Mishe Mokwa/Sandstone Peak

As you can tell from the comments on Local Hikes, this is a great trail.


It's a nice solid hike, in a loop with lots of variety from tall cliffs to rolling hills. An offshoot of the loop goes to the peak of Sandstone. You can do the ascent at the begining or end of the loop depending on which direction you start out on.

There's a picnic area on the trail, so bring a snack and plan to relax.

A fog rolled in during our trip, which added some dramatic mystery to the landscape, but also blocked our views.



Here we are at the top of Sandstone.

After the hike we had a good lunch at Neptune's Net.

Here's the full photo set.

Memorial Held For Mammoth Ski Patrollers Killed

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. Memorial services were held for three Mammoth Mountain ski patrollers who died last week when they fell into a volcanic gas vent.

Hundreds of people crammed conference rooms at Mammoth yesterday for the 1.5 hour service honoring 37-year-old John "Scott" McAndrews, 35-year-old James Juarez and 58-year-old Charles Walter Rosenthal. Most of the resort's nearly 70 ski patrollers attended the memorial.

Authorities said McAndrews and Juarez were trying to reinforce a fence around the natural hazard when the deep snow, warmed by hot gas, collapsed and they fell into the hole.

Rosenthal died while trying to help his comrades.

Meanwhile, seven other ski patrol members who were injured trying to rescue the victims have been released from hospitals.

Eagle Rock

Back again for one of my favorite hikes.




The trailhead is in Topanga State Park. Look for Entrada Rd. off Topanga Canyon Blvd, south of Ventura towards PCH. If you're going south, it's a sharp left turn.

Take Entrada up for a few minutes and you'll see the driveway to the parking lot. Many people park on the street.

There are two ways to get to Eagle Rock. One is on more exposed fire roads (right rear of parking lot) and the other is over and through wooded areas. I like taking one out and the other back.

There are some offshoot trails worth exploring- Topanga Overlook is nice on a clear day. Santa Ynez Falls is great in the early summer. And you can connect with other trails if you want to go further.

I like the scenery, the variety of terrain, and the people. There are usually a good amount of other friendly hikers, but not too crowded unless a bus full of Cub Scouts is on the trail (which does happen from time to time).

Eagle Rock is a great place to have a snack/lunch or just relax with a great view.