Have I mentioned how much I love So. Cal? Everything is a short drive away. Want the beach? We got plenty of em (some nicer than others.) Mountains? Desert? Desert islands with mountains? All are less than 2 hours away from Los Angeles. Traffic can suck, but you have to remember that the reason for traffic is all the people. All those people create the environment that makes L.A. so desirable to me. Many, many, many things to do and always something new to see. Anyways...

Last Sunday my wife and I took our 2 daughters out to Big Bear, California for a short hike. We chose the Cougar Crest Trail, which is about 5 miles round trip. The way up is all up hill, so needless to say it's the hardest part of the hike. The trail is not to difficult, and my 2 daughters (who are 7 and 4) were able to hack it out. My 4 year old did have some trouble in a few spots, but she did hike the entire trail. Well, technically I did carry her on my shoulders for about 100 yards before she got sick of it and wanted to walk again. A few other hikers commented on how well they climbed the trail.

Once at the top, we found a nice spot in the shade and had a mini picnic. The kids had a blast tossing snow balls at each other. After an hour or so, we decided to head back. The walk down was cake, obviously. By the time we reached my truck the girls were exhausted and slept the whole trip home. I snapped a few photos, which can be viewed in my gallery.