An hour and a half drive to hike? Gosh, sounds so far, and just a year and a half ago when living in Fresno, I drove two and a half hours one way for a day hike or a meetup. Perception changes so rapidly. What seemed reasonable before is now a stretch... Not a good thing to get back into the comfort zone, but such a natural thing to do.
Today, I was going to push the boundaries once again and go for a further located more strenuous hike in Pasadena, CA. Inspiration Point has always been on my radar, but with the selection of local hikes, it was never a priority. Now few groups organize hikes, so when this one was posted, I was in!
The night before the hike, I saw that it might rain, but I figured that the drizzle would not stop me from going. Indeed, I woke up at 4.30 AM to cloudy skies and light misty drizzle. I was hoping that it would clear out soon. The drive to Pasadena was easy, and I arrived at the trailhead right on time. Only 4 people showed up for the hike. Such a usual trend for a Meetup group... That made the group easy to navigate and social distance; the leader was very caring and thoughtful.
We started gaining elevation rapidly, and in the first two miles gained almost 1,000 ft. After the first mile, it started to rain. Not just drizzle, but rain... As we approached the third mile and the start of the loop, the group considered our options, and we decided to proceed. There were no views due to fog, but exercise alone was quite enjoyable. Or not...
As we continued to get soaked, it felt rather nice not to have to sweat going uphill. The last mile to the top was the most strenuous, and as I reached the Inspiration point, I was starving! Luckily, the date and cashew snacks I made were perfect to regain the strength for the way back.
I was so glad I brought that pink vest with me because without as much exertion as on the way up, the way down was very chilly. It continued to rain until we descended to lower elevation to finish the last 2 miles. This is when I finally was able to take a few pictures of what I was supposed to be seeing.
Of course, I wish I had seen something like that...
But this gives me another reason to go back. Also, I have not hiked all the way to the Mount Lowe, but I am really hoping to go back this year and hike it all when the conditions are good.
Today, I was going to push the boundaries once again and go for a further located more strenuous hike in Pasadena, CA. Inspiration Point has always been on my radar, but with the selection of local hikes, it was never a priority. Now few groups organize hikes, so when this one was posted, I was in!
The night before the hike, I saw that it might rain, but I figured that the drizzle would not stop me from going. Indeed, I woke up at 4.30 AM to cloudy skies and light misty drizzle. I was hoping that it would clear out soon. The drive to Pasadena was easy, and I arrived at the trailhead right on time. Only 4 people showed up for the hike. Such a usual trend for a Meetup group... That made the group easy to navigate and social distance; the leader was very caring and thoughtful.
We started gaining elevation rapidly, and in the first two miles gained almost 1,000 ft. After the first mile, it started to rain. Not just drizzle, but rain... As we approached the third mile and the start of the loop, the group considered our options, and we decided to proceed. There were no views due to fog, but exercise alone was quite enjoyable. Or not...
As we continued to get soaked, it felt rather nice not to have to sweat going uphill. The last mile to the top was the most strenuous, and as I reached the Inspiration point, I was starving! Luckily, the date and cashew snacks I made were perfect to regain the strength for the way back.
I was so glad I brought that pink vest with me because without as much exertion as on the way up, the way down was very chilly. It continued to rain until we descended to lower elevation to finish the last 2 miles. This is when I finally was able to take a few pictures of what I was supposed to be seeing.
Of course, I wish I had seen something like that...
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| Photo credit: AllTrails - DJ Goodman |
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