Hike Calendar for Memorial Day Weekend 2013

SPECIAL EDITION:

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND 2013 HIKE CALENDAR

Hey Folks,

For 2 ½ years-plus I’ve been putting this out each week. A lot of you have probably come on the hikes I’ve led each Wednesday night and on weekends, but I’ll bet a lot of have no idea who I am.

In these almost 3 years I’ve taken you to over 70 different hike spots. I’ve been down a little sick for the last 6 months and recently had surgery to correct a non life-threatening but really annoying syndrome that’s been cutting into my being able to schedule fun events. I hope to be back up to my normal energizer bunny pace in 2 to 5 weeks.

Life can be really busy for all of us. I happen to be in the last 8 months of law school and for the next 8 weeks am out of the regular crash-course class schedule and on independent study. This basically means the school has run out of classes to teach me right now, so I’m on my own, having picked the subject of corporate monopoly law to master in 2 months. (YeaYYY!!)

Hiking keeps me from losing it and shoving my books in the paper shredder. Usually, the half hour a week it takes to make this calendar is all I have to communicate to my few hundred loyal subscribers. So you may not know what makes me tick.

Basically, you’ll recognize me on hikes as the guy carrying a little mini-guitar trying to herd cats while singing and climbing up some rocky trail to a waterfall or rock formations. I love scrambling on top of boulders at Eagle Rock and Vasquez rocks, slogging down the creek and over the mini falls at Cooper Falls or sliding down the chutes at Tar Creek.

Before I became obsessed with exploring nature I was a nerd in high school who dreamed of being the editor of National Lampoon, idolized George Carlin and just wanted to be class clown. I eventually half-majored in journalism and poly-sci in community college, wrote a lot of goofy underground newspapers, and got diverted somehow from goofiness to my current life of challenging the rich and powerful developers of L.A. who were trying to pave and destroy the remaining natural treasures of L.A. which I discovered while steadfastly avoiding my first college education. I built up a huge library of research on the natural cool-spots of L.A. and saw most of them saved, compared to when I started hiking in the mid 1980’s and most nature areas in L.A. were under siege. I and friends set up a coalition of activists and groups that sued, annoyed and eventually bankrupted the biggest developer in L.A. and saved the Ballona Wetlands, which is where I lead my Wednesday night hikes. Much of my stockpiled research I recently posted on the web:

http://ballona.blogspot.com/p/ballona-environmental-library.html

When not hiking, studying, and recuperating from all that hiking and studying, I also post stuff about saving the world here:

http://rare-earth-news.blogspot.com/ and here:

http://rareearthweblinks.blogspot.com/

Fast-forward to now, where I am planning my post law-school attempts to change the world. I’ve always been nuts about the rocky hills west of Chatsworth and so I plan on focusing some of my activism to save these, which happen to be the missing link in L.A.’s great Rim of the Valley Park system. Many of my favorite hike spots are nearby, so even though the area is 35 miles from where I live, I feel drawn to commute from my home in the Culver City and Westchester area of L.A. to help make this beautiful place accessible to all my buddies.

Here are some photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10201009779033678.1073741826.1443226944&type=1&l=efe64b8de6

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10200914454250618.1073741825.1443226944&type=1&l=c99d9b3a32

I hope to have a big announcement about my work in this area soon.

Anyway, enough about me for now. The weather this weekend is perfect for hiking and getting outside and leaving your troubles behind. I plan on being out there everyday enjoying the wildness and de-stressing with old friends and new friends.

Also…… check out my 20 favorite hikes here if the calendar has stuff you’ve already done!

http://lameetuphikes.blogspot.com/p/list-of-hikes-i-lead.html

…Rex

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Yellow shading: Rex's picks

Friday, May 24

9:00am UPPER OJAI: SISAR CANYON TO WHITE LEDGE TRAIL CAMP

http://www.meetup.com/BobCarolTedAlice-Hiking/events/110850112/

12:00pm Spend the night on Mt. Baden-Powell

http://www.meetup.com/SGV-Hikers/events/109366412/

3:00pm Table Mountain CG: Memorial Day Weekend

http://www.meetup.com/HikeItUp/events/109046812/

6:45pm O: Pacific Palisades Hike in Topanga State Park to Parker Mesa Overlook

http://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Singles-Sierra-Club/events/117558222/

6:45pm Sierra Club Griffith Park Moonlit Hike

http://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Club-Griffith-Park-Hikes/events/118851022/

7:00pm Friday Griffith Park Hike from Ranger Station

http://www.meetup.com/Outdoor-Singles/events/117662512/

7:30pm Friday night full-moon hike to Orchard Camp, 7 miles, 2,000 vertical

http://www.meetup.com/Early-Bird-Hiking/events/117164632/

7:45pm Pretzel Pop Full Moon Hike--Camarillo

http://www.meetup.com/BobCarolTedAlice-Hiking/events/119203352/

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Saturday, May 25

6:30am Chantry Flats

http://www.meetup.com/The-San-Gabriel-Mountains-Hike-Group/events/120181872/

6:45am Introduction to Cross Country Travel...Mt. Baden-Powell via Seven Dwarf Ridge

http://www.meetup.com/Hiking-Coachella-Valley/events/114031302/

7:00am Peakbagger Conditioning: Baldy For Brunch!

