Tag Archives: hiking

Hiking LA’s Big Park

28 Tuesday May 2013

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image (31)I’ve lived in LA my entire life. I grew up in Whittier (45 minutes-ish from the city) and went to Whittier College. After college I moved closer to the “city” into West Hollywood. I hopped around that area for a while with a short stint on the West Side (aka doucheville. Did I say that out loud? I’m sorry people who live out there. You are not a douche. I’m sorry I suggested you were. For non-LA-ians the “West Side” is the side of the city that hits the ocean.). 7 (or was it 8) years ago Riggins and I ditched what I consider the “fun” side of LA to act more grown up and come to the “valley.” Now we live about 5 minutes from Griffith Park. Although I’ve never lived further than an hour from the giant chunk of wilderness (or as wilderness-y as we get here) I have never, until this weekend, been on the park’s hiking trails.

It’s a little ridiculous of me but my excuse is, I hike to go out with Riggins and if I’m going to do that I want to go somewhere that he can be off leash without me being yelled at by other hikers. That means Runyon. This past weekend Bud was back with us. Bud has become a fickle fellow and has decided not to like any other canines. That really cuts down on where I can take him to poop him out and he NEEDS to get pooped out or he will spend his time beating up poor Riggins. So minutes after he was dropped off I leashed him up and set off for Griffith Park. I knew there was a trail head behind the Observatory so decided to give it a shot!

imageQuick lesson on Griffith Park history (as told by Wikipedia). Mining investor, Colonel Griffith J. Griffith (seriously) purchased Rancho Los Feliz in 1882 to start an ostrich farm. He donated 3,015 acres to the city of LA in 1896. In 1903 the Colonel was tried and convicted for shooting and severely wounding his wife … oops. After that his plans for the land went to hell in a handbag since his reputation was kinda shot (No pun intended. I’m paraphrasing Wikipedia at this point). Obviously it eventually all got built giving you the Griffith Park you know and love. Today’s park covers 4,310 acres of land and is the second largest city park in CA and one of the largest in the US. (Now quoting Wikipedia so none of my NY friends get angry with me …) “It [Griffith Park] has also been referred to as the Central Park of Los Angeles but is much larger and more untamed and rugged than its New York City counterpart.”

The park is very large so let me give you the Wendy tips on what is where. The entrance off of Forest Lawn using Zoo Drive is the north most way into the park. This road (when not under construction) will take you to Travel Town (train museum – a hit with young boys everywhere), the steam train (which is rarely open so look it up open day/hours first if you wanna go), the golf course, the Los Angeles Zoo, and the Gene Autry Museum. There is also a camp tucked away up there. It’s a good place to see horses as there is a horse ring thing and the equestrian center is just a tunnel away on the other side of the LA River and 134 freeway.

There are 3 main entrances on the south side of the park off of Los Feliz Blvd. Starting from the 5 and heading west, the first is Crystal Springs. This will take you immediately to the Wendy Train (named by my nephew Logan since it is a train and he gets to go there when he visits me) and pony rides. Keep driving and you will hit thecarousel and the best (in my opinion) playgrounds in the park. This is the “kids” entrance and Crystal Springs will eventually link up with Zoo Drive (honestly all the roads link up so when they are open you can keep driving in loops if you want). The next entrance is on Hillhurst. It will take you to the Greek Theatre and to the Observatory. The final entrance (well official entrance) is further down Los Feliz on Fern Dell. This road will take you to the Ferndell trail (known to Californians because of Huell Howser) and the Trails Cafe.

