Hiking Expedition - Duarte Hills

Today, I went hiking, which has direct entrance access in several key areas up above the hillside to the trail, where my sister's house is located. I have hiked up this particular trail before many years ago, however the entrance point I used this time was very treacherous, and very narrow, and very close to cactus, so I was being very careful with my climb.

Once I got to the top of the hill, the rest of the hike was a little easier, as I just followed the large dirt road, however it was very steep in several key areas. I passed another hiker, who was descending down, and a maintenance truck which was driving a little too fast down, and almost ran me over. It came around a sharp corner, while I was in the road taking a photo.

I believe I hiked a good few miles up the hill, and once I got to my designated turn-around area, I took a quick break, drank some water, and attempted to remove a thorn from my finger, but was unsuccessful. I needed tweezers, and a bright light, so I just waited until I got home. I ended up getting another thorn in my hand, while descending back down the trail I came up on. I almost slipped a few times, very dangerous. The other way I used before would of been wiser to use, but I would have to walk down the dirt road a little further, but I didn't want to go that way.

This is where I will end up during my hike, and where I will turn around and start my descent. It's really far up into the hills, or mountain top.

The one thing I noticed during my hike was the large amount of smog in the sky out in the distance, it's just horrible. I couldn't see anything, it's disgusting. You really don't realize how bad the smog is, until you reach a very high altitude. I didn't come across any snakes, or bears, just annoying insects flying around your body, attempting to land on your skin, nose, and land in your ears. I did see several birds, butterflies, insects, and I heard some weird sounds coming from the shrubs. I even heard a growling sound like what a bear would make, but I ignored it and continued on.

I have some photos to share. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view, but they won't load at their original 1600x1200 dimensions. The first half will be 565x424, and the second half will be 720x540. There is 149 photos.