Hiking for Good in Hollywood

A last minute head's up to join a friend for a hike last Tuesday turned into a lovely afternoon. While at Outdoor Retailer, a couple of weeks ago, a friend, and Director of Sierra Club Outdoors, Stacy Bare said he was might be doing a hike to the Hollywood Sign. Despite being born in Hollywood and living in Southern California for a couple of decades, I have never done this hike. So I figured what better excuse than a friend coming in from out of town to head into the Hollywood Hills.

Realizing that I had not actually asked what day the hike was going to happen, a quick email exchange cleared up that the meet-up point was at the top of Beechwood Canyon/Sunset Ranch @ 1pm. Paul, Betty and I met up with some Stacy, some Sierra Club volunteers, veterans, and actress, Brooklyn Decker. We were a small but merry band with Betty embarking on her first hike! This is a family-friendly & pet-on-leash-friendly hike with the best views of the sign being from a mid-way point below it. Once you get to the top there is a chain link fence preventing you from getting to the actual sign and you have a view of the back of the sign. Round trip the hike is 3-4 miles and all fire roads.

You may not believe me, but until I Googled her after the hike, I had no idea who Brooklyn was.  During the hike we learned about her volunteer work with the military and veterans, and that she is going to be helping bring awareness to getting youth outdoors as an Ambassador for Sierra Club Outdoors! It was great to form an opinion of someone based on actually getting to know them a little and not have a pre-conceived idea of what they might be like based on their celebrity. Always inspiring to meet someone using their influence for good and supporting a great organization like Sierra Club Outdoors!

The Sierra Club Outdoors is something we believe strongly in. We are instructors for the Wilderness Travel Course (WTC) which is part of Sierra Club Outdoors, as well as volunteers for the Advanced Mountaineering Program (AMP). We are also on the path to become rated Sierra Club trip leaders to bring others into the wilderness. How can we expect people to want to save our natural places if they have never experienced them? Last night at our first WTC class a friend described WTC as "a gateway drug" to the outdoors, we all laughed but it is true. We are teaching outdoor skills that give people the confidence to go out and enjoy nature…. and maybe even bring friends and inspire others…. and so on and so on. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could become addicted to nature.

So here is my shameless plug to check out Sierra Club Outdoors. They have tons of programs and events focused on getting people outdoors!

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO NATURE, BENEFITING BOTHSierra Club Outdoors reaches across economic lines, cultures, and communities, to engage all Americans -- including military and youth -- to explore and enjoy the natural world.

For more info on Brooklyn's involvement with Sierra Club Outdoors, click here!

Sierra Club Wilderness Travel Course Snow Camp - 2013

After 10 weeks of weekly classes and 3 weekend trips our WTC class was ready to tackle snow camping. Our final trip of the class is a 3 day - 2 night trip in the Eastern Sierras. This year we were at Rock Creek which is between Bishop and Mammoth. Everyone did an amazing job. Spirits stayed high as we hiked at elevation with heavy winter packs. Everyone was well prepared and managed to stay warm through the weekend. We were able to practice our snow travel and navigation skills and enjoy the beautiful weather. It was really an honor to get to know this wonderful group of people. Enjoy the pics!

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Review: Black Diamond WoolWeight Glove

As far as wool versus synthetic, I usually go to synthetic for base layers and the like, but lately I was searching for a good mid-weight glove for use while hiking in the winter, enter the Black Diamond WoolWeight glove. First, I did size up for these gloves, the other Black Diamond gloves I have are size large (except my over mitts), but after trying on a pair I went for the extra large, it was the right choice, it helped with the dexterity I was after. But truly where these gloves shine is how quick they dry and the comfort they provide during hiking efforts.

I wore these on a snow shoe day hike on Mt. Watermann in the Angeles National Forest with Saveria and our WTC class. At the first rest stop I was adjusting my snow shoes and I was easily able to deal with the straps but my gloves did get covered in snow, they felt damp on the outside but my hands were still warm. We began to hike, and the next time I checked my gloves were dry.

The next I wore these as my main gloves was on a three day snow camp in the Sierras. Again the range of these gloves was perfect, from hiking during the day to cold 20 degree nights.

I love gloves and finding the perfect ones for a specific situation is always a fun challenge.  These a great all arounders that pack small and cover a big range.

