supposed to be down these roads. It was a 3 hour drive to get here, and I left just before sunrise. There are plenty of places you can see poppies in the socal, but the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is known to be one of the best. It is situated north of Los Angeles, near Palmdale and Lancaster. It's a beautiful desert area, but not a place most people think of as a getaway, except during the superbloom.