Big Bear Blog

Work related projects have taken me off the hill for a little while. As much as I love to travel, I always love coming home to Big Bear Lake. Sometimes I forget to truly appreciate the friendly smiling faces, the beautiful alpine scenery and the surrounding playground for adventurers that brought me to this little slice of paradise in the first place.

It is a fabulous thing to meet new people and experience new places and there’s no better way to truly grow as a human being than to travel. Being away from home and its familiar ways helps us understand the similarities and differences of other people and other cultures even in the good old US of A. It can be challenging sometimes if you don’t learn to roll with the punches and don’t worry about not having things “your way.” Occasionally you find out that you like someone else’s way better anyway.

When I returned from this last trip, as soon as I crossed the dam I felt that warm comfortable feeling of home sweet home. I encourage you to get out there and travel as much as possible, and as soon as you’re done having fun, we’ll see you back “home” in Big Bear Lake.

spreading the love,
Rev

One of the best hiking trails in Big Bear is undoubtedly the Pacific Crest Trail. There are many different areas to access this classic trail throughout the valley, yet often times it takes a good map and some off roading to get to the appropriate trailheads.

I’ve found one of the easiest access points to the PCT is off Highway 18 on the way to Lucerne Valley (the east end of Big Bear Valley). At approximately a half mile east of Baldwin Lake there is a spacious turnout on the south side of the road, and yet another smaller turnout on the north side of the road. There is plenty of room to park your vehicle. I suggest displaying a National Forest Adventure Pass. However, there is no signage at the turnouts that claim vehicles must display an Adventure Pass.

You could either choose to hike east or west. I prefer to hike west, but either way you will get a well maintained trail with plenty of great views. There is a portion of the trail that meanders along the rim of the mountain and overlooks Lucerne Valley. It is absolutely stunning. I like to hike about three miles and head back. However, one suggestion to extend your hike to get some great views is take Forest Service Road 3N69, which leads to Gold Mountain. Take this route to the peak for a fortifying hike and to get some spectacular panoramic views of Big Bear Valley and the high desert.

Happy Trails,

Daniel Pea     

Big Bear is looking like an adventure town these days – non-stop opportunities to get outdoors. We’ve had back to back endurance tests - Paddlefest and Cal Multisport – to keep our competitive juices flowing. While we know there is plenty of adventure in Big Bear and a little weekday multisport is not far from the norm – from a stellar trail run and chill paddle to a cross-country mountain bike followed by a swim in the Lake – there is nothing like an official race to test your mettle.

The Cal Multisport this past Saturday was epic by all measures! Fiery heat, grueling climbs and fast descents only to find more up hills! With no forgiveness – racers had to climb a 12-foot tower of pain before crossing the finish line. Local Adventure Racers Paul Romero and Karen Lundgren put on the Multisport, attracting a bevy of professional athletes and some serious weekend warriors. It was cool to watch and cheer on the competitors as they tried to stay hydrated and focus on the challenges of the race. Plus there were many familiar faces in the field – Big Bear’s own Daniel Morello, Heather and Ted DeVito and Diane Bradley. They all did an awesome job as they continue on their pursuit to Conquer the Bear.

Being a part of a race with the kind of quality competition we witnessed this past weekend was inspiring. It made my Sunday much more fun and fueled me to put on a little multisport of my own – a long and challenging mountain bike following a quick trail run.

All in all, Big Bear and the weekend warrior lifestyle rock!

Glade Girl

You know you are on to something special when Big Bear’s 2nd Annual Paddlefest’s oldest and youngest competitors are seven decades apart! Sisters Summer and Shauna, ages 4 and 5, stepped forward to float the Kid’s Fun Paddle crossing the finish line to smiles and cheers, while Jim Nelson, 82, took on the tougher 10k challenge – paddling from Captain John’s Marina to the Dam, around Treasure Island and back - and finished to a shoreline standing ovation.

The achievements didn’t stop there – competition was tough! Big Bear local Kim Williams finished first in the Women’s 10k kayak race while adventure racer Slater Fletcher (Huntington Beach) took first place honors for the Men. Local racer Mindy Clark narrowly beat Scott Cordner (Big Bear) and Matt Theis (Newport Beach) for a first place finish in the 10k Canoe.

Conquer the Bear Contestants continued on in their quest to participate in five grueling Big Bear Events – Snowshoe the Bear, Big Bear Shoot Out, Paddlefest, Cal Multisport and the Big Bear Marathon. Four local challengers – Heather Devito, Diane Bradley, Ted Devito and Grayson McNeil – took top honors on the podium in overall standings after just three events.

Even the non-paddlers were having fun! Paddlefest’s expo hosted numerous outdoor industry vendors and Backpacker magazine’s Get Out More Tour Ambassador’s Sheri and Randy Propster stopped in to discuss cool new outdoor trends and give away tons of free gear. (Check out their take on Big Bear Lake at www.getoutmore2009.com).

I had so much fun Saturday checking out the Expo, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow athletes and making new friends that I decided last minute to compete in the 10k. While I’m a little beat up this Monday morning, I am proud of the dull tenderness across the top of my shoulders and my fourth place finish in the women’s 10k. And, I am pretty certain we’ll see a few more paddlers taking advantage of Big Bear Lake’s smooth waters this summer – like me, I bet these paddlers were inspired by people like Jim, Summer and Shauna.

Earning my turns,
GladeGirl