On Saturday morning, more than 20 L.A. Times subscribers traveled from near and far to join me on our first-ever subscriber hike.
We met at San Pascual Stables in South Pasadena, with the hazy June gloom offering perfect hiking weather. Though our trek was only 3.2 miles, we covered a lot of ground in our 21⁄2 hours together.
As we meandered along the Arroyo Seco river basin, which was flanked by fields of yellow mustard weed, stalks of purple showy penstemon and feathery clusters of blooming matilija poppy, I offered a little history of the area as well as architectural tidbits about the three grand bridges we passed under. We discussed The Times’ hiking guide and compared notes on some of the trails it covers. When we reached the Lower Arroyo Seco Habitat Restoration Project , lead ecologist Richard Lewis, from the environmental consultancy Psomas, gave a short talk about the flora and fauna there.
I had a chance to better get to know our subscribers and was heartened to see our participants making connections as well. Our group of about 30 relaxed into smaller groups and pairings, discussing their jobs and families. Others chatted about the role of hiking in their lives.
One participant shared with me that her partner had died and that hiking helped to fill the void of that loss. Another woman confided to me how fearful she was of hiking alone and asked for safety suggestions. Some people walked solo, contemplatively.
I learned as much from our participants as they did.
