Hike 2014.044 -- Castle Canyon from Lake Avenue

Hiked Wednes-day, August 13. So back in the time machine, again. :D

This was a "bye" date in my jury duty, which I wrapped up back in mid-August. So I took a personal day off from work, and used this as a chance to clear my head.

We had deliberated on Monday and Tuesday, then had the previously-scheduled day off. It was a fortuitous break, as it gave everyone on the jury a chance to decompressed and think about the case we had just heard. Several noted that they were having trouble sleeping the past few nights. And, after hearing that, it occurred to me that I had also had some trouble sleeping. I was thinking it was due to an unrelated matter, but perhaps the case was weighing on my brain, as well.

It also felt good to be exerting myself a little. The problem with things like deliberation, after all, is that all the adrenaline is building up, and it's got no release. Hiking gave me that release.

So, as I hiked, I talked through the facts of the case, and by the time I got back home, was feeling very confident and certain about my decision on the verdict.

The perfect hiking weather helped. Well, having a little more daylight would have been nice. Because of my late start, I didn't have time to make it to Inspiration Point, as was my goal. But, as you can see, I got to within sight of my destination--Probably about 1/3 of a mile away before I had to turn around, and have enough time to get down before dark.

But, of course, when you're hiking, it's all about the journey rather than the destination.

As I was making my way back towards Lake Avenue, the clouds lit up nicely on the western horizon. I snapped several pictures in the deepening twilight.

Maybe eight miles for the afternoon. Perfect end to a a day.

The Sam Merrill Trailhead is at the north end of Lake Avenue, in Altadena. The Sam Merrill takes you up to Echo Mountain. From there, you can continue to Sunset Ridge, Mt. Lowe, or Inspiration Point.

I've linked one of my blog posts for each of those destinations above. Of course, some of those destinations were hiked many times. Just picked the first one that came up as an illustration.