Musch Trail in Topanga, California
Saturday morning adventure started with a hike in Topanga. There are quite a few trail options from the state park and some of these end up at Eagle Rock. I chose Musch Trail because I have been wanting to hike on trails with narrow paths and more shade.
More information: http://alltrails.com/trail/us/california/musch-trail
Trailhead
Peek
I like this trail mainly because it feels like a trail with its curvy small paths winding in and out of woods
Panoramic capture of the beautiful view
Horny Toad
You can make this trail a loop by starting on Musch, going up to Eagle Rock and then take the fire-road (or the other way around).
Pretty wild flowers
Eagle Rock junction
I stopped here and turned back because of the heat (spring is here!). Eagle Rock is 1.5 miles further and it offers some wonderful views. And yes, its definitely on my to-blog-about list :)
Ride
Misty Backdrop
Short sunset hike in Topanga
Spotted
Deers
Mishe Mokwa Trail in Malibu, California
Started off my weekend with a 6 mile hike on a sunny and clear day. The hike starts on the trailhead for Backbone Trail (conspicuos board after 6 miles on Yerba Buena road from PCH). After ~0.3 miles on backbone, you will see the sign indicating the start of Mishe Mokwa Trail.
Trailhead for Mishe Mokwa
View of the valley
View of the valley
The trail is not shaded for the most part and offers a good 360 view of the valley.
Even a small shade was welcoming
Fern
Glimpse of the sky
Pretty backdrop
Boulder right on the edge
Saw quite a few of these lizards (I don’t like them much)
Mishe Mokwa Trail merges on to the trail leading to Sandstone peak. Its the highest point in Santa Monica Mountains. The path to the peak is way steeper, a bit rocky and short. I was hiking with a bad back already; so I decided to play it safe and skip it. I feel like my back got better with the hike, sooo keep hiking! :)
Still caught some pretty gorgeous views of the hills.
I liked this trail mainly for the views it offered but would prefer to go really early to avoid the scorching sun. It’s great for a sweaty workout. But the terrain is more rugged & dry and not as green as I would like.
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mishe-mokwa-trail-to-sandstone-peak-trail
Solstice Canyon Trail in Malibu, California
Hiked this trail on Saturday morning. Perfect weather for a refreshing walk – slight fog and not sunny (this trail is not shaded for the most part). Gets decently crowded so get there early for parking.
Paved road for the first half of a mile
I want to be here when the sun sets
Morning fog clearing up
Tiny Waterfall
There is an old house now in ruins after a mile, with a (small) waterfall next to it. We turned back after exploring and resting on the rocks.
Roberts House
Roberts House
The trail is actually a loop but I have gotten lost few times trying to find the path forward after the ruins and since I was with a friend, we decided we would head back. So it turned out to be a short 2 mile hike. I am definitely going to make an attempt to find that loop.. soooon!
http://alltrails.com/trail/us/california/solstice-canyon-loop-trail
Ernie Maxwell Trail in Idyllwild, California
Do consider going to Idyllwild if all you want is to escape from the city, go to a low-key place and hike. Its almost 2 hours drive east from Los Angeles. We stayed here for the weekend and this one was our closing hike.
It’s a 5 mile out and back or 2.5 mile one way. Both the ends are trail-heads and we ended up parking a car at either end (yes how lame!). It has a relatively higher foot traffic and is easy. Picturesque, but my pictures dont do justice. I need a better camera than my phone.
More information: http://alltrails.com/trail/us/california/ernie-maxwell-trail
Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala, South India
In December 2012, during my visit to India, mom and I hiked inside the Periyar forest in Thekkady, famous for its wild-life especially tigers and elephants.
Day 1 was a short 2 hour 5 mile hike with a forest-guide.
The dirt-road accessible only to ranger vehicles
The guide mentioned that bears were the most dangerous since they tend to charge at you as part of their defense mechanism; whereas elephants and tigers keep distance. Well (un)fortunately we only spotted bisons, tiger scratch marks and elephant poop. And I am not kidding, that was fun too!
Tiger marks its territory boundaries by scratching against trees. I kept hearing this a lot ‘They are their own worst enemy’.
Spot the worm
Bison. They like to stare
Day 2 was a trek+bamboo-rafting group adventure deeper into the forest with some forest guides and a gunman.
I finally got to see the beautiful Periyar lake – a man-made lake with a dam, built during the British colonial rule.
The lake submerged all the trees in its path and their stems now stick out when its not too deep.
And yay! We spotted an elephant :)
Noon pastime. Playing with water and mud.
Deer skull
Elephant jaw bone. You can guess the age by counting the number of teeth.
Tigers are the most difficult animal to spot within the forest. There are cameras inside to track them and the estimated number as of now is around 45. Well, we did manage to see their footprints.
Tiger footprint.
Finally, I found the spirit of the forest-rangers, naturalists, locals very touching and inspiring. Over the years they have overcome the problem of poaching and now they actively take part in it’s conservation.
Girl Hiker 