Charmlee Moonlight Hike

Charmlee Moonlight Hike - 07
Originally uploaded by dewelch

The cooler temperatures finally provided and opening to get back into the outdoors yesterday. A few weeks ago I check out the Santa Monica Mountains Outdoors Guide and noted anything interesting in my calendar. The Full Moon is always a busy weekend for outdoor activities and I noticed that Charmlee Wilderness Park in Malibu was having their monthly moonlight hike. We have been to this park many times in the past and it is relatively easy to get to from the Valley.

I gathered up some friends, new and old, and we headed out. Right around sunset we headed out into the main part of the park, looking to arrive at the south bluff just as the sun went down. As you can see from these pictures, our timing ended up working out quite well. We watched the sunset for a while. taking lots of pictures and chatting. (Click the picture for more photos of our trip) Then, as darkness fell, we made our way back to the trailhead. It always amazes me how much light is shed by the full moon. We cast dark shadows on the trail and our eyes adjusted to the point where we could easily make our way.

After our hike I decided to show some new friends a little bit of Malibu proper on our drive home. As we approached the newly refurbished Malibu Pier I remembered I had wanted to stop and check it out on several earlier occasions. This seemed the perfect time for a spur-of-the-moment visit, so we walked the pier, took some more pictures and then had dinner a Ruby's Diner, situated at the very end of the pier.

It was a wonderful night and a perfect re-introduction to the hiking season. I plan on getting out more this Fall and taking my son, and my friends, to some of my favorite spots. In fact, once the Angeles National Forest fully re-opens, I will be one of the first to visit, bringing along my friends to show them how the forest recovers after a large fire.

Join us for a hike sometimes. I will put notices here whenever we have some advance notice of an upcoming hike that I think might interest you. You can also join the WelchWrite Mailing List to get these notices and more. See you on the trail!

Events: Ranger guided hike - Vasquez Rocks Natural Area - Every Sunday

Ranger guided hike

Contributed by: Vasquez Rocks Natural Area

What: A park ranger will lead a nature hike through the park the second, third, fourth (and sometimes fifth) Sunday of each month. The hikes last approximately one hour. Meet at the park office. For information, call (661) 268-0840.

Where: Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Road, Agua Dulce

When: 11 a.m.

(Via Valley News.com)

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Event: AnimalBytes at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge - This Sunday

My friend, Keri, posted this event to her blog and podcast, Animalbytes. We attended last year and had a great time. Heck, it's so close we could ride our bikes there. Watch the video from last year's walk! -- Douglas

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AnimalBytes at Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge

Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 8:00 AM

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count. AnimalBytes will be at the Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge.

Bring your binoculars and Come Join Us.

We will be counting birds for Cornell University Lab of Ornithology. Last year we documented over 100 double-crested cormorants, flocks of red-winged blackbirds and a kettle of turkey vultures. The Sepulveda Dam area brings together water fowl and song birds. This year we hope to tally even more individual birds and species.

We will meet at the cement sign at the north entrance to the wildlife area between 7:45 AM and 8:00 AM.

The Sepulveda Wildlife Refuge is accessible from the 405 FWY, the 101 FWY and the Metro Orange Line (Woodley Station).

To access the parking area, enter the park from Woodley at the same driveway as the Japanese Gardens. Stay to the right and follow the road east along the wall. The road ends at a parking area with a public restroom. The cement sign and the entrance path are just before you come to the public restroom. Well-behaved children are always welcome, they have the best eyes and are our next generation of conservationists.

You can count at home in you backyard too.

Remember Every Bird Counts.
For more information about GBBC and to enter your own bird counts go to the GBBC Website

(Via AnimalBytes.)