Man you guys are pretty awesome!
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FROM SGV TRIBUNE!
Arcadia hiker takes huge step in 2009
By Rebecca Kimitch Staff Writer
Posted: 01/11/2010 09:31:16 PM PST
Eight months ago, Kolby Kirk made a pledge many people are probably contemplating at the start of this new year. He vowed to take off the pounds he had "somehow gotten into the habit of putting on," as he puts it.
But he didn't sign up for a gym membership, or buy a cheap elliptical machine off of a late-night television infomercial.
Instead, he vowed to take 100 hikes before the end of 2009. That breaks down to a hike every two and a half days - no small task.
He succeeded.
And in the process he not only lost 25 pounds, he found piece of mind and rediscovered the great outdoors that lie only a few miles from his Arcadia home.
"It has changed my perception of the outdoors, I have the utmost respect for it," he said.
And it his has helped of perception on life, more generally, by regularly clearing his mind of the stresses and strains of daily life.
Kirk says a friend of his puts it best: "Hiking is like an Etch A Sketch for the mind. It clears everything out."
Kirk said it was important to him to set a number-based goal, something that could be divided up over time - one hike every two and a half days.
"If someone says, this year I'm going to lose weight, that is tough to do. What does that mean? Even if you say, 10 pounds, that is difficult. But if you say I'm going to do this and this and this to get to that goal over time, it's easier," he said.
By defining a hike as two
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miles or longer, he hiked 417 miles.
His hiking path has taken him to Oregon, Utah, Chile and Bolivia, but he also found some of his favorite hikes right next door in the San Gabriel Mountains and their foothills.
"As the saying goes, the farther one goes, the less one knows - the more I hiked in the Angeles, the more I realized the less I knew about hiking in the area," he said. "We
are so fortunate to have so many hikes in the area."
So, after dozens of hikes in the nearby forest, what are his favorite spots?
Monrovia Canyon Park is a good introductory trail, great for kids
and dogs, with a wealth of wildlife and a waterfall at the end of one trail, Kirk said.
Big Dalton Dam Trail, above
Glendora is a well-groomed trail
that is great for bird lovers.
And Icehouse Canyon Trail in the Mount Baldy area is a great trail for nature and wildlife, as well as offering glimpses of historical structures, though it is a bit more difficult,
Kirk said.
He said San Gabriel Valley residents can easily find out about the wealth of hikes a short drive in the mountains they see every day at modernhiker.com or by subscribing to trails.com. He has also documented his own hikes on 100hikes.com.
And folks who are unsure about endeavoring into the hills on their own can help Kirk fulfill one of the new goals he has set for 2010 - hiking with 150 people who haven't been on a hike in awhile or ever.
His advice for people just getting started?
"Take a hike. And I mean that in the best way," he said. "A lot of
people tell me all the time about hiking and travel, `I hope to do that someday.' Well, I say when? Write
it down on your calendar and then do it." [/u][/b]