The directors of the Community Hiking Club are a special, dedicated group of people. They work all year long to help us achieve our goals and ask for nothing in return. So, once a year, as executive director of the group, I try to do something special for them. This year, I created a themed dinner for...

One of my dearest friends has dementia. I believe it to be Alzheimer’s disease, although he refuses to seek help for a diagnosis. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and causes memory problems that begin slowly and then become so overwhelming that one cannot perform the simplest of tasks. Alzheimer’s...

Spring is here, with summer weather not too far behind. That means we all spend more time outside, hiking, bike riding, playing ball and so many other wonderful outdoor forms of play and exercise. It also means rattlesnakes come out. Encounters with these slithery creatures are inevitable. Rattlesnakes...

Cats are amazing animals. Any cat owner will tell you this. But did you know cats can increase your life span? There is medical research that backs this up. Forget that apple a day to keep the doctor away. Get a cat. People with cats actually visit a doctor less often than people who don’t indulge...

The National Park Service released its study earlier this month on the Rim of the Valley Corridor and is holding a meeting in Newhall for Santa Clarita, Agua Dulce, Castaic and Acton residents on May 5 in Hart Hall at Hart Park from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will be the first of a round of meetings that will...

What comes to mind when you think of the desert? Dry? No-man’s land? Prickly plants? Cactus? Joshua trees? No water? Have you ever seen a desert candle? It is my favorite desert flower, and it is one of hundreds of spring flowers that fill the desert floor with beauty. You can see these if you ever...

The ghost town of Kelso is located on Kelbaker Road in the middle of the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. The Kelso train depot was built in 1905, following the Union Pacific’s desire to link rich markets in California...

John Muir, so famous for his conservation work in California, was born in Scotland in 1838. Muir was adventurous, even at an early age, and loved the outdoors. At age 10, his family moved to Wisconsin, and Muir continued to explore the outdoors. Muir attended the University of Wisconsin where he studied...

The California Department of Highways began building the old Ridge Route in 1914. The road was meant to unite Southern and Northern California and keep the two sections of the state together, instead of the warring factions dividing it into two states. It was considered an engineering miracle in the...

Hypothermia is something we rarely think about in California. After all, most of us are “freezing” when the temperature is around 60 degrees. However, I’ve seen the results of hypothermia on climbing trips, and in the mountains in winter, even in California. If ever you leave the comfort of your...