These Boots Aren’t Made For Walking
Published June 25th, 2007So yesterday I ventured out with a friend into the Angeles National Forest, to hike the Arroyo Seco from Altadena to Oakwilde. Technically, our plan was to make it all the way up to Switzer Falls, but that will have to do some other time. Up to Switzer and back would have been around 19 miles. If we had planned, we’d have parked a car at the top and hiked up to that, then drove back. Some other time. So instead we went to Oakwilde, a picnic area 5 miles up from the trailhead. So a 10 mile hike.
What a great place to hike, even in summer it is doable! There are a few stretches where there is no cover and the sun just beats down on you, but the rest of it is a trail right through forest. Not many “vista” type views, but a lot of excellent little places to hang out by the stream. There’s all kinds of old ruins from homes long ago, road and bridgeworks. There is a pretty cool - and high - dam along the way. And while it is a 900 foot elevation change from the trailhead to Oakwilde, you really don’t notice it. You do have to make a fairly steep climb to get past the dam area though. But other than that, it’s the most gentle 10 mile hike you can imagine. I didn’t take a ton of pictures, but I did take some. I’m still going through them, I should post them in a couple days or so.
The unfortunate part of this hike is that today, I almost cannot walk. My boots were just miserably uncomfortable, I really have to get new ones. I have very large blisters so I feel like I’m walking on rocks right now, except on my upper heel where one popped. All my shoes seem to rub right there, so when walking in shoes I feel like someone is trying to saw through my achilles tendon. It’s NO fun.
Back to work, trying to stay off my feet as much as possible today, though I will be stopping at the drug store on the way home to get some bandages and some neosporin. Then, when my feet get back to normal - new hiking boots.
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