Bud and I parked near the observatory and headed off. It was hot and being a short snout breed I was a little worried about Bud overheating. He’s a ball of energy, so it was no problem (I was suited up and prepared for a long hike. Later this week I’ll post what I bring with me in my backpack while going out with the dogs.). The path is wide with an easy grade. We found a magical little spot called, Dante’s View. Named for the gentleman who started the garden, it is a sweet oasis on a mountain with wonderful views. It has a number of steps making it tri-level with benches to sit down and chill at. In addition there is water available for both dogs and humans. We went a little further until I figured Bud had chilled out and then we headed home.

image (1)Since Bud isn’t great off leash and isn’t great around other dogs the Griffith Park hike was PERFECT for him. Although a popular path (which I like … I won’t go on paths that aren’t well-traveled unless I’m hiking with another human) it thins out the higher you go and there aren’t a ton of other dogs around. When we drove home I took the other road looping around and coming down Fern Dell. I noticed that this was a very popular place to park so I assumed it was a good place to hike! I decided Bud and I should try it the next day.

After waking and suiting up with stocked backpack and leash, Bud and I said goodbye to Riggins and headed off. This trail was adorable. The first part is a man-made trail that includes a fun garden and stream (sadly the cute path was closed when we were heading back to the car … a tree had fallen down across the path and Fern Dell … it was a bit of a traffic mess). After you pass through the cute little fairy land you can keep hiking. The two roads available will circle around, merging together and eventually take you up to the Griffith Observatory. Bud and I took our time heading up and hanging out at the top forcing us to have to run down to get home in time for his folks to pick him up.

I had a feeling Riggins would love the Fern Dell trail so I decided to take him the next day. It won’t be something he can do when it gets hotter. None of the Griffith Park trails (and there are miles and miles of them … I’ve just scratched the surface) have much shade and the dirt can get hot on paws very quickly with the direct So. Cal. sun. Much to Riggin’s dismay photoI slapped on his cooling vest (it always takes him a few minutes to get use to the fact that it isn’t coming off) and took him up the mountain. He was in HEAVEN. I did unleash him so he could go at his own pace (which was usually faster than me). I was waiting to get yelled at by fellow hikers … which would be allowed as they would be in the right and I was in the wrong … but you know my theory on hiking on leash. Riggins thought he was the king of the mountain strutting up to humans to get love and attention, head held high as he passed dogs on leash, and policing the folks that thought they could go off the path. When we got close to the top I put his leash back on. The Observatory is always busy but being a holiday weekend it was packed. Unlike Bud, Riggins was willing to “sit and stay” so I could take more pictures of him. In fact people gathered around and stared to watch the dog sit and not move as I would say, “Look at me … stay …. ” walk away from him and snap some photos. He was a pure gentleman and oddly well-behaved doing exactly what I asked. Honestly I think he liked putting on a show and was happy people were watching him.

I’m so excited to have discovered the fun paths just minutes from my house and I’m kicking myself for not being open to checking them out earlier!

Please enjoy the video below of Riggins on the Ferndell trail ….

Ranger Riggins of Runyon

15 Monday Apr 2013

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The main path at Runyon Canyon.

The main path at Runyon Canyon.

Riggins has been hiking Runyon Canyon (a dog park/mountain/hike in LA) since he was a puppy. Actually before he was really supposed to do it … shhhh. You try to raise a rambunctious puppy in an apartment on the third floor then you can judge me! There is no doubt that Riggins is one of the many dogs that feel like they own the mountain. He struts around like a King demanding the attention of his people. If you are leaning down, going slow, make eye contact, and/or breathing, Riggins will come up to you and lean in for a pet. If you are a child with food it may be considered hill tax and be taken.

There are two different paths for each Runyon route. The regular and the dog only. The dog only paths weave their way in and out of bushes and around trees. Riggins likes to stick to these paths or start making his own. He is a trail blazer. This is why he gets the rattlesnake vaccine. Like any good ranger Riggins suggests/demands that all humans stay on the path. If you don’t Riggins will make sure you know that you have gone against park rules. His mistrust for those who are off path runs deep.

A look at the Stairs from the top.

A look at the Stairs from the top.

