What to do?

Today I did not expect to be taking a hike, but thats what ended up happening.  Ladyface is a mountain down the street from my house that my friends and I have been hiking and exploring since we were kids... It is a place that I often go when I just need to get away for a minute. My original plan was to head down to a creek near my house and fish for about an hour, I left my house at 6:00 PM.  That plan quickly changed when I got to a spot on the creek that was completely filled with trash and other debris from the tiny "rain" we got a few days ago... Just didn't look fun.  So, I decided a quick hike up to a ridge overlooking the valley below the peak of this little mountain called Ladyface would be the way I would end up spending my evening.  Good plan.

I got to a spot on the ridge that I like to stop at and survey the little valley below for wildlife.  There are a surprising number of good sized bucks on this mountain, probably because of the year round creek near by, and my plan was to try and spot one of these elusive guys.  After about ten minutes of glassing the valley and base of the mountain, I spotted what I was after.  A decent buck, probably 2-3 years old with a decent set of forks.  He was grazing at the base of a hill about 200 yards from where I was sitting, and after about ten minutes of watching, he slipped behind a hill and I could no longer see him.  I wanted to get another look at him, so I made my way a little further up the ridge, encountering this guy along the way...

Tarantula

Upon reaching a higher vantage on the ridge top, I was still unable to see the buck.  So I made the decision that I would try to descend into the valley and attempt to stalk up on this guy.  After about 30 minutes, I had covered the roughly 200 yards between the ridge and where I had last seen the deer.  I stopped at the base of the small hill he had dissapeared behind and listened.  After a few minutes I heard a slight movement in the bushes just over the hill.  I slowly moved up a little higher, the buck heard me and raised his head so that I could clearly see his eyes and antlers about 30 feet ahead of me in the brush.  I stood as still as possible while he stared at me, after about 30 seconds he dipped his head back down and continued to feed.  I was so into just watching him, that I forgot I had my camera out to get a picture.  By the time I realized my camera was in my hand, he had grown weary of me.  As I raised the camera to snap a photo, he realized I was standing right there and bolted into the brush as fast as he could possibly move.  I watched him bound up the side of the mountain, and then made my way back to my car as the sun went down.

Sunset on the valley.

A little angry...

So, this is LA county/city, whatever, we have some scumbags living around here and they like to do some stupid shit, excuse my french.  Graffiti and trash are as common a sight driving to some of my favorites places as the beauty that exists when I finally get "away from it all."  The thing that angers me today is the fact that even though my travels brought me to a lightly traveled, semi-remote section of canyon near a residential neighborhood where you almost can just feel that sense of solitude that being out there brings, there it is... An illegal campsite five feet from a creek, trash of all kinds everywhere, a tent as well as one lying on the ground in pieces, lighter fluid and propane containers floating in the water... I could go on for days, and to top it off a smoldering fire on a slab rock with no one to be found anywhere around.  I spent some time documenting the sight and piling the trash into their one standing tent before i left a "kind" note.  

I am still angry as I sit here and write this, which is probably why my grammar etc.. isn't the best right now, and also why i am going to stop talking and let the pictures express my feelings before this post turns pretty foul... 

Sorry for the short, and angry description, hopefully (some) of the pictures will give you an idea of how beautiful this place truly is, and once was...

I hate you.

Little guy.

Nice Spot.

And here is all the trash...

Top Ramen, toilet paper, you name it. Even propane and lighter fluid canisters floating in the creek.   

Trash for days...

Fire pit with smoldering fire in the crack about ten feet from the creek.  Pots and lighter fluid canisters etc...

What this spot SHOULD look like...

Pretty much sums the people up.  S***holes.
Oh and this hole sits about 6 feet from the creek.

My nice note...

Placed on the guitar I wanted to smash into pieces (the wood would have been the only "natural" trash left.) 

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Area(s):

Today I was on my way home from work, and decided to take a drive down a road that I had known about for a while but never got around to checking out. And I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  I only had a brief time to explore, but from what I did see, I would have to say that I will definitely be heading back up this way fairly soon.  

The rock formations in this hidden little canyon are extraordinary!  There are canyons, caves, and crevices to explore everywhere you turn.  I was convinced I was going to find my first rock art site today, but that did not pan out.  However, I am sure that with some further expeditions/exploration I will come across something at some point. 

Here are some photos from the day: 

Rock overhang with flattened work/living area

Another view of the Rock Overhang

Rocks for days...

Possible Rock Art? (Heavily Degraded)

Some more shelter looking things...

Awesome Views

Hello everyone,
My name is Ryan and this is my blog.  I enjoy everything about the outdoors and this blog will definitely be a strong reflection on that, and the many activities that get me out there (hiking, backpacking, fishing...).  I am relatively young, 24, and still plan on doing/seeing much of what this amazing planet has to offer me.  Since there is so much right here in my "backyard," I do however feel a certain urge to spend most of my time here seeing what I have always wondered about. So, most of what you read here will be about Southern California, mainly the Santa Monica Mountains and Los Padres National Forest, but occasionally other hobbies take me to the coast and the inland lakes and reservoirs around the area.  Hopefully I don't bore you too much, otherwise you shouldn't be reading this, it is a free country. Anyway, enough of that, here are some of the things that I enjoy so much about being outside...