Experiencing L.A. - Costal Fog & Paseo Miramar Trail at Sunrise, Pacific Palisades (Part 2)

Looking for a workout? A chance to experience L.A. in perhaps a totally different way? Then perhaps the Paseo Miramar trail over in Pacific Palisades is for you!

Hard to believe, but the Paseo Miramar trail is all within Los Angeles city limits. Located in the Pacific Palisades district of L.A. this hike offers views of the mountains, hillside homes, the city, and the ocean. And in the spring and early summer, while the rest of the city is blanketed under June Gloom, coastal fog. 

Time in right and you'll catch the sunrise. 

There's no "bad" time of the year to go,  but experiencing the fog up against the Santa Monica mountains can be pretty spectacular. 

The same view, more of a wide angle shot. Los Angeles experiences a weather phenominon referred to as "June Gloom" in the spring and early summer. As a result, at the beach it can be sunnier - and even warmer - in January than June. In the distance, barely visible, is the outline of the San Garbriel Mountains. 

Same view, wider view. 

Fog, hillsides, palm tree, sunrise. 

On a clear day, this would be looking towards the Santa Monica Bay and Pacific Ocean. Instead, simply an amazing sea of fog. 

The Paseo Miramar trailhead is located at the top of Paseo Miramar, off of Sunset Blvd, 1/2 mile north of Sunset Blvd and the PCH. Thanks to being listed in numerous websites, including the Los Angeles Times "10 Essential Hikes" - this is a very popular hike. Parking is on the street. As stated last week, please keep the noise down and respect the quiet of the neighborhood (no one wants to be woken up by a group of friends meeeting at the trailhead early Saturday morning). 

© 2014 www.experiencingla.com

Fog

The coastal fog up against the Santa Monica mountains can make for some great photos.

These pictures were taken over several Saturday mornings last summer on both the east and west ridges of Temescal Canyon in Topanga State Park.

On an clear day, the Santa Monica Bay and much of the city of Los Angeles would be visible from these trails. Instead, very low coastal fog (topping off at about 1000-1200 ft) blocked everything below from view.


Seeing the swirling shapes and patterns of the fog rolling up the canyons was (and is) simply breathtaking.


It's also very temporal.

Hiking along these ridges, I was reminded where New Testament describes as our lives in the same way ... as a mist, a vapor.

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

As a teenager (and in my twenties) I tended to live as if I'd live forever. Of course, I'd never had actually said that. But actions speak louder than words.

Now a couple years short of fifty, I'm realizing how brief and temporal our lives on earth really are. In light of eternity our lives are a blink of an eye. As I'm commented elsewhere in this blog, I want to leave a legacy in the lives of others in terms of how I invest my time, my resources, and my abilities.


Lord willing, that'll happen, with a few hikes thrown in. Coastal fog and all.

..