Recently, near the bottom of the hill, an older woman was doing Tai Chi. That isn’t a problem BUT she was doing it off route past some bushes in a tiny clearing. Not on Riggins watch! He made his way up to her, got down into a crouch and started growling. No amount of calling on my end was going to break his concentration so I had to double back to grab him. By the time I got to him he had the woman cornered. She was NOT HAPPY about it. In fact, I would say she was scared speechless. I tried to tell her that he was scared of her because she was off path and he knew that was wrong. It wasn’t helping so I gave up and drug him away. It may seem heartless of me but come on … you are in a dog park. Perhaps you should Tai Chi in a neighboring canyon. There is plenty to go around.

Now we know that Riggins has no problem scaling down the side of a mountain but he will

Riggins patrolling the top of the Spine.

Riggins patrolling the top of the Spine.

not allow humans to do the same. If you have two legs you have no business being off path. Last week Riggins came to a halt on our way down the hill. He was pointer ready with his stare focused on something across the canyon. After searching the cliff I finally found some idiot who was SLIDING down from the topmost path, the spine, to the easiest route. Sliding. Causing dirt and rock to fall down with him. Riggins started barking and slowly making his way to where the man was going to hit the ground. I grabbed him and walked him further away. The man came up to me and asked if Riggins was the one that was barking at him the entire time. I said yes that Riggins was worried about him (when in fact Riggins wanted to eat him for his inability to follow rules). The crazy man said that was nice but there was no need to worry. He “surfs” the hill all the time. Sigh …

All this wouldn’t be that big of a deal but I have witnessed people being rescued by image (2)helicopter on that hill. That is time and effort of our fire/police AND taxpayer money. Recently two teenagers got lost in the mountains in Orange County, CA. They were found, luckily safe.There was a good amount of outrage from the community about how they were so irresponsible to have gotten themselves in that position in the first place. Last month a teenager died at Eaton Canyon (another local hiking spot) because she went off path. On a hike near Eaton Canyon I once didn’t take enough water and it caused a problem for Riggins. I swore that would never happen again and now carry way more water than I will need. Just in case. I’m not saying everyone who hike is irresponsible. Far from it. I’m saying, if you are going to go hiking don’t be a moron. Know some basic hiking rules AND FOLLOW THEM.

This weekend I caught Riggins again patrolling the hill (see video). Near the end of our hike he spotted something unusual across the way. Enjoy his reaction. (I had to stop filming as I was walking backwards up a hill and to break Riggins concentration I was going to have to jog a bit. I am not nearly coordinated enough to jog backwards while filming with an iPhone.)

The Death Race

22 Tuesday Jan 2013

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Did you know that yesterday was Squirrel Appreciation Day? Me either. Luckily for us this wise journalist really knows his stuff and informed me – http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/happy-squirrel-appreciation-day. In honor of such an important occasion I thought I’d share my story of The Death Race happening in my backyard.

When it comes to Riggins’ instinct to kill I’ve always lived by the “circle of life” philosophy. After all if you are a critter that feels it’s necessary to hang out in my back yard that’s really on you. Riggins is a master ground squirrel assassin and to stop his blood thirst I had him start wearing a bell while hiking off leash. Gives the little critters a heads up. He will and has gnawed on a dead bird or taken out a family of baby possums. Circle of life.

I do find it fascinating that he knows his own kind. I’ve found dead rats in the backyard and yet he will sniff a chihuahua and move on with a head nod (what’s up buddy).

I also like to help him understand and connect with his roots. His mommy was a Germanfly riggins Shorthair Pointer. A hunting dog! You know how when a couple adopts a tot from another culture and then feels like they should do things to help that child never forget his/her skin color is different from theirs (I’d give you examples but I can’t without sounding horribly racist so you will have to think those up on your own)? Same thing … just with a dog. So a long time ago I set up the Death Race. It’s been out of commission for a while but this past week I started it up once again!