http://www.meetup.com/SoCal-Hikers-and-Peakbaggers/events/104888802/

7:15am Waterman/Gemini (ok, twin) Peaks Bday Hike

http://www.meetup.com/Hiking-Coachella-Valley/events/119533082/

7:30am Catalina Island camping (Memorial Day weekend)

http://www.meetup.com/West-LA-Hiking-and-Mountaineering/events/114812132/

http://www.meetup.com/LAOutdoors/events/118053842/

8:00am BIG HORN MINE TO MT. BADEN POWELL

http://www.meetup.com/calabasasdayhikers/events/116160172/

8:00am Haskell Canyon

http://www.meetup.com/Santa-Clarita-Community-Hiking-Club-Meetup-Group/events/114769422/

8:15am A Waterfall to See ! Pasadena

http://www.meetup.com/hiking-196/events/109679892/

8:30am 5 Peaks Baby (The Original) - IslipHawkinsThroopBurnhamBaden-Powell

http://www.meetup.com/HikeItUp/events/109038942/

9:00am Griffith Park--Hike to Hollywood Sign on Mt. Lee (1708 feet)

http://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Club-Griffith-Park-Hikes/events/120515382/

9:00am Secret Staircases of Rustic Canyon

http://www.meetup.com/localhikers/events/116409182/

1:00pm Hike to Mash at Malibu Creek State Park

http://www.meetup.com/Westside-Hikers/events/118277712/

2:00pm Roaming "No Meat and Mingle" Vegan Potluck & Hike. Redondo Beach

http://www.meetup.com/LA-Veggie-Hikers/events/116356822/

2:00pm Waterfalls Trail (mostly dry) @ Trippet Ranch

http://www.meetup.com/Outdoor-Singles/events/117778972/

5:15pm ANNIVERSARY PARTY HIKE YAY!! Parker Mesa

http://www.meetup.com/themoderatehikers/events/118044502/

5:30 pm Mt Baldy

http://www.meetup.com/Adventurers-Unlimited/events/120813282/

7:00pm O: Moonlight over Porter Ranch trail hike

http://www.meetup.com/Sierra-Singles-Sierra-Club/events/115353082/

8:30pm Malibu Creek Moonlight Poetry hike

http://www.meetup.com/The-PM-Hikers/events/118310362/

http://www.meetup.com/Outdoor-Singles/events/112193002/

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Sunday, May 26

6:00am Mt Wilson from Sierra Madre

http://www.meetup.com/The-San-Gabriel-Mountains-Hike-Group/events/118964742/

8:30am Downtown Los Angeles Urban Walk

http://www.meetup.com/hiking-196/events/118252502/

8:30am Zip Wrightwood

http://www.meetup.com/HikeItUp/events/109218952/

10:30am Waterfall Hike in Malibu and Lunch- Escondido Falls

http://www.meetup.com/South-Bay-Adventure-Group/events/118470382/

11:00 am Peter Strauss Ranch in Malibu to MASH SITE (inland)

http://www.meetup.com/hiking-196/events/120859452/

4:00pm Wilson, Devore, West Fork and optional pre-hike Cosmic Cafe meal, 10.5m/3k'

http://www.meetup.com/Early-Bird-Hiking/events/119996642/

5:00pm Griffith Park--Sunday Evening Hike!

http://www.meetup.com/dtlahg/events/120250212/

5:30pm PM Bag: Trippet Ranch From PCH! (Fast-Paced Conditioning Hike)

http://www.meetup.com/SoCal-Hikers-and-Peakbaggers/events/120147322/

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Monday, May 27

7:00am Sturtevant Falls Loop

http://www.meetup.com/Best-Hikes-of-SoCal/events/120244102/

7:30am HAPPY BALDY TO ME!!!

http://www.meetup.com/Hiking-Coachella-Valley/events/118234222/

8:30am Sisar Canyon

http://www.meetup.com/BobCarolTedAlice-Hiking/events/102703012/

4:00pm Temescal Canyon Loop: Memorial Day

http://www.meetup.com/The-PM-Hikers/events/120238122/

5:00pm Monday evenings at Chantry Flat -- Memorial Day edition! Join us for the holiday

http://www.meetup.com/Early-Bird-Hiking/events/115492522/

6:45pm Monday Evening Hike in Ventura

http://www.meetup.com/BobCarolTedAlice-Hiking/events/119209252/

8:15pm After the concert hike: Conjunction of Mercury, Venus, Jupiter

http://www.meetup.com/BobCarolTedAlice-Hiking/events/119190462/

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FINALLY A PLUG FROM A DEAR FRIEND: