A website that serves as a video guide to nature and hiking in and around Los Angeles. Go to www.lahiker.com for more information on hikes, podcasts, videos and more…
PODCAST EPISODE 2: THE BALLONA WETLANDS
Jun 2nd
In this amazing video, host Jessica Wheeler now takes us through the Ballona Wetlands, one of LA’s last remaining coastal wetland areas. Talking with the Co-Director of the Friends of The Ballona Wetlands, Richard Beban, the cast and crew gained an intimate knowledge about this very special place. Over the last 30 years, the “Friends” have actually helped to keep this place pristine and wild by restoring and cleaning 600 acres with 60,000 volunteers.
So what are the wetlands? Sitting along what is known as the pacific flyway, actually a 7,500-mile migratory route extending from the southern tip of South America to northern Alaska, this land is an estuary system that provides a home to many of California’s native plants, animals, and fish offering them the perfect place to breed, spawn, rest, and ultimately move on along their migratory journey.
Undoubtedly, the wetlands have come to serve as a symbol for all that once was wild in Los Angeles County and reminds us of the nature that exists right in own own backyards. This land needs to be preserved for future generations (and hopefully made into a State Park once California’s financial situation gets straightened out). Until then, we will continue to help this area as much as we can!
If are at all intersted in helping o ut with restoration and cleanup, you can contact the Friends of The Ballona Wetlands at http://ballonafriends.org.
LA HIKER PODCAST: EPISODE 1 “LOS LIONES TRAIL”
May 15th
I present to you my first podast: A Video Guide to Los Liones Trail, with my friend and host Jessica Wheeler. We had a lot of fun with this one and really we shot this very quickly. It was a bit too overcast in my opinion but I think we dealt with it nicely. Let me know what you guys think. I’d like to continue to do more of these, but obviously only if you guys out there in the blogisphere keep watching. As for now, the next few webisodes are planned out.
If you would like more information on this hike, click here…
DOLPHINS RACING THROUGH CHANNEL ISLANDS
Apr 5th
We were supposed to be on a whale watching trip. At least that was the plan. But guess what? No whales. Well, there were two humpbacks way in the distance, but we won’t count them cause’ I couldn’t really share it with you all. It was looking like a really grim birthday in the Channel Islands, but then another sea mammal showed up! And there were a lot of “em”. So many in fact, that I hardly knew where to point the camera. This was the gift of the common dolphin.
They’re really quite small. Only 7-8 ft., but they look much smaller. With a kind of yellow hourglass cris-cross around their sides, they tend to form large herds of about 50. In particular, they like to bow and wake surf around fast moving boats and these were no exception. In fact, they came racing out of the water as soon as they sensed we were near. I think boats serve as a kind of catnip for these animals and they really seemed as if they couldn’t get enough of it.
SEA OTTER MUNCHIES
Mar 19th
During a hiking trip out to California’s central coast, one might be surprised at the amount of wildlife that thrives right out in the open and in the strangest of places. Avila Beach, a mere 160 miles from Los Angeles, provides many of these kinds of surprises (and videos). Surrounded by gentle green sloping hills, and sporting three seaside piers, two of which are public, this small beach town surprised me with an abundance of sea birds, sea lions, and yes, sea otters.
Sea Otters, at least for me, have been notoriously hard to spot, and after shooting this video I can see why that might be. They lay low to the water and sometimes appear to be low rollers (waves). On top of that, they actually look like other mammals (this guy looked like a sea lion until I got unbelievably close.) It doesn’t help that these animals are still an endangered species, their population two-thirds of what they used to be. Hunted for their furs to near extinction levels, their numbers have increased due to conservation and wildlife protection.
ELEPHANT SEAL VIDEO IN SAN SIMEON
Mar 6th
Phew! After a very long evening, finally I have this video up and running! I give “props” to Skyler Stonestreet for letting us use her song, called “For You”. Please everybody go check her music out. She’s really amazing, and I can’t thank her enough! You can purchse her music on Amazon or itunes.
CALIFORNIA SALMON IN DANGER
Feb 26th
Talk about your ecological nightmares! As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Senator Feinstein, Dem-CA, recently proposed to divert water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to central Californian farmers, putting the delicate survival of the Chinook Salmon of the San-Fran Bay area in a death-spiral to extinction. This of course would put pressure on our precious North-American ecosystems, effecting populations of untold animals ranging up and down the entire west coast.
Stupid you say? Impossible? Senator Feinstein thinks not. Her argument: the agricultural community of the central valley is seriously threatened by recession and a three year drought. Never-mind, that this proposed amendment would effectively decimate fisheries within the delta, as well as threaten our local California wildlife that depend on these fish for survival.