My backyard is a type of critter zoo. Somehow I moved to the urban jungle and didn’t realize it. One of the critters that are plentiful are squirrels. So I did what any caring mother of a hunter dog would do and set up a squirrel feeder in one of the tall trees in my backyard. As the squirrels make their way from the back fence to their snack and back their only goal is to NOT GET CAUGHT BY THE DOG. Riggins makes this harder by following them from the ground taunting with a ferocious bark. The little creatures jump and teeter from the branch of one tree to the other. If one falls (you can hear tiny squirrel gasps from the stands) Riggins and the squirrel have a beat where they just stare at each other before ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Then it’s up to the squirrel to get up and get out FAST. Losing means death.

Okay this is mean. I admit it. But I’m on Riggins side. He LOVES it and, as of right now, has never caught a squirrel contestent. I figure at this point word is out and it is only the badass tattooed squirrels who make a bet and come into the ring. I assume it’s how you become a squirrel man.

Walk This Way

14 Monday Jan 2013

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photo (1)This past weekend it has been FREEZING in LA.  I don’t care what others in the country think about that statement.  IT’S FREEZING.  We are not built for this cold weather.  I swear the only insulation my house has is whatever rat poop found its way into the walls and 90% of my coats are decorative (aka useless).  I can guarantee its warmer in your house in Minnesota than it is in my house in Los Angeles right now.  I’m frozen solid.

Anyway, since it’s ridiculously cold I went up Runyon with Riggins in the afternoon instead of the morning this past weekend.  I haven’t done that in forever.  New group of people!  Walking through the dirt parking lot I passed 3 young men.  One yelled out at me, “you look like you are a really good mom to that dog.”  He went on to say I looked very attractive and was sweet so he is my new BFF and I’ve decided afternoons are a much better time to hike!

As a good mom to my dog (he said it not me) I thought I’d pass on some of my walking/hiking knowledge to you!  At no charge!  Let me start by saying I am not a trained animal person but I have seen a number of “Dog Whisper,” “It’s Me or the Dog,” and “My Cat from Hell” so I feel like that, along with my own street smarts, is training enough.  Maybe we shouldn’t consider this real “rules” as much as “what Wendy thinks.”

Walking a dog on leash – My view is don’t do it if you don’t have to.  Dogs are crazy on leash.  In general a dog will want to protect his/her master and tethering the dog to you only makes that protective instinct worse.  When Riggins is bad on leash it’s because he perceives the crazy person/dog passing us to be a threat to me causing the guttural growl that translates into, “don’t mess with my Mama.”  I know very very sweet dogs that are a**holes on leash and being walked by their master.  (This is a good time to stop and say all my dog’s bad behavior and problems are my fault.  Isn’t that the first thing you learn in all those TV shows … it’s always the humans.)  Best to walk/hike in a location that allows off leash.  Of course you have to walk on leash most of the time so here are my tips:

* Get rid of that retractable leash.  Seriously.  I realize a good number of my friends use this type of leash.  I dare you to find one trained (aka not me) dog person that says walking on a retractable leash is ok.  They won’t.  It’s impossible to control a dog on that kind of leash.  Get a lead.

* Stop the sled dogs!  Don’t walk a dog with a harness on that allows him/her to pull with his/her full weight.  All dogs instantly become sled dogs in a harness.  Big or small you are just asking that animal to pull.  Use whatever equipment gives you control of the dog.  Riggins uses what I call his “walking harness.”  He hates it because he knows if he is bad it pulls around his arms … so don’t be bad.  (his looks kinda like this – http://www.amazon.com/Guardian-Gear-Harness-Large-Black/dp/B007E4S750)

* Why the giant stick weirdo?  Almost every person in my neighborhood walks their dog while holding a giant stick.  I assume to ward off other dogs from attacking theirs.  I’ve walked Riggins in this neighborhood for 6 years and NEVER ONCE had a dog attack either one of us.  Once — just once — a giant pitbull made it out of his gated backyard and came running toward Riggins and me at full force.  I stopped, held my ground, held up a “stop sign” with my hand and said “OFF.”  This was followed by a “SIT” (with appropriate hand single) and “GO HOME.”  The giant scary dog did exactly what I said.  EXACTLY.  Turns out that “scary dog” was really well trained (even if his humans didn’t know how to secure a gate).  This isn’t always going to happen.  I’ve known dogs to fight and know dogs and humans that have been hurt in the exchange but you carrying a stick really only makes it worse.  DO YOU KNOW HOW SCARY IT IS TO SEE A HUMAN COMING AT YOU THE OTHER WAY WITH A GIANT STICK????  Seriously — you are asking for it.

