Below are the requirements I completed for the Hiking Badge
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“Complete one 5-mile hike.” This was the hike, hiking Juanita Cooke Trail via Laguna Lake Park. 4/30/2020 |
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“Complete three 10-mile hikes.” This was the first, hiking half of Hoegee’s Loop and back. 2/8/2020 |
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“Complete three 10-mile hikes.” This was the second, hiking to the Bridge to Nowhere and back. 2/15/2020 |
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| “Complete three 10-mile hikes.” This was the third, a Chileno Canyon there-and-back hike.
4/23/2020 |
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| “Complete one 15-mile hike.” Hiking Joshua Tree’s Boy Scout Trail.
3/14/2020
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“Plan and complete one 20-mile hike in one day.” Warner Springs to Eagle Rock and beyond via the PCT. 5/21/2020
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| Extra Credit Hike #1 – 10 miles. Cloudburst Summit to Cooper Canyon Falls and beyond. This was the first hike where we started downhill. We dropped in 1800 feet before climbing another 300 and turning around for the return hike. Yeah, it was pretty brutal.
5/14/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #2 – 5 miles. Lizzie’s Trail Inn to First Water.
7/2/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #3 – 5 miles. After kayaking through Antelope Canyon, we beached our kayaks and continued on foot. We hiked 2.5 miles up the slot canyon and turned around when it got dark.
10/8/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #4 – 6 miles. We hiked around and inside of the beautiful Bryce Canyon. This hike had a lot of elevation for the length of the hike and it was much more difficult than we expected.
10/10/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #5 – 5.6 miles. We hiked the Echo Mountain Loop in a clockwise direction. We quickly encountered a difficult uphill stretch that lasted over a mile. After this stretch, we were left in the clouds and we headed down the mountain and finished the last hour in the dark.
11/6/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #6 – 6.2 miles. We hiked the Colby Canyon Trail, going about 3/4 of a mile past the Josephine Saddle. The first 2 miles were pretty much straight uphill and it was very difficult. It got dark about halfway back along the trail and we finished with our headlamps on.
11/25/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #7 – 5 miles. We hiked Hoyt Mountain via Grizzly Flats. This hike was uphill for the entire first half, and when we were about to peak, it suddenly became super difficult! After we hit the top, we hiked downhill the rest of the way and just barely made it back before dark.
12/26/2020 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #8 – 2.5 miles. We hiked up the Eureka Dunes in Death Valley. This hike was on intense sand dunes all the way to the peak. The final stretch had us constantly bombarded by flying sand and intense wind.
3/5/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #9 – 3 miles. We hiked through the Mosaic Canyon in Death Valley. This hike was uphill until we reached a point that was difficult to pass. We decided to turn around and hike back, this time downhill.
3/6/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #10 – 5 miles. Lizzie’s Trail Inn to First Water (Again).
3/13/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #11 – 4 miles. We were originally going to do the Boy Scout Trail hike, but we decided it would be more fun to explore around the huge rock formations, so we explored for just over 4 miles.
4/2/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #12 – 1 mile. We saw a sign marking an extra-short hike to an observation point and decided to follow it. What we found was a brutal half-mile hike completely uphill in the hot sun. Luckily for us, it was still early in the morning and we were not at peak temperature yet.
5/15/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #13 – 4 miles. We hiked The Slot in the Anza-Borrego State Park, but we ended up starting the hike going in the wrong direction and doing an extra mile of uphill hiking in the desert heat. We found the slot canyon and finished in just under 2.5 hours.
5/15/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #14 – 9 miles. We hiked uphill to get to Marble Falls. The trail up was very difficult and just under 100 degrees at the hottest part of the day, which was when we hiked it! The falls were dried up because of the drought, but this did lead to some awesome smaller falls and a nice pool that we could swim in! After swimming and filtering water, we hiked down to a warmer river and swam a bit more!!
7/15/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #15 – 9 miles. We hiked the Giant Forest Loop in the Sequoia National Park . The Sequoia Trees were magnificent, and the meadow we saw was beautiful. The hike was surprisingly difficult for more of a scenic hike, and we ended up covering 1500 feet of elevation. There weren’t many bugs, and when the sun started to set, animals came out and we saw marmots, chipmunks, and birds.
7/16/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #16 – 4.5 miles. We returned to the Deep Creek Hot Springs and did a day-hike on the same route as our first Deep Creek hike. We hiked in about 1.5 miles and hung out for a bit until some other people arrived and we decided to move on to the next spot half a mile down for swimming. After we swam for a bit and did the last of my Swimming Badge requirements, we took a nap and headed back.
