Musings
Last Adventurer
#preservethegood

As you’ve seen above, #preservethegood could mean anything – it could mean helping someone in a time of need; it could be picking up trash on a trail, or a wilderness area; it could be educating people on leave no trace principles; it could be making a difference in any way you want; and it could be just about anything you want as long as you are focused in keeping the magic and the unique positive things in this world and this life. In terms of tangible things, I encourage you, my readers and followers to use the hashtag when you post a photo of something amazing; or when you’re talking about something exceptional you – or someone else has done to improve the world. I look forward to seeing how all of you end up preserving the good in 2015, and you can rest assured that as always, I will keep preserving the good where I find it as well, because as Plato says, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” 

#preservethegood
Hiking, State Parks
Last Adventurer
Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

As I mentioned previously, Waimea Canyon is a site that is most definitely one of the “must-view” locations on Kauai, and in the world; and as I also mentioned, the best way to experience it is to hike it. While there are many great hikes through the canyon, the best hike in my book is the Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls. It is the best hike to me because at four miles roundtrip, it is accessible, it has stunning views of the canyon from inside the canyon, and it ends at the top Waipoo Falls. It also allows the hiker the chance to swim in a waterfall, which is a once in a lifetime experience.

Canyon Trail to Waipoo Falls

Cowles Mountain Winter Solstice Hike, December 21, 2012

Winter Solstice, Cowles Mountain, 2011

Winter Solstice, Cowles Mountain, 2011

In case you've been out of touch for a while, and haven't heard that the Lemurians, Sasquatch, Batsquatch, Planet X, a black hole, the planets, a supervolcano, and much more are all planning to destroy the Earth, that is happening this week. In fact, it is happening on December 21, 2012. How do we "know" this? Well, the Mayans, great astronomers that they were, predicted this thousands of years ago - or so we think - and somehow managed to correctly pick a date on a calender system that wasn't even envisioned or imagined in their time. On an unrelated note, December 21, 2012 is actually the winter solstice for 2012. True fact. If you're in San Diego County, and you like hiking, and you're interested in the winter solstice, the Mission Trails Regional Park Guides will be leading their annual winter solstice hike on the mornings of December 20, 2012, December 21, 2012, and December 22, 2012 (if the world still exists). The hike goes partway up Cowles Mountain, and stops at a site that we think was used by other ancient people - the Kumeyaay - to observe the winter solstice for a long time. I've been on this hike a number of times, and its a great chance to learn more about native american history, as well as a great opportunity to hike Cowles Mountain and observe the winter solstice. Finally, if you believe in all of this end of the world stuff, and have your own reason for believing that it will all end, this hike is a great way to watch the world end as well. Even better, if the world doesn't end, as NASA assures me it will not, you can go on this hike on Saturday morning, in order to celebrate that the world still exists. This is one of my favorite hikes in the local San Diego hiking community to do on a yearly basis, so you may rest assured that irrespective of the world ending, I will be out there - hiking. Do note that this is a popular event despite its early hours, so plan accordingly in terms of finding parking, and enjoy the spectacle - sunrise - or world end.

Directions to Cowles Mountain: HERE

More Event Information: HERE

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Bear Gulch Cave Trail

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Bear Gulch Cave Trail

Let’s say you’re in California, or thinking about visiting California, and you’re looking for a National Park that you can hike in, camp at, climb at, and possibly do a little spelunking at. If you were seeking recommendations for such a place, chances are that you’d get the usual recommendations – Sequoia National Park, Yosemite National Park, or even Joshua Tree National Park. There’s nothing wrong with any of these recommendations – these parks are known world-wide because they’re stunning. But there’s another National Park in California that’s a little bit off the beaten path, and not as well known that has all of these things, and is equally stunning in its own right. That park is none other than Pinnacles National Monument.

2012 Geminid Meteor Shower, December 13-15th 2012

As I always say with all these astral phenomena, unless you've been living on the moon, you know that something is going on in the sky. This week, it’s the Geminid Meteor Shower, which according to all reports, is particularly strong and visible this year - perhaps even more so than its predecessors, the Leonid and then Orionid Showers. In fact, according to all of my internet sources – the Geminid Meteor Shower may indeed be the best meteor shower of all of 2012! (Information here, here, here, and here).

