The Climb Begins

Saturdays are busy on the Sam Merrill Trail, but yesterday was the first time I ever saw a troop of U.S. Marine Corps recruits take to the path. The sergeant (front row, center) was amenable when I asked if I could take a photo, but now that I look at it I'm not sure all the recruits wanted their picture taken. However, they were ordered into formation and they posed with their mascot, Banzai. This group is from the Pasadena Substation.

They're at the beginning of a learning process and it's not going to be easy. Already things were tough on the trail. One recruit had trouble keeping up; it was hot, the recruit wasn't in shape and the sergeant had to yell. It was going to be a long hike.

John and I did a short hike, part way up. On the way down we passed a brief altercation between the sergeant and a civilian hiker who thought the sergeant was being too harsh.

Archetypally, it was an argument between protector and protected.

That sparked a discussion between me and John about whether or not the Marines should have been training in public view on the Sam Merrill trail. It's clear we need a military, as unfortunate and medieval as that may be. And the training can be tough, it can get ugly. And although we well-protected, well-to-do, insulated non-military types benefit from it we don't want to be exposed to it, do we?

If you read my blog you know I'm one of those lefties who despise war, but I can tell the difference between the fight and the fighter. The young people I saw on the trail yesterday may end up as supply officers, soldiers, engineers, recruiters... Regardless, they volunteered to serve their country, our country. I don't know what sent them, whether they're escaping something or seeking something. I only know I'm grateful and I hope they find what they need. That recruit who struggled up the hill was struggling with more—with self and with Self. And there are bigger battles to come.

I wish them all safety and success.

Chantry Flat

John and I both had the afternoon free yesterday, and since Boz had the day off too we decided to try a new trail. We drove through neighboring Sierra Madre and up to Chantry Flat in Big Santa Anita Canyon.

It was extra cool and cloudy, driving off casual hikers. Not much goes on there on a Wednesday anyway, which suits us. Instead of the popular Sturtevant Falls trail, we opted for the trail to Hermit Falls simply because it's not paved. It took us deep down into the shady canyon, where we came upon the small waterfall and three cabins, at least one of which was occupied and marked "private." The noisiest thing there was the water.

I think it's good for us humans to spend time surrounded by nature's disorderly shapes, to get away from computer screens, office cubicles, shiny kitchens and soft sofas, and to get out among rocks, trees and leaves for a while. It reorders our brains, sets us right again.

This is a post I wish you could smell. Damp, fresh sage, still rooted in the ground: there's no aroma like it.

SAD

We've been having gray days.

I looked up Seasonal Affective Disorder. I don't have it, but I can still complain. When the sun ceases to shine, the only symptom they list that I regularly exhibit is lethargy. A good hike would cure me, and a cool day is perfect for hiking.

Alas, not today. A person's gotta make a living. I suppose there are people in the world who get paid for hiking, but I'm not one of them.

Perspective

We're standing on what the Thomas Guide calls the "Mount Lowe Mtwy." I don't honestly know what a Mtwy is. Mountainway? Sure, why not?

It's almost sunset. We're looking south and slightly west. Directly beneath us is Altadena; beyond that, the Glendale hills. Downtown Los Angeles rises in the distance (click on the photo to enlarge it).

Electrical towers carry their gracile cables across miles of these mountains. Our local trails meet up with them from time to time. Maybe the Mtwy is there so the towers can be serviced. In turn, it serves an uplifting purpose for a hiker who needs peaceful break from town.