LAZAROW WORLD HIKE-ABOUT
Cowles Mountain Peak, San Diego. (From height, Jennifer 'lowers' herself to Jeffrey-level.).
'LAZAROW WORLD HIKE-ABOUT: WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HIKE-ABOUT?'
Hike-about is an adventure that commenced June 2010. After storing our household movables, ridding ourselves of a house but retaining our 'home' together, we set off with the purpose of hiking in different parts of the world, not forgetting the home country, the USA.
Our primary focus is hiking to mountain peaks but any challenging hike will do just fine. Extended stays enable us to enjoy and experience living in various places amongst differing cultures. Hike-about has evolved into a way of life. It's also a process of discovery, both the world and ourselves.
We work and live 'on the road' but return to the city in which our grandchildren reside, every couple of months. This provides us the wonderful opportunity to be with them as well as a child or two, even three and of course, friends.
By the end of 2023, the blog contained over 1,560 hikes (less than that actually undertaken), each a set of pictures with stories and anecdotes from the trails. An index to the right allows the viewer to identify earlier experiences.
Finally, we are often asked about the journey's end. Our reply, as accurate as we can state, is: "When we are either forced to cease through health issues or the enjoyment level no longer reaches our aspirations, we will hang up the boots."
"A Life Experience As No Other: Dare to Seize the Day Together", published by Fulton Books, depicts our life on the road and mountains until the beginning of 2017. It has developed 'exponentially' since then.
Jenni and Jeffrey Lazarow
Whereas we continue to update the blog regularly, we circulate email notifications infrequently.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
10.42 Hike to the peak of Mount San Jacinto, the second most prominent in Southern California
Understandably excited after nearly 6 miles climb (forgetting there's no ride back down)
The last 10 minutes of rock scaling to reach peak—admiring the wonderful sights
Should a person wish for a big finish, then 12 miles in length and 2,400 feet elevation gain comes close, particularly the former. Eighteen kilometers sounds even better, a bigger number relates to some eighteen tired muscles. The distance put us at the top of the mountain, we nearly said the world, with spectacular views in all directions, including Salton Sea, Palomar and a host of other places and mountains, not forgetting the Coachella Valley below. Unfortunately, the cameras did not agree with us and that proved to be disappointing.
One of the best experiences of the day, after completing a tough hike, is to soak oneself in a hot tub, have the editor massage the shoulders and especially, the feet. Well, one of three is not too bad, we suppose—you know when you ‘ain’t got it’.
Range after range—reminds us of the cascades in the north-west
Doesn't get much higher in Southern California
We have been extremely fortunate with weather. Our idea initially was to follow the sun within the parameters established by region. Except for the Yosemite area, we have not been disappointed on a single day although we have experienced cold, snow and ice but no rain. Since leaving the Sierras in late October, the days have been more akin to spring than autumn/winter. Yes, we have been lucky.
We are most impressed with the mountain ranges in the desert cities. The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto ranges and others are staggering. We remember spending a night in May when we met our good friend (can a person have a bad friend?) Colyn Levin, visiting from the old country. We noticed the size and shapes of the mountains as we drove through this area. We took note and just like our visit to the San Francisco Mountain Range in Flagstaff, we returned to tackle this one. Next trip we will be climbing the Flagstaff Mountains in San Francisco. If you are reading this last sentence, then our editor is cutting us a lot of slack. That kind of dumb comment is something she hates—apparently, we like them.
Looking across at the Santa Rosa range
Probably the most exciting part of the day, the fall-off is staggering
We’ve noticed that if you show the Swiss a mountain, the first thing they suggest is opening a restaurant at the top. However, before that, they will build a tramway or cable-car. That’s what they did in Palm Springs and Sandia in New Mexico and many other places. We rode the car up today to begin the hike. We suggested to our editor that we should consider hiking from the bottom one day—we had no idea it is possible although it looks almost impossible. The engineering is enough to ‘knock one’s socks off’. We always arrive with the same question when we see the results of man’s best endeavors. How is a specie able to produce such wonders simultaneously with degradation, destruction and cruelty?
Salton Sea in the distance—haze prominent
Windmills of the desert
The mountains are granite monsters. Wherever one treads in this area, it is as if one is walking on ‘kitchen counters’. The amount of granite in the Sierras and over here seems limitless. Our experience today was superb, a little long because the gradient, although strenuous, could be a little steeper to reduce length. We reached the peak in under two-and-half hours and back in two. For us, we think that’s a pretty good time but then again there was no ice on the wonderful trail.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
One of those places, you have to be there to capture the feeling
Looking across at the Santa Rosa Mountains from San Jacinto Peak, the ever present granite blocks fore
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