The Solitude of Sandstone Peak

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Lately I’ve been starving for the outdoors so I finally committed and made plans to do a solo hike on the 4th of July (pardon the delayed writeup). What better way to celebrate our country than to explore its wild outdoors, right? So I looked through Weekend Sherpa for some hiking inspiration and decided on Sandstone Peak. If you aren’t familiar, Weekend Sherpa is an awesome outdoors resource for Northern and Southern California, and they’re also hosting an Adventure Challenge until September. So check it out!

Sandstone Peak. Holy shiz. I actually started drafting this post right after I finished the hike, so the throbbing in my thighs was still quite present at the time. I consider myself to be in fairly good shape and I’m not a stranger to hiking but it definitely gave me the kick I was looking for. The direct hike from the parking lot to Sandstone Peak is roughly 3 miles but there is another route that is much more scenic and also takes you to Sandstone peak. However, it’s more than twice the distance of the direct route. So thank goodness for Casey (Modern Hiker), Yelp and Google in helping me successfully navigate the trail!

I’ve gotten so used to constantly being around people that it made me forget how to be on my own and be okay with that. I wanted Sandstone Peak to be a day of zen with just me and my thoughts. No social media, no partying, no distractions. Ten minutes into the hike and it was more apparent than ever how comfortable I had become in relying on others to fill the void. The complete silence almost hurt my ears and the lack of human presence made me anxious and paranoid.

I won’t lie and say I had a huge revelation or epiphany of any kind, but it did help me realize how dependent I had become on others. I spent 80% of the hike feeling nervous that at any given moment some animal or deranged psychopath would drag me away into the bushes. It made me sad after when I realized what a bubble I had been living in, but it was a first step in the right direction to push myself outside of comfort. I want to be independent and adventurous, but confident in knowing how to take care of myself. What’s life if you’re constantly living in fear or waiting on others?

Overall it was a challenging but beautiful hike. You will stand in awe at the tops of Inspiration Point and Sandstone Peak and forget all your thoughts and worries in that split second, and I assure you it is all worth it. I would definitely come back again but probably earlier so I could enjoy the views alone (Sandstone Peak is the only part of the hike where I actually saw people. Noisy people -_-). If you are interested in the hike and want more details on how to get there and conquer it, leave a comment or email me and I’ll be happy to help!

Living My Own LA Story.

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Even though I’ve lived in southern California for pretty much my entire life, I’m still completely obsessed with it. Anytime Los Angeles is referenced to, it stirs a feeling of pride within me and I get so giddy. It’s actually kind of ridiculous. And despite my time here, I still have so much more to explore…but that’s for future posts :)

I think some people have such a negative stigma towards LA because they think of it only as the breeding grounds for a superficial culture and crappy traffic, etc. But when it comes down to it, people obviously just love to hate Angelenos and are intimidated by the superior lifestyle here. (jkcalmdown)

In case you weren’t aware, LA is a huge territory that encompasses much more than the celeb tabloids. Enter the westside, or more specifically, Marina Del Rey, Venice, and Malibu. Even though these places are all so close to one another, they each have such different personalities. In Marina Del Rey you can visit the  eight different harbor basins or run along the Ballona Creek Bike Path that takes you into Playa Del Rey or Culver City.

Venice hosts a variety of characters where you can shop along the hipster-trendy Abbot Kinney, or soak up some sun and enjoy the boardwalk entertainment as you make your way towards the Venice Beach Pier. And finally, in Malibu you can picnic at picturesque beach spots, dine at Yelp-worthy seafood restaurants with killer views, or visit a winery or museum if you’re in a fancy mood.

Alls I’m saying is that LA has more to offer than just glitz and glam. Like I said earlier, even I’m still discovering unknown parts of this lovely city, and I’ll be sure to share more adventures along the way. What are your favorite spots in LA?