HAWKS IN POINT DUME VIDEO
Feb 15th
I was hiking out and about Point Dume, around sunset and happened across these hawks. As you can see they almost appear to be in some sort of mating ritual. Go figure! Very cool footage though, using only a 50 mm lens. They were flying pretty darned close to me. Maybe next time I’ll have a longer lens.
Hikers, look up now and again. You may see something amazing!
If you would like more information on hiking in Point Dume check this out…
For information on the park, visit here…
—HIKING JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK: SQUIRREL CITY
Feb 12th
Driving to an elevation of 5,185 ft., Keys View, a grand overlook within Joshua Tree National Park. On a clear day you can see all the way to Mexico. Keys View revealed to us not only the San Andreas Fault, but also these interesting little creatures forging out an existence in a hostile desert environment. Watching them, I gained a greater understanding of nature, the desert, and our relation to it.
What you’re seeing here is the White Tailed Antelope Squirrel, an omnivorous rodent, living primarily on foliage in many of the U.S.’s arid southwestern states including California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. This mammal usually lives in burrows, but as you can see, these are living out of rock crevices.
Shooting with a 300mm, and a 18-135 mm lens, I was able to capture this video over the course of an afternoon. Although I had a difficult time keeping up with them, these little creatures were a real delight to watch. Being able to stand so close to them, I suspect that visitors to the park have been feeding them. This is really unfortunate because the squirrels seem to have lost their natural fear of humans. On top of that, feeding these animals incites overpopulation (which judging from the number and the size of a few of them could be a problem with this particular site). If this is true, erosion of the cliff side due to the excess burrowing and digging, could be a real possibility.
Keep in mind, feeding animals in many City, State, and National Parks is illegal, so just DON’T DO IT!
For more info on Joshua Tree National Park, journey here…
—KELP CRAB VIDEO DURING TIDE POOL HIKE
Feb 10th
Poking around in tide pools has turned out to be one of my favorite activities here in LA. At the risk of sounding a little like Forrest Gump, I will say that on these little adventures you never know what you’re going to get. This was especially true in Point Dume as well.
Hiking at low tide really is your best bet to possibly seeing sea creatures and other ocean monsters. On this day, the pools looked rather empty, well…at least at first. Here is the real key to spotting star fish and other animals: look under things. We actually spotted this crab hiding under a rock, and I would have totally missed this guy if I hadn’t of looked. I am by no means suggesting you pick up things (including rocks). This is an absolute no-no for the animals that thrive in these ecosystems. BE VERY CAREFUL when you go tide-pooling. Watch where you step and be very gentle. These animals are sensitive!
If you find yourself at a tide pool and nothing seems to be crawling, oozing, or sliding around, check for tracks in the sand. A lot of animals leave tracks behind that will guide you to where they might be hiding out, in which case the said animal might give you an amazing picture or video once you’ve located him.
All in all, have fun will ya! This is Los Angeles isn’t it?
If you want more info on this hike, click here…
MONARCH BUTTERFLIES PODCAST
Feb 10th
This particular day, I was expecting to see the butterflies down low and close to the ground. I thought they were going to be big and resting on flowers or something more bushy. Instead I was surprised to find them chilling out on a large Eucalyptus tree. Again, I forgot the tripod for good video. We won’t make that mistake again.
(A bit of advice for taking video or photography with longer lenses or smaller objects: always use a tripod. I know hiking with a tripod really stinks, but the result is worth it, trust me on this! I wish I had the 300 mm lens on for this as well, but we had to settle for a 135mm.)
All in all, I was glad to have seen these wonderful creatures out in the wild. Because of the endangered aspect to these insects, I’ll keep the location of these animals to myself. If you do, however, get a chance to see Monarch’s at a preserve or on a LA hike such as Sycamore Canyon, I highly recommend visiting!
SNOWY EGRET FISHING IN POINT DUME
Feb 10th
This video clip I also shot at Point Dume, with the 7D and a 300mm lens. In fact, I actually got this clip by accident because I wasn’t really watching what I was getting. Ordinarily I would have tried to have a tripod with a shot like this, but on this particular day I forgot it. This is why it’s so shaky. Imagine my surprise though, when I realized what I had captured on video!!!
I’ve found, on multiple occasions, that nature will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. With this in mind, I’d suggest keeping the cameras rolling and…oh yeah…bring a stinking tripod!
