Can you believe that March is upon us? I feel like 2018 has been flying by so far! I was starting to put together a fitness recap post for January & February when I realized that I have been busy kicking butt with a lot of great sweat sessions. Yea! I also realized that my hiking workouts have really picked up in recent weeks. In the summer the weather had been so hot inland that I wasn't hiking much. Then we had a lot of super dry weather, SoCal fires, & fire danger keeping parks closed, so I stayed off the trails for most of the fall. Then, I did a ton of traveling towards the end of the year that kept my workouts simple & mostly indoors.... but in January & February, my hiking workouts have been on fire! So instead of talking about all of my recent ... [Read More]
hiking trails
Hiking San Marco’s Double Peak Trail
"I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order." - John Burroughs In September I put together a list of fun things that I wanted to do this autumn, and on that list was the goal of trying out three new hiking trails. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself exploring new trail #2 - even though that's not what I initially set out to do that day. Let me explain: The day started off with me planning on making a return trip with my pup to one of my favorite local hiking areas, Escondido's Elfin Forest, but unfortunately when I got to the park entrance, it was closed due to extremely high fire danger. This was at the same time that the NorCal Sonoma area fires were raging, and since the park is usually open even with high fire danger, it made me a ... [Read More]
The Ho Chi Minh Trail: A Hidden San Diego Gem
One thing that I love about exploring California and all of the places I travel to is finding hidden gems. Sure, I like to see what all of the fuss is about at touristy spots too, but there's something special about experiencing a place that feels like a little treasure, an area unknown to most, a secret spot. A few weekends ago, I went on my most recent San Diego hidden gem adventure. Nestled in the multi-million dollar mansions of La Jolla lies the Ho Chi Minh trail. The hike leads down to Black's Beach - a secluded spot that partly attracts local surfers, and partly attracts people that come for freedom from clothing at the nude beach. Over the bunch of years that I've lived in California, I've hiked most of the San Diego area trails, but I only heard of Ho Chi Minh very ... [Read More]
My 7 Favorite Hikes in San Diego County
Since I moved to California 7 1/2 years ago (cannot believe it's been that long!), I've become an avid hiker. Hitting the trails offers a workout, stress relief, time in nature, and exercise for my dog all at once. I've realized that hiking is also a spiritual experience for me. It leaves me feeling centered, grateful, and connected to the earth. I believe in the interconnectedness of everything in life, and hiking seems to always remind me of that. It's also a lovely chance to practice mindfulness. I can only describe it as losing myself for a few hours to really find myself. Hiking just with my trail buddy, my pup, also gives me time and space to clear my head. There's always so much going on - lots of noise, distractions, and busyness - but on the trails, everything sort ... [Read More]
Three Sisters Waterfall Hike {2017 Edition} + An Afternoon of Wine in Temecula
Hi friends! Hope that your week is off to a nice start! Did you have Monday off of work for Presidents Day? I had off from my publicist job, and actually didn't do work for any of my jobs whatsoever. I think I only answered one email the entire day, which was nice! My long weekend was a great one, so today I'm rewinding it back a few days. On Saturday while my hubby studied for an MBA exam all day, I took care of a lot of freelance & blogging stuff. I also ran a couple of errands, including a trip to Michaels to pick up a frame for a new addition to my travel-themed workout room. The artist of this San Diego Modern Map Art was nice enough to send me a print, and I think it goes perfectly in my workout room. The room is full of canvas art and memorabilia of my travels, and ... [Read More]
Thanksgiving Weekend 2016: Hiking Iron Mt, Relaxing & Feeling Grateful!
"Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." - D. Waitley If you're in America or Canada, I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I also hope that your weekends were full of fun and relaxation like mine was! Today I'm backing it up to the start of my glorious 4-day weekend. We decided to stay in town for the long weekend. My hubby had off for the week from his MBA schooling, so with little work on our agendas, we were free to do whatever we wanted! On Thanksgiving I love to do an outdoor workout with my little family before the holiday festivities. By going hiking, we all get a workout in and get to enjoy the outdoors together! This year we elected to head to ... [Read More]