8/28/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #17 – 2 miles. While we were camping out in Red Rock, we went on this quick 2-mile hike. We waited until it started to cool down, and then we set out on the Desert View Nature Trail. The coolest thing we saw on this hike was a little rattlesnake that slowly scooted away from us into a hole. While we were trying to get back, it started to get dark before we found our way back, so we had to follow a poorly marked trail back around the ridge to get to our campsite.
8/28/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #18 – 5.5 miles. We once again hiked the Echo Mountain loop, this time with a family friend. While last time we finished it in the dark, this time we hiked it early in the morning, and it was a lot warmer. This hike is the perfect difficulty and length for us, and it’s super convenient, being only about 20 minutes away from our house.
10/15/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #19 – 2.5 miles. On our second Red Rock camping trip this year, this time with friends, we went on a similar hike as last time. We started on the same trail, but we went further down the valley. We skipped the place we went up before and had to try multiple different routes before finding a way back to our site.
11/6/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #20 – 5.5 miles. We went to Sedona to do some hiking, and the first hike we did was Soldier’s Pass. We had a different hike planned, but we chose this one because it was recommended by the owner of the Airbnb that we stayed at for our first night. It had more elevation than we expected, and it was different from our other hikes because it was raining for the second half. We finished in the dark and the rain.
12/9/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #21 – 5 miles. After camping for the night, we went for another hike and were fortunate in that it was now sunny. We hiked a loop around the Courthouse Butte. Throughout the hike, the clouds looked amazing. In our panoramic pictures they wrap around the frame for even more beautiful views.
12/10/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #21 – 4 miles. We initially planned to hike in the mountains, but we had two cars and couldn’t find parking. We instead went to hike Paradise Cove to Point Dume, which was just a few miles away.
12/10/2021 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #22 – 2 miles. We headed up to Joshua Tree to hike to Heart Rock and Arch Rock. We ended up just exploring around Arch Rock.
1/7/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #23 – 8.5 miles. We hiked the Boy Scout Trail again, but this time we brought friends and multiple cars so that we could just hike from South to North, which was the mostly downhill direction.
1/8/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #24 – 12 miles. We drove up to Las Vegas so that we could hike the Grand Circle Loop in Red Rock Canyon. We were lucky to have hiked counter-clockwise, because we finished with a nice smooth downhill in the dark. For the first half of the hike, we were going somewhat slowly and admiring the red rocks, but once we got to the halfway point, we took a break and powered through the downhill portion. When we got back to the parking lot, it was dark and the gates were locked. We managed to get out though, with some help.
2/18/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #25 – 4 miles. While we were camping in Monte Cristo, we went on a quick hike. We initially intended to hike for about 6 miles, but when we got 2 miles in, we were starting to get hungry and turned around so that we could cook food back at camp.
3/30/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #26 – 8 miles. We decided to hike Icehouse Canyon until we reached the saddle, where it became difficult to continue because of snow, even though we were in a heat wave! We hiked with a friend and his dog, and where we had taken a turn last time we were here when we were backpacking, we continued straight to reach the top in a difficult 8 mile hike.
4/9/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #27 – 7.5 miles. We hiked Devil’s Gate via Flint Canyon. We started relatively late in the day, so when we got to the start of the loop, the frogs were out and we watched and even got to rescue a couple from the street! We continued walking along the loop and finished just a bit after it got dark.
5/20/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #28 – 5 miles. We hiked the Methuselah trail in the Ancient Bristlecone Pines Forest, containing the oldest known living things on the planet. This hike was at 10,000 feet of elevation, and some of the uphill parts got us very winded.
8/13/2022 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #29 – 6 miles. We hiked the Bane Canyon Loop, which is a nice 6 mile loop covered in mustard plants. We woke up early to start at 7 am, and finished after about 4 hours. For this hike, we were joined by a few friends to spice up the experience!
4/22/2023 |
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Extra Credit Hike #30 – 4 miles. We hiked the Lower Arroyo Seco Loop, a local 4-mile loop. We woke up in the morning and started hiking at around 8 am, and because the loop was pretty short, we got back at about 10:30. This hike was a short and easy hike, it had very little elevation change and it was only a 20 minute drive away. 5/6/2023 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #31 – 10 miles. We hiked to the Brown Mountain Dam Waterfall. We got up at 7 AM and after a quick half-hour drive, we were ready for our hike. Luckily, the whole hike only had about 600 feet of elevation, but our legs were still demolished from this hike.
