What we’re about
Welcome! This Local Hiking Group is for those of us living on or around the LA county/ OC county border (ie Whittier, La Habra, La Mirada, Santa Fe Springs, Rowland Heights, La Habra Heights, La Puente, Buena Park, Fullerton, Brea, Pico Rivera, Norwalk areas) and don’t wanna drive far for a hike! Of course, you don’t have to come from these cities! If you don’t mind coming aways-away, we’re more than happy to have you! All are welcome!
WHY HIKE?
Hiking is an excellent way to:
-help lose weight
-stay healthy and in shape
-meet people in a low-pressure atmosphere
-maintain better mental health by connection with the outdoors and people
WHEN?
We will go hiking every other Sunday morning (for now) may switch to Saturday mornings once I become available.
TIME?
For now, the hikes will be scheduled at 8AM. But, if enough people prefer to have it at a later time, we can change it.
PUNCTUALITY POLICY
I recommend coming a few minutes early. On each hike, I leave a 10-minute window for time to park and find us. We start walking at 10 after. This way there’s no confusion about when we’ll start walking. Please aim to arrive at the start time (usually 8 AM) or earlier. If you’re running late, I am willing to wait a hot minute before we head out (so long as we know you’re coming) - but we cannot wait past the 10-minute arrival window. We may start walking earlier if everyone is present (that I know of).
PLEASE MESSAGE ME AT MY PHONE NUMBER IF YOU ARE RUNNING LATE AT LEAST FIVE MINUTES BEFORE 8.
Otherwise, I will assume you’re not coming. Unfortunately, I cannot leave my phone number on this platform, but will provide it privately once your RSVP is confirmed.
RSVP POLICY
For ease of management, I had to limit the number of total attendees to a maximum of 15. Therefore, with limited space, I ask everyone to be courteous to their meetup-group neighbors by adjusting your RSVP in a timely manner as soon as you know your plans have changed.
IF YOUR PLANS CHANGE, PLEASE GIVE US THE COURTESY TO ADJUST YOUR RSVP AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO GIVE OTHERS THE CHANCE TO JOIN.
COURTESY TO BIKERS POLICY
Many of the trails have their fair share of bikers. For safety and consideration, I ask everyone to pay attention and call out “bike!” if a biker comes by. We will need to step aside to the edge to let bikers pass. A lot of them travel fast, so its important that we are alert to prevent any accidents.
WHERE?
All of the hiking trails are local to the area. Some are near parks, but most are near the Turnbull Canyon area. Each hiking event will let you know the details of the trail ahead of time.
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
You’re welcome to bring your dog so long as it is on a leash, and can be around other dogs without issue. Please make sure to bring mini trash bags to pick up your doggie’s doo doo.
CAN I BRING A FRIEND?
Yes, I allow 1 guest maximum.
IS THERE A FEE?
No
WHAT TO BRING AND NOT TO BRING:
-1-2 water bottles
-comfortable clothes (I recommend fitness-wear or sweats with sneakers)
-a sweater or jacket
-Please DO NOT bring any heavy purses. If you must bring something to hold extra items, I would recommend either a light-weight backpack, a fanny-pack, or a long-strap-light-weight bag.
-Mini trash bags (if bringing a dog) for poop pick-up.
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY
All of the hiking trails are at a moderate level. If you’re new to hiking, don’t worry! Moderate level is very doable for able-bodied adults, and gives you a bit of a challenge for a decent workout. This is not a marathon or jog. I walk at a fairly slow pace, and may take one or more short breaks as needed. These hikes are ideal for people who are not-the-most physically active, but want to change that. But, of course, hikers of all levels are welcome!
HOW LONG ARE THE HIKES?
These hikes range on how long to complete. Most are about 1-2 hours. So please plan accordingly. There are 40 different hiking trails we will be traversing, starting with the shortest and gradually moving into the longer hiking trails. The longest ones take upwards of 4 hours to complete. We fully intend to finish every hike, but if you decide it’s too long or you don’t have enough time mid-way into it, you are welcome to cut it short and head back the way we came. Better to come for an hour than not at all!
I recommend getting an app called All Trails, which is free to use. It has all of the hiking trails we will be using, and gives you a full navigational layout of the trail with pictures.
EXPECTATIONS:
Since this is a new group, it may take time to get the ball rolling and get a fair number of people to show up consistently. So please be patient if there’s not a high turnout! I usually go hiking every weekend with or without a hiking-buddy, so I just figured, better to go with others than by myself.
If you’re new to hiking, the trails are MEANT to be a bit physically challenging (though not overwhelming). Expect to sweat. If you’re not sweating, it’s not a work-out. Expect to be tired afterwards. You may need a good nap. But don’t let that discourage you from your health and fitness journey. Think of it as an investment into your health. The more you do it, the more endurance you will build and the more energy you will have in the long run. Once you’ve done it every week for a little while, you will no longer feel super tired at the end.
If you want to lose weight, this is only going to help towards one factor of that. Losing weight relies on many factors, most notably a change of diet. Working out without changing your diet will usually not give you the results you’re looking for. Also, we will only be hiking once every other week, and it’s usually recommended to exercise daily. Please consider using this in conjunction with other plans if that is the goal you have in mind.
Since this is a LOCAL hiking group, please don’t expect the most beautiful scenery you’ve ever seen with waterfalls and the like. We may catch some views overlooking the city or some critters, but for the most part these trails are more on the rustic-wilderness side. Sightseeing is not the purpose of this hike.