Snow Travel With WTC

Last Sunday, Saveria and I and our entire Sierra Club WTC Group 4  should have played the lotto, because we were lucky enough to be living the perfect Southern California life. On Saturday we were able to hike and snow shoe in a true winter wonderland in our backyard playground, The Angeles National Forest and enjoying beach weather on Sunday.

The week before our scheduled hike the weather was warm and our snow travel day was looking dry, but then right on cue Wednesday evening it stormed and poured and then poured some more, but up at 7000 ft. that rain was turning into wonderful snow.

It was a perfect day Saveria and I, the leaders and all the students had a fantastic time exploring the winter wonderland. The Mt Waterman area proved to be perfect for our hike. We spent some time getting used to trekking in snow shoes for awhile then moved on to some snow travel techniques, especially the plunge step which is one of my favorite things to do. There has not been a ton of snow locally, so getting out to sharpen our snow travel skills for our upcoming Mt. Whitney trip have been limited and this was perfect for our training. We covered side steps, front pointing, changing direction, and descending, the plunge step as I said. We are just over a month out until our big climb and things are going well with our cardio and weight programs,  this chance to get some good snow practice was just what we needed.

Next step for the WTC class is our three day snow camp in the Sierra's. I think this incredible day in the mountains and snow created a lot of excitement and confidence, more time at altitude and valuable training time in the snow for our upcoming trip....stay tuned for the report back from snow camp.

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The Ultimate 10 Essentials from Outdoor Retailer Winter 2013

The "10 Essentials" are an established list of items that, in an emergency situation in the wilderness, you would be glad you had. This list is based on feedback from numerous people who had been in life threatening situations. One should always have these items in your pack whenever you step on or off the trail. There are MANY options for each of the categories and there is often not a right or wrong item. That being said, we here at the AdventurUs offices decided to keep our eyes peeled at Outdoor Retailer to find the best and coolest items to complete your "10 Essential Systems" list, with some style. 1) Navigation - We know there are many fancy new options out there, but we believe having solid map and compass navigation skills is important and therefore feel a manual compass is important. Our choice the SuuntoMC-2 global compass.

2) Illumination- The Goal Zero Solo, solar powered, compact flashlight, no need for concern over spare batteries. Just hook this guy to the back of your pack and charge as your go.

3) Sun Protection - Sun Bum Pro sunblock, 30 or 50 SPF. This all natural sun care product is non-greasy, non-migrating and recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation that caught our eye because of their great packaging. They also have chapstick in great flavors with SPF to protect your lips. Just as important as protecting your skin is protecting your eyes. We love Optic Nerve and chose their "Roger That" sunglasses to protect our eyes. They are ideal for snow travel having removable side shields and polarized lenses and have a price point that won't break the bank!

4) Nutrition - The hardest part of having these bars as an emergency product is that they are so yummy you will want to eat them! NOW energy bars are gluten free, all natural and loaded with Chia Seeds! All of the flavors were great, but the energy bars are top choice for calories and protein.

5) Hydration - We love the Vapur anti-bottle because it becomes super compact when empty, has an easy open lid when you wearing gloves and a drinking spout that won't spill all over you. At the show they unveiled their newest line which is a Vapur bottle with a slim filter built-in allowing you to collect and drink water safely from any source!

6) Insulation - The new Patagonia Nano Puff Hybrid is awesome, puffy and fleece, why choose when you can have the best of both worlds.

7) Fire - ReadyFuel Utility Flame and a Bic lighter, done! The cool fire starter gel lights easily, burns hot enough to boil water and leaves only sand residue behind. Stay tuned for a video with more about this cool product.

8) Emergency Shelter - Introducing the NEW Sol 2 person Emergency Bivy, for you and a friend or your gear, allows you to cuddle and keep warm, and is the size of a Red Bull can. TINY! Is this too big? :) Then you can get even smaller with the 1 person Sol Emergency Bivy.

2 Person 1 person

9) Repair Kit and Tools - We wanted to highlight the ultimate multi-tool that we found. We talked to the rep at the Wenger booth and after telling him what we were looking for he did not hesitate when recommending the Wenger EvoGrip S18 in Yellow. This knife had all the tools you need, great grip and the yellow make it hard to lose! The scissors are self sharpening and the S-version has a safety mechanism on the blade making it hard to chop your finger off when opening and closing it... very helpful.

10) First Aid - This may not be the smallest and lightest option, but the Day Tripper Mountain Series Medical Kit is well-organized and a complete package. Adventure Medical Kits has a full line of products ensuring that you will find a solution that works for you.