* Walk pretty.  This is what I tell Riggins he has to do.  Walking pretty means beside me and a 1/2 step behind me.  Riggins is a champ at this (as long as it’s me walking him, he hasn’t seen a squirrel, cat or chicken — it’s happened — and doesn’t have to poop).  He often gets told he is a “good dog” from strangers when we are on a walk and  he is on his best behavior.  I really think what helped him most with this was having him run with me when he was younger.  I held the leash in a way that he had to pace right next to me and after a while of constant pace he had no choice but to fall in line.  A pooped dog is a well behaved dog!  That and a short leash.  A short leash just makes it easier for you to control your dog.  I use one that is a mix of long and short like this, http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=15069.

* Keep out-of-the-way!  This is going to be one not everyone will agree on but I read it somewhere and it makes sense to me.  When walking a dog and another dog is being walked coming at you the dogs should both be on the inside so that they pass one another with no human in between.  Looking from the front it would be, from left to right, human, dog, dog, and human.  I know this is a killer for some but a well behaved dog should have no problem with this.  Remember that a dog tethered to his/her master is going to be more aggressive with his/her “save my human” mentality.  If you, the fragile human, put your body between your dog and the other dog doesn’t it make sense that your dog will go crazy trying to get over and protect you.  If everyone remains calm two dogs can pass each other, quickly sniff, and move on.  Riggins gets a C+ on this.  He has NO PROBLEM when we are walking the neighborhood as long as the other dog doesn’t bark first.  Riggins is the anti-alpha so he waits to see how the other dog reacts.  Unless the other dog is tiny.  He will walk past a tiny barking dog like it’s nothin’.  He is also REALLY BAD at this when walking in certain locations like around the lake at Silver Lake (this is LA so it isn’t a lake as much as a reservoir with a giant chain link fence all around it).  Riggins learned to walk on my right side and come hell or high water that is what he is going to do around the lake.  That leaves him smashed between me and the small concrete burm/chain link fence.  I’ve tried to get him to the other side when dogs pass and have even pushed his butt over to make that happen but it doesn’t last long.  Luckily he is perfectly happy in his safe smushed position and really never even notices the other dogs on that walk.

* Lots of dogs are good.  My neighborhood has a good number of dogs but they are house dogs and don’t do much more than sit at home and walk around the block once in a while.  Their owners cross the street or go up a driveway or walk in someones lawn to get away from the big black dog and crazy woman coming at them on the sidewalk with no intention of moving.  In short most of the dogs aren’t socialized.  Silver Lake, for example, is dog heaven.  Most dogs are pack dogs and being with others is good for them.  Riggins is always much better behaved when on a walk in a high dog populated area.  When off leash and on a hike Riggins will happily fall in line behind whatever group of dogs he can find.

* Be cool man.  You want your dog to freak out?  You freak out.  Nothing annoys me more at the dog park than when two dogs get a little aggressive in their play and from all around the park you hear “NO NO NO NO NO, OFF OFF, NO , CHARLIE COOOOOMMMMMEEEE HHHHHEEEERRE, NO NO NO NO NO” usually in a high-pitched voice.  That only makes things worse.  I think we  can all agree that dogs feed off our energy so keep calm.

Wow this is a long post and I haven’t even gotten to my hatred toward the leash law on hiking trails and really probably lost most of you after the first paragraph so I’ll stop.  One final word.  I know I’ve been very lucky.  As much as I believe dogs can be trained and well-behaved I realize this isn’t always the case and a dog is an animal that, at any moment and for any reason, can use his/her teeth for evil.  After writing all this I’m probably going to be eaten by a labordoodle on my next walk.  If that happens I leave everything to Riggins.

