A Hike into Icehouse Canyon

This morning my buddy Ryan drove out to Claremont to visit me. It is always a privilege to have people come out to my hometown (or boonie land if you will), because Claremont is really a one-of-a-kind city. It is akin to a small town in the Midwest where everyone knows everyone else, but it's in Los Angeles County and liberal.

When Ryan arrived my mom was getting mad at me about something she wanted me to do but I had already said no. (It's really hard for me to maintain boundaries when relating to my parents. But I'm working on letting my yes's be yes and my no's be no.) So just as we were leaving home I had all these pent-up emotions that needed to be unleashed in a healthy manner. Hiking was the perfect solution.

Instead of going on my usual Claremont Hills Wildnerness Trail, we explored Angeles National Forest via the Icehouse Canyon Trail. The entire hike is 7 miles roundtrip, with the destination being the Icehouse Saddle (7555'). We never made it to the top. Instead, we got overly engrossed in our conversation about the absurdity of fundamentalist Christianity and went off trail for a good half mile. By the time we realized that we were probably not where we needed to be, we had already jumped over a rushing creek, tripped and fell over loose rocks (Ryan, mostly), and discovered a nest of two-spotted ladybugs right under our feet.

Attempting to rediscover the trail was not as easy as we thought. Perhaps because I was still feeling emotionally-charged, I led us down the side of the mountain in what felt like a reckless rampage. Good thing neither of us got hurt - although I did fall into the creek for a split second. This was right after we read a sign about the New Zealand mudsnails in the water that are capable of reproducing thousands of embryos per female per year. With the mudsnails in mind, Ryan coerced me into taking off my wet sock and putting on a dry sock that he had diligently prepared in his kidney pack. What a great friend.

Two and half hours later we found ourselves down the mountain and eating at one of my favorite high school lunch spots, Saca's. Then we treated ourselves to a dark chocolate chip cookie for me and vegan apple bran muffin for Ryan at Some Crust Bakery, another beloved eatery in Claremont.

It was a lovely and adventurous day. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Ryan, who I hadn't seen since late March during his visit to New York. One of the things I appreciate most about Ryan is that he is able to logically explain and put into words the things I feel in my gut. It's good to know that in times when I don't even trust myself, there's a friend who believes in me and helps me make sense of my feelings.