Duke Diary Dispatch: Hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains

I am in perpetual awe of nature. While I am deeply passionate about film and music, neither medium can compare to the beauty of Mother Earth. Long before art as we know it existed, humans found beauty and purpose in nature. The feeling of standing atop a mountain summit after a grueling hike or watching the waves lap at the shore at sunset are primal beauties. I chase that feeling—the sense of being wholly connected to our planet. Hiking grounds me in a deeply therapeutic way. When I’m alone in nature, I feel the most alive, in touch with my feelings. It’s an almost sacred experience for me. 

I grew up outdoors. All through middle and high school, I was in the Scouts program, eventually earning the rank of Eagle. With my troop, I hiked and camped on a monthly basis all throughout North Carolina and Virginia. During my sophomore summer in high school, my closest friends and I backpacked through the Rockies for a week. It was an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. During the summers, my family always traveled to Colorado to hike. Some of my favorite summer memories are being on the trails by the Aspen trees and wildflowers. My parents and sister, Olivia, eventually moved out to Colorado permanently after I left for college. Now, I look forward to visiting them in Carbondale during winter break. 

Last weekend, I hiked with Sam Ramey (‘23) in the San Gabriel Mountains. I chose a painfully steep hike, Mt. Emma, to kick off the summer. While only 5 miles, the elevation gain was 2,200 feet—a difficult workout for the calves and quads. Luckily for us, it was so windy that it felt like we were in the AC. Sam and I bonded over our shared suffering and rejoiced when we finally made it to the top. The views were incredible: 360-degree panoramic views of rolling desert peaks. While the hike was amazing, my poor judgment in not wearing sunscreen came back to bite me. I had a beet-red sunburn around my backpack straps that made me look like a strawberry & vanilla striped dessert. Ouch! After the hike, we grabbed some delicious peanut butter and banana smoothies and called it a day, eager to shower and collapse into bed.

Next up for me is Los Liones Canyon Trail in Topanga States Park! Eager to hit the trails again with friends and soak up some sun…with plenty of sunscreen protection this time around.