Be Prepared. It’s a Good Motto For a Reason.

21 Monday Jun 2010

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Riggins and I hike every weekend. If we are heading out with friends we will try one of the hikes in the Los Angeles mountains where I can be yelled at by fellow hikers for not keeping Riggins on leash (they are right … legally I should have him on leash … but come one who is he hurting?). If we don’t have a buddy we head to Runyon which is not only a legal off leash dog park it is also well traveled so the chance of being lost without help is slim to none. Although once I did lose my footing and slide down the side of the cliff (my butt is still deformed from the fall — really) and no one gave a flying rat’s ass. Well one nice gay mans stopped but given the fact that a zillion 1/2 people passed me it was like no one stopped. I ended that hike in tears with one of the guys from MadTV starring at me like I was a freak.

If you know Runyon Riggins and I usually go down the paved road and up the spine with a final little push up hill to the top lookout. If we are feeling good, have time, and it isn’t the temperature of the sun we will go up to the top of the spine, turn around and go down it and then up the stairs. The spine isn’t easy. I almost killed my friend from NY on that part of the hill and at one point actually thought I’d have to get a helicopter to rescue her. There are fewer people on the spine because it is difficult but what is the point of going out there and exercising if you aren’t working out.

Which gets me to my point in this post. Runyon isn’t just a work out location but a place to be seen. I’ve passed a guy once that had a giant sign over him that said, “actor. hire me.” I called him a tool under my breath (although like most things I whisper others heard me … luckily the tool didn’t). I don’t go to be seen. I’m “suited up” for hill battle. Notice the picture above. Tank top, sports bra, shorts, hiking shoes, hat, ugly ass action sunglasses. Riggins has his bell on (to give the little critters a head start before he attempts to catch and eat them) and his cooling jacket (all black dog = hot). On top of that, depending on the hill size and hiking duration, I’ll have my fanny pack or backpack loaded with enough water to hydrate a small village and snacks. Riggins, Martha & I once got stuck coming down from an extra long hike and ran out of water. It was horrible. I felt like a bad mommy and a horrible person and on top of that had a dehydration headache for the rest of the day. Never again.

At Runyon we are not the rule. Here are the things that highlight you as someone who doesn’t want to sweat as much as be seen:

* Wearing jeans. This baffles me. You can’t work out wearing jeans. Period. End of discussion.
* Wearing heels and/or flip flops. Really? Just stop it.
* Wearing a tube top. Very few women can pull this off and those who do it can’t. Tanning causes skin cancer. Slap on some SPF and hoist those things into a sports bra. (I saw a woman once who had her shirt, no bra, off and hung around her neck barely covering her goods … )
* Holding and/or drinking a Starbuck’s coffee cup. One day your heart will stop due to drinking large amounts of hot caffeine on a giant hill. I have to say I’m not going to help. Serves you right.

People I respect on the hill:
* Those using any kind of weights on any path. I can barely push my own body weight up that hill. Bravo to you in the weight jackets.
* People running up the spine. I’ve only seen this down by 3 people and 2 were my friends young and very athletic daughters. The other was the fittest man I’ve ever seen in my life … EVER.
* Those who ask me why Riggins has a bell vs. being snobby and suggesting he doesn’t like it. Back off with your judgement people. Bell=hill. He’s fine with it and I’m cool with him NOT snacking on rodents.
* People who say “hi” as you pass. I realize this is common trail courtesy in most places but Runyon is an extension of Hollywood where snobby sometimes rules. It takes real guts to say “hi”. I’ve been snubbed by many a star. I stopped watching Pushing Daisies because the lead refused to say hi when he passed me on the hill. Well that and his show was bad.
* People who sweat as much as me!

So come on people. Use the hill for what it is there for … exercise. Be seen down on flatland at the clubs.