Figure 8 Loop in Schabarum Regional Park

Southern California is blessed with an abundance of wonderful trails to explore, and an equal abundance of hikers who share their experiences on a hiking blog. Not only does this make finding new trails easier, but it often gives you better insight on the trails, and sometimes with an entertaining story thrown in, to boot!

Back in 2011, several of us hiking bloggers planned our first-ever get-together. The initial group consisted of Derek of 100 Peaks, Casey from Modern Hiker, Kolby The Hike Guy, Pete of  East-West Hike, Campfire Chic and myself.  In the end it was just Derek, Pete an myself hiking Whale Peak in Anza Borrego. And apple pie. But that’s another story.

For 2012, the group grew and the Southern California Hiker Tweetup–or SCHT— (don’t try to pronounce it) was born.

We are a go! #socalhikingtweetup See ya soon! @greeneadventurs @CampfireChic @zachbehrens @walksimply @jcmcnair @TheSoCalHiker @swiftcinema

— ADKinLA (@ADKinLA) November 10, 2012

Beautiful morning for the #SoCalHikingTweetup with @ADKinLA @WalkSimply @TheSoCalHiker @ZacApplegate @JCMcNair… http://t.co/gK1NQzW4

— Greene Adventures (@greeneadventurs) November 10, 2012

Thanks to Pete’s persistence and Colleen and Jeff Greene’s organization, we finally met — many of us for the first time — today.

Our gathering spot was Schabarum Regional Park, straddling the hills bordering LA and Orange Counties. Starting out of Rowland Heights, we followed a figure-eight loop that took us through over 6 miles with oak shaded canyons and ridge-line vistas.

Our route took us sharply uphill on the Schabarum Trail. At mile 1.3, we veered left under on the Buena Vista Trail–a .2 mile short cut to the top of the ridge, connecting to the Purple Sage Trail. At the top, we soaked in fantastic vistas. The skies were clear, there was snow dusting the top of the San Gabriel Mountains to the east, and we could even see the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island in the distance.

We headed east and mostly downhill for almost a mile, turning south on the Powder Canyon Trail. This is the crossover for our figure-eight. Turning left at the Black Walnut trail, we headed up a small hill and back down the other side. Watch closely for a marker for the Nogales trail. While most of the trails here are fire breaks, the Nogales Trail is a single-track and easily missed. If you hit Fullerton Road, you’ve gone too far.

Nogales is a short hop that connected us back to the Powder Canyon trail. This is serene and shaded by ancient oaks, with a gentle climb to the saddle (our crossover point) and back north, down towards are trailhead. At the horse stables, we turned left over the bridge to the short Wildcat Loop, and back to where we began our hike.

Meeting the others was a real treat. I love hiking with other people. Hikers are good people, and this group was no exception. It was fascinating to hear about their own hikes, their lives, and what they do when they’re not hiking. Not surprisingly, the second-most discussed topic on the trail? Food.

And food was waiting for us when we returned to our trailhead. We shared a well-earned potluck lunch spread that left everyone satisfied.

Trail Map

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Photo Gallery

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@greeneadventurs @adkinla @walksimply @thesocalhiker great to meet everyone thanks for setting it up!

— Josh McNair (@jcmcnair) November 10, 2012

@jcmcnair @greeneadventurs @ADKinLA @WalkSimply @TheSoCalHiker so happy to meet you all! can't wait for this spring!

— David Swift (@SwiftCinema) November 10, 2012

@greeneadventurs @adkinla @thesocalhiker @zacapplegate @jcmcnair #socalhikingtweetup Perfect temps. for #hiking!

— Traci Lehman (@WalkSimply) November 10, 2012

@TheSoCalHiker @WalkSimply @greeneadventurs @ADKinLA @jcmcnair Here ya go GPX http://t.co/Kow6aP3j & EveryTrail Map http://t.co/x2GO22zl

— Zac Applegate (@ZacApplegate) November 11, 2012

Who’s Who?

Here’s who attended this 2nd Tweetup. Show them some love! Check out their hiking blog, and follow them on Twitter.

• Pete: East-West Hike | @adkinla
• Jeff & Colleen: GreeneAdventures | @greeneadventurs
• Traci: Walk Simply | @WalkSimply
• David: Red Tail Trails | @redtailtrails
• Josh & Amie: California Through My Lens | @CaliFromMyLens
• Zac: RansomedMan | @ZacApplegate
• Jeff & Joan: SoCalHiker.net | @TheSoCalHiker

Special thanks to Pete, Jeff & Colleen for bringing us all together. To those who couldn’t make it this time, hopefully we’ll see you at the next Tweetup in the Spring!