8/3/2023 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #32 – 4 miles. We hiked the Eaton Canyon Trial with friends. We started in the afternoon, and even decided to take a nap about a mile in. After a few hours on the trail, we reached the waterfall at the end. However, it was getting late, so we hiked back after taking a couple of pictures.
8/3/2023 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #33 – 3.5 miles. We hiked the Mount Wilson to First Water Trail. We brought our friends along at 6 A.M. to catch the sunrise, and we were initially expecting to not go very far, but we made it all the way to the first showing of water before turning back!
10/7/2023 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #34 – 4 miles. We hiked around the Huntington Gardens with family. We spent around 4 hours exploring the gardens and admiring the beautiful plant life.
12/9/2023 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #35 – 6.5 miles. We hiked a Joshua Tree loop with friends! Along the hike, we encountered some interesting caves, including one that used to be a living space! Overall, this was a very fun hike to end the year with!
12/30/2023 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #36 – 2 miles. This trip wasn’t so much of a hike as a stroll, but we still covered two miles at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area. We brought a friend along and explored the area, coming back with our feet totally soaked by trekking through wet grass.
3/9/2024 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #37 – 5.5 miles. We once again returned to Eaton Canyon to do the Echo Mountain Loop, and brought along a friend to hike with us. This hike has around 1700 feet of elevation gain, so it was a brutal hike up. Once we reached the top of Echo Mountain, though, it was smooth sailing back down, and a great morning hike overall. We even got a light drizzle near the end to cap off the morning, and got back around one in the afternoon.
5/4/2024 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #38 – 2.5 miles. While on our Tabletop Mountain Camping Trip, we decided to do a hike around camp, which totaled to around 2.5 miles.
5/30/2024 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #39 – 2 miles. While driving towards Lake Powell, we got a few extra short hikes in inside of the Valley of Fire. While hiking, it was well over 100 degrees, literally so hot that my shoes melted apart! Originally, we had 3 hikes planned, but while driving towards the third hike, an “incident” occured involving a shooting by a ranger that caused the police to block it off, forcing us to turn around and settle for only two hikes, which none of us objected to due to the blistering heat.
7/10/2024 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #40 – 3.5 miles. While on our Lake Powell Kayaking Trip, we hiked past where we beached our kayaks. We had hiked this trail before, but this time it was significantly different because of the decrease in water level. Because of this, we attempted to find the beach that we parked at before, but we were not able to completely discern where it was.
7/11/2024 |
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| Extra Credit Hike #41 – 5 miles. This hike had been planned for a while, as we mainly did this hike to pick blackberries by the San Gabriel River. We initially intended to bike instead of hike, but when we got there, we were prohibited from entering with our bikes due to construction work nearby. After around 2 miles of hiking, we got to a perfect spot by the river and picked an insane 14 pounds of wild blackberries, which we ate over the next few weeks.
8/8/2024 |
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ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS COMPLETED
In addition to the above, I also researched all the following areas and then completed a verbal presentation/interview to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding for each of them:
- Explain the most likely hazards you may encounter during hiking activities and how to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
- Show first aid for hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, sunburn, hyperventilation, altitude sickness, sprained ankle, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite.
- Explain and, where possible, show the points of good hiking practices including proper outdoor ethics, hiking safety in the daytime and at night, courtesy to others, choice of footwear, and proper care of feet and footwear.
- Explain how hiking is an aerobic activity. Develop a plan for conditioning yourself for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you will increase your fitness for longer hikes.
- The 5-mile hike I completed was our only city hike and I learned a lot about native California plants.
- 10-mile hike #1 was actually my first hike, and I learned that hiking is not as easy as I had expected.
- On the second 10-mile, I got my first experience hiking across streams, logs, and more!
- On my final 10-mile hike, the most interesting part was having a bee land on my nose. He stayed there for at least a minute.
- The 15-mile hike was a nice Joshua Tree hike and I identified many of Joshua Tree’s plants and the Joshua Tree itself.
- The 20-mile hike was very difficult, but we saw some amazing creatures like a horned lizard, kangaroo rats, toads, many kinds of bugs, cows, and more!
- In order to complete this badge, I need to hike a total of 70 miles. I have now hiked 230.8 miles and completed this badge three times.