If you want more info on hiking in Point Dume, click here…
DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S “LIFE”
Feb 2nd
As you may have guessed by the content of this website, I love nature shows, and I watch the discovery channel quite a bit. I especially like watching interesting things about the world we live in. Like most of us too, I’ve been intrigued by the commercials for this television event for weeks now. The lead up had me salivating. “Life” seemed like a slam dunk on the senses. After all, the images were beautiful, the narrator, Oprah, interesting, and with the same producers of “Planet Earth”, I was sold from the beginning. But then, I saw an episode…
I immediately got the impression that the producers thought their audience still crawl on all fours. Dumbed down? For sure! Message to Discovery, your audience is smarter than you think. Give us some credit! I understand that your argument stems from the fact that you’re producing family entertainment that can be easily accessible and understandable to any age, but you’re really missing the mark here.
THE BEST NATURE DOCUMENTARY OF THIS YEAR
Feb 1st
It’s not often that you see a nature documentary that holds your attention and awe to the point of intense emotional investment. I suppose this is what documentary, in it’s many varied forms, is supposed to do, namely, make a comment about the nature of reality and ultimately highlight our connection to it. Nature’s documentary, shown on PBS and entitled “Frogs: The Thin Green Line”, encompassed many disturbing issues that we all must confront, and reveals to us an entire species under the immediate threat of total extinction.
First of all, the species serves as a perfect indicator as to the health of the particular ecosystem that it currently thrives in. Living roughly in the middle of the food chain, the frog is both hunter and food, connecting it to a broad range of species such as birds, plants, and mammals, all of which rely on the little “fellas” for healthy balanced survival. Recent findings, however, illustrate to us that approximately a third of all amphibians, on every continent around the world, have gone extinct. Unfortunately this number is definitely rising.
A WALK THROUGH THE POPPIES
Feb 1st
PARK SIZE
1776.45 acres
ABOUT THE PARK
Offering 8 miles of hiking trails, the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is a great place to begin your LA hike tour! Each spring, this poppy reserve becomes alive with flowering wildflowers (and tourists). Usually open all year long (although not at the moment because of CA budgeting), this reserve offers easy rolling hills with occasional benches to rest on. The Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve is a great place to get your perfect photograph or video.
TEMESCAL CANYON SUNSET HIKE
Jan 27th
I think many of you out there have hiked this terrific loop, and to say the least, I’ve been up this trail many times myself. That being said, our recent rains have absolutely transformed this 4.4 mile trail, turning this hike (and many others around LA) lush and green. Of all the times that I’ve ventured into Temescal, I’ve never actually seen the waterfall (at about 1 mi in) cascading down the canyon’s walls. But this time I was pleasantly surprised to see it gushing full force. Winter storms seem to have this effect on the environment in and around LA, allowing wildflowers, waterfalls, and grasses to really bloom. More >
BIG RAIN: A PRESS RELEASE FROM SMMC
Jan 22nd
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PARKLAND CLOSED BY RECENT STORMS
I know it’s raining gangbusters out there, and so do our parks. Here’s a Press Release from the Santa Monica Mountians Conservancy…
“The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority urge public to avoid mountain parks and back country trails until storms pass later this week. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA)announced today that recent heavy rainstorms and the resulting swollen creeks, fallen trees, erosion, potential mudslides, and extremely wet conditions have necessitated the temporary closure of some Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority parks in the Southern California area. More >
HIKING AT POINT DUME NATURAL PRESERVE
Jan 19th
HIKE AT THE BEACH
Recently, I had a chance to skirt by Point Dume Natural Preserve and luckily it was days before our big winter storms. This really is a great place to check out local tide pools and take a nice hike down the beach. More >
LOS LIONES TRAIL AND EAST TOPANGA FIRE ROAD
Jan 8th
Now, this hike is personally one of my favorite hikes around LA. It’s easy to get to and it’s a rather pleasant walk up to a beautiful overlook (or overlooks if you choose to continue on up the fire road). I won’t say too much here, as I’ve covered a lot of this information in my very first podcast but there’s a few details to consider if you plan on going on this hike. More >
HARRY & GRETA: A SHORT FILM IN TEMESCAL
Jan 4th
A few years ago I wrote and directed a short film that required us to shoot in a forest. At the time I didn’t know how great LA’s parks were for doubling as deep forest or jungles, so I traveled far and wide looking for a perfect place to shoot this film. I eventually found a location that has truly become one of my favorite places within LA and Topanga State Park. And it was right in my own backyard! More >
EAGLE ROCK: LA’S HIDDEN TREASURE?
Jan 4th
Go For A Hike!
Eagle Rock is a great place to start your next hiking adventure right here in LA! Located within the boundaries of the Topanga State Park, the views from this unique location will leave you breathless!
Right off the 27 (Topanga Canyon Blvd.), park on Entrada Rd. Look out for deer and, if you’re lucky you may even see a mountain lion.
I’d begin your hike one of two ways. More >