The Geminid Meteor Shower will be peaking on the night of December 13, 2012, and the early morning hours of December 14, 2012. According to Earthsky.org, and various other sources, the best time to view the Geminids is from midnight to two (2) a.m., irrespective of where you are located. For a list of tips on how to view the Geminids, check out Earthsky’s page HERE. And, if you don’t feel like staying up late – or waking up early on Thursday night, the good news is that the shower will linger into the evening of Friday, December 14, 2012, and the early morning hours of December 15, 2012.

It’s worth noting that the shower should be particularly visible this year, as it coincides with a new moon, which will set well before the shower is at its peak time, so if you have clear skies and if you’re away from any sources of light pollution (city lights), you should be able to see quite a few meteors. As a general rule, the Geminid Shower is always my favorite meteor shower of the year, and since the world is ending just a week later, it is your last chance to view a meteor shower before whatever the Mayans did or did not predict happens! And, if you're interested in science, help NASA out, and check out this app here to record what meteors you can. Also, if you’re a hard science believer like me, here’s a solid list of reasons why 2012 isn’t real, and why I’ll be here blogging well after the world purportedly ends next week – but until then – keep your eye on the sky!

Abandoned Factory, Chatham, Ontario, Canada

Abandoned Factory, Chatham, Ontario, Canada

Right now, there’s a perception that the term “adventure” only refers to epic feats of swashbuckling derring-do that only can be accomplished on the highest mountains, the deepest oceans, the driest deserts, the wettest jungles, and in situations where one has lost at least one appendage, member of the group. I’m not going to lie: while I do love those situations where I lost a leg and had to make shoes out of duct tape to get down a massive snow covered peak after rescuing eight baby goats, and while I have massive respect and admiration for anyone who accomplishes anything epic, that’s not what adventure should mean in my book. Think about it for a second – life is rough, life is tough, and life is full of those existential moments of boredom that bothered people like Albert Camus.

2012 Leonid Meteor Shower, November 16-17, 2012

As I always say with all these astral phenomena, unless you've been living on the moon, you know that something is going on in the sky. This weekend, its theLeonid Meteor Shower, which according to all reports, is particularly strong and visible this year - perhaps even more so than its predecessor, the Orionid Meteor Shower.  In any case, the best time to view the shower - wherever you are in North America, will be anytime around 4:30 a.m. EST, November 17, 2012 (Saturday). You can be assured that I'll be out watching, and you should be too - should be a lot of fun. For those of us here on the West Coast, that means the best time to watch should be 1:30 a.m. PST. And, if you're interested in science, help NASA out, and check out this app here. More info: here, here, here, and here.

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Rainbow Falls

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Rainbow Falls

I recently made it out to the Devils Postpile, and here’s what I have to report: it is indeed something you need to see. My former boss was right: this is an area that is remote and lesser known than its bigger cousin, Yosemite. I say “lesser known” because I am well aware that it is directly outside of Mammoth. This is not something that should dissuade you from visiting: even though it is directly outside of Mammoth, it is still tucked away in its own corner of the Eastern Sierra. Also, in this case, being tucked away next to Mammoth is a good thing: there are well signed parking areas for the park from which you will take a shuttle into the park during the summer months. While Devils Postpile is named for the amazing geologic feature of the park – the columnar basalt “piles” that formed over one hundred thousand years ago from cooling lava, and the basalt is amazing to see, I think the best day hike in the park is the hike to Rainbow Falls.

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Lost Palms Oasis

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Lost Palms Oasis

As I mentioned last week, Joshua Tree is mostly known for climbing, not hiking. But, as I also talked about when discussing Mastodon Peak, there are some great hikes in the park should climbing not be your cup of tea. Most of the hikes recommended by the National Park Service, like Mastodon Peak, are short and sweet – good for getting out into the desert, and seeing what is going on in the park, but also somewhat “bad” as they leave you, the hiker wanting more. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of longer hikes into the interior of the park – but most of these are multi-day backpacking trips. However, there is no reason to despair about finding a longer hike in the park: Joshua Tree is a big place, and there are plenty of options. The best, and most scenic of these options is the Lost Palms Oasis Hike.